On the Shore of the Wide World

The Olivier-winning play makes it to New York

A quintessentially English family, or "kitchen sink" drama, Simon Stephens' award-winning On the Shore of the Wide World makes its New York premiere this August. First staged in Manchester, UK in 2005, it transferred to London's National Theatre later that year, winning the 2006 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play. Following the story of the Stockport-based Holmes family across three generations, it examines the aftermaths of various events that hit the long-suffering family, demonstrating that family are often bound together through strife. And a strong, joint hatred of footballer Roy Keane.

What is it about?

All three generations of the Holmes family suffer from a typically British inabiliity to articulate feelings, and the themes of evasion and near-misses play a central role in all of their problems. Charlie is the aging patriarch, surly and closed off, married to Ellen. They both regret not taking a more adventurous path - even if it takes them away from each other. Their son Peter and his wife Alice have suffered the loss of their child; their grief has led them to almost commit infidelity. And to top it off, their other son runs away to london with his troubled but beautiful young girlfriend; however his ties to home prove too strong to withstand in the end....