The Plough and the Stars NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (55)
See it if Joys & sorrows of working class tenement life. Colorful characters. 1916 uprising ruins the lives of innocent people. Was it worth it?
Don't see it if You are uninterested in the relevance of this historical play to today's world. Syria is one parallel. You would prefer lighter fare.
See it if you want to see a Sean O'Casey play done well.
Don't see it if you want to see something light and fluffy.
See it if you like theater that unpacks a historical period and digs into how the characters react to it.
Don't see it if you need something that's relevant to modern times.
See it if you want to see a terrific staging of an O'Casey gem.. The large ensemble acting is terrific and C. Moore's direction is again masterful.
Don't see it if you don't want to lose yourself in 1915-16 Dublin and bear witness to the lives of the inhabitants of one tenement. Read more
See it if you love O'Casey and Irish writers in general and you would enjoy seeing an outstanding cast bring their work to life.
Don't see it if you don't like serious plays or Irish accents.
See it if historical play with a variety of Irish characters in 1915/16 Dublin tenement, very moving (especially 2nd half) but with humorous moments
Don't see it if don't want violence - Easter Rising in second half so a couple of scenes with bloodshed; don't want Irish accents; want something happy
See it if Spectacular set. Most of the cast of 14 appear in all 3 productions at Irish Rep. (Amazing) Nice exhibit on the upper level ALSO
Don't see it if some dialogue lost in the rear rows Read more
See it if ...you haven't seen anything from O'Casey. It is basically 4 short stories with interesting characters. Some funny moments, some sad. Great!
Don't see it if ...you have an issue with accents. If you do go, don't get frustrated. After about 5 minutes, your ear will tune itself to the Irish.
Critic Reviews (15)
“Starts off in such a jolly manner that you may think you’re in for a comedy....Moore’s naturalistic production makes us care for everybody, no matter how vituperative, pigheaded or cartoonishly comical, and the cast is largely excellent...Each character is lovingly rendered, honoring the play’s complexity...’The Plough and the Stars’ illustrates the company’s approach at its most successful...The show has an elemental appeal that testifies to the timeless power of a story well told.”
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"Staged with unmannered directness by Charlotte Moore and acted by an ensemble cast whose members sound as though they’d just stepped off the morning plane from Dublin, it will leave you wondering why O’Casey’s plays aren’t done by every top-tier theater company in America...The abject desperation of Ms. O’Malley’s performance is but one of countless great things about this production. I cannot begin to catalog its virtues."
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“Director Charlotte Moore has done an outstanding job eliciting the humor of the first two acts before immersing us in the tragic events of the play's second half. The cast is exceptional, with hilarious performances...One of the theater's foremost antiwar playwrights, O'Casey is unsparing in his depiction of violence in "The Plough and the Stars," and Irish Repertory Theatre has produced this trilogy in three equally unsparing and masterfully executed productions."
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“The Irish Rep's Sean O'Casey trilogy ends on a note of triumph with Moore's staging of this little-seen report from the embattled streets of Dublin...’The Plough and the Stars’ is a polyphonic display of voices -- comic, tragic, wounded, furious -- bearing witness to a city at war with itself...This is the most expansive play in the trilogy, and it has a design to match...This stunning revival thrills even as its observations continue to prove heartbreakingly relevant.”
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“This moving revival is the perfect capstone to O'Casey's heartbreaking examination of struggling, tenement families...A solid cast with outstanding supporting performances...‘The Plough and the Stars’ takes a dim view of Irish nationalism, is contemptuous of any sentimentalizing of war and is rightfully scornful of the misery brought on by the curse of poverty. Many consider it O'Casey's masterpiece so do yourself a favor and see it in this timeless and heartfelt production.”
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“Directed by Moore with enormous vigor and unflinching honesty (I’m tempted to call it her best work in a long list of outstanding work)—is a must-see. It certainly is as played by a flawless troupe within Corcoran’s four cleverly shifting sets...O’Casey’s ability to fuse comedy and tragedy into the same moment becomes indisputable...The characters throb with life. And with death...’The Plough and the Stars’ is greatly distinguished by the players.”
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“Given a masterful production here, it remains a fine, moving study of everyday individuals swept up in ugly circumstances...’The Plough and the Stars’ begins more rather than less as a comedy, which grows nearly farcical...’The Plough and the Stars' throbs with robust life. Charlotte Moore, the theater’s artistic director, skillfully unites her 14 players into a finely-meshed ensemble. All of the performances are never less than vibrant.”
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"It still sends chills down one's spine as a play that sprung from the blood-stained soil of reality...The current production...has much going for it. Its chief aces are its realistic set design and the superb acting ensemble...In Moore's new staging...one can truly listen to the bittersweet music in his drama and reflect on the real sacrifices of people who are never mentioned in the pages of history books."
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