For the 2022 in-person production of A Touch of the Poet, see here.
A PERFORMANCE ON SCREEN
by Eugene O’Neill
Directed by Ciarán O’Reilly
With Belle Aykroyd, Ciaran Byrne, Robert Cuccioli, Kate Forbes, Mary McCann, Andy Murray, David O’Hara, Tim Ruddy, David Sitler, and John C. Vennema
Proud and tempestuous Cornelius Melody (Con) owns a run-down inn and tavern near Boston in 1828. Laden with debt, Con clings to his tenuous identity as a landed gentleman and war hero and chastises his wife and daughter for actions that expose the family’s humble Irish origins. When his daughter, Sara, falls in love with a wealthy American guest at their inn, Con’s pride drives him to an explosive reckoning with his true place in the New World.
The team behind Irish Rep’s acclaimed The Weir: A Performance on Screen returned to create a digital production of A Touch of the Poet, Eugene O’Neill’s tragic tale about the immigrant experience and generational aspiration, first performed in 1958, premiered as part of Irish Rep’s Digital Fall Season in November 2020. The cast and creative team from Irish Rep’s planned 2020 production, which was postponed due to Covid-19, have reconvened remotely to rehearse and reimagine the play for digital presentation.
CRITIC’S PICK “Powerful…a hearty serving of digital theater that nearly matches the real thing…a production with such chemistry and pep that it stands as a reminder of those pre-pandemic theater days of yore.” – The New York Times
“Perfectly cast and staged by Ciarán O’Reilly and brilliantly produced…it is a shining model for any company putting its work online during the Covid pandemic” – Terry Teachout, The Wall Street Journal
“This production is one that should not be missed… [Robert] Cuccioli plays Con with smoldering resignation until he erupts at the end in a revelatory tour de force.” – TheaterMania
A Touch of the Poet is produced under the SAG -AFTRA New Media Agreement.
