THE WIND COMING OVER THE SEA
Cast Size3m, 3f, 1c
AudienceAdults
Art FormMusicals
Description
Henry and Jane are struggling to keep their small business afloat in famine-ravaged Ireland. But finally, they make the difficult decision to leave everything behind, and start a new life in Canada. Henry goes ahead to secure work, while Jane stays home with their two young children. For a year, the lovers send long, yearning letters across the sea. Eventually, Jane too sets out for the new world, Henry’s letters tied in a ribbon at her heart.
Packed with traditional ballads and live Irish folk music, this new work by renowned Irish-Canadian author Emma Donoghue takes an unflinching look at an ongoing piece of Canada’s story: the promise and peril of emigration.
Copyright photo Lyon Smith
Reviews
‘'The Wind Coming over the Sea soars through the magic of its script, songs and sincerity. For the show is also a celebration of the power and possibility of immigration: a paean to taking bold risks ... a toe-tapping, heart-stirring reminder that every immigrant’s journey weaves another thread into our collective tapestry.'’
‘‘The heartbreaking, elegiac play by best-selling Canadian author Emma Donoghue (“Room”) marks yet another triumph for the Blyth Festival… She turns their untutored eloquence into monologues of piercing intimacy and longing. Donoghue also makes liberal use of Irish music (she has described The Wind Coming Over the Sea as a “folk musical”) recognizing that music was one of the few things cash-strapped and desperate immigrants could bring with them from home… The device works brilliantly.'’
‘'The best original offering at the Blyth Festival since 2017… heartbreakingly sad and tragic in one minute and uproariously funny in the next… A masterpiece.'’