The Utilization of Domestic Space in the Reflection of Social and Economic Struggles of Modern Living in Conor McPherson’s New Translation of The Nest

Abstract

An appraisal of McPherson’s work can never sidestep the congruity of his work to the ordinary cadences of contemporary life. In a co-production with the Young Vic Theatre, London, a new adaptation by McPherson of Franz Xaver Kroetz’s Das Nest was premiered at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast on 1 October 2016. Kroetz’s original play was performed in 1970s Germany in response to the post-war revival of the country’s economy and the rise of capitalist consumerism. It is often analysed as a reflection on the rise of Nazism and contemporary inaction against tyranny. A contemporary version is written by McPherson to correspond with the financial upheavals of contemporary Ireland, and elsewhere, and the inequitable social impact of global economic growth. This performance analysis focuses on the interrelations between domestic and public places in the play.