I Hear You and Rejoice
About the show
In this solo show, writer and performer Mikel Murfi creates a tender portrait of a bustling Irish town, focusing on the indomitable football manager and woman-about-town, Kitsy Rainey. More…
From the football field to the chapel floor, Kitsy always has the final word. By turns moving and comic, her friends and neighbors celebrate the impact Rainey has made on her community.
"Accomplished entertainer though he is, Tony Cleary doesn’t have a thing on his creator...This virtuoso is strictly small-time compared to Mikel Murfi, the inexhaustibly multifarious writer, director and sole performer...It’s ultimately impossible to resist the gale theatrical force as Mr. Murfi presents his heroine through a multi-angled prism, with body language as precise, condensed and evocative as Morse code." Full Review
“Murfi is amazing...Murfi employs his vocal and physical prowess to conjure up an entire community on the stage that is bare...An exquisite theatrical experience of the purest form...Murfi is breathtaking as he clowns, mimes and barrels all over the space while distinctively rendering each character...He creates a work that combines humor and pathos with a characteristic Irish dark sensibility...Murfi’s simple staging craftily serves the material...The production has momentum and visual depth.” Full Review
“It’s lovely to see how a simple twist of a hip can suggest a woman who is annoyed, and a tugging gesture at the armpits can suggest an ill-fitting bra...A program note indicates that encounters Murfi had with groups of older people in Sligo helped formulate these remarkable theater pieces...In addition...it is a tremendous pleasure to witness the remarkable Murfi, dressed in pants, suspenders, and a shirt, take stage so effectively with nary a prop save for a chair.” Full Review
for a previous production "Here it is, pure distilled 100 per cent proof theatrical magic, conjured up by one man on one chair on an otherwise bare stage. The boundless power of words and storytelling to conjure worlds to involve and enchant an audience has rarely been so clearly demonstrated...Murfi is quite simply mesmerising in his engrossing evocation of this gentle world of vividly realised characters, not least his indomitable, irascible and warmly appealing wife." Full Review
for a previous production "Living as we do in a society obsessed with youth culture, tooth whitening, Botox and hair extensions, it is refreshing to witness an older artist telling a tale of the simple and unpretentious among us...Mikel can share the extremes and vulnerabilities of humanity with deftness and ease. Clearly, his performance comes from a man of large heart and astute observation of the human condition. This is a theatrical performance which deserves to be seen." Full Review
for a previous production "Mikel Murfi contains multitudes – still. The Irish actor can fill a one-man show with people: men, women, children. He brings whole villages to life...Murfi is legion and it is quite a thing to watch...This is a show that abounds with love – so much that, in many ways, it struggles to find the words for it...But it works less through words than through feeling. Through Pat, you feel like you've known Kitsy Rainey all your life." Full Review
for a previous production “This performance by Mikel Murfi holds you close, makes you listen as he weaves a storyteller’s spell...Murfi, alone on stage with just a chair, is writer and performer. He is barefoot, in suit trousers and braces, transforming himself into a multiplicity of characters...The show is 75 minutes long, funny and sad at the same time, just the right length for a piece that never bores and, in the end, touches the heart.” Full Review
for a previous production "The Irishman delivers his words with a rhythm and a lyricism best described as hypnotic...Amid the laughter is a powerful meditation on the significance of a life well-lived, told from the bottom of a broken heart...What may sound like hyperbole elsewhere sounds perfectly natural in Murfi’s hands. This is a masterclass in the art of the monologue. Funerals have rarely been so enjoyable." Full Review
for a previous production "What we get is a stunning performance and a celebration of the joy of everyday human interaction...A few extra beats might help in establishing the characters but the writing is spry and sure-footed. Reveals about Pat’s disability are sensitively bedded into the narrative. Murfi’s physical dexterity over 75 minutes is astonishing...The wit is endlessly surprising and humane." Full Review
for a previous production "A joyful play full of sentimentality that is also hugely funny...Mikel Murfi is an actor at the top of his physical and vocal game...The story itself is a gleeful tribute to eccentricity. Murfi has taken the quirky humanity of people in a small town and puts these people centre stage. In Murfi’s hands, they deserve this position. He is an extraordinarily skilled clown and performer...If the story is overly sentimental at times, it is also beautifully uplifting." Full Review
for a previous production "By turns heart-warming and heart breaking, Mikel Murfi’s 'I Hear You and Rejoice' is a gentle, elegiac multi-character monologue about grief and love in later life...The world Murfi conjures is luminously clear, if somewhat narrow in scope. Given Murfi’s sweet-tooth for sentimentality, it is unsurprising that the piece sometimes wobbles towards the mawkish. However, a backbone of truthfulness, humour, and tremendous warmth supports the show." Full Review
for a previous production "Preaching to the converted, Murfi’s less inventive follow-on suffers the dreaded curse of the sequel; being far less interesting or engaging than the first. There’s still plenty of comedy, plenty of sighs, plenty of Murfi’s impeccable performance skills, and more strands of nostalgia and sentimentality than you'd find on a stick of candy floss. Yet this eulogy for a whirlwind is absent a whirlwind, despite some genuinely touching and hilarious moments." Full Review
for a previous production "I have to confess that for much of the 75 minutes, I felt I was trying to get a handle on a runaway chicken of a yarn, flapping this way and that. Those who’ve suffered grief and loss may be able to catch, if they’re quick-eared, nicely turned phrases of touching consolation...Miserable sinner that I am, I found much of it deathly, and rejoiced not a lot." Full Review
See it if You appreciate Irish humor and enjoy solo performance pieces. This will, at turns, have you crying tears of laughter and sorrow.
Don't see it if You have no heart. You will be bored.
Also Mr. Murfi is a master storyteller. He becomes each of the characters, ... Read more Read less
See it if you want to experience Mikel Murfi's magnificent perf. &, as playwright, his splendid writing as he invokes the lives of these characters ..
Don't see it if you do not enjoy one-man shows,
See it if you are a fan of Ireland's greatest actor Mikel Murfi. He is brilliant with his chameleon ability to portray an entire town. Pure magic.
Don't see it if If you have a problem with Irish accents or don't enjoy one-man shows. Otherwise, I can't think of any other reason why not to see this
See it if you want to see a masterful performer and a funny but touching story that will keep you absolutely hooked
Don't see it if No reason at all not to see it
See it if Solo show with a masterful Irish storyteller who portrays a variety of a village characters (& the sounds of musical instruments & animals)
Don't see it if you cannot get into the variety of characters portrayed in solo shows, need bells & whistles sets, don't like moving stories
Also I had seen his ' The Man in the Woman's Shoes' a few years ago so (reg... Read more Read less
See it if Must love Irish theater and one man shows.
Don't see it if Hate a very inconvenient venue, being stuck with one actor for the duration or looking at a drab bare stage and a barefoot actor.
Also Incredible hassle commuting to venue. Murfi's show is a hit, in rep wi... Read more Read less
See it if You’re a romantic
Don't see it if One person show is not your thing
See it if you want to see a superb solo multi-character performance in a delightful, touching and well written play.
Don't see it if if you have trouble with the accent and vernacular of rural Irish characters.
Also Companion piece for his ‘The Man In the Woman’s Shoes’ .
See it if you would like to see another bravura performance by one of the great international actors of our day.
Don't see it if you've no need to see another Irish theater piece that focuses on the quirkiness of its very Irish characters, or you don't like solo shows.
Also “I Hear You and Rejoice” is actor-director-writer Mikel Murfi’s solo s... Read more Read less
See it if you enjoy a solo show which touches the heart. Multiple interesting characters all depicted with warmth. And a delightful ending.
Don't see it if ... you have trouble understanding an Irish accent.
See it if A masterful solo play written and performed by Mikel Murfi. Each character is beautifully developed .A touching piece.
Don't see it if Do not see if you do not like Irish plays or solo performances.
See it if you'd enjoy another great story telling session with Mikel Murfi's colorful characters.
Don't see it if This is one man playing all characters with wonderfully different body language and impressions. No set, few props.
Also Even if you normally dislike one person shows, these are warm hearted,... Read more Read less
See it if If you like a solo performance with touching moments in it. Simple play, no costumes/sets.
Don't see it if If Irish play is not your thing. Skit can drag on a little. If you dont like a solo performance or a deep play.
See it if You appreciate solo shows.
Don't see it if Don't like solo shows.
See it if Mikel Murfi’s solo portrayal of Irish village characters focusing on the relationship between Pat and Kitsy, See Man in Woman ‘s Shoes first
Don't see it if You want a more clear delineation between characters, think animal sounds are silly, or want a plot that goes somewhere.
See it if you really like one-man shows as this is a well-performed one - but I was only really engaged in the story intermittently.
Don't see it if You don't like one-man shows - shows driven completely by the on-stage personality with nothing else around him.
See it if you like solo shows filled w odd chars. Kitsy's funeral is lively (altho repetitive jokes). Starts slow, then builds. Gr quirky love story.
Don't see it if you only like intellectual theater; this is all heart. Occas'ly maudlin, but mostly touching/sweet. Accent isn't problem. No set/costumes.
Also I Hear You is the sequel to The Man In the Woman's Shoes. I'd like to ... Read more Read less
See it if Like one person shows. Show has funny/touching moments but too long, meandering and portions difficult to understand. Overly sentimental.
Don't see it if Do not like one man shows or have trouble with heavy accents.Portions overly long and repetitive
Also Theater FREEZING
See it if Mikel Murfi is a one-man show. He has the talent to engage the audience effortlessly while weaving a tale about a small town and its people.
Don't see it if I enjoyed the show but a few minutes could be trimmed to ease the flow as the story unfolds. (Otherwise, a swell time at the theater)
See it if Gentle Irish- Catholic humor performed by genuinely talented Irish actor, Mikel Murfi. Bringing the sequel to his hit show The Man in The
Don't see it if Rapid-fire monologue in a heavy Irish brougue. Not exactly side-splitting material. Theatre on 11th Ave. Waking Ned Devine funnier.
Also Woman’s Shoes, he performs as different characters at a funeral. Just ... Read more Read less
See it if you love storytelling and particularly Irish storytelling, with its special brand of charming, idiosyncratic characters told with warmth.
Don't see it if you want more than cartoonish, caricatured persons in heavy-handedly portrayals, especially the females with Dame-Edna-worthy falsettos.
See it if you like skits that are lengthened to 75 minutes. You've seen the play within the first 15 minutes or so.
Don't see it if you don't enjoy one-person plays or plays that are way too long.
See it if You want to be fully engrossed in a great storyline told thru ten +characters through one amazing actor
Don't see it if You think you don’t like one man shows and can’t get over it. If you can - try this one and it will change your mind.
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