Who: Terry Donnelly, Bob Green, Marian Tomas Griffin, Rusty Magee, Ciarán O’Reilly, Ciarán Sheehan, Donna Kane, Charlotte Moore, Kathleen Begala, Ellen McCourt, Malachy McCourt
What: Livestreamed broadcast of 1998 Irish Rep world premiere with new video introduction
Where: Irish Rep YouTube channel, preshow VIP reception on Zoom ($500 or more)
When: Monday, July 13, free, 7:00 (donations of $500 or more include special benefits and admission to preshow VIP party at 6:00)
Why: The Irish Rep continues its busy virtual programming with an online livestreamed screening of a 1998 production of Pulitzer Prize winner Frank McCourt’s The Irish . . . and How They Got That Way, which debuted in 1997 and was revived in 2000 and again in 2010. The irreverent musical about all things Irish features classic songs (“Danny Boy,” “Galway Bay,” “The Rose of Tralee,” and even a U2 tune) arranged by Rusty Magee, with a splendid cast consisting of Magee, Terry Donnelly, Bob Green, Marian Tomas Griffin, Ciarán O’Reilly, and Ciarán Sheehan; the show is directed by Irish Rep cofounder Charlotte Moore, with choreography by Barry McNabb, sets and projections by Shawn Lewis, costumes by David Toser, and lighting by Michael Gottlieb. The event, which is the company’s rescheduled gala fundraiser, will be preceded by a new video celebrating the history of the troupe and the original production with Moore, fellow cofounder O’Reilly, board chair Kathleen Begala, McCourt’s widow and board chair emerita Ellen McCourt, and playwright Malachy McCourt, Frank’s brother. It’s free to watch the show, although donations are accepted; if you give $500 or more, you can take part in the VIP preshow party, with a Zoom reception with the cast and creatives and a live performance by Sheehan.
During the pandemic, the Irish Rep has also presented Yes! Reflections of Molly Bloom, boasting a dazzling performance by Aedín Moloney; the Meet the Makers and The Show Must Go Online series; and The Gifts You Gave to the Dark, Darren Murphy’s short, heartbreaking work about a man (Marty Rea) in Belfast with Covid-19 unable to visit his dying mother (Marie Mullen) in Dublin, who is being cared for by her brother (Seán McGinley). Coming up is Dan Butler, Sean Gormley, John Keating, Tim Ruddy, and Amanda Quaid in an online version of Conor McPherson’s The Weir from July 21 to 25 and a virtual version of Barry Day’s Love, Noël, a musical about Noël Coward starring Steve Ross and KT Sullivan, from August 11 to 15.