on the Francis J. Greenburger Mainstage
By Conor McPherson
Directed by Ciarán O’Reilly
Starring Dan Butler, Sean Gormley, Johnny Hopkins, John Keating, and Sarah Street
In a remote country pub in Ireland, newcomer Valerie finds herself drawn into an evening of ghost stories shared by the local bachelors who gather there to drink. With the wind howling outside and a hint of tension in the air, what begins as playful blarney soon drifts into the supernatural realm when Valerie shares her own haunting tale.
A longtime Irish Rep favorite, this marks the company’s fourth staging of The Weir, following acclaimed runs in 2013 and 2015, and a 2020 digital adaptation.
There’s NO BETTER ESCAPE from the city’s heat right now than the Irish Repertory Theatre’s EXCELLENT STAGING of The Weir.
INEVITABLE and NECESSARY. Jack and Finbar have an appealing camaraderie, one of the work’s GREAT COMEDIC PLEASURES. Butler, Gormley and Keating inhabit their roles and chemistries with KEEN UNDERSTANDING. They make PERFECT CONDUITS into this realm, and epitomize this lovely production. The Weir returns in TOP FORM.
— Juan A. Ramirez, The New York Times, CRITIC’S PICK
SPELLBINDING MASTERWORK. BEAUTIFULLY REALIZED. Street gives a lovely, understated performance. The stories told give off the warmth of a GLOWING FIRE IN A HEARTH. A PERFECTLY BALANCED performance of a classic piece of chamber music. As ever at this reliably fine theater, THE CAST IS SUPERLATIVE, with all five actors onstage bringing a distinctive coloring to their roles. The Weir‘s enduring appeal is on TRANSFIXING DISPLAY, directed with gentle finesse by Ciarán O’Reilly.
— Charles Isherwood, Wall Street Journal
I have adored this production—each time I’ve seen it—for more than a decade…These are some of the finest actors in the city. Irish Rep is, in fact, very like the bar in McPherson’s drama. In a chaotic and frightening world, it becomes a place to rest, comforted by the presence of increasingly dear, familiar faces –Helen Shaw, The New Yorker
An EXCELLENT CAST, BEAUTIFULLY DIRECTED by O’Reilly. Subtle directorial gestures highlight just how deeply O’Reilly has thought about this material. Keating is ESPECIALLY GRIPPING during his showcase storytelling moment, as is Butler in his concluding monologue. Street is PARTICULARLY MOVING in the way she delivers Valerie’s big monologue with a palpable wounded dignity. TERRIFIC STORYTELLERS, IT WILL KEEP YOU RIVETED THROUGHOUT.
— Kenji Fujishima, Theatermania
★★★★★ A STELLAR CAST brings this Irish Rep revival to life. The production has another “star,” that bone-chilling sound of the wind by sound designer Drew Levy who deserves proper credit. Director Ciarán O’Reilly does the true wonders in staging this story with grace, warmth and a touch of melancholy. THE ACTING IS SO NATURAL you’ll think you’ve stepped into a real Irish pub, a remarkable theatrical event.”
— Charles Passy, 100 Word Review
★★★★★
A PITCH PERFECT REVIVAL.
Dan Butler, perfecting the gift of the gab, Street makes her character’s anguish almost palpable. The Weir continues to cast its spell, offering flickers of narrative fire in the darkness of our collective isolation.”
— Thom Geier, Culture Sauce
★★★★
MAGNETIC.
Sound designer Drew Levy keeps a SCARIFYING WIND HOWLING outside. Butler is deeply moving. The effect is an audience-gripping silence, the MAGICAL kind that overtakes an enthralled audience. Guaranteeing the stories have MAXIMUM EFFECT are THE ACTING and O’Reilly’s FLAWLESS DIRECTION.
–– David Finkle, New York Stage Review
★★★★
A TENDER, TOUCHING and, yes, TRULY HAUNTING performance.
Dan Butler leads a SUPERB ENSEMBLE. Performances are SO AUTHENTIC.
SURELY and SENSITIVELY STAGED by Ciarán O’Reilly.
The COZY, REALISTIC INTERIOR is furnished with abundant detail by scenic designer Charlie Corcoran and warmly burnished by Michael Gottlieb’s lighting, homey properties provided by Deirdre Brennan, the plain, insightful clothes contributed by Leon Dobkowski and the fluctuating sounds of the storm outside as whipped up by Drew Levy contribute to the show’s SUBTLE POWER.
–– Michael Sommers, New York Stage Review
The Weir is rich in Hibernian lilt and the good fellowship of old friends sitting around a bar. Charlie Corcoran‘s set is so inviting, you’ll want to hop up there and order a Guinness. Street plays it with GREAT FINESSE, Butler NAILS IT. THE WHOLE CAST IS FLAWLESS. THE PRODUCTION HASN’T A FAULT. Leon Dobkowski‘s costumes are exactly as McPherson describes them in the script; Michael Gottlieb‘s lighting captures the low-intensity gleam of a past-its-prime pub; and Drew Levy‘s sound design, consists mainly of a fierce west wind. O’REILLY PACES IT EXPERTLY. AS FINE A WEIR AS YOU’LL EVER SEE.
–– Marc Miller, Talkin’ Broadway
Keating gives his usual ASSURED PERFORMANCE. Butler and Gormley SHINE in their passive-aggressive friendship, two sides of the same coin. Scenic designer Charlie Corcoran’s realistic pub is both welcoming and thirst-inducing.
–– Stanford Friedman, The Front Row Center