Behan, Brendan

Behan, Brendan (1923–64), Irish dramatist, whose early experiences of prison as a member of the IRA gave him the material for his first play, The Quare Fellow, first seen in Gaelic and produced in Dublin in 1954 and in London, by Theatre Workshop, in 1956 (NY, 1958). It was followed in 1957 by The Hostage, also first written and produced in Gaelic. This tragi-comic account of IRA activities in a seedy brothel ends with the shooting of an English soldier (the hostage of the title). It reached London in 1959, again at Theatre Workshop (NY, 1961). In its construction, with interspersed songs and dances and direct addresses to the audience, it showed the influence of Brecht, which can be seen even more clearly in Behan's last play, Richard's Cork Leg, left unfinished at his death. Adapted and enlarged for production at the Abbey Theatre's experimental Peacock Theatre in 1972, this was seen at the Royal Court a few months later. A dramatization of Behan's autobiography Borstal Boy was staged in New York in 1970 (Abbey, 1972). Behan took a Rabelaisian delight in the idiosyncrasies of his eloquent characters, and this small body of original work created a considerable stir.