By Neil Hickey, Contributor
The year is 1980. A former movie actor, Ronald Reagan, whose great-grandfather was an emigrant from the village of Ballyporeen in County Tipperary, is the newly-elected, 40th president of the United States. That same year another emigrant, Ciarán O’Reilly from County Cavan, was performing in an off-Broadway play called
Summer by the Irish writer Hugh Leonard, where he met an actress, Charlotte Moore – granddaughter of expatriates from County Wexford – who was a fellow member of the cast.
Thus begins the origin story of the Irish Repertory Theatre in New York, the most renowned theater company in the U.S., devoted exclusively to staging “the works of Irish and Irish-American classic and contemporary playwrights” (according to its mission statement) and providing a hearth and a home for audiences to savor the work of dramatists from Goldsmith, Synge, Wilde, and Yeats, to Beckett, Shaw, Friel, and Behan, as well as musicals with an Irish tilt:
Rep Talk: The Lady in the Van a repertory project
14 Mar, 2021 09:58 PM
2 minutes to read
Maggie Smith and Alex Jennings in a scene from Alan Bennett s The Lady In The Van. Photo / Getty Images
Maggie Smith and Alex Jennings in a scene from Alan Bennett s The Lady In The Van. Photo / Getty Images
The line between tragedy and comedy is often very thin indeed and so it is with Miss Shepherd, the somewhat deluded, sad character who is the Lady in the Van.
Our play reading group had a really hilarious evening reading Alan Bennett s play, based on the real story of the elderly lady who lived in a van in his street, eventually driving it into his front garden where she remained for 15 years.
Review: High energy show a treat
28 Feb, 2021 08:57 PM
3 minutes to read
Spiritual Banana
Friday, February 19
Reviewed by Paul Brooks
The first thing evident at Repertory Theatre on Friday, February 19, was . not your usual Repertory audience.
There were lots of younger people, some wearing interesting, colourful clothing, reminiscent of hippydom and the psychedelic era.
There were older folks too, most there because they know or have known Joana Simmons when she was here in Whanganui at school, or dancing on stage under the direction of Sharyn Underwood, perhaps, but they were not at Repertory to see Joana Simmons: they were there to see Banana Jolie in a show called Spiritual Banana.
New playwrights, new plays at Whanganui Repertory Theatre
21 Feb, 2021 10:47 PM
2 minutes to read
Local playwrights Mavis Winitana and Chris McKenzie. Photo / Dee Brough
This Saturday, 7pm, at Repertory Theatre, two budding playwrights will present their plays to the public as rehearsed readings. Entry is free/koha and comments from everyone will be welcomed in the discussion following, effectively workshopping the four plays.
Well known Whanganui actor/ director Chris McKenzie has had three of his plays selected as finalists in the competition and they range from serious to comedic.
The first play Chris explained to me is called
Uncomfortably Numb in Delirium.
Rep Talk: Off to a flying start
1 Feb, 2021 12:43 AM
2 minutes to read
Joana Simmons is bringing her one woman show Spiritual Banana to Whanganui. Photo / Supplied
Now that January is behind us we are looking forward to fulfilling plans for February.
We did have auditions for the comedy Death and Taxe$ planned for January 31, but had to postpone them due to a family bereavement. Hopefully we ll get those auditions under way in early February, the play cast and rehearsals in progress soon.
Death and Taxe$, written by Whanganui raised April Phillips, is a farce, very funny and will elicit chuckles from everyone. The River City Players staged this play at Collegiate in 2010 to appreciative audiences.