| I'll Be The Devil | |
|---|---|
poster for I'll Be The Devil |
|
| Written by | Leo Butler |
| Date premiered | 2008 Tricycle Theatre in London |
| Original language | English |
| Setting | Ireland |
I'll Be The Devil is a play by Leo Butler that was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and written in response to The Tempest by William Shakespeare for the Complete Works Festival. It was staged for the first time at the Tricycle Theatre 2008 directed by Ramin Gray.
The play is set in occupied Ireland during the 18th century. A soldier of the English army has two illegitimate children by his mistress, a local woman. His upcoming departure for England triggers a dramatic series of events. Young cattle-killer Dermot is a Celtic Caliban. He becomes the instrument of his mother Maryanne revenge against his own father, Lieutenant Coyle.
Butler said of the play, More than anything I want to put the audience in the eye of the storm. There are a lot of plays about war and colonialism that are wry and ironic and theoretical and that’s all very well, but it’s always taking a step backwards from the reality.[1]
The play divided the critics, many of whom were repelled by the relentless on-stage violence and found the story-line confusing. However, Michael Billington of The Guardian admitted that some scenes really worked[2] and Dominic Cavendish The Telegraph said that the darkness that others criticised 'transfixed' him and
. As a vision of a world without hope, it's too terrifying to dismiss.
Julie Carpenter writing for the Daily Express also praised the play as a violent, unforgiving and immensely powerful play that is not for the faint-hearted.