Molly Sweeney NYC Reviews and Tickets

80%

(98 Reviews)

Positive

88%

Mixed

11%

Negative

Members say

Great acting, Absorbing, Thought-provoking, Intelligent, Great writing

About the Show

Keen Company presents Irish master storyteller Brian Friel's ("Dancing at Lughnasa," "Faith Healer," "Translations") contemporary drama about the unexpected consequences of a medical miracle.

From the show:

Having lost her sight at infancy, Molly Sweeney knows the world through touch, sound, taste, and smell. When her hopeful husband and ambitious doctor propose an operation to restore her sight, Molly and those around her begin to understand that things may not all be as they appear. Brian Friel, Ireland’s master storyteller (Dancing at Lughnasa, Faith Healer, Translations) creates a riveting contemporary drama about the unexpected consequences of a medical miracle.

Member Reviews (98)

Insightful, Good acting, Thought-provoking, Slow, Absorbing

See it if u want to see a smart, talky, simple (yet profound) story, told in a series of monologues, about what it means to have "sight" & "vision".

Don't see it if ur looking for a show with physical action or thrilling theatrics; ur not a fan of verbose Irish drama; ur not able to focus & concentrate.

Quirky, Great acting, Thought-provoking, Ambitious, Confusing

See it if A trio of Impeccable performances infuses Friel's interlocking monodramas w/ a gravitas & Chekhovian yearning A simple story well told

Don't see it if Patience & keen sense of listening needed to get through accents & jagged story line despite Silverstein's able direction Worth the effort

Critic Reviews (7)

"‘Molly Sweeney’ Review: An Eye-Opening Experience: In Brian Friel’s play, a blind woman has her sight restored by surgery, only to see that her life and relationships aren’t what they once seemed."
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"Not Much to See, but a Lot to Listen to, in Molly Sweeney: Brian Friel's play about a woman who regains her sight gets a Keen Company revival."
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"As if to prove the adage about the Irish and their gift of gab, in 1994 Brian Friel wrote Molly Sweeney, a play that talks itself into a standstill… it's a prose piece for the theatre, and it runs out of breath long before it is over."
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"It requires a good deal of concentration from the audience, but the rewards can be considerable. The Keen Company's revival directed by Jonathan Silverstein makes a persuasive case for a work that many critics have said succeeds more effectively as a book than as a play."
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5/5 Stars "Friel was not only prolific but also profound, though never showy. In the award-winning 'Molly Sweeney,' he remains commandingly quiet when speaking from the stage."
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"Even with good acting, a play told entirely in monologues can be difficult to make lively."
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"A solid revival…under the...direction of Jonathan Silverstein....Although well-performed, the work… eventually drags as the wordy passages accumulate over nearly two and a half hours. Without the give and take of inter-character discourse, what might have worked in 90 minutes grows static."
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