on the Francis J. Greenburger Mainstage
By Brian Friel
Directed by Charlotte Moore
Starring Rufus Collins, John Keating, and Sarah Street
Directed by Charlotte Moore, this production is faithful to the author’s stated preference for minimal staging that puts the focus squarely on the three actors, who do FINE WORK illuminating Friel’s DESCRIPTIVE LANGUAGE. — The New York Times
AFFECTING production, TENDER heartbreaker of a play, directed with SUBTLE GRACE by Charlotte Moore. — Wall Street Journal
Subtle yet multi-layered. — Time Out
RICH, INSIGHTFUL and full of wondrous and sonorous language, Irish Rep is rightfully considered SPECIALISTS IN FRIEL. — Stage and Cinema
The performances SOAR — The Front Row Center
Mr. Collins’s ELEGANT, introspective, complements this performance — NY Sun
★★★★ Hard-hitting only begins to suggest the emotional power packed into the Irish Repertory Theatre production of Brian Friel’s Molly Sweeney, written with a masterful sense of nuance — NY Stage Review
Sarah Street gives a dynamic and emotive performance. — Theatermania
Friel’s piercing drama is simple; the staging is minimal; the impact is palpable. Street catches every note of Molly’s affability, resolve, terror, retreat. It’s an emotional workout, and she’s fully up to it. Keating plays at one level, relentlessly upbeat, but that suits the loquacious, scattered Frank, and Collins has a natural warmth that helps us understand Rice’s disappointments. — Talkin Broadway
ELEGANT staging. — The New Yorker
Molly has happily experienced the world differently since she was ten months old. When Frank, her restless, unemployed, and enthusiastic husband, makes her blindness his latest cause, he recruits Mr. Rice, a once-famous surgeon who, despite his struggles, agrees to attempt to restore Molly’s sight.
When the bandages come off, Molly, Frank, and Mr. Rice discover the differences between seeing and understanding as they face the consequences of a medical miracle.
Irish Repertory most recently produced Molly Sweeney: A Performance on Screen, which premiered on May 12, 2020, as its first digital production during the COVID-19 shutdown, directed by Charlotte Moore.
Previously, Irish Repertory produced a production of Molly Sweeney in 2011. Both digital and Mainstage productions, directed by Charlotte Moore, featured Geraldine Hughes and Ciarán O’Reilly.
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Read the performance program here!
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This revival is intricately directed by Charlotte Moore. Gottlieb’s lighting is razor sharp, Nakajo’s sound envelops the audience in Molly’s auditory realm, the actors are exceptional. — This Week in New York
When a master playwright takes on the mystery of sight (in its many senses), it pays to listen. Sarah Street conveys both the solidity and the fragility underlying the character’s calm resolve. Company stalwart John Keating has never been better cast than in this role. It’s a deeply engaging look at how our five senses shape our personas and our perception of the world, prepare to be glued to your seat — Sandy MacDonald, NY Stage Review
A spoken-word triptych orchestrated like music, Charlotte Moore’s production yields new insights into a play seen several times in New York since its 1995 debut. — Lighting and Sound America
4.5 out of 5 stars Molly Sweeney is yet another example of Friel taking on a daring challenge and wildly succeeding…a marvelously talented cast — the100wordreview
SENSITIVELY CRAFTED, VERBALLY RICH, Molly Sweeney is an actor’s playground for these Irish Rep stalwarts. — Theater Pizazz
A moving narrative about a beautiful, blind Irishwoman who is given the gift of sight and how that changes her life and that of her husband and her doctor. — Off Off Online
The title character is beautifully played by the LUMINOUS Sarah Street. — Stage Buddy
