Just saw show this afternoon. I truly wanted to like this show. The constant use of the f-word and the never ending alcohol consumption was completely gratuitous, unnecessary and not authentic. Even the children were potty-mouthed & consuming alcohol in the home - totally unrealistic & even more gratuitous. The roles of the children could have been easily downplayed (Their talents, however, were remarkable.). The use of music was loud and awkward. The live bunnies & the goose were cutesy props, but were completely unnecessary. Often, it was very difficult to either hear or understand much of the dialogue- the sound was poor, at best.
Please help - i dont know whose cross the Shane character was wearing or why. I also dont understand the relationships of the elder characters - who is Uncle Pat related to? Aunt Pat? Aunt Maggie?
So disappointed. Spent a lot of money for the tickets and think the spring high school production at my local high school could parallel this show.
kkc2 said: "Please help - i dont know whose cross the Shane character was wearing or why. I also dont understand the relationships of the elder characters - who is Uncle Pat related to? Aunt Pat? Aunt Maggie?"
Well … Uncle Pat (Patrick) is Quinn Carney’s uncle. Aunt Pat (Patricia) and Aunt Maggie are Quinn Carney’s aunts.
I suppose the cross stuff is spoiler material so I’ll try to use the spoiler tool.
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Shane took the cross from a Catholic boy Muldoon tortured (and possibly killed; that is unclear). Muldoon had Shane watch the door while the beating took place. Shane is quite proud and blustery about all this until Michael points out that it may have been a test to see if Shane could be trusted to keep quiet. This shakes Shane to the core. It’s a very powerful scene.
I think we're all grateful you joined the board and started a new thread specifically to tell us all about it. Actually I meant f*****g grateful. I'll now down a few shots of Jack as i think how close I came to spending money to see this.
KKC2, Booze in an Irish home is common, not "gratuitous, unnecessary and unauthentic" as you claim, or at least it was then. I thought the play was brilliant. I saw it 8 times with the Irish/Brit original cast and once with the current Americans. Preferred the original cast.
The NY Times review and other articles said it was a show that required attention. It does. It also helped to have a knowledge of the IRA/England conflict decades ago. PBS had a 15 minute segment on it.
Playwright Jez Butterworth based the story on his partner Laura Donnelly's family. She played the female lead Caitlyn in the original cast. Her real-life uncle was found in a bog after several years.
The Irish/Brit cast often used the word "fecking" and "****e" which are also common there. Alot of the Irish slang could be challenging. They did fall out of the Irish accent at times.
Uncle Pat, Aunt Pat, Aunt Maggie are siblings living in the Quinn Carney home, their nephew. They are siblings to Big Jack.
I find researching a play before attending it really helps. Perhaps if you read these, it might pull it together. I bought the script at the show which made it all the more worthwhile to watch. Every time they played the mournful music, the scene transitioned to something that happened previously or about to.
I have some issues with the writing and directing, but anyone that's offended by language and alcohol consumption can f*ck off back to 1953. Ugh. It's just immature to complain about that. Only in America will audiences be more offended by language, alcohol, and nudity than they are by extreme violence.
CT2NYC said: "I do find it odd that the age recommendation on Telecharge has always been 10 and up. That's just silly."
Saw it last night for the second time and there was a kid sat right in front of me who had to be no more than 10. I'll give him credit for staying pretty well behaved until towards the middle of Act 3 when he got a bit squirrely until the big finish. Not sure why parents would want to take a 10 year old to a 3.5 hour play
When I saw the show a family with few children left towards the end of the first act. Not sure if they all didn’t like it but I assumed the parents hadn’t realized it was a show for a more adult audience.
With all due respect, the issue I had with MY experience revolves around the stereotypes highlighted by the author. My mother was born and raised in Ardoyne in Belfast and is well acquainted with “the troubles” & their impact. She and her six brothers and sisters lived through it. We discussed the show after seeing it together. We agreed that the language and alcohol were NOT representative of any Irish household - especially not in the countryside of Armagh. The stereotypes portrayed by the writer were insulting and unimaginative and in OUR experience, detracted from the authenticity of the characters & their story. I refuse to insult GeorgeandDot a I have been.
joined:3/9/19
joined:
3/9/19
Posted: 3/9/19 at 6:31pm