The draw for many seeing The Playboy of the Western World will be the chance to see Misfit star Robert Sheehan perform on stage.

And he doesn’t disappoint. Sheehan plays lead Christie Mahon in J M Synge’s dark Irish comedy about a strange lad who shows up in a County Mayo village, seemingly on the run. His claim, that he’s killed his father, quickly wins him bizarre levels of respect from the bored villagers, enchanted with tales of another part of the world and “a daring deed.” Christie, a loser all his life, suddenly finds himself greeted as a hero, fighting off the attentions of various girls and given grudging respect by the men of the village.

But this Mayo village is topsy-turvy place, and when Christie’s father shows up, very much alive despite the large gash in his head, the villagers turn on their “Playboy” with brutal tragicomic consequences.

John Crowley’s production at the Old Vic is a lively one, which really milks the comic potential behind the reversal-of-fortune storytelling, and lets the wonderful, lyrical language shine.

Sheehan makes a great Christie: gorgeous, of course, but he really convinces as the shambolic shuffling nobody (reminding me, at times, of Paolo Nutini) who grows in confidence, then overreaching pride, and then vanity, with every compliment.

Niamh Cusack and Ruth Negga provide great support as the two rival women playing for Christie’s affections. The wily Widow Quin (Cusack) provides some nice comic moments; Negga’s Pegeen is superbly sexy, with a really nasty streak.

But you can’t help but pity Pegeen in the final moments of the play, when the sassiest member of this strange little community cries, plaintively, “I’ve lost him!” Negga fills the line with emotion, calling out for all the losses of the play: loss of respect for family, for human life, for truth; loss of persepective; the loss of hope. It’s perfectly pitched, and a powerful moment.

Be warned: some of the incredibly broad Irish vernacular is difficult to understand, and sitting towards the back, I did “lose” some of the lines from quieter members of the cast.

But if you relax your ears and let it wash over you, confident in Synge’s strange but strong storytelling, the brutal black comedy, and the witty characterisations, you’ll have a fun night.

The Playboy of the Western World plays at the Old Vic until 26 November. Book tickets here.

Grandage will step down as Artistic Director following Richard II. He said, “I am delighted this final year celebrates so much of the repertoire we have presented over the last decade. It is wonderful to be joined by so many friends and colleagues in this last season of work – it is these collaborations and creative partnerships both on stage and with the staff at the Donmar, that have made the achievements of the past 10 years possible.”

Other cast news this week includes:

• Actress Joanna Riding and cabaret star Meow Meow are appearing in Kneehigh Theatre’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg at the Gielgud Theatre from 5 March
• Niamh Cusack will star alongside Anne-Marie Duff  in Terence Rattigan’s Cause Célèbre at the Old Vic from 17 March
• And Les Dennis will appear in the London premiere of Alan Ayckbourn’s comedy about fame, Drowning On Dry Land, at the Jermyn Street Theatre from 22 February

This week’s transfer news is about Fela! The Broadway musical about the life of Afrobeat star Fela Anikulapo-Kuti will transfer from the National Theatre to Sadler’s Wells this summer, for a six week run starting 20 July.

Finally, exciting news about my favourite theatre in London: Shakespeare’s Globe. The Bankside venue will be performing all 38 of Shakespeare’s plays for the Cultural Olympiad in 2012; wait for it, in different languages – how amazing does that sound?

There’ll be a King Lear in Australian Aboriginal languages, a Spanish Henry VIII, an Italian Caesar and a Tempest in Arabic. Look out for Love’s Labour’s Lost in British Sign Language, too! Rawiri Paratene – who appeared at the Globe last year and is known for the film Whale Rider – will star in a Maori production of Troilus And Cressida, with Zimbabwean actors Denton Chikura and Tonderai Munyevu starring in a Shona version of The Two Gentlemen Of Verona.

Better still, the Globe is expanding. From 2013, there’ll be a new indoor Jacobean Theatre next to the existing “wooden o”. The new venue will seat 320 people, and is based on designs held in Worcester College, Oxford for a 17th-century indoor theatre. Construction work will start next year, in a shell that already exists in the Globe site. It’ll mean that the Globe can produce shows year-round, and that is a very good thing!