#jm synge

@irishrep Celebrates An Important Irish Writer For #StPatricksDay

By Ricky and Dana Young-Howze

New York, New York

Venmo: @rndyounghowze

Review 210

I am going to start by applauding Irish Rep pulling out an adaptation of such a groundbreaking Irish Playwright’s work “The Aran Islands” by Joe O’Byrne who also directed the piece. JM Synge revived literature in Ireland and at the same time shook up public opinion. Some people think that he did for Ireland what O’Neil did for the United States but I think Synge went farther with far fewer works. So my hat is off to the Rep for tackling such a great playwright.

I really appreciated the juxtaposition of our lead walking around in the theatre while the overlays of the Irish countryside and the sea fade in and out. Dana thought the overlays weren’t needed and wished that they gave a higher priority to letting our actor Brendon Conroy own the space. O’Byrne gets a big credit from me for making the bold choice but I need to agree with Dana on one thing.

We both agree that if they had just locked the camera down and given Conroy the stage then we really could have seen his world class acting fill the theatre and make magic happen. When he said there was a sea you could feel the salt spray hit your face. He was a joy and wonder to watch. When he was allowed a little leeway to live in the part without the camera cutting he soared. If you had to see this show for only one reason then see it for him.

Synge was known for his words and bringing emotions out of people. However these turn of the century words were stretched beyond their capacity to hold our attention with all the editing and moving around. Dana and I are huge fans of digital theatre adaptation. Dana is also always saying theatres need to use all the tools in their kit to get the story across. Perhaps the director was trying to use the camera edits to draw these emotions from us. I don’t feel that Synge needs help in that department.

One of the things that I keep saying about Irish Rep privately to Dana but should announce to the world is I admire their honesty and their dedication. It’s not always that you see a theatre company that does exactly what it says it’s going to do. They go out of their way to say that they are celebrating the works of Irish writers and Irish culture and then they go and do exactly that. I haven’t been disappointed yet. I can’t wait to see what they plan to do in the rest of the year and the years coming.

We may be just a bit too critical but it’s because we believe in the power of the dramatic text and the human voice. You can tell that Irish Rep does too with this adaptation of Synge’s famous novel. They have been putting up solid work in their own style during the pandemic and I hope to see that great work onstage someday. I would also love to see what kind of digital programming they offer after reopening to further their programming across the country.

Check the Show Out For Yourself Here

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