"A staging of hushed grace and delicacy, one that I wish Friel had lived to see...A history play of sorts, though its drama is wholly personal...Unabashedly Chekhovian, but it also contains a sharp nudge of Shavian satire...Moore's staging is so unassumingly natural that it feels as though the play is not being acted but is merely happening...To see it is to come away certain that 'The Home Place' is one of Friel’s half-dozen masterpieces."
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"Moore's production looks beautiful, but is markedly untidy when it comes to finding a dramatic arc for her actors. As a result, most of the central performances are lost in the loquacious terrain of Friel's script, though Pickup's headstrong portrayal of Margaret stands above the fray...Only in fits and starts does the play find the right focus, spending simultaneously too much and too little time on its dueling storylines, never hitting the right balance of either."
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"There's a lot going on in 'The Home Place,' but it ultimately feels like a finger exercise from the autumn of a great playwright's career; despite the plot's explosive implications, it is marked by a hushed, hesitant quality that prevents us from fully taking in his characters' longings and anxieties...The oddly tentative atmosphere is exacerbated by Moore's rather perfunctory staging, despite several strong performances."
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"Despite its shortcomings, Friel's writing still shimmers with its customary lyricism...'The Home Place' has a difficult time allowing its themes of exile, identity, language and oppression to be explored to their fullest. The main reason for this is the miscasting of Windsor-Cunningham in the pivotal role of Christopher Gore. Lacking both the requisite authority and stage presence, Windsor-Cunningham projects an insecurity at odds with the demands of his character."
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"The Chekhovian influence on Friel's work is here rather heavy-handed...And the first act's introduction of the characters who are the agents as well as victims of unstoppable change moves at a rather talk-heavy, meandering pace. However, Moore has assembled a fine cast to make all the characters creditable and aptly sympathetic or despicable...Gore is not only the play's key character but the star performance. That's not to say that the performances overall aren't excellent."
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“It is possible to enjoy Brian Friel's ‘The Home Place’ without knowing the background to this historical play set in rural Ireland in 1878 as a Chekhovian representation of a world about to come to an end. However, the play will be much more meaningful if one knows the historical events that have led up to this turn of events. Charlotte Moore's handsome and genteel production will be enjoyed most by those who understand the play's undercurrents and implications.”
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“Brian Friel’s play, ‘The Home Place’, looks at what constitutes home—to the heart...Windsor-Cunningham presents a touching, nuanced portrayal of Christopher Gore...Perfect comic timing must be credited to the brilliant director, Charlotte Moore...Friel has been called 'the Irish Chekhov' and this play demonstrates how appropriate the appellation is. The Irish Rep is so warm and welcoming, theatergoers may well find it their own ‘Home Place.’”
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“Directed exquisitely by Charlotte Moore...is a must see for all those who love theatre and the importance of language crafted by a master...How timely a play this is about ethnic categorization and social stereotyping in our own climate of deportation and hate...Mr. Friel has such a wonderful gift for letting a story unravel slowly through conversation and character. He wants us to understand what home means...The cast is outstanding.”
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