The Sanctuary Lamp
Encyclopedia
The Sanctuary Lamp is a play by Irish playwright Tom Murphy
written in 1975 but revised for subsequent productions. When premiered at the Abbey Theatre
in Dublin its anti-Catholic stance caused enormous controversy with its author denounced in pulpits up and down the country. Defenders included the then President of Ireland
who argued that the play was, along with The Playboy of the Western World
and Juno and the Paycock
, one of the greatest of Irish dramas. The trauma of the play's rejection caused Murphy to withdraw from playwriting altogether for a few years. When it was revived in a substantially rewritten version at the Abbey in 2001 and then at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester in 2003 it was re-evaluated as one of Murphy's best plays and was enormously successful with audiences. A production of The Sanctuary Lamp is being shown at the Arcola Theatre
in Dalston
, London
from 10 March - 03 April 2010 and is being directed by Tom Murphy himself.
who presides over the Church in which Harry takes refuge.
In the original 1975 version the play unfolds over three acts. The first begins outside the Monsignor's church with Harry begging before hiding inside when Francisco appears, searching for him. As Harry finds himself listening to the Monsignor's sermon, Francisco makes an exhibition of himself, hurling abuse at the Catholic faith. After he is ejected, Harry and the Monsignor meet and, in an act of kindness towards a man in need, the Monsignor offers Harry the job of caretaker in the church. This Act is almost entirely omitted in the post-1975 version which begins with Harry's meeting with the Monsignor.
Both versions share the action of the remaining two acts. As Harry shelters in the church it emerges he has not only been sacked from the circus but has walked out on his troupe of freelancers which includes Francisco, Olga, his wife and a dwarf called Samuel. Harry has rejected them because of an affair Francisco has had with Olga.
In the church Harry befriends a waif-like young girl, Maudie, who is also sheltering in the church in the belief that somehow she will find forgiveness for some of the terrible things that have happened to her. Harry undertakes to protect Maudie - largely because she reminds him of his own daughter, Teresa, who died of consumption. Their plans are ruined when Francisco appears in search of his old friend. As the two men confront each other lies and self-deceits are stripped away and all go through their own dark night of the soul. But, having purged themselves of the past, the three resolve to go back into the world the next day, somehow reconciled and able to find their own private visions of redemption.
. In common with much of Murphy's work the play deals with the battle against nihilism and finds a form of redemption and hope in mankind's ability to show compassion, love and find an individual spirituality. The Lamp itself becomes an image of the light of the human soul unattached to dogma or religion.
Also in common with Murphy's other plays it mixes realism with an elegiac lyricism, the stark reality of the characters' suffering and destitution contrasting with the poetic aspiration of their souls. A twenty minute speech delivered by Harry alone to the Lamp where he thinks God resides is a particularly masterful example of this.
Tom Murphy (playwright)
Tom Murphy is an Irish dramatist who has worked closely with the Abbey Theatre in Dublin and with Druid Theatre, Galway. He was born in Tuam, County Galway, Ireland...
written in 1975 but revised for subsequent productions. When premiered at the Abbey Theatre
Abbey Theatre
The Abbey Theatre , also known as the National Theatre of Ireland , is a theatre located in Dublin, Ireland. The Abbey first opened its doors to the public on 27 December 1904. Despite losing its original building to a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the present day...
in Dublin its anti-Catholic stance caused enormous controversy with its author denounced in pulpits up and down the country. Defenders included the then President of Ireland
Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh
Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh served as the fifth President of Ireland, from 1974 to 1976. He resigned in 1976 after a clash with the government. He also had a notable legal career, including serving as Chief Justice of Ireland.- Early life :Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, one of four children, was born on 12 February...
who argued that the play was, along with The Playboy of the Western World
The Playboy of the Western World
The Playboy of the Western World is a three-act play written by Irish playwright John Millington Synge and first performed at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on January 26, 1907. It is set in Michael James Flaherty's public house in County Mayo during the early 1900s...
and Juno and the Paycock
Juno and the Paycock
Juno and the Paycock is a play by Sean O'Casey, and one of the most highly regarded and oft-performed plays in Ireland. It was first staged at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin in 1924...
, one of the greatest of Irish dramas. The trauma of the play's rejection caused Murphy to withdraw from playwriting altogether for a few years. When it was revived in a substantially rewritten version at the Abbey in 2001 and then at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester in 2003 it was re-evaluated as one of Murphy's best plays and was enormously successful with audiences. A production of The Sanctuary Lamp is being shown at the Arcola Theatre
Arcola Theatre
Arcola Theatre is a studio theatre in Dalston, in the London Borough of Hackney. The theatre's ambition is to create and present high-quality theatre with a social and political relevance to its multicultural local community as well as a wider audience....
in Dalston
Dalston
Dalston is a district of north-east London, England, located in the London Borough of Hackney. It is situated northeast of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from 10 March - 03 April 2010 and is being directed by Tom Murphy himself.
The Play - 1975 and post-1975 versions
The Sanctuary Lamp centres on four central characters - Harry Stone, a Jewish strongman who, having been sacked from the circus, has gone freelance, Francisco, the Irish juggler who was sacked with him, Maudie, a young girl and the MonsignorMonsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
who presides over the Church in which Harry takes refuge.
In the original 1975 version the play unfolds over three acts. The first begins outside the Monsignor's church with Harry begging before hiding inside when Francisco appears, searching for him. As Harry finds himself listening to the Monsignor's sermon, Francisco makes an exhibition of himself, hurling abuse at the Catholic faith. After he is ejected, Harry and the Monsignor meet and, in an act of kindness towards a man in need, the Monsignor offers Harry the job of caretaker in the church. This Act is almost entirely omitted in the post-1975 version which begins with Harry's meeting with the Monsignor.
Both versions share the action of the remaining two acts. As Harry shelters in the church it emerges he has not only been sacked from the circus but has walked out on his troupe of freelancers which includes Francisco, Olga, his wife and a dwarf called Samuel. Harry has rejected them because of an affair Francisco has had with Olga.
In the church Harry befriends a waif-like young girl, Maudie, who is also sheltering in the church in the belief that somehow she will find forgiveness for some of the terrible things that have happened to her. Harry undertakes to protect Maudie - largely because she reminds him of his own daughter, Teresa, who died of consumption. Their plans are ruined when Francisco appears in search of his old friend. As the two men confront each other lies and self-deceits are stripped away and all go through their own dark night of the soul. But, having purged themselves of the past, the three resolve to go back into the world the next day, somehow reconciled and able to find their own private visions of redemption.
Themes
The Sanctuary Lamp explores major themes of redemption, love, guilt, spirituality and the existence - or non-existence - of God. Its portrait of the struggle of down-and-outs looking to find some kind of meaning to their lives is reminiscent of Maxim Gorki's The Lower DepthsThe Lower Depths
The Lower Depths is perhaps Maxim Gorky's best-known play. It was written during the winter of 1901 and the spring of 1902. Subtitled "Scenes from Russian Life," it depicted a group of impoverished Russians living in a shelter near the Volga. Produced by the Moscow Arts Theatre on December 18,...
. In common with much of Murphy's work the play deals with the battle against nihilism and finds a form of redemption and hope in mankind's ability to show compassion, love and find an individual spirituality. The Lamp itself becomes an image of the light of the human soul unattached to dogma or religion.
Also in common with Murphy's other plays it mixes realism with an elegiac lyricism, the stark reality of the characters' suffering and destitution contrasting with the poetic aspiration of their souls. A twenty minute speech delivered by Harry alone to the Lamp where he thinks God resides is a particularly masterful example of this.