Abbey Theatre - Amharclann na Mainistreach

This was my first time at the Abbey Theatre and i loved it! I saw the play twice and it was amazing both times.The cast were superb and delivered a fine performance.I read the original Frank Wedekind Spring Awakening and loved how well the play was adapted to an irish setting and how true it stayed to the original.The moving of the chairs and tables added to the atmosphere,I especially enjoyed the falling of the lights which was a genius idea because it really reflected the mood and emotion of the scene.The actors and actresses were brilliant and really gave a good insight into life of fear and oppression in 1950’s Ireland to someone who was born in 93’.The plays multitude of themes were acted out brilliantly and handled well.The play was very thought provoking and fantastic all round.I want to wish the cast all the best and hopefully I’ll see them on stage in the Abbey again soon!

Congratulations to Wayne Jordan ,the Production team and all concerned.It was a privilege to be in attendance at such a wonderful Play.The energy, concentration ,delivery and excellence of all of the Actors was well up to the Standards expected of the National Theatre.The play accurately touched so many aspects of Irish Life in the 50’s and beyond with its humour, harshness,innocence and imagination to leave you laughing, crying and reflecting.Finally thanks to the Management and Staff who are always pleasant and helpful even when under pressure. Keep up your great work.Seán

Congratulations to all involved in this brilliant piece of theatre.  Christ Deliver Us! is magnificently written, produced and acted. It seems strange to describe something so moving as entertaining, but this play is because it manages to be funny, touching, shocking and tragic, sometimes all at once! It is without doubt the best live show I have experienced for a very long time.

Congratulations to the Abbey on this fine production.
I very much liked its rejection of realism which heightened the theatricality of the play. It was both poignant and funny and resonated with contemporary issues in Irish society- namely the repression of emotional intellegence.
The scene of the two boys dancing was poetic- a counterbalance to the devasting consequences of emotional repression.
Frank Widekind would be proud and Tom Kilroy is a playwright of great insight and intellegence.
In ending all I can say is the Abbey needs more productions like this which are innovative and challenging.

i saw christ deliver us this week. congrats to all. i have not been as moved at a play since opening night of dancing at lughnasa.
there are images that haunted me and will remain with me for a long time esp the dance scene with the young men and the howls of winnie ,at the river giving birth,
i think senior school students should see this play, well done and thank you

The best thing I’ve seen in the Abbey for years. I liked its episodic nature, the sparse language complemented by a sparse but not a cold set. Loved the set, the set changes grated but that was intentional; to unsettle us, not to be complacent. This is not a play to be complacent about. Fr. Seamus whom the boys called ‘Stutter’, who had difficulty in speaking, was derided for his inability to express himself but yet, spoke the truth; irony indeed.

Congratulations to The Abbey, Thomas Kilroy and Wayne Jordan

The Abbey production of Christ, Deliver Us! was poignant, and well acted.  The tension builds to moments of dramatic pathos again and again.  The final scene was one of great theatrical pondering.  Thank you for a wonderful night of Theatre.
Christopher Luthin

Theatre Fan,

Thanks for your wonderful appreciation of Christ Deliver Us! We’re all very proud of the play, and the production.

The show has been getting a fantastic response from both audiences and reviewers over the past few days. There was a great discussion about it on RTÉ radio’s Arena, with Seán Rocks and Ian Walsh last night. If you missed it, you can listen to the programme online (see our review section on this page).

And if you were impressed by the cast, you might be interested to know that some of them have just been re-cast in our upcoming production of Macbeth!

Hope to see you at the Abbey again soon,

Aoife Lucey, Abbey Theatre

I saw the last preview performance of this show last night and am delighted to say that it was tremendously accomplished in every way.
The design and production showed verve and imagination (e.g. the burial, the falling of the light).
The script was rich and thought provoking, beautifully realised by a uniformly strong cast.
The beautiful image of the dance between the two young boys that started as an awkward fumble and developed into a fluid embrace of grace and passion was so moving and yet it was only a nuance within a text that so wonderfully portrayed the constraints of the time.
So many questions remain for me, but not in a way that makes me unsatisfied, rather, they give me pause and let me count my blessings that I grew up in a time when I was not condemned for doing what was natural. Congrats to all involved and thank you for a wonderful night at the theatre.

Hi Paul,

Thanks for your comment. We’re delighted you’re looking forward to seeing Christ Deliver Us! We’re excited about the opening night tomorrow evening too.

We’re always happy to take feedback, both good and bad. You’ve raised a fair point about this part of our website. We have been busy updating our homepage with articles and latest news from behind the scenes. And we do often reply to messages posted in this review section privately. But you’re right; we could try harder to keep in touch with our visitors here, and we will!

I hope you enjoy the show – be sure and let us know what you think afterwards!

All the best,

Aoife Lucey
Marketing Officer, Abbey Theatre