All stories by Helen Meany on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Enda Walsh delivers a five-star dazzler and Forced Entertainment make mischief at Dublin theatre festival by Helen Meany

Safe House is a haunting song cycle by Walsh and Anna Mullarkey while the experimental company’s Signal to Noise pushes language to breaking point In a Dublin theatre festival programme ja…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:24PM
Monday, July 22, 2024

The Map of Argentina review – magnetic, messy affairs of the heart by Helen Meany

An Taibhdhearc, GalwayCharacters suffer as they make painful choices between duty and desire in the premiere of Marina Carr’s play The title throws a wild card into the mix in Marina Carr�…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:24AM
Sunday, July 21, 2024

Somnium review – Philomela’s violent tale told with ethereal artistry by Helen Meany

Bank of Ireland theatre, GalwayDirector James Riordan blends ancient ritual and modern technology, while the music of Julianna Bloodgood is compelling Ethereal sound and imagery transform a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:18AM
Friday, July 19, 2024

Unspeakable Conversations review – Liz Carr and Mat Fraser’s straight talk is enthralling by Helen Meany

Mick Lally theatre, GalwayPlaying a disability rights lawyer and the philosopher Peter Singer, as well as themselves, the actors deliver a powerful production A remarkable real-life encounte…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:02PM
Friday, May 31, 2024

Circle Mirror Transformation review – Annie Baker’s drama class is a lesson in power-play by Helen Meany

Gate theatre, DublinDirected by Róisín McBrinn, this 2009 play is an absorbing study of group dynamics, deepened by intricate dialogue and superb acting Six weeks is a long time in theatre…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:02PM
Sunday, April 14, 2024

The Pull of the Stars review – Emma Donoghue adapts her Spanish flu novel for an all-female cast by Helen Meany

Gate Theatre, DublinSet in a 1918 maternity ward, the play offers moments of tenderness amid its commentary on political and social upheaval A pandemic exposes deep social injustices in Emma…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:24AM
Sunday, March 3, 2024

Audrey or Sorrow review – darkly comic tale of ghosts and grief by Helen Meany

Abbey, DublinThe black humour gets grimmer as two parents grieve the sudden death of their baby and a disturbing family history emerges There are three kinds of sorrow, one character explain…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:48AM
Friday, January 19, 2024

Krapp’s Last Tape review – Stephen Rea is hauntingly good in Beckett’s masterpiece by Helen Meany

Project Arts Centre, DublinThere isn’t a hint of sentimentality in Vicky Featherstone’s delicately calibrated production of Samuel Beckett’s monologue about mortality Making his annual…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:36AM
Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Dublin theatre festival goes from Quaker reflections to high-speed romance by Helen Meany

This year’s shows include a meditative new play from Janet Moran and an ironic variation on the romcom by Nancy Harris Martyna Majok’s Ironbound (★★★★☆), first produced by Step…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:03AM
Friday, July 28, 2023

Life and Times of Michael K review – brutal war brought to life with exquisite puppetry by Helen Meany

Black Box theatre, GalwayThe immense artistry in Lara Foot’s staging succeeds in finding the emotional essence of JM Coetzee’s story of a humble man who endures pitiless treatment ‘My…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:55AM
Friday, July 21, 2023

Lie Low review – disturbing consent comedy plays with expectations by Helen Meany

Abbey theatre, DublinTaking an absurdist approach to sexual consent and false memory, this polished play shifts disarmingly from spiky humour to tense confrontation A children’s game of ma…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:25AM
Wednesday, July 19, 2023

How to Be a Dancer in 72,000 Easy Lessons review – the evolution of expression by Helen Meany

Black Box theatre, GalwayMichael Keegan-Dolan charts how he found his creative voice alongside longtime collaborator Rachel Poirier A dancer drags a bag of compost on to the stage and hacks …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:13AM
Friday, June 23, 2023

Cork Midsummer festival review – impressively ambitious programme of new work by Helen Meany

Trojans ★★★★☆ / Freefalling ★★★★☆ / This is You ★★★☆☆Cork city, various venuesVirgil’s The Aeneid, a real life medical emergency on a tiny island and a young …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:55AM
Monday, April 3, 2023

Agreement review – the high drama of Northern Ireland’s peace talks by Helen Meany

Lyric theatre, BelfastOwen McCafferty’s dramatisation of the last days of negotiations leading to the Good Friday Agreement remains accessible while expertly conveying tortuous political t…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:42AM
Monday, March 13, 2023

Tartuffe review – lavish arrival of Frank McGuinness’s take on Molière by Helen Meany

Abbey theatre, DublinPlacing modern tech in the baroque setting, Caitríona McLaughlin’s production emphasises artifice but leaves the central message unmoored Secrets, lies and disguised …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:00AM
Sunday, December 11, 2022

Piaf review – Camille O’Sullivan fully inhabits the doomed chanteuse by Helen Meany

Gate, Dublin Pam Gems’ play may have dated, but the tragic arc of Édith Piaf from street urchin to torch singer is still compelling, told through music that rings with drama Edith Piaf’…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:18PM
Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Propaganda: A New Musical review – love and betrayal at the birth of the cold war by Helen Meany

Lyric, BelfastEffervescent jazz and operatic lyricism tease out the characters in Conor Mitchell’s ambitious production which grows thrillingly in impact – and in contemporary resonance …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:33AM
Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Dublin theatre festival review – sex in the spotlight and parents under pressure by Helen Meany

Various venues, DublinGood Sex explores live performance and intimacy; Colic considers domestic disquiet; and All Hardest of Woman immerses the audience in the corridors of a maternity hospi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:25AM
Friday, September 23, 2022

Joyce’s Women review – Edna O’Brien’s powerful play is a fascinating portrait of a fellow writer by Helen Meany

Abbey theatre, DublinO’Brien’s empathy for Joyce shines through in this lavish production, as she brings him to life, seen through the eyes of his mother, wife, daughter and lover Markin…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:37AM
Thursday, July 28, 2022

The Steward of Christendom review – shattering portrait of a scarred man by Helen Meany

Gate theatre, DublinOwen Roe is riveting in Sebastian Barry’s deconstruction of a family set against the tensions of Irish independence Sebastian Barry’s shimmeringly poetic memory play …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:07AM
Monday, July 18, 2022

From a Low and Quiet Sea review – lyrical staging of Donal Ryan’s novel by Helen Meany

Nun’s Island theatre, GalwayIn a series of monologues, four characters in a small Irish town try to make their peace with painful pasts Author Donal Ryan has a gift for eliciting sympathy …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:24AM
Sunday, July 17, 2022

The Last Return review – what queuing etiquette reveals about western imperialism by Helen Meany

Mick Lally Theatre, GalwayFour people in a line for theatre tickets grow increasingly fractious, competitive and entitled in Sonya Kelly’s deliciously spiky absurdist satire Everybody know…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:33PM
Friday, July 15, 2022

True West review – Sam Shepard’s fraternal face-off gains new resonance by Helen Meany

Town Hall theatre, GalwaySteppenwolf’s staging at Galway International Arts festival has a smart political and racial awareness as it unpicks the American myth Sam Shepard’s story of two…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:03AM
Thursday, June 23, 2022

Cork Midsummer festival review – ambitious shows make for an invigorating comeback by Helen Meany

Cork cityFrom reflections on exile to an erotic turn in a lighthouse and a play about the stark reality of war, the festival makes a dramatic return Cork’s annual festival makes an invigor…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:48AM
Thursday, June 2, 2022

The Cavalcaders review – soaring voices elevate nostalgic Irish drama by Helen Meany

Mick Lally theatre, GalwayRevival of Billy Roche’s sweet-sour memory play in which years of guilt and betrayal haunt friends in late-1980s Ireland The streets of Wexford form a self-contai…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:18AM
Friday, May 13, 2022

Constellations review – a stirring love story with infinite possibilities by Helen Meany

Gate, DublinThis intricate production of Nick Payne’s high-concept romance poses existential questions with elegance and levity There were two lovers, Roland and Marianne, who lived in Lon…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:54PM
Friday, May 6, 2022

Luck Just Kissed You Hello review – scorching truth-telling in deathbed drama by Helen Meany

Abbey, DublinWayne Jordan directs a sombre revival of Amy Conroy’s 2015 play exploring gender identity and family dynamics What kind of man is it possible to be? That is Amy Conroy’s pro…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:33AM
Monday, May 2, 2022

Translations review – Brian Friel’s tale of two cultures has universal impact by Helen Meany

Lyric, BelfastCaitríona McLaughlin’s taut new production of Friel’s colonisation drama is a timeless study of change and identity Brian Friel’s drama of colonisation becomes a timeles…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:36AM
Sunday, March 27, 2022

Outrage review – passion, idealism and disillusionment in Ireland’s revolutionary years by Helen Meany

The Pumphouse, Dublin PortAn unflinching look at the role of women is at the forefront of this gripping drama that brings hidden histories to the surface Civil war brings devastation to one …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:33AM
Friday, March 18, 2022

X’ntigone review – culture wars rage before Freedom Day in Thebes by Helen Meany

Abbey, DublinThe political intrigues muddy the drama of conscience but this is a sleek futuristic staging of Sophocles’ tragedy, adapted by Darren Murphy A defiant young woman imprisoned i…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:12PM
Friday, February 18, 2022

Endgame review – Frankie Boyle brings fresh life to Beckett’s dystopia by Helen Meany

Gate theatre, DublinThe comedian turns on the roguish charm as part of a dazzling cast that inject new poignancy into the absurdist classic One of Samuel Beckett’s most celebrated plays, E…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:33AM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 11, 2024: Oh, Mary! - Lyceum Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 15, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 01, 2025: Glengarry Glen Ross
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic