I'll Be the Devil

(Paperback)

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Description

A dark love story, written in response to The Tempest, Leo Butler's I'll Be the Devil is set in occupied Ireland in 1775. 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 looks at what happens when a brutal foreign power is in intimate and callous contact with the primitive heart of an ancient society.

This is an epic play that marks an exciting departure from the stark realism of Butler's earlier work and that provides a powerful demonstration of Butler's maturity and ambition as a writer.

Reviews

A gripping play that is not at all pretty this is, in short, an extraordinary piece of writing which comes at you in a blizzard of diseased banter. Daily Mail The brutal power of the piece, however, remains undeniable and is enhanced by some outstanding performances. Daily Express This lush, savage, nightmarish imagining of colonial Ireland circa 1762 suggests an imagination that has suddenly, gloriously and recklessly taken wing. Time Out London I was thrilled at the provocation of it, transfixed by its darkness. Time Out London

Author Bio

London-based Leo Butler was awarded the 2001 George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright for his first full-length play Redundant. Since then he has had plays commissioned and produced by, among others, the Royal Court Theatre, the RSC, and the National Theatre's Education Department.