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The cast of the Brightening Air are assembled in front of a piano, each looking in a different direction to the other, lost in their own thoughts.
In Person

The Brightening Air

10 Apr–14 Jun 2025

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What you need to know

Running Time

Approximately two hours 30 minutes, including an interval

Suitable for ages

14+

Tickets

Previews £10–£70, Off Peak £13-£75, Peak £15–£77. Premium and Old Vic Plus tickets available. A £2.50 transaction fee applies per booking (does not apply to OV TOGETHER Members).

Preview

PwC £10 Previews 10 Apr–15 Apr

Access Performances

Audio described:
Friday 30 May, 7.30pm (Touch Tour 5.30pm)
Saturday 31 May, 2.30pm (Touch Tour 12noon)
Relaxed (also Audio Described, Captioned and BSL Interpreted):
Saturday 31 May, 2.30pm (Touch Tour 12noon)
Captioned:
Saturday 31 May, 2.30pm
Monday 02 June, 7.30pm
British Sign Language (BSL) Interpreted:
Saturday 31 May, 2.30pm
Friday 06 June, 7.30pm

Find out more about Access at The Old Vic

£22–£25 access rate available for all performances and one carer/companion ticket per booking available at  the same price. Join the free Access Membership and book online or call 0344 871 7628

Dates

10 Apr–14 Jun 2025

About the show

How much of living is really just forgetting?

The family home is more than merely a building. It can be a destination of pilgrimage, an inherited investment, a repository of memory or even magic.

And, for brother and sister Stephen (Brian Gleeson) and Billie (Rosie Sheehy), home is all they have. Mucking along in their decaying farmhouse, they’re doing just fine.

That is, until the arrival of an ex-clergyman uncle (Seán McGinley) with an unscrupulous plan, a sister-in-law (Hannah Morrish) seeking a miracle, and a prodigal brother hell-bent on trouble (Chris O’Dowd).

A world premiere from Olivier Award-winning writer and director Conor McPherson (The Weir, Girl from the North Country), The Brightening Air is an entrancing tale of fate, family and unseen forces in 1980s Ireland.

Winner of the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award. 

Info & Discounts

OV LOCAL
Live in Lambeth or Southwark? Make the most of your visit with our FREE OV Local Membership

OV LOYALTY
Sign up for free online or in person to start earning points on every programme or ticket you buy – once you’ve accrued enough points you’ll be able to exchange these for Old Vic tickets and programmes.

Find out more about concessions

OFF-PEAK PERFORMANCES
10–23 Apr and all Mon–Wed performances

Find out more about tickets and bookings by reading our Terms and Conditions

Reviews

★★★★★
‘The finest play of the year’
The i

★★★★★
‘Outstanding’
The Irish Times

★★★★★
‘A masterpiece from a superb dramatist’
Morning Star

★★★★
‘Savour the pithy, witty dialogue, and relish the performances, which are excellent’
Financial Times

★★★★
‘Enthralling, bittersweet comedy-drama’
The Stage

★★★★
‘A hilarious and achingly moving slice of dysfunctional rural Irish family life’
The Standard

★★★★
‘Convulsively funny’
The Telegraph

★★★★
‘Conor McPherson returns with a bang’
Time Out

Gallery

Discover more

Stage Interview with Conor McPherson 09 Oct 24

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