THE SMUGGLER, AN AWARD-WINNING OFF-BROADWAY SENSATION BY BOSTON-BASED IRISH PLAYWRIGHT, RONÁN NOONE, MAKES ITS IRISH DEBUT THIS JULY.
Directed by Conor Bagley and produced by Jessica M. Delucia ‘The Smuggler’ stars Michael Mellamphy, who is best known for his protrayal as Séan Macguire from Red Dead Redemption video game series. Performances run throughout the month of July at select venues in Listowel New York, Cork, Dublin and Belfast. It is presented in association with Origin Theatre Company.
St. Johns Theatre, Listowel – Friday July 11th, 2025
The Smuggler, Ronán Noone’s award-winning one-man thriller in rhymed verse, makes its Irish and U.K. debut this July. Set on a wealthy Massachusetts island in 2025, it follows Irish immigrant Tim Finnegan (Michael Mellamphy) as he’s pulled into the island’s criminal underworld after a fatal crash stirs tensions between locals and migrant workers. Directed by two-time Tony Award-winning producer Conor Bagley and produced by New York entrepreneur, Jessica M. DeLucia, this gripping and darkly comic tale asks: what would you do to survive – and to belong?
Winning Noone “Best Play” when it debuted at Origin Theatre Company’s 1st Irish Theatre Festival in 2019, with Mellamphy performing as Finnegan, The Smuggler has had numerous productions across the U.S., including a run in 2023 when the famed Irish Repertory Theatre produced the Off-Broadway premiere, directed by Conor Bagley. This production garnered rave reviews, including one where Ken Marks of The New Yorker magazine called it “a terrific, one man, one act play,” in which “Mellamphy is a dynamic presence, shifting easily among male and female roles and a variety of accents, while showing off some damn impressive cocktail-mixing moves.”
Since the lauded Irish Rep production, DeLucia, Bagley and Mellamphy have teamed up to bring this epic tale of American individualism to a variety of venues, including The Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse, Frawley’s Pub in Nantucket, An Beal Bocht in The Bronx and Bloom’s Tavern in Manhattan. After a send-off show at Ryan’s Daughter in New York, the next stop on the horizon for The Smuggler is a four-town run in Mellamphy’s homeland.
Mellamphy remarked: “It has been a dream of mine for a long time, to bring this play home to my family, friends and communities where I started out. This is a play about an Irish immigrant, facing the challenges of life in a different land. It resonates with so much of what we are talking about at this moment in time. To be able to perform this in my home is a very special opportunity”.
Mellamphy has appeared on multiple U.S. television shows as well as performing as Red Dead Redemption 2’s cocky young outlaw Sean MacGuire, which remains one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time.
Director Conor Bagley, who began his professional directing career at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin and has since helmed productions Off-Broadway and at regional theatres across the U.S., reflected: “Ronán’s language is ferocious, mischievous, and razor-sharp – and in Mick’s hands, it becomes a high-wire act. Directing this piece has been a reminder of just how thrilling and dangerous theatre can be when one actor holds an audience in the palm of his hand. At a time when questions of borders, identity, and belonging dominate global conversation, bringing The Smuggler to Ireland feels like a full-circle moment for a story that lives between two countries – not to mention a professional homecoming for me.”
New York entrepreneur and producer of multiple Off-Broadway productions, Jessica M. DeLucia noted: “The Smuggler is a compelling and timely piece that combines sharp storytelling with controversial themes, provoking meaningful dialogue concerning some of today’s most pressing issues. We are confident that it will captivate and resonate with Irish audiences.”
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The Smuggler Summer Tour 2025 comes to St. John’s Theatre Listowel for one night only this Friday July 11th. For bookings call 068 22566.
Pictured L-R: Jessica M. DeLucia – Producer, Michael Mellamphy – Performer, Conor Bagley – Director
