See it if you like emotional plays that bring you back to the happiest childhood days. also, if you’d like to see some extremely talented actresses
Don't see it if you don’t like the plays that are too long Read more
See it if A big epic staging with some great performances
Don't see it if Quite a dated play and takes a long while to build
See it if you want to see the BEST OF IRISH THEATRE!!!!!
Don't see it if you can't understand the Donegal accent!
See it if you like a proprer drama with a good story that you'll be thinking about long after you leave the theatre.
Don't see it if you want something light and fluffy, like a mindless comedy or a musical. Read more
See it if If you want to see an engrossing, interesting and touching play.
Don't see it if If you’re looking for something light, funny and with a happy ending.
See it if Like a nostalgic Irish story
Don't see it if Are looking for a modern tale.
See it if you enjoy a thorough exploration of family, relationships and love through the lens of authentically-represented traditional Irish culture.
Don't see it if you do not have basic understanding of Irish culture and traditions, you prefer intense story developments or you do not enjoy monologues. Read more
See it if you enjoy gorgeously acted memory plays and lush sets
Don't see it if you loathe long, empty scenes
"Even if you missed all the subtext, this show would still delight in its acute depiction of family dynamics...This play won Friel the Evening Standard Award for best play in 1991, and it still looks richly deserved."
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"The crux of ‘Dancing at Lughnasa’ is that it’s a sort of happy tragedy...It’s not bliss, but it is community, safety, sisterhood warmth, and dancing. A beautiful production of a beautiful play."
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"Movement lies at the emotional heart of this play and it is orchestrated with such delicate mastery by Wayne McGregor that the stomping scene, featuring the sisters dancing with wild abandon is a shared hedonistic escape, rebellious ritual and act of worship in one."
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"The scale of the Olivier – transformed into a bucolic paradise that seems to stretch as far as Tipperary – can work against the work’s subtlety and nuance, audibility an occasional issue."
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"The poetry seldom takes flight. Mark Henderson’s subtle lighting lends depth, though, to a production that gives the past a shimmering golden halo."
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"The judgement of each performance makes this portrait of a family deeply affecting, but every aspect of the production honours a play that feels as fresh as the day it was written."
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“This production may throw different aspects of the play into bold relief...but the play's sense of ectasy dampened down by circumstance, and worse, allows its putative intimacy to fill the reaches of the Olivier”
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" As enchanting as this setting is, it’s also ruled by pitiless patriarchal Catholicism. "
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