The Man of the Hour Photos - Broadway

While I find Beckett's plays often too intensely intellectual for my comprehension, this was not the case with Irwin's seemingly effortless way of donning a bowler hat (or 2 or 3), juggling them until the perfect one is atop his head, and then going on to flop around the stage in his baggy pants and oversize shoes as a quintessential clown while explaining his interpretation of passages reflecting a?oethe noise of lifea?? in Beckett's a?oeText for Noting,a?? a?oeWatt,a?? a?oeWaiting for Godot,a?? a?oeEndgame,a?? and a?oeThe Unnamable.a?? It was an extraordinary evening of watching a master of the stage interpret the life and brilliance of a theatre legend.

Trusted sons of wealthy families who ascend to high office to do their party's bidding? Crooked backroom deals that ignore the will or needs of the people? Well-placed one-percenters who avoid punishment no matter the crime? These are not merely well-trodden news angles ripped from the latest headlines. They're among the central themes of The Man of the Hour, a 1906 play inspired by Tammany Hall, which begins performances on February 20, 2015 at Metropolitan Playhouse. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the cast in rehearsal below!