Molly Sweeney
Closed 2h 30m
Molly Sweeney
79

Molly Sweeney NYC Reviews and Tickets

79%
(99 Reviews)
Positive
88%
Mixed
11%
Negative
1%
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. 

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Member Reviews (99)

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1085 Reviews | 265 Followers
76
Resonant, Intelligent, Entertaining, Absorbing

See it if A very well written, acted and direct. Reason it's not in 80's is that it get slow at times.

Don't see it if If you want a continuous plot throughout. Although mostly good it gets dull at times.

716 Reviews | 157 Followers
77
Slow, Thought-provoking, Intelligent, Great acting

See it if Fan of Brian Friel & Irish drama, curious about story of blind person regaining sight, three fine performances

Don't see it if Consists of 3 overlapping monologues with no interaction, little stage movement, downer psychological drama

MJK
677 Reviews | 190 Followers
77
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.

688 Reviews | 116 Followers
77
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

635 Reviews | 237 Followers
74
Great writing, Story-driven, Slow, Resonant, Absorbing

See it if You love a good Irish yarn. This is an engrossing story told from three different points of view.

Don't see it if You dislike monologue plays that don’t provide any action. This is pure storytelling and, albeit interesting, it’s all talk.

567 Reviews | 147 Followers
75
Slow, Thought-provoking, Intelligent, Great writing, Great acting

See it if Reliably favoured acting company delivers on the acting and the writing for this infirmity morality drama with three points of view.

Don't see it if Regardless of the talent on stage or behind the pen, one cannot prove the worth of two-and-one-half hours of monologues simply staged.

479 Reviews | 262 Followers
75
Overlong, Intelligent, Thought-provoking, Great writing, Absorbing

See it if you enjoy monologues given by the 3 main characters.

Don't see it if you don't like monologue driven plays. At 2.5 hours, it is way overlong. Wish stronger actors had been cast in this production.

512 Reviews | 79 Followers
76
Slow, Great set, Touching, Great acting, Great writing

See it if you are a fan of Brian Friel.It's well written & very well acted, but it is slow.It would be more powerful as a 90 min piece.

Don't see it if you are looking for something fun &funny.The point it is making is telegraphed early in the play, and it would do well with some editing

Critic Reviews (7)

The Wall Street Journal
October 25th, 2019

"‘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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Theatermania
October 28th, 2019

"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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Lighting & Sound America
October 24th, 2019

"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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Talkin' Broadway
October 23rd, 2019

"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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New York Stage Review
October 23rd, 2019

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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Theater News Online
November 4th, 2019

"Even with good acting, a play told entirely in monologues can be difficult to make lively."
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Broadway Blog
October 28th, 2019

"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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