Irish playwright Enda Walsh had a bit of a New York moment in January, with the joint stagings of two of his plays.
In Manhattan, his 1996 play Disco Pigs is being revived for its 20th anniversary at the Irish Repertory Theater, starring Harry Potter actress Evanna Lynch and Colin Campbell as the drama’s sole characters, Runt and Pig. The play, which has ben extended through March 4, tracks one raucous night in Cork City as the two adolescents celebrate their 17th birthday. The New York Times, which lists it as a Critic’s Pick, gives fair warning of the manic content: “You may find yourself unsteady on your feet, with a vicious vicarious hangover, when its mayhem has come to an end.” The play also participated in the Origin 1st Irish Theatre Festival, which ran during the month of January.
Across the East River in Brooklyn, Walsh’s newest play, Ballyturk, made its American debut at St. Ann’s Warehouse. The play, which won the Irish Times Best Production award in 2015, received rave, if cryptic reviews: “I’m not going to pretend that I fully understood (any/all) but Enda Walsh’s BALLYTURK is standing ovationally mind blowing,” Irish TV presenter Ian Dempsey said. ♦
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