in the W. Scott McLucas Studio Theatre
by Brian Friel
directed by Joe Dowling
starring Dermot Crowley & Dearbhla Molloy
September 22 – November 6, 2016
Buy Tickets Now
Afterplay is a meeting of two of the world’s greatest dramatists at the helm of legendary director Joe Dowling. Brian Friel revisits the lives of two of Chekhov’s enduring characters- Sonya, Uncle Vanya’s dutiful niece, and Andrey, the downtrodden intellectual brother of The Three Sisters.
They meet by chance in a late night cafe in 1920s Moscow. The concert violinist and determined estate owner cannot escape their origins and the circumstances furnished by their creator are still determining their lives. Part of Andrey remains a boy, while Sonya is wrestling with a difficult estate and is still deeply and hopelessly in love with the local doctor as she was all those years ago. Twenty years after their original plays and in their middle age they find a comfortable anticipation in their encounter. There is promise in their meeting, until their stories unfold and the glow of their fantasies makes way for reality.
With Irish stars Dermot Crowley & Dearbhla Molloy, this beautifully and tenderly written play significantly adds to the Chekhov canon.
“No foreknowledge of Chekhov is needed to understand Afterplay (nor to appreciate the masterly performances [from the]) superb pairing of Dermot Crowley and Dearbhla Molloy). These two could be any of us, haunted by yesterdays that too often seep into today” -The New York Times
“A gem… I can’t imagine a more balanced pair of actors. Both are exquisite.” –Woman Around Town
infinitely gentle… exquisitely executed” –Time Out
Dermot Crowley is pitch perfect… Molloy as Sonya astounds.” –Irish Central
“A heartbreaking Chekhovian homage …directed with palpable heart by Joe Dowling“ –TheaterMania