I'll be the Devil
Thu 21 Feb 2008 – Sat 8 Mar 2008
by Leo Butler
Commissioned by RSC
“…a gripping play and an extraordinary piece of writing”
“Immensely powerful…enhanced by some outstanding performances”
“…ferocious and heartfelt”
“Civilisation is a process, Lieutenant. It can take years. Generations even. I doubt our own grandchildren will live to see the benefits of our project here.”
An epic and brutal journey into the dark heart of occupied Ireland during the eighteenth century. Knowing that her soldier lover is leaving for England, a local woman unleashes a sequence of events that will result in tragedy for both their children. With a poetic fearlessness, Leo Butler shows us what happens when a violent foreign power is in intimate and callous contact with the primitive heart of an ancient society.