Abbey Theatre - Amharclann na Mainistreach

just home from the theatre having just been to see the plough and the stars,it was fantastic,the best play iv seen in a long time,brilliant acting all round,well done to all involved.

I went to see the Plough and the Stars last night with my sister.  It was my first time to see it.  I loved it.  I thought Denise Gough played Nora brilliantly, I said so to her in the bar later.  I’m not given to tears when watching a film, but the tears came more than once looking at Denise Gough’s performance.  I loved Fluther, brilliantly played by Joe Hanley and the other characters were also excellent, Bessie Burgess and Mrs. Gogan in particular.  I would highly recommend it.

I haven’t seen the play yet, but I’m booked to see it in early September.  I’m really looking forward to my visit in my “second motherland”.

I did enjoy The Plough and the Stars, because of O’Casey, but there was some aspects of the play that I was very disappointed in, such as The character of Nora was not believable at all.  There was not one bit of chemistery between her and the charecter of Jack.  Her costume was too modern, as was her hair.  What should have been tender love scenes between Nora and Jack , was directed too sexy.  I Don’t believe O’Casey would have wanted this.  The Play is very dear to my heart I was born in a Tementent, I over all did not get a sence of the terrible life that these people were going through.  The Set gave the audience a feel of space, which of course was not present in the Tenements.  I am now not sure if I should advise my family to go.

Kind regards

Ellen Kavanagh.

The Plough and The Stars is worth seeing for Joe Hanley in the role of Fluther. Hanley is ideally suited to playing O’Casey’s comic character and he carries it off brilliantly. Otherwise though, the production is disappointing. The problem centres on the main character in the play, Nora Clitheroe, played by Denise Gough. It’s a very challenging part and unfortunately Gough is miscast. She’s just too demure for the audience to be convinced that she lives in a tenement, even if she is supposed to be Mrs Posh. The play also drags on at least 40 minutes too long, though that’s the author’s fault.. O’Casey obviously didn’t have a clue how he was going to finish this drama and it shows.

Wonderful production.  One jarring note, however.  I was very distracted by the actress who played Nora Clitheroe.  It was hard to reconcile her mode of dress and hairdo with the Dublin slums in 1916.  A sleeveless silk blouse with open work and embroidery?  A powder blue a-line skirt with what appeared to be a side zipper?  Clairol yellow hair with dark roots?  Hairstyle off the pages of Hello magazine?  If I didn’t know better, I would have thought a member of the audience had accidentally ended up the the stage.  That together with her upper class accent took away my enjoyment of the early scenes she was in.  Her performance in the second half was more believable, except for the distracting dark roots. 

The rest of the play and the cast were terrific.

I was not the only one in the audience who commented on the above.  It was a lively topic of conversation at the Intermission.