BRENDAN GLEESON MAKES HIS WEST END DEBUT IN
CONOR McPHERSON’S
THE WEIR
PRESENTED BY KATE HORTON PRODUCTIONS AND LANDMARK PRODUCTIONS
Kate Horton Productions and Landmark Productions today announce a new production of The Weir written, and directed for the first time, by Conor McPherson (The Brightening Air, Girl from the North Country), starring Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin, Paddington 2) making his West End debut as Jack at the Harold Pinter Theatre from 12 September to 6 December 2025, with a press night on Friday 19 September.
The multi award-winning actor Brendan Gleeson makes a long-awaited return to the stage in Dublin playing at the 3Olympia Theatre from 8 August to 6 September before transferring to the West End. Further casting to be announced.
Tickets for the West End run are on sale now to ATG priority members and go on general sale at 10am today, Thursday 1 May via theweirplay.com.
The tallest tales reveal the deepest truths.
On a stormy night, four local men gather in an isolated pub in rural Ireland. Their usual banter and everyday lives are disrupted by the arrival of a woman called Valerie. The stories they weave to impress her are gripping, haunting and deeply unsettling. Little do they know that she has a profoundly personal story of her own, the sharing of which will leave them all shaken.
The Weir is a testament to the need for human connection, the possibility of hope, and the enduring power of storytelling.
Brendan Gleeson said, “Conor McPherson’s The Weir is one of the rarest plays around. The last time I appeared on stage was ten years ago, at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, where I started my career. I can’t wait to be back there, and then to play in the West End for the first time, at the beautiful Pinter Theatre – and to work with Conor on his profoundly moving, inspiring and ultimately hopeful play.”
Conor McPherson said, “I can hardly believe it’s thirty years since I wrote The Weir – and about thirty years since I first met the wonderful Brendan Gleeson. It’s an absolute honour to bring this play to life again with one of the great titans of Irish acting. I’m hugely looking forward to directing my play for the very first time and sharing this production with audiences in Dublin and in London very soon.”
Kate Horton said, “Along with a multitude of theatregoers, I was spellbound by Conor McPherson’s play The Weir when it first premiered at the Royal Court. I’ve since been granted three wishes; to have Conor agree to direct his own masterpiece for the first time, for the magnificent Brendan Gleeson to agree to lead the cast, and for the brilliant Anne Clarke to join me as co-producer. Together, they are titans of Irish and International theatre. The Weir is a beautiful play about human connection, the endurance of hope and the essential power of storytelling. It will be a joy to share this production with audiences.”
Anne Clarke said, “In the way that people remember where they were when something significant happened – the moon landings, say, or who shot JR – I remember where I was when Kate Horton called, to tell me that she had been working with Conor McPherson on a new production of The Weir, and that Brendan Gleeson had agreed to play Jack. They were hoping the production would open in Dublin, ahead of a West End run. I had been lucky enough to work with Brendan before, when he played Dinny in The Walworth Farce at the 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin alongside his sons Brian and Domhnall, and the thought of working with him on Conor’s sublime play was a thrill. And I had known and admired Kate’s extraordinary body of work as a producer for many years, so the opportunity to work with her was another thrill. It promises to be hugely special, and I can’t wait for audiences in both Dublin and London to see it.”
The Weir is produced by Kate Horton Productions and Landmark Productions.
Brendan Gleeson
Film credits: Banshees of Inisherin (for which he was nominated for an Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA), Joker: Folie à Deux, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Six Shooter (winner of Academy Award), In Bruges (Golden Globe, British Independent Film, Satellite, IFTA, and BAFTA Award nominated), Harry Potter, The Tailor of Panama, In My Country, The Tiger’s Tail, The Butcher Boy, Breakfast on Pluto, Mission: Impossible II, AI, 28Days Later…, Gangs of New York, Troy, Kingdom of Heaven, Beowulf, Green Zone, Albert Nobbs, Safe House, The Company You Keep, Edge of Tomorrow, The Guard (Golden Globe, IFTA and BIFA nominated), Cavalry (winner of IFTA and BIFA), The Coen Brothers’ The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Hampstead, Paddington 2, Trespass Against Us, Alone in Berlin, Assassin’s Creed, Live by Night, In the Heart of the Sea, Suffragette (winner of BIFA Award), The Field, Into the West, The Treaty, Far and Away, Braveheart (winner of five Academy Awards), The General (winner of IFTA and the London Critics’ Circle Film Award) and I Went Down (winner of Boston Society of Film Critics).
TV credits: Spider:Noir (Amazon/Marvel), The Good Daughter (Peacock), State of the Union (Emmy nominated), Mr. Mercedes, A Higher Loyalty (Golden Globe nominated), Into the Storm (winner of Emmy, IFTA, Satellite Award winner, Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards nominated).
Theatre credits:Following early work with Passion Machine in Dublin, theatre credits include On Such as We (Abbey Theatre) and The Walworth Farce (3Olympia Theatre).
Conor McPherson
Conor wrote and directed The Brightening Air (The Old Vic)and the Tony and Olivier Award-winning premiere of the musical Girl from the North Country (also West End and Broadway).Past theatre includes: Uncle Vanya — South Bank Sky Arts Theatre Award (West End/BBC); Port Authority (Gate Theatre, Dublin/West End); The Weir — Olivier Award for Best New Play (Royal Court/West End/Broadway); The Seafarer (National Theatre/Broadway); Shining City (Royal Court/Broadway); The Night Alive — New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play (Donmar/Atlantic Theater, New York); Cold War (Almeida); The Nest (Lyric Belfast/Young Vic); Dance of Death (Donmar/BBC Radio).