The Mountains Look Different NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (93)
See it if you like discovering rarely produced Irish play from early 20th century, enjoy Mint Theater's meticulousness & serious plots
Don't see it if Not a fan of Irish spoken on stage, don't like old unfamiliar plays or a touch of melodrama, don't enjoy 'fallen woman' stories
See it if You enjoy Irish theater and an interesting plot. Be sure to read the playbill - interesting info about the play and author.
Don't see it if You don’t care for Irish theater or have difficulty with Irish accents.
See it if You want to see an old play that is not a classic but maybe should be
Don't see it if You will have trouble going back in time and being able to relate to a much simpler time Read more
See it if you are interested in feminist issues presented in a folkloric context.
Don't see it if you have a problem with melodrama or with some very heavy-handed acting in minor roles. Read more
See it if you like revivals featuring Brenda Meaney in a distinguish performance in a play where Catholicism, Paganism & Supernatural intertwine.
Don't see it if If you do not like revivals & have difficult with the Irish brogue accent.
See it if you like older morality plays about the stickiness of misdeeds. Like plays that build moral dilemmas on top of each other in sequence.
Don't see it if you mind heavy dialogue, can't shift perspective for older morality and societal viewpoints. Mind the lack of a completely heroic character.
See it if You enjoy good writing performed by competent actors in a play that holdsup to the test of time
Don't see it if The Irish acents or dated material don't appeal to you
See it if you enjoy Irish theater of the mid 20th Century - well written, with good actors on a well-designed set with great sound and lights.
Don't see it if you want a fast moving story, have difficulty with heavy accents or want a happy ending.
Critic Reviews (17)
"This fleetly moving production is directed by Aidan Redmond and features nine topflight actors...'The Mountains Look Different' is a striking museum piece, a glimpse of middling Irish drama from the middle of the last century. As performed by the Mint's splendid cast, the play is engaging but never compelling because the script, though artful, is as unconvincing as those beautifully painted, old-fashioned stage flats."
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"A well-written, if occasionally clumsy, drama of Irish mores…It contains the vivid language associated with the best of modern Irish (or Irish-British) drama, offers actors juicy dialect roles, and has a familiar melodramatic situation and structure…What it doesn't have in the Mint Theater's inadequate production is powerfully insightful direction and exceptional acting…Meaney gives a quality performance as Bairbre…Horgan and Pennington, the male leads, however, are seriously out of tune."
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"The cast is terrific, especially Meaney. Your heart breaks for her as the menacing Horgan goes for the jugular...Aidan Redmond’s staging doesn’t help the plays flaws, nor does the set by Vicki R. Davis. Though beautiful, the mountains should stand out. Christian DeAngelis’s lights illuminate the nights passing. It took 'The Mountains Look Different' 71 years to get its premiere, but its time has passed."
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"After a solid first act, things go somewhat awry after intermission. The introduction of four new characters late in the play dissipates the claustrophobia that was building up. The drama rapidly turns into melodrama. The strongest reason to see the play is the riveting performance by Ms. Meaney. One feels her pain. The other two principals do not fare as well...Director Aidan Redmond’s direction seemed choppy at times. The play is an interesting curiosity but not a must-see."
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“A splendid play, and a splendid production. The Mint is at the top of its considerable game...One is especially impressed with Aidan Redmond’s direction, which maintains a brisk pace and renders plot developments that could strain credibility in lesser hands as utterly believable...Torn families, big feelings, and destructive but understandable human behaviors; that’s Irish 20th century drama, and with ‘The Mountains Look Different’, the Mint serves up an outstanding, little-known slice of it.”
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"Under the direction of Aidan Redmond, the cast delivers all of the emotion and conflicts inherent in the characters and their situations, along with their authentic accents and passages of Gaeilge, with commitment and fluency...The Mint’s gripping US premiere of 'The Mountains Look Different' is a well-chosen drama that effectively captures the historic style, while considering an unsettling human dilemma that still remains unsettled. And that’s what makes it a universal classic."
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“The play can be described as plain and ordinary...a rarity for Jonathan Bank’s supremely talented and otherwise consistently dependable Mint...’The Mountains Look Different’, which was inspired by Eugene O’Neill’s ‘Anna Christie’, never ignites. It is a one-note morality play, lacking depth and nuance, directed with overly straightforward precision by actor Aidan Redmond. The acting is fine...The story surrounding the play is more intriguing than the play itself.”
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"Confidently paced by Director Aidan Redmond, the complexities and internal negotiations of remaking oneself are explored through rich dialogue and body language...The acting is solid across the board...'The Mountains Look Different' is recommended for fans of well-written period pieces given fine productions."
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