Abbey Theatre - Amharclann na Mainistreach

WORLD PREMIERE

Set in the early 60s, Lay Me Down Softly takes us into the burlesque world of the carnival and the boxing hall of Delaney’s Travelling Roadshow with its intriguing cast of characters. There’s the charismatic but dangerous Theo, the owner-cum-ringmaster; the gentle old prize-fighter Peadar, his worn out sidekick; the ferocious Dean and handsome Junior.

With one old field after another, life on the road is tough. Just ask Lily, Theo’s scornful lover. When young Emer shows up, however, everything changes…

Like his other plays (including On Such As We, The Cavalcaders, Poor Beast In The Rain) in Lay Me Down Softly, Roche takes us back to a forgotten world and looks a fresh at the familiar themes of love, loss and pain. He finds myth in the mundane and beauty in our all too human foibles.

‘Billy Roche is an inspirational figure in contemporary Irish drama. His plays are a beacon of quality and the emergence of a new on is always cause for anticipation and excitement.’ Conor McPherson

An Abbey Theatre commission.