Theater Online - New York Theater Reviews

Carol Rosegg ©2025  Gary Troy and Terry Donnelly

The late Frank McCourt was to the Irish Rep as poteen is to a drunk, and you can't argue with their decision to honor him with one of his most celebrated shows. You would think a fourth production of his musical revue chronicling Irish history would be dipping in the well a bit too often, but as the spry, warm production currently enjoying a summer run at Irish Rep demonstrates, a good vintage never goes out of style.

Casting a very wide net over the course of less than two hours, McCourt-in his singular, winking tone-relays the Irish experience in feast and famine (quite literally, in the latter case) and manages to be proud and rib-poking at the same time; subjects unearthed include the early settlers, eventually forced to find work and lives in other regions, the many workers who emigrated to America to find back-breaking blue-collar work (including the famous Erie Canal of Western New York), to many luminaries of Irish heritage that are among our greatest entertainers, including George M. Cohan (who gets his own medley) all the way up to Barack Obama (it's true-look it up) and U2.

Carol Rosegg ©2025  erry Donnelly and Ciaran Sheehan

Despite some of the downbeat tales, there is never a defeatist moment in Charlotte Moore's production, which never really makes apt use of Irish Rep's odd rectangular stage (the SC section to the far corner is forced to watch a lot of the back of actors' heads), which also doesn't give the cast much room to maneuver (a terrific tap scene is blunted by the minimal space the performers have). But the charm and sheer entertainment value of the piece more than suffices, and even if you've seen it before, the new casts always make for interesting discoveries.

First cast veterans Terry Donnelly and the golden-voiced, strapping Ciaran Sheehan (whose rendition of “Danny Boy” is as elegant as they come) return for this engagement and lend their charisma, but this production has a tremendous new discovery. Gary Troy, a true firecracker of a performer, is one of those actors who seems to do it all: sings like a dream, moves wonderfully and has that electric current running through him that makes him a pleasure to keep your eyes on. A Dublin City native-which explains his exceptional accent-one hopes that the Irish Rep keeps him in mind for future productions. Despite being in a mirthful revue in an ensemble role, a clear range is represented. Seriously, get this guy some Beckett or O'Neill (two more Irish luminaries) with the quickness.