The 1920s London-Irish Theatre

A History

Nelson O’Ceallaigh Ritschel

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Hardback

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English

Routledge
07 November 2025

Performance art; Theatre Studies; Literary studies: from c 1900 -; Museums & museology; British & Irish history

Series: Routledge Studies in Irish Literature

The 1920s London-Irish Theatre: A History documents, explores and interrogates the Irish theatre that was prevalent in London during the 1920s. This includes consideration of the movements that impacted 1920s London theatre, such as the influential repertory theatres of the first decade of the twentieth century, as well as the detailed history of the Irish Players. Each identified London-Irish production is discussed through contemporary theatre reviews from London newspapers and journals, and within the decade’s historical context. Dramatists, their plays, actors, producers, and the physical theatres are all considered as extensively as evidence allows. Major productions, like those of Lennox Robinson’s The White-Headed Boy, Sean O’Casey’s Juno and the Paycock, and Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan with its distinct Irish echoes are considered, along with productions of George Shiels’ Professor Tim and Bernard Duffy’s The Counter Charm and more. Producers discussed include James Fagan and Charles Macdona, while considered actors include Sara Allgood, Maire O’Neill, Arthur Sinclair, Fred O’Donovan, Ellen O’Malley, Ethel O’Shea, and many more. This leads, for the first time, to a full portrait of the Irish theatre that was produced in London during the 1920s in not only the West End, but also in smaller London theatres and in suburban repertory theatres.

By: Nelson O’Ceallaigh Ritschel
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781041120254
ISBN 10: 1041120257
Series: Routledge Studies in Irish Literature
Pages: 210
Publication Date: 07 November 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Introduction Chapter I, 1920: The Beginning Chapter II, 1921: Fagan, Irish Players, Shaw, Synge, O’Malley, Everyman Chapter III, 1922, 1923, 1924: Ervine, Everyman, Macdona, Saint Joan Chapter IV, 1925, 1926: Fagan, O’Casey, Allgood, Macdona, Kitty Warren Chapter V, 1927, 1928, 1929: Irish Players, Fraser, Apple, Tassie Epilogue

Nelson O’Ceallaigh Ritschel is Professor of Humanities at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, USA.

Reviews for The 1920s London-Irish Theatre: A History

“In The 1920s London-Irish Theatre, Nelson Ritschel reproduces a decade in which Irish drama, Irish actors, and Irish producers came to the forefront of British theatre. But in addition to cataloguing the staging of Irish plays major and minor, Ritschel evokes the politically complicated and violent context within which they were received. The product is an invaluable contribution to the serious study of Irish dramatic literature and British theatre history."" Stephen Watt, author of Joyce, O’Casey, and the Irish Popular Theatre and From the ""Troubles"" to Trumpism: Ireland and America, 1960–2023