Looking for the Irish Repertory Theater?r
Current website found at: https://irishrep.org/.
The first season for the Irish Repertory Theater was in 1988. In 1995, the Irish Repertory Theater made its permanent home in Chelsea. From 1999 until its current website, this was the theater's official website. Content is from the site's 2004 - 2008 archived pages, as well as from other outside sources.
If you have inadvertently ended up here while searching for the Irish Repertory Theater
please go to their current website found at: https://irishrep.org/.
As enthusiastic fans of the Irish Repertory Theater, the new owners of this domain have chosen to keep visible on the WWW one more website about the theater AND to point visitors to its current web site which has all the latest news.
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Update: For those of us living in NYC during the Covid 19 pandemic, life has been altered in many ways. In March when the pandemic first hit the city like a tsunami, everything was shut down except essential businesses. The Irish Repertory Theater posted on their current website the following message:
CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE: UPCOMING EVENTS
Update as of 3/16/20:
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that event organizers cancel all public gatherings of 50 or more people for the next eight weeks in order to curtail the continued spread of COVID-19. Due to this recommendation, we have further postponed our upcoming production of Eugene O’Neill’s A Touch of the Poet until it is safe for our audience, actors, and staff to come together. We have also cancelled the April 27th musical event.An Evening with Gregory Harrington, and we plan to reschedule it as soon as we can.
Obviously none of us imagined that theaters would still remain shuttered nine months later, with projections of reopening sometime in mid-2021, if we are lucky. Meanwhile, many theaters, including the Irish Repertory Theater, have found alternative means to bring the arts to their audiences, mainly through virtual platforms. Thank goodness for Zoom, YouTube, and Facebook as some of the more popular options.
During this downtime, the Irish Repertory Theater invested significantly in upgrading their website and backend technology to better serve the public. They discarded entrenched legacy software like MS Access and older versions of PHP, replacing them with innovative solutions more appropriate for future growth. This overhaul included a significant makeover of their website and a more streamlined ticketing system and public outreach effort, enhancing both their appearance and the functionality of their processes and code.
I remain working at home. With the success of more and more people getting vaccinated and COVID-19 slowly getting under control, at least here in the US, online shopping will likely remain important. I have friends who swear they will continue having all their food delivered from vendors such as Fulton Fish Market, Whole Foods, Fresh Direct, PeaPod, etc. With Broadway finally reopening in the fall of 2021, I hope the worst is behind us.
Meanwhile, this evening I am planning on watching the Irish Repertory Theater's holiday special, Meet Me in St. Louis. Reservations are required to access this digital event, with tickets being pay-what-you-can, with a suggested price of $25. Reviews of the show have been positive.
DECEMBER 11, 2020 – JANUARY 2, 2021
“Irish Rep has managed to top itself with this year’s yuletide offering… this show is a lovely little gift, a reminder of the hopefulness we should have as we arrive at a new year.” – David Gordon, TheaterMania
“a holiday treat…with each new Zoom production, Irish Rep is stretching the boundaries of the form.” – Joe Westerfield, Newsweek
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About the Irish Rep: Winner of the New York Drama Desk Award for "Excellence in Presenting Distinguished Irish Drama," the Irish Repertory Theatre is the only year-round theatre company in New York City devoted to bringing classic and contemporary Irish and Irish American works to the stage. Founded by Ciaran O’Reilly and Charlotte Moore, the Irish Rep opened its doors in September 1988 with Sean O’Casey’s The Plough and the Stars.
Since then, the company has mounted nine seasons of classic and contemporary Irish and Irish American plays, among them J.M. Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World, Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, Hugh Leonard’s Da, Brian Friel’s Philadelphia, Here I Come!, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Frank McCourt’s The Irish...and How They Got That Way.
The Cast of The Shaugraun
Theatre
132 West 22nd Street
(between 6th & 7th Avenues)
New York, NY 10011
Box Office Phone:212.727.2737
Box Office Fax: 212.727.2232
About The Irish Repertory Theatre
In the past seventeen years, The Irish Repertory Theatre has presented major works by O’Casey, Synge, Shaw, Wilde, Dion Boucicault, Brendan Behan, Dylan Thomas, and Samuel Beckett, as well as the contemporary artistry of Hugh Leonard, Frank McCourt, Tom Murphy, Brian Friel, Peter Sheridan, Patricia Burke Brogan, Pat McCabe, Geraldine Aron, Jennifer Johnston, Tommy Makem, Shivaun O’Casey, Enda Walsh and Harold Prince. The Irish Repertory Theatre has won the New York Drama Desk Award for “Excellence in Presenting Distinguished Irish Drama.” In 1995, The Irish Repertory Theatre moved to its present location on West 22nd Street , New York City , in which it is currently undertaking a capital campaign to purchase its theatre.
2008
The Irish Repertory Theatre presents
By Richard F. Stockton
Additional Material And Original Concept By Richard T. Herd
Directed by Ciarán O’Reilly
Previews Begin: Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Official Opening: Thursday, May 22, 2008
The Irish Repertory Theatre (132 West 22nd St.) continues its 20th season with the New York Premiere of PRISONER OF THE CROWN, previews begin Wednesday, May 14, 2008. The production will open on Thursday, May 22, 2008. Ciarán O’Reilly directs.
PRISONER OF THE CROWN, a broad and bitter indictment of judicial abuse, is the riveting story of the trial of Sir Roger Casement, an Irish patriot and one of the world's great humanitarians. A few short years after being knighted, Casement was sentenced to be hanged for treason in what was called, "The Trial of the Century." The sensational trial was tainted by the presence of the "Black Diaries," --an alleged explicit account of Casement's promiscuous homosexual lifestyle. Were the diaries real? Or, were they, as many believed, forged by the crown forces determined that he pay the ultimate price for his role in the Easter, 1916 uprising? The play, set in the jury room of the Old Bailey and in the minds of the jury, features 49 characters and paints a captivating picture of heroism, passion, and manipulative deception.
Roger Casement was born in Kingstown, now Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin, in 1864. In the 1890s Casement joined the British consular service, and in 1903 gained an international reputation for his humanitarian efforts in the Congo and later in Peru where he exposed atrocities to which natives were subjected by agents of rubber companies using forced labor. His reports created an international sensation for which resulted in his knighthood. He was one of the world’s first great humanitarians in the modern sense. He retired from the consular service in 1912 and was hanged for high treason August 3, 1916.
Richard F. Stockton: Playwriting credits include: Eight full-length plays including PRISONER OF THE CROWN, co-produced by Alfred Drake and The Abbey (the first world premiere by an American author at Ireland’s National Theatre); productions off-Broadway and at prominent regional theatres (Milwaukee Repertory Company, Virginia Museum Theatre, Bucks County Playhouse); ten short plays produced from Greenwich Village to Tokyo, including books for three musicals toured nationally by Fran & Barry Weissler; he completed seven screenplays, one of which, DAMAGE CONTROL, was optioned recently thanks to his film agent Oliver Mahrdt at the Hanns Wolters Agency; numerous television dramas for The U.S. Steel Hour, The Great Adventure and CBC (starring Anne Baxter, Jack Klugman, Jeanne Crain, James Whitmore, et al.). A dozen TV and radio plays produced internationally (BBC, CBC, New Zealand).
Richard T. Herd is well known to television viewers as Mr. Wilhelm, George’s boss on "Seinfeld" for which he received a Screen Actors Guild Award. Films include: "The China Syndrome," "All the President’s Men," and "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." Theatrical credits include the New York productions of Electra, Harlequinade, 20 Poems…e.e. cummings, and The Coach With The Six Insides which he co-produced and which earned Vernon Rice an Obie Award. In Los Angeles: My Last Confession and Death of a SalesmaN, winning a Drama Logue Award for both performances. His one man show, Cecil B. De Mille Presents, premiered in Denver. Richard is the recipient of The Wilkins Award for poetry from the Santa Barbara Writer’s Conference.
Ciarán O'Reilly (Director) most recently directed SIVE, DEFENDER OF THE FAITH, THE HAIRY APE, (Drama Desk Nom) THE FIELD, PHILADELPHIA, HERE I COME! (Drama Desk Nom.) and The Irish Rep original THE BELLS OF CHRISTMAS. He has also directed THE NIGHTINGALE AND NOT THE LARK and THE INVISIBLE MAN by Jennifer Johnston. He was recently seen in the Roundabout Theatre Company's production of TOUCH OF A POET with Gabriel Byrne. Previous to that, he appeared at The Westport Country Playhouse in SOMEONE WHO’LL WATCH OVER ME by Frank McGuiness. He has appeared at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin and made his Broadway debut in THE CORN IS GREEN. His many Off-Broadway roles include: two productions of THE SHADOW OF A GUNMAN; Brendan Behan's THE HOSTAGE; Hugh Leonard's DA, SUMMER, and THE AU PAIR MAN; Brian Friel's PHILADELPHIA, HERE I COME!; J. M. Synge's THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD; Harold Prince's GRANDCHILD OF KINGS; Geraldine Aron's SAME OLD MOON; Tom Murphy's A WHISTLE IN THE DARK; Dion Boucicault's THE SHAUGHRAUN; John Murphy's THE COUNTRY BOY; and Frank McCourt's THE IRISH . . . AND HOW THEY GOT THAT WAY. He appeared in "The Devil's Own" (starring Harrison Ford), "Law & Order" (NBC), "The Irish . . . and How They Got That Way" (public television), and "Third Watch" (NBC). With Charlotte Moore, he founded The Irish Rep and has appeared in many of their productions and produced all of them. He has thrice been honored by Irish America Magazine with the Irish America Top 100 Irish Award.
The cast features Peter Cormican, Patrick Fitzgerald, Philip Goodwin, Emma O’Donnell, Tim Ruddy, Ian Stuart, John Vennema, and John Windsor-Cunningham.
Set Design by Charlie Corcoran, Costume Design by David Toser, Lighting Design by Brian Nason, Sound Design by Zachary Williamson, and Wig and Hair Design by Robert-Charles Vallance, Fight Director is Rick Sordelet. The Production Stage Manger is Elis Arroyo. Stage Manager is Leslie Grisdale. Charlotte Moore, Artistic Director, Ciarán O’Reilly, Producing Director, Patrick A. Kelsey, Managing Director.
Performances of PRISONER OF THE CROWN are Wednesday - Saturday at 8 PM. Matinees are Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 3 PM. Tickets are $60 and $55 and can be purchased by calling The Irish Repertory Theatre Box Office at (212) 727-2737. (For group sales of 20 or more contact Jen Nelson at (212) 255-0270 x22.)
Prisoner of the Crown
Date: May 1, 2008 Review by: Barbara Mehlman and Geri Manus | www.newyorktheatreguide.com
George Bernard Shaw begged to write his closing address to the jury. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a novel based on his adventures. W. B. Yeats wrote a poem about him. He was the inspiration for Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. He sailed through the Congo and Amazon jungles and freed the indentured slaves of the world's great powers. For these great deeds, he was knighted by King George V in 1911.
Five years later, Sir Roger Casement was hanged from the gallows as a traitor.
The trial that brought Sir Roger from the zenith to the nadir of political life is the story of "Prisoner of the Crown," now enjoying a successful run at Irish Rep, and it's unsettling from the very beginning as we witness the corruption of the British legal system all in the name of trying to keep the Irish in their place.
Richard F. Stockton�s dramatization of Sir Roger's trial, using actual transcripts, is set in the Old Bailey and the minds of the jurors. The play features 49 characters, not the least of whom are defendant Sir Roger and the Attorneys General bent on his execution. The behind-the-scenes proceedings become more riveting than the trial itself, as deception and manipulation tip the scales of justice.
Touted as one of the world�s great humanitarians and the conscience of the British world, Sir Roger -- also an Irish Patriot -- had gone to Germany in an attempt to secure a German declaration of support for an independent Ireland, and recruit POWs for what became known as the Easter Rising of 1916.
Unable to get the support he was seeking, Sir Roger sailed back to Ireland in a German boat, ostensibly to call off the rebellion. Captured on Irish soil before he could accomplish this, he was dragged back to England to stand trial for high treason.
To avoid creating yet another Irish martyr, the prosecution diverted the attention of the jurors with Sir Roger's illegally-seized journals and leaked them to the newspapers. Depicting graphic accounts of homosexual activity with young boys during his years as a consul in Mozambique, the sensational writings had a greater effect on the jurors' decision than the actual evidence itself.
Passionate portrayals of pontificating justices, jurors, and Sir Roger himself, propel this play to its foregone conclusion. Whether or not justice was served is still debated today, as the infamous diaries are alternately authenticated and denounced as forgeries every decade or so, even as late as 2002.
What else is on trial, as much as Sir Roger, is the British rule of law and those who swore to uphold it. If one is to be tried by a jury of one�s peers, as Sir Roger declares in his trial statements, then he should be tried in Ireland, by Irish. Prisoner of th one rule of law supposedly applied to all the King's subjects. In this Empire on which the sun used to never set, the Irish are no exception, as witnessed by the proceedings.
Performances by Philip Goodwin as Sir Roger, and John Windsor-Cunningham as lead prosecutor Sir Frederick, are riveting, especially since they also double as jurors, and with each ballot they unfold in vote after vote, we hope they come to their senses even though we know the die is irrevocably cast.
One has to wonder, however, where Sir Roger's brains were when he went to Germany. It's World War I! His country's in a bloody war with the Germans, yet he addresses Irish prisoners in a German POW camp, speaks with the German government officials in Berlin, and then returns home in a German U-boat. What the devil was he thinking? Was he really that na�ve? Did he really believe that the British government mightn't be a bit suspicious?
Though this perspective isn't even broached in the play by any of the characters, "Prisoner of the Crown" is, nevertheless, powerful and fascinating, another jewel for Irish Rep's crown.
2006 - 2007
THE IRISH REPERTORY THEATRE
presents
"ENTRANCING! Beautifully performed. A charming portrait. The period costumes are lovely. The three person orchestra does an EXCEPTIONAL job." - NY Times
"HIGH ON CHARM! this musical -- boosted by the presence of three song classics -- allows viewers to "have yourself a merry little Christmas," indeed. Enjoyable family entertainment: mature audiences and kids are likely to be HIGHLY PLEASED" - Variety
Go ahead, I dare you. Try to wipe the smile from your face at any point during the Irish Repertory Theatre's new revival of Meet Me in St. Louis. You'd have an easier time scaling the Empire State Building than resisting its charms which director Charlotte Moore has made into a creamy holiday confection. A WINNING HIT!" - Talking Broadway
"Most critical to the success of any musical are its performers, and this production rarely misses a beat. A worthy revival that should have theatergoers singing (or at least humming!) its praises for a long time." - Curtain Up.
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MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS
DIRECTED BY CHARLOTTE MOORE
PREVIEWS BEGIN WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6th
OFFICIAL OPENING THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14th
The musical, MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS will be the next production at the Irish Repertory theatre (132 West 22nd Street). The production starts previews on December 6, 2006, opens on December 14, 2006 and is being performed through January 28, 2007. Charlotte Moore directs with music direction by John Bell and choreography by Barry McNabb.
Adapted from Sally Benson's short vignettes entitled "5135 Kensington," MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS is the story of the Smith family as they eagerly anticipate the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis just after the turn of the century. Optimism and young love are severely tested and of course, finally triumph as the story unfolds with the background of the Great Louisiana Purchase Exhibition never far from the hearts and minds of the Smith Family.
Like the legendary 1944 film, the stage adaptation offers some of the most beloved songs of the American Musical: "The Boy Next Door, "The Trolley Song," and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." Book by Hugh Wheeler and songs by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane.
Casting includes George S. Irving as Grandpa Prophater, John Hickok, seen recently in LITTLE WOMEN, Sarah Pfisterer as Mrs. Smith, Becky Barta as Katie, the dancing Irish maid, and real sisters Danielle and Gabrielle Piacentile, eleven and seven, as the two younger Smith sisters. The cast also includes, Doug Boes, Merideth Kaye Clark, Kerry Conte, Ashley Robinson, and newcomer Bonnie Fraser as Esther and Colin Donnell as the boy next door.
Charlotte Moore (Director) is Co-Founder (with Ciarán O’Reilly) and Artistic Director of The Irish Repertory Theatre. She most recently directed MRS. WARREN’S PROFESSION, adapted and directed FINIAN’S RAINBOW, and directed Samuel Beckett’s ENDGAME. Other directorial credits include Dion Boucicault’s THE COLLEEN BAWN, J. Harley manners’ PEG O’ MY HEART, J.M. Synge’s PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD, and Dion Boucicault’s THE STREET’S OF NEW YORK, which she adapted and scored.
Set design is by Tony Straiges, costume design is by Tracy Christensen, lighting design is by Brian Nason, wig and hair design by Robert-Charles Vallance, casting by Deborah Brown, Elis C. Arroyo is the Production Stage Manager, Janice M. Brandine is the Stage Manager. Charlotte Moore, Artistic Director, Ciarán O’Reilly, Producing Director, Patrick A. Kelsey, Managing Director, Stuart Wilk, Associate Producer.
Performances of MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS are Wednesday – Saturday at 8 PM. Matinees are Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 3 PM. Tickets are $60 and $55 and can be purchased by calling The Irish Repertory Theatre Box Office at (212) 727-2737. For more information, call (212) 727-2737 .
PREVIEWS BEGIN: DECEMBER 6
OFFICIAL OPENING: DECEMBER 14
CLOSES: JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 18
2006
THE IRISH REPERTORY THEATRE
presents
See what the critics are saying at . . .
"A gloriously endless tap extravaganza" - Talkin'Broadway"
Talkin' Broadway
"It shines with the exuberant can-do optimism" -NY Theatre.com
NYTheatre.com
" A brilliant, multi-faceted sparkler!" - TheatreMania
"Exquisite" -TheatreMania
Theatermania
"Endlessly euphoric" -NY Times
The New York Times
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OPENED MARCH 9, 2006
PREVIEWS BEGAN MARCH 3rd
EXTENDED! March 3 - May 14, 2006
The Irish Repertory Theatre (132 West 22nd St.) will present GEORGE M. COHAN TONIGHT! a musical following the extraordinary life and career of the legendary showman on March 9, 2006 at 7 PM; previews begin March 3, 2006; closing May 14, 2006. GEORGE M. COHAN TONIGHT! featuring Jon Peterson is written, arranged, and directed by Chip Deffaa. Music and Lyrics by George M. Cohan. With additional material by Chip Deffaa. Musical Direction by Sterling Price-McKinney.
George M. Cohan may well have been the single most talented figure in American theatrical history. He gave Broadway its pace, its beat, its snap. He wrote, directed, and produced scores of shows; penned hundreds of songs; and became the most popular musical comedy star of his era. Critics called him "The First Actor" and "The Man Who Owns Broadway.” Starting out as a poor Irish-American kid from Providence, RI, Cohan never spent more than a few weeks in school. Nevertheless, he remade the American songbook, and made America ― not Europe ― the standard-setter for musical theater.
Jon Peterson (George M. Cohan), who won Back Stage’s "Bistro Award" for his dynamic portrayal of Cohan, has enlivened many musicals in his native London, including 42ND STREET, A CHORUS LINE, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, CATS, DAMES AT SEA, ON YOUR TOES, SHE LOVES ME, and Noël Coward's CAVALCADE. He starred as the emcee in Sam Mendes' and Rob Marshall's acclaimed production of "CABARET for two years in the U.S. National Tour before covering the role on Broadway. He may be heard on such CD's as "Skiddoo" and “The Johnny Mercer Jamboree," and seen in the film ANNA BALLERINA. Trained at London's Royal Ballet School, he has choreographed ― in addition to starring in ― GEORGE M. COHAN TONIGHT!
Chip Deffaa (Author & Director), has written eight books dealing with music and popular culture, including "Blue Rhythms" and "Voices of the Jazz Age" (University of Illinois Press). For 18 years, he covered entertainment for The New York Post, writing about jazz, cabaret, and theater. The foremost authority on Cohan's work, he has created and staged no less than five different shows about Cohan, for all different cast sizes. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, ASCAP, the Drama Desk, NARAS, and the American Theater Critics Association, and is a trustee of the Princeton University Tiger Magazine. Mr. Deffaa is a recipient of the ASCAP/Deems Taylor Award.
Sterling Price-McKinney (Musical Director) has served as musical director for productions of all kinds of shows, from established favorites like AIN'T MISBEHAVIN’ and CHICAGO to brand-new works such as FREE TO BE YOU AND ME. He has played for such artists as Carol Channing, Bob Hope, Debbie Reynolds, Kathleen Battle, Barrett Foa, and Lucie Arnaz. Lady Bird Johnson calls him her “favorite pianist.” You can hear Price-McKinney accompanying Deborah Harry on the "Love Theme from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre ― The Next Generation." He has a cameo role in Jonathan Caouette's film TARNATION. A member of ASCAP and the Dramatists Guild, Price-McKinney has a new CD, "Chasing Shadows."
Set design is by James Morgan, costume design by David Toser, and lighting design by Mary Jo Dondlinger. Rachel S. McCutchen, Production Stage Manager. Charlotte Moore, Artistic Director, Ciarán O’Reilly, Producing Director, Patrick A. Kelsey, Managing Director.
Performances of GEORGE M. COHAN TONIGHT! are Tuesday – Saturday at 8 PM. Matinees are Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 3 PM.
Tickets are $50 and $45 and can be purchased by calling The Irish Repertory Theatre Box Office at (212) 727-2737. For more information, call (212) 727-2737
2005
The Irish Repertory Theatre presents
DANA IVEY LEADS CAST IN
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW’S
MRS. WARREN’S PROFESSION
PREVIEWS BEGIN DECEMBER 9th
AT THE IRISH REPERTORY THEATRE
OFFICIAL OPENING SUNDAY DECEMBER 18th
CHARLOTTE MOORE DIRECTS.
The Irish Repertory Theatre (132 West 22nd Street) will continue their 2005-2006 season with George Bernard Shaw’s MRS. WARREN’S PROFESSION starring award winner Dana Ivey and directed by Charlotte Moore. This production is being performed during the centennial anniversary of the play’s original American production. Performances begin on December 9, 2005, opening December 18, 2005, and continues through January 29, 2006.
At the turn of the century, Vivie Warren, a Cambridge educated and well brought-up young woman, learns that her mother, Mrs. Kitty Warren, has risen from abject poverty to enormous wealth through her investments in brothels throughout Europe. While Miss Warren acknowledges her mothers courage and respects her overcoming her past, she fails to agree with her mothers continuing in her line of work.
MRS. WARREN'S PROFESSION was written by George Bernard Shaw in 1894, but was prevented from any production until January 1902 at London's New Lyric Club. The play's American debut was in 1905 in New Haven but was closed and banned after only one performance. It subsequently transferred to Broadway's Garrick Theatre where it opened on October 30, 1905 to a sold-out audience, but was soon closed there as well and the cast was cited for "disorderly conduct." Shaw wrote in PLAYS PLEASANT AND UNPLEASANT, “MRS. WARREN’S PROFESSION was written to draw attention to the truth that prostitution is caused, not by female depravity and male licentiousness, but simply by underpaying, undervaluing and overworking women so shamefully that the poorest of them are forced to resort to prostitution... No normal woman would be a professional prostitute if she could better herself by being respectable, nor marry for money if she could afford to marry for love.” Shaw won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1925.
The cast is lead by Dana Ivey who recently received a Tony Nomination for her role as Mrs. Malaprop in THE RIVALS. Her Broadway credits include HEARTBREAK HOUSE (Tony nomination), LAST NIGHT OF BALLYHOO (Drama Desk Award and Tony nomination), SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE (Tony nomination), PRESENT LAUGHTER (Derwent Award), PACK OF LIES, WAITING IN THE WINGS, MARRIAGE OF FIGARO, INDISCRETIONS, and MACBETH (at the Beaumont Theater). Off-Broadway, her credits include DRIVING MISS DAISY (Obie and Outer Critics Circle Awards), QUARTERMAINE’S TERMS (Obie and Derwent Awards), KINDERTRANSPORT, BEGGARS IN THE HOUSE OF PLENTY, THE UNEASY CHAIR, TARTUFFE, HAMLET (Bayfield Award) and also various regional theatre. Her film credits include TWO WEEKS NOTICE, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, HOME ALONE 2, DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE, ORANGE COUNTY, THE COLOR PURPLE, and LEGALLY BLONDE 2.
The cast also includes Laura Odeh as the daughter, David Staller as Mr. Praed, Sam Tsoutsouvas as Sir George Crofts, Kevin Collins as Frank Gardner, and Kenneth Garner will perform the role of Reverend Samuel Gardner.
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) was born in Dublin. In 1898, Shaw published PLAYS PLEASANT AND UNPLEASANT. It included, among many, WIDOWER’S HOUSES and MRS. WARREN’S PROFESSION both attacking social hypocrisy. Other notable plays of Shaw were CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA, ANDROCLES AND THE LION, MAJOR BARBARA, THE DOCTOR’S DILEMMA, CANDIDA, and PYGMALION.
Charlotte Moore, Director, is Co-Founder (with Ciarán O’Reilly) and Artistic Director of The Irish Repertory Theatre. She most recently directed the world premiere adaptation of BEOWULF, adapted and directed FINIAN’S RAINBOW, and directed Samuel Beckett’s ENDGAME. Other directorial credits include Dion Boucicault’s THE COLLEEN BAWN, J. Harley manners’ PEG O’ MY HEART, J.M. Synge’s PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD and Dion Boucicault’s THE STREET’S OF NEW YORK, which she adapted and scored.
Set design Dan Kuchar, costumes design by David Toser, lighting design by Mary Jo Dondlinger, sound design by Murmod, Inc., wig and hair design by Robert-Charles Vallance, casting by Laura Maxwell-Scott, Elis Arroyo Production Stage Manager, and Rebecca Goldenstein-Glaze Stage Manager. Charlotte Moore, Artistic Director, Ciarán O’Reilly, Producing Director, Patrick A. Kelsey, Managing Director.
Performances of MRS. WARREN’S PROFESSION are Wednesday – Saturday at 8 PM. Matinees are Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 3 PM. Holiday schedule: additional performances are scheduled on Tuesday, December 20 at 8 PM and Tuesday, December 27 at 8 PM; no performance at 8 PM on Saturday, December 24; no performance at 3 PM on Sunday, December 25; and no performance at 3 PM on Sunday, January 1.
Tickets are $50 and $45 and can be purchased by calling The Irish Repertory Theatre Box Office at (212) 727-2737. F
It's a Living: Dana Ivey Stars in Irish Rep's Mrs. Warren's Profession in NYC
BY KENNETH JONES | DEC 09, 2005 | http://www.playbill.com
Tony Award nominee Dana Ivey is the scandalous Mrs. Warren in the new Irish Repertory Theatre staging of Bernard Shaw’s Mrs. Warren's Profession, beginning Dec. 9 in Manhattan.
The infamous-in-its-day play concerns a conflict between mother and daughter, and the revelation that the charming yet businesslike Mrs. Warren runs brothels. Questions of "honest work," morality and sources of family fortunes percolate in the 1894 play. This production celebrates the 100th anniversary of the American premiere in 1905.
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IRT artistic director Charlotte Moore stages the play. Opening is set for Dec. 18, with performances continuing to Jan. 29, 2006.
"At the turn of the century, Vivie Warren, a Cambridge educated and well brought-up young woman, learns that her mother, Mrs. Kitty Warren, has risen from abject poverty to enormous wealth through her investments in brothels throughout Europe," according to IRT. "While Miss Warren acknowledges her mothers courage and respects her overcoming her past, she fails to agree with her mother's continuing in her line of work."
Written in 1894, the play was refused production until January 1902 at London's New Lyric Club. The play's American debut was in 1905 in New Haven but was closed and banned after only one performance. It subsequently transferred to Broadway's Garrick Theatre where it opened on Oct. 30, 1905 to a sold-out audience, but was soon closed there; the cast was cited for "disorderly conduct." Shaw wrote, "[The play] was written to draw attention to the truth that prostitution is caused, not by female depravity and male licentiousness, but simply by underpaying, undervaluing and overworking women so shamefully that the poorest of them are forced to resort to prostitution... No normal woman would be a professional prostitute if she could better herself by being respectable, nor marry for money if she could afford to marry for love."
Shaw won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1925.
The cast is led by Dana Ivey who recently received a Tony Award nomination for The Rivals. Her Broadway credits include Shaw's Heartbreak House (Tony nomination), Last Night of Ballyhoo (Drama Desk Award and Tony nomination), Sunday in the Park With George (Tony nomination) and more. She was the first Miss Daisy in Driving Miss Daisy Off-Broadway.
The cast also includes Laura Odeh as the daughter Vivie, David Staller as Mr. Praed, Sam Tsoutsouvas as Sir George Crofts, Kevin Collins as Frank Gardner, and Kenneth Garner as Rev. Samuel Gardner. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) was born in Dublin.
The Irish Repertory Theatre performs at its home at 132 W. 22nd Street.
Performances of Mrs. Warren's Profession are Wednesday-Saturday at 8 PM. Matinees are Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 3 PM. Holiday schedule includes additional performances on Dec. 20 at 8 PM and Dec. 27 at 8 PM; no performance at 8 PM Dec. 24; no performance at 3 PM on Dec. 25; and no performance at 3 PM on Jan. 1.
Tickets are $50 and $45 and can be purchased by calling The Irish Repertory Theatre box office at (212) 727-2737.
2004
The Irish Repertory Theatre presents
JAN AND MICKEY ROONEY LET’S PUT ON A SHOW!
SAM KRIGER, MUSICAL DIRECTOR
August 10, 2004 - September 12, 2004
Tues - Sat at 8pm, Wed at 2pm, Sat and Sun at 3pm
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!!!
A Babe Off-Broadway: Mickey Rooney Performs Let's Put On a Show! at NYC's Irish Rep Aug. 10-Sept. 12
By Kenneth Jones | Aug 10, 2004 | http://www.playbill.com/
Mickey Rooney has got his act together and is taking it to Off-Broadway, starting Aug. 10.
Mickey Rooney and Jan Chamberlin Rooney in Let's Put On a Show! Photo by Courtesy of Irish Rep. Theatre
The Tony Award nominee, best known for his puckish film performances in the many "Andy Hardy" movies and such pictures as "Babes in Arms" and "Babes on Broadway," Rooney will perform Let's Put on a Show!, about his life in showbiz, at the Irish Repertory Theatre through Sept. 12. Opening night is Aug. 12.
His wife, singer Jan Rooney, co-stars in the entertainment, which includes songs and stories about the actor's M-G-M days, work and friendship with Judy Garland, his sundry ex-wives and more. Film clips are to be part of the experience, which was previously seen June 9- 12 at the Cinegrill in Los Angeles.
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At 83, Rooney is an 80-year veteran of show business, having started as a child performer. He was Tony-nommed for Best Actor in a Musical in 1980 for his shticky turn in the vaudeville-burlesque revue, Sugar Babies, which was a smash on Broadway and on tour. In the early 1990s he was a replacement actor in Broadway's The Will Rogers Follies, playing Clem, the father of humorist Will Rogers.
His many film credits — for a time he was the No. 1 box office star in the nation — include "Boys Town," "Strike Up the Band," "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1935), "Girl Crazy," "Captains Courageous," "Breakfast at Tiffany's," "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World," "Pete's Dragon" and many more. Sam Kriger is musical director for Let's Put On a Show! It's presented by Irish Rep and Densmore Productions.
According to the announcement, "Mickey regales with tales of studios, movies, and, of course, the women in his life. He offers tributes to Ava Gardner, Judy Garland and culminates with his wife of over 25 years, Jan Rooney. The show includes original music by Mickey, interspersed with standards from the films of M-G-M. Jan, a singer of great range, performs a wide range of styles from 'Smile' to a smashing tribute to Patsy Cline. Together they perform some classic duets such as 'Let's Call the Whole Thing Off' and 'Our Love is Here To Stay' and 'It Had To Be You.'"
Ticket prices are $60 and $65. Performances play Tuesday-Saturday at 8 PM, Wednesday at 2 PM and Saturday and Sunday at 3 PM.
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The Irish Repertory Theatre was founded in 1988 by Ciaran O'Reilly and Charlotte Moore. Over the past 16 years, The Irish Rep has celebrated the works of classic and contemporary Irish dramatists including O'Casey, Shaw, Synge, Wilde, Dion Boucicault, Brendan Behan, Dylan Thomas, Samuel Beckett, Hugh Leonard, Frank McCourt, Tom Murphy, Brian Friel, Peter Sheridan, Patricia Burke Brogan, Pat McCabe, Geraldine Aron, Jennifer Johnston, Tommy Makem, Enda Walsh and Harold Prince.
Irish Rep's home is at 132 W. 22nd Street (between Sixth and Seventh Avenues). For information, call (212) 727 2737 or visit www.irishrep.org.
2001
The Irish Repertory Theatre presents
Adapted for the Stage and
Directed by Joe O'Byrne
Based on the Novel by
Oscar Wilde
Irish Rep Presents Adaptation of Wilde’s Dorian Gray, March 22
Mar 22, 2001 —By Murdoch McBride| http://www.playbill.com/
A world premiere stage adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray opens March 22 at the Irish Repertory Theatre. The limited engagement runs through May 6.
Commemorating the centenary of Wilde’s death, The Picture of Dorian Gray was adapted by Joe O’Byrne, who will helm the production. The show closely follows Wilde’s original novel, about a beautiful young man who leads a hedonistic, profligate life. Throughout, he remains the picture of youth, while all his emotional and spiritual crimes are transferred to a portrait of himself which he hides in the attic. The book was made into a movie starring Hurd Hatfield and George Sanders.
Dorian Gray stars Paul Vincent Black, Crispin Freeman, Nick Hetherington, Tertia Lynch, Colleen Madden, Paul Anthony McGrane, Daniel Pearce, Angela Pierce, Andrew Seear and Timothy Smallwood.
Tickets are $35-$40. The Irish Rep is located at 132 W. 22 St. Between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. For tickets call (212) 727-2737.
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Previews begin Tuesday, March 13th The Picture of Dorian Gray Comes to the Stage A newly commissioned dramatization of Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray will premiere at the Irish Rep in March. The Irish playwright and director Joe O'Byrne has adapted the work for our stage and will direct the production. The only novel written by the infamous Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray scandalized Victorian England when it appeared in 1890; at the same time, it established Wilde's literary reputation. A lush tale of vileness and deception, The Picture of Dorian Gray concerns a young man enthralled with his own beauty, who frivolously wishes that the exquisite portrait painted of him by his friend Basil Hallward would age while he remain forever handsome. His wish comes true, leaving him free to embark upon a life of depravity and self-indulgence. Dorian remains the picture of youth and perfection as his portrait, which he keeps under lock and key, grows uglier with each passing year, becoming a hideous catalog of his every evil deed. Not surprisingly, the protagonist goes too far and ultimately gets his comeuppance. Wilde's cautionary novel warns of the consequences of the aesthetic impulse run rampant. Joe O'Byrne was the Artistic Director of Dublin's Co-Motion Theatre Company from 1985-98. There, he directed many productions, including Pat McCabe's Frank Pig Says Hello, which he also directed at the Irish Rep in 1996. He is currently at work on a new translation of Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage, which will be staged in Dublin with Tyne Daly in June. The Picture of Dorian Gray plays Tuesday - Saturday evenings at 8 pm, with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3 pm. Tickets are $35 and $40 and are now available at The Irish Repertory Theatre box office (132 West 22nd Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues) or by calling (212) 727-2737.
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PRODUCTIONS
2007-2008 Season
- Sive by John B. Keane (NY)
- The Devil’s Disciple by George Bernard Shaw
- Take Me Along, Book by Joseph Stein and Bob Russell, Lyrics and Music by Bob Merrill
- Prisoner of the Crown by Richard F. Stockton, Additional Material and Original Concept by Richard T. Herd (NY)
- Around the World in 80 Days by Mark Brown, Based on the Novel by Jules Verne
2006-2007 Season
- Tom Crean – Antarctic Explorer by Aidan Dooley* (NY)
- Gaslight by Patrick Hamilton
- Defender of the Faith by Stuart Carolan (AP)
- Meet Me in St. Louis, Book by Hugh Wheeler, Songs by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane
- Irish One Acts: Great White American Teeth by Fiona Walsh and Swansong by Conor McDermottroe*
- The Hairy Ape by Eugene O’Neill
2005-2006 Season
- Mr. Dooley’s America by Philip Dunne and Martin Blaine (NY)
- The Field by John B. Keane (NY)
- George M. Cohan, Tonight! by Chip Deffaa and George M. Cohan (WP)
- The Bells of Christmas conceived by Ciaran O’Reilly* (WP)
- Mrs. Warren’s Profession by George Bernard Shaw
- Beowulf adaptation and lyrics by Lindsey Turner, music and lyrics by Lenny Pickett (WP Commission)
- You Don’t Have To Be Irish by Malachy McCourt*
2004-2005 Season
- Triptych by Edna O’Brien
- Philadelphia, Here I Come! by Brian Friel
- She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith
- Endgame by Samuel Beckett
- After the Ball by Noël Coward (NY)
2003-2004 Season
- The Colleen Bawn by Dion Boucicault (NY)
- Christmas With Tommy Makem by Tommy Makem
- Eden by Eugene O’Brien (AP)
- Finian’s Rainbow by E.Y. Harburg, Burton Lane and Fred Saidy, adapted by Charlotte Moore
- Let’s Put On A Show! with Jan and Mickey Rooney
2002-2003 Season
- Bailegangaire by Tom Murphy (NY)
- A Celtic Christmas arranged by Charlotte Moore
- bedbound by Enda Walsh (AP)
- The Love-Hungry Farmer by John B. Keane and adapted for the stage by Des Keogh (WP)
- Foley by Michael West (AP)
- Peg O’ My Heart by J. Hartley Manners, songs by Charlotte Moore
2001-2002 Season
- Save It For The Stage: The Life of Reilly by Charles Nelson Reilly and Paul Linke (NY)
- The Streets of New York by Dion Boucicault, adaptation and songs by Charlotte Moore (WP Commission)
- That and the Cup of Tea by Carmel Quinn and Sean Fuller* (WP)
- The Matchmaker by John B. Keane and adapted for the stage by Phyllis Ryan (AP)
- An Evening in New York with W.B. Yeats and John Quinn, adapted by Neill Bradley and Paul Kerry*
- Pigtown by Mike Finn
- The Playboy of the Western World by J. M. Synge
2000-2001 Season
- The Hostage by Brendan Behan
- The Importance of Being Oscar by Micheál MacLiammóir
- The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and adapted for the stage by Joe O’Byrne (WP Commission)
- A Life by Hugh Leonard
- The Irish…and How They Got That Way by Frank McCourt
1999-2000 Season
- Invasions and Legacies by Tommy Makem (WP)
- Eclipsed by Patricia Burke Brogan (NY)
- The Irish…and How They Got That Way by Frank McCourt
- The Country Boy by John Murphy (AP)
- Our Lady of Sligo by Sebastian Barry (AP)
- Don Juan in Hell by George Bernard Shaw
1998-1999 Season
- The Shaughraun by Dion Boucicault
- Krapp’s Last Tape by Samuel Beckett
- Oh, Coward! by Roderick Cook
- The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde (WP)
- The Shadow of a Gunman by Sean O’Casey
- Dear Liar by Jerome Kilty
1997-1998 Season
- The Irish…and How They Got That Way by Frank McCourt (WP)
- Major Barbara by George Bernard Shaw
- Rafferty Rescues the Moon by June Anderson (WP)
- Song at Sunset conceived by Shivaun O’Casey (AP)
- Long Day’s Journey Into Night by Eugene O’Neill
1996-1997 Season
- The Importance Of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
- My Astonishing Self by Donal Donnelly*
- The Yeats Plays by William Butler Yeats*
- The Plough and The Stars by Sean O’Casey
- The Nightingale and Not The Lark and The Invisible Man by Jennifer Johnston* (AP)
- Mass Appeal by Bill C. Davis
- Wait ’til I Tell You by Carmel Quinn* (AP)
1995-1996 Season
- Same Old Moon by Geraldine Aron (AP)
- Juno and the Paycock by Sean O’Casey
- Shimmer by John O’Keefe* (NY)
- Frank Pig Says Hello by Pat McCabe* (AP)
- A Whistle In The Dark by Tom Murphy
- Da by Hugh Leonard
1994-1995 Season
- Mother of All the Behans by Peter Sheridan (AP)
- Alive, Alive, Oh by Milo O’Shea and Kitty Sullivan (WP)
1993-1994 Season
- The Au Pair Man by Hugh Leonard
- The Hasty Heart by John Patrick
1992-1993 Season
- The Madame MacAdam Travelling Theatre by Tom Kilroy (AP)
- Joyicity by Ulick O’Connor (NY)
- Frankly Brendan by Frank O’Connor and Brendan Behan (NY)
- Seconds Out by Young Irish Playwrights (AP)
1991-1992 Season
- Grandchild of Kings by Harold Prince (WP)
1990-1991 Season
- The Playboy of the Western World by J.M. Synge
- Making History by Brian Friel (AP)
1989-1990 Season
- Sea Marks by Gardiner McKay
- English That For Me! by Eamon Kelly (AP)
- A Whistle In The Dark by Tom Murphy
- Endwords by Chris O’Neill (NY)
- Philadelphia, Here I Come! by Brian Friel
1988-1989 Season
- The Plough and The Stars by Sean O’Casey
- I Do Not Like Thee, Dr. Fell by Bernard Farrell
- Yeats! A Celebration by William Butler Yeats
- A Whistle In The Dark by Tom Murphy