Philadelphia, Here I Come!
Written by Brian Friel. Directed by Róisín McBrinn.
- Dates
- Wednesday 14 July to Saturday 11 September Previews from Friday 9 July
- Show Times
- Evening shows Monday-Saturday: 7:30pm Saturday matinees: 2pm
- Duration
- Approx. 2hrs (Incl. interval)
- Audience advisory
- Age recommendation: 12+
On the eve of his departure for Philadelphia, Gar O’Donnell stands in his small room in Ballybeg, caught between the suffocating routine of his father’s shop and the daunting promise of a new life in America.
Torn between leaving and staying, Gar’s internal conflict is brought to life vividly through two actors playing one character: Gar Public, the quiet son putting on a brave face, and Gar Private, his hilarious, unrestrained alter ego. Over the course of his final night at home, Gar navigates awkward goodbyes with friends, unspoken love for his father, and the haunting memories of what might have been.
‘…once upon a time a boy and his father sat in a blue boat on a lake on an afternoon in May, and on that afternoon a great beauty happened, a beauty that has haunted the boy ever since…’
A sharply funny and deeply moving exploration of youth, identity and home, Philadelphia, Here I Come! is the definitive Irish play on migration, belonging and the unspoken.
Company
Creatives
(9 January 1929 – 2 October 2015)
Brian Friel is widely regarded as one of Ireland’s greatest dramatists, having written over 30 plays across six decades. He was a member of Aosdána, the society of Irish artists, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Irish Academy of Letters, and the Royal Society of Literature where he was made a Companion of Literature. He was awarded the Ulysses Medal by University College Dublin.
Plays include Hedda Gabler (after Ibsen), The Home Place, Performances, Three Plays After (Afterplay, The Bear, The Yalta Game), Uncle Vanya (after Chekhov), Give Me Your Answer Do!, Molly Sweeney (Winner of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Play), Wonderful Tennessee, A Month in the Country (after Turgenev), The London Vertigo (after Charles Macklin), Dancing at Lughnasa (Winner of 3 Tony Awards including Best Play, New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play and an Olivier Award for Best Play), Making History, The Communication Cord, American Welcome, Three Sisters (after Chekhov), Translations, Aristocrats (Winner of the Evening Standard Award for Best Play and New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Play), Faith Healer, Fathers and Sons, Living Quarters, Volunteers, The Freedom of the City, The Gentle Island, The Mundy Scheme, Crystal and Fox, Lovers: Winners and Losers, The Loves of Cass Maguire, and Philadelphia Here I Come!
Róisín McBrinn is the Artistic Director, and Co-CEO of the Gate Theatre. She was previously Joint Artistic Director and CEO of Clean Break Theatre Company in London where she also held the role of Head of Artistic Programme
Clean Break is a company dedicated to transforming the lives of women who have been to prison or who are at risk of involvement in the criminal justice system. She trained under Michael Grandage at the Donmar Warehouse and frequently assisted Kathy Burke.
She has been nominated for an Irish Times Theatre Award and UK Theatre Award for Best Director and is the recipient of The Young Vic Jerwood Director’s Award and the National Theatre’s Quercus Award.
Previous Gate Theatre credits include The Borrowers, Fun Home, The Snapper and Circle Mirror Transformation and Poor.
Other directing credits include Dixon and Daughters (National Theatre); Afterplay, Typical Girls (Sheffield Crucible); and Before It Rains, It’s a Family Affair (Sherman Theatre).
Booking Information
- Tickets
- Previews: €16.50, €26.50, €31.50, €36.50Monday to Wednesday: €26.50, €41.50, €46.50, €51.50Thursday to Sunday (incl. matinees): €36.50, €46.50, €49.50, €58.50
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- Group Offer (6+)
10% discount for group bookings of 6+.
T&Cs apply. Not redeemable in conjunction with any other offer. Rate applicable for groups of 6 or more.
- Senior Offer
Seniors can avail of discounted tickets to see any show here at the Gate Theatre. These tickets can be purchased directly from the Box Office (by phone or email) on the day before you intend to attend the show. Tickets €21.50 (incl. Building Upkeep Levy)
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