Set in 1962, this classic bittersweet comedy revolves around the young Gar O’Donnell on the eve of his departure from Ireland to America. Gar’s heartache from losing his girlfriend to a successful businessman propels him to accept an invitation to go and live with an aunt in Philadelphia. Despite the wild fantasies of what life in America might hold, and his yearning to escape the tedium of small town Ballybeg, a kind word from his taciturn father could change his mind.
Philadelphia, Here I Come! was Friel’s first major success, premiering in 1964 at the Gaiety Theatre Dublin, and transferring to Broadway two years later.
In Irish Rep’s new staging, masterfully helmed by producing director Ciarán O’Reilly, that voice is relayed by a young musical theater veteran, A.J. Shively, whose formidable footwork was a high point of Broadway’s overstuffed “Paradise Square.” As Private Gar, Mr. Shively gets a more modest but wittier showcase for his song-and-dance skills — both Gars sing, and here they also jump and prance about nimbly — as well as a vehicle for his considerable gift with accents. His Gar, in dialogue with his public self, imagines himself in roles ranging from a posh British radio announcer to an old-school Hollywood screen siren.
Under O’Reilly’s steady direction, Philadelphia can sometimes feel like the dramatic equivalent of “old Screwballs” — it’s straightforward and decent and, theatrically, not given to unpredictability. Still, some of the production’s strongest moments are the play’s sketches of its menfolk. It’s in these scenes where Friel’s observational powers most fully emerge, his deftness with people who live right on the edge of caricature and yet, in startling lucid glimpses, can sense their own absurdity and helplessness.
1966 | Broadway |
Broadway |
1994 | Broadway |
Broadway |
2024 | Off-Broadway |
Irish Repertory Theatre Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Play | Ciaran O'Reilly |
2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play | A.J. Shively |
2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Philadelphia, Here I Come |
2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Philadelphia, Here I Come! |
2024 | The Lortels | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play | A.J. Shively |
2024 | The Lortels | Outstanding Revival | Philadelphia, Here I Come! |
2024 | Theatre World Awards | Dorothy Loudon Award | A. J. Shively |
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