#irishrep

[rndyounghowze]

Meet Me In St Louis By Irish Rep Is Campy, Wholesome, Fun

This musical touched us more than we thought it would.

By Ricky and Dana Young-Howze

Irish Repertory Theatre @irishrep

Venmo: @rndyounghowze

Review 181

We have been hearing about the Irish Rep Theatre for months now. They have been making digital theatre since May or so and we knew that before the year was over we wanted to fit them into our schedule. This year has been a roller coaster of emotions and innovations. Frankly, Dana and I have been struggling to keep up with them all. When we saw that they were doing Meet Me in St. Louis with the book by Hugh Wheeler and music by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane and Directed by Charlotte Moore we didn’t know that we’d be seeing both innovations and emotions aplenty.

An orchestra! Oh, how I love it. The one thing that I didn’t know I missed so much this year was looking into a pit and seeing a live orchestra warming up. Thank you, Santa! Let’s also stop and talk about our actors' voices right now. All of our performers were in great voice and when you read the New York Times article about the two-week process the actors went through filming this it’s hard to imagine how they even held it together for so long.

There is a certain kind of crazy involved with putting a book musical and green screen technology together. Director Charlotte Moore adapted Meet Me In St. Louis in a way that uses the tech to make it feel like actors were in the same room without also making it feel crowded. By giving everyone room to move and using a space-conscious three-dimensional set design (by set designer Charlie Corcoran) they gave the actors, the drama, the music, and the script room to breathe. It can be tempting to want to lean on the tech during times like these but I feel that even though it can do a lot of things that would be impossible (like kiss or punch each other) right now it can’t replace the most primal and expressive instrument we have had since the caveman days: the human body. Irish Rep kept a perfect balance.

Everyone was amazing but we have to stop and talk about some actors that stood out to us. Grandpa (played by Jay Aubrey Jones) had a gentle, even tone that was so much the heart of the show and held the whole cast together. It was so soothing and he was our emotional handhold. Tootie (played by Kylie Kuioka) brought just the right amount of sincerity, sweetness, and a soupcon of creepiness to the part. If Grandpa is the heart then she is the soul. Katie (played by Kathy Fitzgerald) gave us a touch of the Irish and a whole lot of brazenness. All three of these actors may or may not be the ”lead” but they formed the foundation of Meet Me In St. Louis.

Irish Rep proves that simplicity works best and sometimes great digital theatre is about knowing when to nuance the tech. We’ve seen this technology used more than once and it has had its successes and failures. Green screen seems to be the go-to for theaters that don’t want to be left with Zoom Windows but you have to be careful the work isn’t overwhelmed by tech. Taking the classical musical structure and making it digital is one of the more difficult feats of 2020 theatre. Time and energy has to be put into mixing sound, not blowing out mics, and interconnected playback. Irish Rep and their team accomplished this beautifully and we can’t wait to see what they accomplish next year.

To learn more about this show and get tickets please go here.

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[openingnightposts]

Aristocrats at the Irish Repertory Theatre

I was looking forward to seeing “Aristocrats” at the Irish Repertory Theatre for a purely selfish reason. My heritage is half Irish, and I was jonesing for the sound of an Irish accent.Funny thing that. Two actors out of eight showed signs of Irish accents. Only one, Tim Ruddy (Eamon) was consistent and strong while the other, Shane McNaughton (Willie Diver) spoke with an accent that drifted in and out – even though he hails from Northern Ireland. None of the other actors, although a few of their bios indicate they are from or based in Ireland, showed any signs of an Irish accent.This is dumbfounding. It almost felt as though there had been a decision to forgo the accents on account of not everyone being able to manage equally.This might sound fussy, but watching a play that should give us the musicality of Brian Friel’s work but does not because the Irish accents are either missing altogether or fleeting at best is a disappointment.“Aristocrats” is the story of the O’Donnell family, who lives in Ballybeg Hall, County Donegal, Ireland. It is the 1970s, and everyone has gathered for two reasons. Claire (Meg Hennessy) is being married off to an older man who no one likes – not even Claire. But it is expected because she is not suited for anything else except teaching and playing piano. The other reason they are gathered – and this no one will admit – is that the patriarch of the O’Donnell family is dying. He is never seen but can be heard because of the new-fangled baby monitor set up by the family’s all-around helper, Willie Diver. Casimir (Tom Holcomb) has arrived from Hamburg, where he has a wife and children no one has met. Holcomb is so animated that he seems as though he might have stepped out of an Oscar Wilde play. Alice (Sarah Street) and her husband Eamon (Tim Ruddy) have arrived from London. We have no idea they are married until well into the latter part of the first act. Alice spends her days and nights drinking, and Eamon spends his wondering why the third sister, Judith (Danielle Ryan), didn’t follow through on her promise to marry him years back.Tom Huffnung (Roger Dominic Casey) is a guest at the Hall because he is doing his thesis on how the upper class (Aristocrats) affect the lower class and vice versa. His works have rather a long title, but that is the gist of it. He is given the unenviable takes of listening to this motley and self-referential crew and taking notes. And eventually, he will find discrepancies.Bottom line: no one is happy, and they are trapped in the dilapidated hall together – just as they are trapped in their sad lives together. A situation like this calls for heavy lifting – and accents that befit the story.The heavy lifting is not to be had. One element that defies logic is the set by Charlie Corcoran. It is an obstacle course in every way. There is a postage stamp-sized platform upstage left that is supposed to be the study. It is here the actors contort themselves while they drink, make phone calls, review paperwork and explain the various furniture pieces’ history to Tom. Two steps downstage is a lawn where the actors set up and remove wooden folding chairs over and over again, and in the second act they play invisible croquet. Upstage right is a hanging swing seat where Alice spends a lot of time as she drinks the afternoon away.The program tells us that this play is part of Friel’s move into a Chekhovian theater style. That makes sense. It is a study in the stillness of sadness. In this production, however, the tone is lugubrious, with the result that it is more Harold Pinter than Chekhov. Between the set and the direction by Charlotte Moore, these actors – like their characters – are trapped. For the most part, no one is connecting to one another – not the characters or the actors. Which leaves us in the audience puzzled instead of engaged. This is a production filled with good intentions that misses the mark.WITH Roger Dominic Casey, Meg Hennessy, Tom Holcomb, Colin Lane, Shane McNaughton, Tim Ruddy, Danielle Ryan and Sarah Street.Aristocrats features scenic design by Charlie Corcoran, costume design by David Toser, lighting design by Michael Gottlieb, sound design and original music by Ryan Rumery.The opening is Sunday, January 21, for a limited run through Sunday, March 3, 2024, on the Francis J. Greenburger Mainstage at Irish Repertory Theatre (132 West 22nd Street).The performance schedule for Aristocrats is as follows: Wednesdays at 2 pm & 7 pm, Thursdays at 7 pm, Fridays at 7 pm, Saturdays at 2 pm & 7 pm, and Sundays at 3 pm.Tickets for Aristocrats start at $55 and are available at IrishRep.org.Readers may also enjoy our reviews of The Life & Times of Michael K at St. Ann’s Warehouse, Our Class, Rachel Bloom, The Eagle and the Tortoise, The Sweet Spot, The Days of Wine and Roses, and Aging is Not a Fairy Tale.https://youtu.be/d8ak_m4v7VM?si=LmncIS6-5FwGzl8G

[rndyounghowze]

Aran Islands Takes On A Journey Through JM Synge’s Stomping Grounds

@irishrep Celebrates An Important Irish Writer For #StPatricksDay

By Ricky and Dana Young-Howze

New York, New York

Venmo: @rndyounghowze

Review 210

I am going to start by applauding Irish Rep pulling out an adaptation of such a groundbreaking Irish Playwright’s work “The Aran Islands” by Joe O’Byrne who also directed the piece. JM Synge revived literature in Ireland and at the same time shook up public opinion. Some people think that he did for Ireland what O’Neil did for the United States but I think Synge went farther with far fewer works. So my hat is off to the Rep for tackling such a great playwright.

I really appreciated the juxtaposition of our lead walking around in the theatre while the overlays of the Irish countryside and the sea fade in and out. Dana thought the overlays weren’t needed and wished that they gave a higher priority to letting our actor Brendon Conroy own the space. O’Byrne gets a big credit from me for making the bold choice but I need to agree with Dana on one thing.

We both agree that if they had just locked the camera down and given Conroy the stage then we really could have seen his world class acting fill the theatre and make magic happen. When he said there was a sea you could feel the salt spray hit your face. He was a joy and wonder to watch. When he was allowed a little leeway to live in the part without the camera cutting he soared. If you had to see this show for only one reason then see it for him.

Synge was known for his words and bringing emotions out of people. However these turn of the century words were stretched beyond their capacity to hold our attention with all the editing and moving around. Dana and I are huge fans of digital theatre adaptation. Dana is also always saying theatres need to use all the tools in their kit to get the story across. Perhaps the director was trying to use the camera edits to draw these emotions from us. I don’t feel that Synge needs help in that department.

One of the things that I keep saying about Irish Rep privately to Dana but should announce to the world is I admire their honesty and their dedication. It’s not always that you see a theatre company that does exactly what it says it’s going to do. They go out of their way to say that they are celebrating the works of Irish writers and Irish culture and then they go and do exactly that. I haven’t been disappointed yet. I can’t wait to see what they plan to do in the rest of the year and the years coming.

We may be just a bit too critical but it’s because we believe in the power of the dramatic text and the human voice. You can tell that Irish Rep does too with this adaptation of Synge’s famous novel. They have been putting up solid work in their own style during the pandemic and I hope to see that great work onstage someday. I would also love to see what kind of digital programming they offer after reopening to further their programming across the country.

Check the Show Out For Yourself Here

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[frontmezzjunkies]

#frontmezzjunkies presents: #Theatre Vs The #Pandemic The #AmericanTheater 2020 Survival Strategy – Part 4 @irishrep #irishrep @michaelraver interviews #Irishrepertorytheatre Co-Artistic Director #CiaránOReilly on the #COVID Pandemic http://frontmezzjunkies.com/2020/08/25/the-american-theater-2020-survival-strategy-part-4/ (at Irish Repertory Theatre) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEXCnOkhtTl/?igshid=81vyhgusgz5s

[willrsanderson]

Donnybrook, The Musical

Role: Producer/Camera Operator/Editor

Company: The Irish Repertory Theatre

[willrsanderson]

The Freedom of the City

Role: Producer/Camera Operator/Editor

Company: The Irish Repertory Theatre