Next month, our versatile Theatre 1 stage will once again be transformed to host a new co-production of Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night. This Pulitzer Prize winning story is an American classic and tells the troubling tale of one family’s struggle coming to terms with its dark past. It also marks our second collaboration with Glasgow’s Citizens’ Theatre, following a 2016 adaptation of Samuel Beckett’s Endgame. With the show’s May debut creeping closer, we thought it was about time you got to know a little more about its iconic leading man George Costigan. For example, did you know…
He Was Born In Salford
HOME may be based in the heart of Manchester City Centre but the star of our next major production hails from just over the road in Salford. Born in Portsmouth, Hampshire in 1947, George Costigan moved with his family to Salford shortly afterwards with the would-be-star attending St Augustine’s Church of England primary school on Pendlebury’s Bolton Road. As a teenager he could be found at Wardley Grammar School near Swinton before setting off to pursue a career in acting.
He Rose to Fame in Rita, Sue & Bob Too
Following his screen debut in the 1975 TV movie Jenny Can’t Work Any Faster, Costigan quickly carved out a name for himself with the help of a handful of television roles. Notable projects followed, including appearances in 1982’s The Barchester Chronicles and the BBC’s 1984 production of Shakespeare’s The Life and Death of King John but it was his turn as an adulterous husband in Alan Clarke’s small-town drama Rita, Sue & Bob Too that introduced him to mainstream audiences.
He’s a Staple of The Small Screen
Following the cult success of Rita, Sue & Bob Too a string of big-screen performances followed with Costigan appearing in the likes of 2003’s Calendar Girls and Clint Eastwood’s 2010 drama Hereafter, among others. However it’s on the small screen where the Long Day’s Journey Into Night star has really made his mark. Costigan’s enviable resume boasts roles in A Touch of Frost, Inspector Morse and Doctor Who but many may recognize him best from starring alongside Sarah Lancashire in crime drama Happy Valley and a regular slot in Line of Duty, both on the BBC.
He’s No Stranger To The Stage
Despite an ongoing string of television work, Costigan remains equally as prolific on the stage, creating the role of Mickey Johnstone in Blood Brothers and taking it from the Liverpool Playhouse to London’s Lyric Theatre. In 2008, he returned to the North to star as Estragon in a production of Waiting For Godot at Manchester’s Library Theatre before travelling to York to tackle the leading role of Willy Loman in the Royal Theatre’s take on Arthur Miller’s classic text, Death of A Salesman. What’s more, he’s also a patron of Huddersfield’s Dark Horse Theatre Company so clearly he likes to keep busy when it comes to all things theatrical.
Long Day’s Journey Into Night shows from Thu 10 – Sat 26 May. Find out more and book tickets here.