![]() ![]() He was at loose ends when he came across a want ad for actors - “no experience necessary” was the initial incentive - and, in short order, found himself warmly embraced by a local company which taught him the thespian ropes.Īfter early success on television, he lands a golden opportunity to appear with his boyhood idol Richard Burton. The most lighthearted sequences of the evening involve his early days as an actor. Though the focus is on those early years, the theatrical side of his career is not ignored. But there’s no shortage of humor along the way. ![]() The show runs two hours and 20 minutes with one intermission, and both acts have their share of heartache. Sinéad Diskin provided the mood-setting sound design and original music.īyrne's tale may put you in mind of other Irish memoirs, like Frank McCourt’s “Angela’s Ashes,” though Byrne’s upbringing was not imbued with the dire poverty of the McCourts. The focus is squarely on Byrne as he takes us back to his childhood in Ireland where he conjures up the ghosts of his past, vividly reenacting his home life with his parents and siblings, his beloved grandmother who first took him to his first movies (a life-altering experience), his aversion to school, first Communion, seminary training (at the time, he felt a genuine vocation for the priesthood), through his early days as an actor after odd jobs as a plumber and dishwasher, and subsequent drinking problems. Sinéad McKenna’s scenic and lighting design is a simple one, apart from the occasional theatrical flourish like a lighted proscenium, and utilizes the most basic of props: a bench, stool, table and chairs. And I would say the evening is recommended even for folks, like myself, who don’t particularly relish one-person shows.Įconomically but cannily staged by actor/director Lonny Price - who previously directed Byrne in a New York Philharmonic concert performance of “Camelot” broadcast on “Live from Lincoln Center” in 2008 - Byrne’s play reveals a classic Irish gift for poetry and storytelling. Gabriel Byrne’s acclaimed memoir has been turned into a viable and engrossing theater piece by the fine Irish actor. ![]()
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