outside mullingar | responses

"Under Angela Konrad’s direction, this excellent cast finds every drop of humour and heart in Shanley’s idiosyncratic characters. John Emmet Tracy’s Anthony looks fit to crawl out of his skin most of the time; his self-annihilating presence is hilarious and touching. Rebecca deBoer’s delight in Rose’s boldness is infectious. The exchanges between Ron Reed’s Tony and Erla Faye Forsyth’s Aoife are a lesson in comic rhythm...Tear yourself away from the sunshine long enough to visit this enchanted piece of the Irish countryside. Your heart will thank you." | Kathleen Oliver, The Georgia Straight

"Angela Konrad’s Pacific Theatre production oozes with charm and shines with four fine performances. The acting here is very strong. Tracy skilfully modulates Anthony’s strange aloofness and navigates Shanley’s Irish dialogue like he was born to it... And deBoer does a lovely job of balancing Rosemary’s lovelorn vulnerability with her aggressive strength. You really want these two to get together". | Jerry Wasserman, Vancouver Sun

"This is rom-com with an Irish accent that approaches fable in its magnified emotions and universal human states. Lovers of intimate theatre with classic life themes at its core will be charmed by the strong cast performances." | W. Baird Blackstone,
Broken Leg Reviews

"Pacific Theatre’s final production of the season is brave and genuine, with a well-paced flow that is skillfully acted. With many subtleties and nuances, this play keeps the audience engaged and thinking throughout and well after it has ended.... Recognition must be given to dialect coach Adam Lane Bergquist for preparing the actors, who were well near flawless with their accents. Though I’ve seen both Forsyth and Reed in other productions and knew they were not native Irish, I was kept guessing whether John Emmet Tracy and Rebecca deBoer were actually from the hills of rolling green... " | Erin Jane, Review Vancouver

"John Emmett Tracy plays Anthony and the guy is, essentially, the boy version of Meryl Streep—by which I mean that he disappears into every role he takes on. Tracy’s Anthony is wary and contained, always hovering around his painful sensitivity. But the actor also lets Anthony’s vivacity burst forth in eccentric gestures and sudden bodily contractions.
"On the largely naturalistic set by Carolyn Rapanos, the most arresting element is a corrugated tin sheet, which, in its mundane life, appears to be the wall of an outbuilding, but, in its more poetic manifestation, becomes an impressionistic window that opens onto the natural world. Thanks to Lauchlin Johnston’s lighting design, we see stars on that surface, rain, and sometimes—gloriously—sunshine. Nature herself is a significant presence in this play. Maybe that’s partly why I felt so refreshed after seeing Outside Mullingar. It’s not often that a play makes you happier to be in your body, but this one does." | Colin Thomas

"Reed is particularly good here, mining the petulance of age and misguided disappointment of a father. When paired with Tracey in what turns out to be a farewell scene, the emotions are genuine..." | Mark Robins, Vancouver Presents

AUDIENCE RESPONSES:

"I can’t hardly recall the last time I ENJOYED a show this much. Pacific Theatre's production of John Patrick Shanley's Outside Mullingar is pure, unadulterated theatrical pleasure. Stellar writing, marvellous acting by Ron Reed and the rest of the cast. Go see it. Bring a friend. They will thank you." | Tetsuro Shigematsu

"What a gift -we so enjoyed it. ... The characters were so perfectly Irish. It was one of the most enjoyable plays I have seen.. period! ... What a talented cast. Thank you so much for the amazing gift of Pacific Theatre." | C

"I didn't want to overly gush after I came out of the theatre the other day but... That was beautiful. A huge thanks to you and the rest of the cast. The whole thing reminded me of why I originally fell in love with PT. Incredible acting and beautiful stories that just get into you through your cracks and remind you what it is to be human. ... There were many tears in the audience as I looked around. The whole cast was fantastic." | Julia Siedlanowska

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Some of the most throughly original and brilliant moments I have seen on stage. Definitely worth seeing!!

This us one of Pacific Theatres all time best. Poignant and Hilarious. You cannot miss this!!!

This is an awesome show. Go see.

Have to see it again. Touching. Hilarious. Heart thumpingly wonderful. See you closing night!

Unbelievably brilliant play with fabulous acting and one moving scene after another. Genius. So loved it

Best show ever. Brilliant script. Perfectly cast.

No way to judge if the writing or the acting out did which. Excellent evening of theatre. Thanks.