Rash actions in youth often lead to dire consequences in the future, which is one of the underlying themes of Teresa Deevy’s 1937 emotionally-layered play Wife to James Whelan, set in the small town of Kilbeggan in rural Ireland. The opening scene is set against the backdrop of a moss-covered stone wall, attached to the facade of a red brick house with trailings of ivy nestled against it. A low-built stone edifice stretches along the forefront of the stage and serves as a bench for the local people who pass by and stop to chat and share local gossip (set design Neil Irish). The opening line of the play – ‘Does the sun shine warmer on a rich man’s skin?’ sets one’s emotions stirring even before we’re caught up in the longings of each character in the play.
In Wife to James Whelan‘s first act, Director Jonathan Bank makes good use of this stone bench as a place to release longings and desires not easily expressed. The saucy Nan Bowers (Cliona Flynn), with a lustrous mane of cascading blonde curls, holds court on the bench with an air of displeasure; she’s not interested in the Kilbeggan males who stop by to see her.
Bill McGafferty (Darragh Feehely), a man of raw expression, resents his rival for Nan’s affections, a local youth named James Whelan, who has applied for a lucrative position in Dublin. If he’s accepted, his current post will be taken over by Jack McClinsey (Benjamin Reilly), who’s just arrived to settle in Kilbeggan. Jack is also smitten with Nan.
The more reticent of Nan’s admirers is Tom Carey (Patrick McBrearty), who worries he is too old for the much younger Nan. Tom keeps his desires to himself. Through Deevy’s brilliantly written acerbic comments, we get to know the underlying desires of each character, as well as to glean that it is only James Whelan who rules Nan’s heart. But if Nan is an enticing female for the local males, James is also a desired presence for the local females.
There is the gossipy but extremely likeable Kate Moran (Eavan Gaffney), who harbours a deep love for James. She lives in the red-brick-walled house with her younger brother, the ready-to-please but comically delightful Apollo Moran (David Rawle). Another James Whelan admirer is the upfront, no-holds-barred Nora Keane (Molly Hanly), a rich man’s daughter with a penchant for heart-throb Whelan.
When the handsome James Whelan appears (Fiach Kunz) towards the end of the first act, the love he and Nan express for each other is obvious but damaged by the sharp words they exchange. James has been accepted for his lucrative post and is leaving that very afternoon on the 3:15pm train to Dublin. He promises Nan it is only for six months and that he will marry her on his return. Nan, who doesn’t believe him, responds with cold fury. She won’t wait for him and she won’t be true to him either. Upon hearing her firm rejection of his proposal, James responds with equal venom. It will be seven years before he returns to Kilbeggan to develop a new enterprise. As a rich and powerful man, he hires local people to work for him. Nan, who married during his seven-year absence, is now a penniless widow with a four-year-old child to support. James greets her with an icy countenance, but, noting her dire circumstances, offers her a job in his newly structured enterprise. There is a hint of romantic cinders in James’ heart, but Nan does something completely out of character and dire consequences result.
Wife to James Whelan, set in rural Ireland in the 1930s, presents situations and decisions that shape or break us, whether we live in big cities or were born into wealth. Troubled matters of the heart and reckless behaviours remain the same, no matter the year of our birth. See this thoughtful play as a profound expression of what it means to live and be without love in one’s lifetime.
Review by Loretta Monaco
“You won’t know me when I come back”
1937, a small Irish town. Nan Bowers and her friends are waiting to hear which local lad has won a life-changing job in Dublin. James Whelan shows up triumphant and ready to celebrate with his sweetheart, Nan, only to discover that she has plans of her own. Seven years later, James comes home, flush with success. His return will affect not only Nan but the whole town.
Darragh Feehely – Bill McGafferty
Clíona Flynn – Nan Bowers
Eavan Gaffney – Kate Moran
Molly Hanly – Nora Keane
Fiach Kunz – James Whelan
Patrick McBrearty – Tom Carey
David Rawle – Apollo Moran
Benjamin Reilly – Jack McClinsey
Teresa Deevy – Writer
Jonathan Bank – Director
Neil Irish – Set Designer
Anett Black – Costume Designer
Chris McDonnell – Lighting Designer
Jane Shaw – Composer and Sound Designer
Sarah Jones – Casting Director
Enric Ortuño – Fight Director
Gus Hodgson – Assistant Director
WIFE TO JAMES WHELAN
Jermyn Street Theatre
25 June to 25 July 2026
