2015

Hangmen

Written by Martin McDonagh

Play Details

Context

Artistic Director
Vicky Featherstone

Dates Performed

Thursday 10th September 2015
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs

Form

Original full length in English Over 8 cast

Play Details

Synopsis

Britain, 1965

Harry Wade is a former hangman turned pub owner in Oldham, as he navigates the aftermath of the abolition of hanging in Britain. The play takes place two years after Harry’s last execution of James Hennessy, a man who protested his innocence until the end. When a mysterious stranger named Mooney arrives at Harry’s pub and his teenage daughter Shirley goes missing, tensions rise, and dark secrets from the past come to light.

The play explores themes of justice, guilt, and the psychological impact of capital punishment on those involved. With a blend of dark humor and menace, Martin McDonagh crafts a gripping tale that questions the morality of the death penalty and the consequences of taking a life in the name of the law. The characters, including Harry’s wife Alice, his former assistant Syd, and his rival Albert Pierrepoint, are vividly drawn, each grappling with their own demons and the weight of their actions.