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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a jolly celebration, February 15, 2000
My only connection with author Frank McCourt is that he was my son's English teacher in New York City. Well, along with his best sellers, his play "The Irish and How They Got That Way" has been whipping up quite a stir in theatrical circles. Some of the reviews included in the press release are "Revue is an entertaining evening of Irish-American history in song," "Tales of the Irish dark side: McCourt revue not usual song, dance," "Revue explains 'The Irish' with warmth and wit," and so on. You will get a chance to make up your own headlines by hearing the Varese Sarabande recording featuring the Irish Repertory Theatre. Where the reviews of the actual prodctions I have read do not quite agree on the degree of accuracy of McCourt's material--some call it shallow and easygoing, others say it has a quite serious message about English suppression--they all maintain that the show provides a very enjoyable theatrical event. As a similar off-Broadway production of several years ago called "Tintypes" did for the immigrants who came into New York in the late 1800s, "The Irish" tells the tale of the Irish experience both on the Emerald Isle and on Manhattan Island in terms of the songs of the time. Many of these songs are Irish to the core: "Danny Boy," "I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen," "Holy Ground," "Finnegan's Wake." Many have only a passing reference to the Irish labor force in America: "Erie Canal," "Workin' on the Railroad." There are 32 songs in all, most of which can be heard on the Varese Sarabande CDs. As the press release puts it: "The talented cast sing, dance and speak the words of real people who survived the devastating potato famine, emigrated to America and suffered job discrimination, then dug its canals, built its railroads, subways and sidewalks, helped fight the Civil War, battled other ethnic groups and made names in politics, the arts and songs." After agreeing with an estimate of English cooking that comes early in the script, I proceeded to enjoy greatly this recording, all the time regretting I could not appreciate the staging and what must have a good deal of sight gags as voices stretched unsuccessfully to reach high notes. All in all, a jolly romp to celebrate a nationality.
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See all 24 tracks on this disc
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