Lifford Players (Open)
present
“A Crucial Week in the Life of a Grocer’s Assistant”
byTom Murphy
A Crucial Week in the Life of a Grocer’s Assistant is one of Tom Murphy’s earlier plays. Set in a rural town in Ireland in the Spring of 1958, it was first produced by the Abbey Theatre on the 11th of November 1969.
The play tells the story of John Joe Moran, the shopkeeper’s assistant, as he wrestles with his personal dilemmas. Should he emigrate to England or America, like so many of his contemporaries and friends? Should he stay in his job as a grocer’s assistant? Should he marry his very young girlfriend who works above in the bank? We follow John Joe through what turns out to be A Crucial Week in the Life of a Grocer’s Assistant.
The play can be seen as a metaphor for the Ireland of the late Fifties while still speaking to us in the 21st Century. It deals with the perennial Irish themes of unemployment, emigration, church influence and small town life, themes that resonate through the ages.
Prices – €15/€12