The Man in the Woman’s Shoes

Loco & Reckless Productions
The Man in the Woman’s Shoes
Written and performed by Mikel Murfi

A One Man Theatre Show Written and Directed by Mikel Murfi. Commissioned by the Hawk’s Well Theatre Sligo and Sligo Arts Office as part of Bealtaine 2012.

It’s October 1978. Pope John Paul the First is not long dead, autumn is closing in and Pat Farnon has ‘some business’ to do in town. The Man In The Woman’s Shoes follows Pat as he walks the five miles from his white cottage to town and back again. He meets unforgettable characters along the way, including water diviner Huby Patterson, GAA enthusiast extraordinaire Kitsy Rainey, big voiced Casimir Marshall, an array of farmers all named Gilmartin and Kemp, a man whose idea of a good time is to direct traffic wherever he may find it. Pat may be an aging man but he has a boundless enthusiasm for life. Hilariously funny, tender and at times downright daft, The Man in The woman’s Shoes, will leave you uplifted and in love with life again.
“I think none of us is old, me heart has never been old …”

The Man In The Woman’s Shoes has toured extensively in Ireland since 2012. It has played three time in NYC at the Irish Arts Centre in Manhattan. It ran for three weeks at The Tricycle Theatre, London in 2016 and 2017 to full houses. The show went to Paris to the Irish Cultural Centre in 2018. It is available for limited touring.

The show was created with the support of the Sligo County Council Arts Service and The Hawk’s Well Theatre, Sligo as part of the Bealtaine Festival celebrating Creativity as we age.

About Mikel Murfi:
Mikel is from Sligo. He trained at Ecole Jacques Lecoq, Paris. As an actor his work at the Abbey and Peacock Theatres includes The Playboy of The Western World, The Tempest, The Comedy of Errors and The Morning After Optimism. He was a founding member of ‘Barabbas … The Company’. Mikel most recently appeared in The Man in The Woman’s Shoes, a one man show he devised with members of active age groups in County Sligo. He played in The Clerk and The Clown by Mark Doherty at the Galway Arts Festival and in Ionescu’s The Chairs, with the Blue Raincoat Theatre Company. He appeared in Enda Walsh’s The New Electric Ballroom for Druid Theatre Company which won a Fringe First, a Herald Angel Award and a Best Supporting Actor award for Mikel in The Irish Times Theatre awards. He has directed Diamonds in the Soil and The Lost Days of Ollie Deasy for Macnas. He directed Trad for Galway Arts Festival which went on to win a Fringe First in Edinburgh before touring internationally. Mikel directed the Enda Walsh plays Penelope and The Walworth Farce for Druid both of which won Fringe Firsts in Edinburgh . He directed The Country Girls for Red Kettle. Mikel also collaborated with the Hawk’s Well theatre on the recent production of ‘The Far Off Hills’ for Nomad Theatre Productions which toured to venues nationwide in 2014. Murfi also starred opposite Cillian Murphy and Stephen Rea in Ballyturk written and directed by Enda Walsh which played to sold-out houses in Galway, Dublin and at the National Theatre in London. He is a founding member of Barabbas Theatre Company and was last in New York when he directed Penelope by Enda Walsh at St. Ann’s Warehouse. His films include The Commitments,Guiltrip, The Butcher Boy, Ella Enchanted, Intermission and most recently Jimmy’s Hall directed by Ken Loach.

‘..this is a high-top performance’ – New York Times Review – March 2015

‘a physical comedian, blessed with plastic features, and with the vocal range of a ventriloquist, …. As an author Murfi knows how to bring a script to the edge of pathos or nostalgia without tipping the balance’ – Irish Theatre Magazine Review – May 2008

‘….Murfi makes sheep, pigs, dogs, and even bees, come to life.” Irish Theatre Magazine

“An enchanting show… Hilarious…One of the most delightful theatrical experiences I’ve had in a long time.” Gay Byrne

“I absolutely loved the play and Mikel’s performance. There is such humanity, compassion, humour and wisdom in it and he has found the universal in the local. ” Gabriel Byrne