My husband and I had the great privilege of seeing Brian Friel's The Freedom of the City on this past weekend. It was an outstanding production from a theatre company that seems to specialize in outstanding productions. From O'Neill to Friel to Shaw to delighful musicals like Finian's Rainbow, there is simply nowhere in New York City that comes close to the consistent quality that this company offers. We support this group on an annual basis and will continue to do so. They represent the best.
The Irish Repertory Theatre provides exceptional dramatic, comedic, and musical experiences. The intimate space allows for a wonderful, and very different experience. The theater staff is professional, courteous, and especially accomodating to people with physical disabilities. It is ALWAYS a joy to attend a production there!
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My husband and I have been attending the extraordinary productions at the Irish Rep for many years.We have introduced many friends and relatives to this marvelous experience. My husband was using a manual wheelchair for a while, when walking or standing for any length of time was impossible. We were accomodated with compassion, grace and sensitivity. My husband has since lost both his legs and while we have NOT attended shows recently, we were, at our last visit, treated with the same sensitivity.I let a young man in the lobby know that we were there, and he got their folding ramp, came down the street to help me get my husband out of our van, set up the ramp again at the theater door and showed us all the way to our seats. Two front row seats were removed to accomodate my husband's motorized wheelchair.We would attend more regularly if my husband's hearing and vision losses were not so bad as they are. We have UPGRADED our membership donations as a result.
I have consistently been enriched by the theatrical productions I have attended. For me theatre of this quality contributes to the quality of my life. Their relatively humble beginning was also accompanied by talent and a laser focus on their mission. They believed that the Irish theatre tradition had made a major contribution to drama in Ireland, in America and around the world. That tradition, they knew, deserved to be shared in the great theatre culture of New York City with a dedication full of respect, knowledge, talent and integrity. I and thousands of New Yorkers have been blessed with the resulting quality of Irish theatre both old and new in a beautiful diversity of content. This tireless hard work deserves all the support and gratitude we can provide.
When you're an actor you can only hope that you'll be proud to be part of a production,to be in the company of fine actors,to be treated with respect and support by the creative team and to be playing for an audience that is used to good theatre.All this and a great deal more is what I experienced at Irish Rep. New York is lucky to have them!
For the past several years, I have attended most of the productions offered by the Irish Repertory Theatre. I continue to go there because of their wonderfully interesting choice of plays, the consistent excellence of the actors, and the amazing creativity and imagination of their productions in that tiny space with limited financial resources. But even after years of being impressed with their work, nothing could have prepared me for the brilliance of their production of "Emperor Jones". I saw it a couple of years ago in a huge production at the National Theatre in London; at the time, I thought it was pretty good, but by comparison it didn't even come close to the extraordinary experience that Irish Rep gave us! If this is what they can do on a shoestring, just imagine what they could do with sufficient financial support!
It's a true artist's community and every time one works there the family gets larger. They really go above and beyond just producing theatre. It's a welcoming and nurturing home.
I am of Irish ancestry and really appreciate this opportunity to see Irish plays, often with Irish actors, beautifully performed in this small, intimate setting. Last year works of Joyce that are not often performed were read or played. I have been attending performances over the years and always feel en-ergized by the authenticity of the performance and the sense that they are speaking directly to me.
We have been going to shows at the Irish Rep for 8-9 years. Probably seen at least 25-30 shows. ONLY ONE of those was a show we didn't thoroughly enjoy, and they were responsive to our criticism. Compare this to the recent offerings on Broadway, and you'll see why we love it.
The Irish Repertory Theatre is arguably the best Irish theatre anywhere. I have been a patron and sometime participant for over 20 years.The quality of acting, directing and production values are always top drawer.They also make courageous choices and always deliver the goods. In my opinion, it is a National Treasure
The Irish Rep never fails to inspire. This intimate setting is home to some of the best theater in all of New York... polished, intelligent, provocative, and always entertaining. The highlight of this year's season for me was The Emperor Jones—a glittering production that featured the prodigious talent of John Douglas Thompson. What a thrill!
