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Past Reviews Off Broadway Reviews |
Drawn from Lady Gregory's autobiography as well as voluminous other literary sources (all of which are credited in the program), O'Reilly has done a deft job of pulling together the basics of Gregory's life without giving in to sensationalism or gossip. He's blessed to have Úna Clancy portraying Gregory, with colleagues John Keating, Terry Donnelly and James Russell portraying a host of real-life people, both the famous (William Butler Yeats and Sean O'Casey) and the obscure. The four actors are terrific and throw themselves into the biographical narrative with guts and gusto. Wisely, O'Reilly closes each act with a scene from two of Lady Gregory's own plays. The first act concludes with a hilarious scene from Workhouse Ward in which Russell and Keating portray feuding, bedridden friends for whom life is an endless stream of criticism and accusations. The second act takes a more serious turn with a scene from McDonough's Wife in which Keating grapples with the death of his wife in the presence of two old women who have plenty to say about everything. The show could use a bit of trimming, but everyone's heart is in the right place and, ultimately, Lady G: Plays and Whisperings of Lady Gregory shines a warm glow on an overlooked playwright, producer, and nurturer of the greatest writers of the Irish Renaissance.
Lady G: Plays and Whisperings of Lady Gregory
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