How to Keep an Alien
Closed 1h 15m
How to Keep an Alien
84%
84%
(24 Ratings)
Positive
92%
Mixed
8%
Negative
0%
Members say
Funny, Clever, Delightful, Entertaining, Intelligent

About the Show

Performer/playwright Sonya Kelly presents an autobiographical comedy about falling in love and having to prove it to the government. Part of Origin’s 1st Irish Festival.

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Critic Reviews (15)

The New York Times
September 20th, 2016

"Ms. Kelly enhances her tale with the help of a spirited stage manager, Paul Curley, and a limitless supply of one-liners, many of them delicious...Her comic style varies nicely from straight-faced to vivacious, from deadpan to a pan that is very much alive, especially her irresistible, maniacal grin...Ultimately, the show doesn't offer much drama or conflict...Ms. Kelly’s greatest trial is a camping trip with her girlfriend’s family."
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Front Row Center
September 19th, 2016

"Kelly tells us the tale with complete unselfconsciousness, throwing herself completely both physically and emotionally into each new situation, acting each part and person perfectly...Hardly a fairy tale, Kelly has to confront her fears and ambivalences, figure out what she wants from her life and whether or not she has the guts to go for it. And she keeps us laughing and rooting for her the entire time. A love story for the ages. A writer and a performer to watch. Don’t miss it."
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Stage Buddy
September 19th, 2016

"Directed by Gina Moxley, Kelly’s performance is funny to its core. The audience was kept in stitches as Kelly colors each moment of her bureaucratically challenged romance with hilarious insights into the process of falling in love...Despite the unending success of the show’s comedy, some of its emotional moments could have been more developed...Performed with comedic aplomb and wry freshness, 'How to Keep an Alien' makes for truly fantastic theater."
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Financial Times (UK)
September 20th, 2016

“It’s a familiar conundrum, and a reliable source of rom-com fodder, which Kelly invests with wit and originality in her show…Kelly’s turns of phrase and her self-deprecating style make this a consistently hilarious performance, which also displays considerable emotional depth while sending up the boisterous conventions of stand-up comedy…'Alien' attests the transformation of Irish society, which has gone from quasi-theocracy to legalizing marriage equality by popular vote.”
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Village Voice
September 20th, 2016

"A sweet, charmingly spun tale of modern love and state bureaucracy…The setup blends elements of traditional stand-up comedy and queer solo performance…With just some desks and bookcases for scenery, the production uses sound effects to create a vibrant, zany mood. But there are more reflective moments, too…Onstage, Kelly cuts an affably geeky figure, deftly balancing Irish wit with broad physical comedy and moments of touching sentiment."
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Plays to See
September 19th, 2016

"Witty, smartly written and saturated with a love for language, there are moments of true literary poetry among the smart self-deprecating humor. Well-structured, well-paced and with well-delivered jokes, Kelly clearly has a background in comedy. She delivers her story with genuine charm, physical comedy and true theatre geekiness...Director Gina Moxley did a fantastic job of keeping our attention 100% engaged."
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Irish Central
September 23rd, 2016

"A sweetly funny new play…Onstage Kelly trades barbs, jokes and brilliantly executed vignettes from the real journey that loving an alien has led her through with actor and stage manager Paul Curley…Nothing is funnier than life or death anxiety, and Kelly mines a rich seam with this material. Life, she reminds us, is not a movie; it’s an underestimated gas bill. Do not miss this show."
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Edge New York
September 23rd, 2016

“This yarn about a same-sex couple navigating the bureaucratic labyrinth of immigration unravels effortlessly…Sometimes you have to laugh. But it's the abnegation of real human suffering that makes it difficult to take the trip. Not only does the piece lack a context of political controversy of LGBTQ lives in a priest-riddled country, the humdrum of everyday living is conveniently sidestepped. The potentially crippling financial costs of applying for papers are raised early but then dropped.”
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