Current Season

"Súgán Theatre works a miracle... note-perfect production... casts a hypnotic spell" – The Boston Herald (read complete review)

"this simple and compelling production.. provides an extremely rare opportunity to see this strange, beautiful play... the Súgán production has a wonderful sound, and that’s the key to a successful Well of the Saints... You get the sense that the company caught the spirit of the piece. And what a piece it is — lyrical, magically elusive, and neglected for a century" – The Boston Phoenix (read complete review)

"superb 'Saints' proves love is blind... filled with laughter, tears and thought-provoking moments. Beth Gotha and Billy Meleady are delightful as Mary and Martin Doul... impeccable direction... Carmel O'Reilly brings this 100-year old tale to life with a fresh perspective" – Boston Metro

"Waters run deep in The Well of the Saints... a parable with a variety of thought-provoking meanings" – The Standard Times (read complete review)

"superb black comedy... The Well of the Saints is such a diabolically lyrical farce that it makes you want to Synge" – WBUR (read complete review)

"a short, charming and timeless fable... strong and endearing performances" – Edge Boston (read complete review)

The Sanctuary Lamp by Tom Murphy
February 2005
Directed by Carmel O'Reilly
New England premiere
Cast: Stacy Fischer, Nigel Gore, Aidan Parkinson and Jackson Royal.
Design: J. Michael Griggs, John Malinowski, Molly Trainer and Rick Brenner

Winner, 2005 Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Production, Small Resident Company

Three lost souls occupy a city church for a night – Harry, an English-born Jew and an ex-circus strongman; Francisco, an Irishman and Harry’s best friend; and the waif-like Maudie. Betrayed by his best friend and wife and grieving over the death of his daughter, Harry talks to the sanctuary lamp to assuage his pain, his guilt and his murderous intentions…

First staged by the Abbey Theatre in 1975, where it provoked the most vocal disturbances in the Abbey since Sean O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars in 1926, The Sanctuary Lamp questions religious faith and consolation.

"Súgán Theatre Company's lovely new production of Tom Murphy's finely etched The Sanctuary Lamp ....Carmel O'Reilly and set designer J. Michael Griggs make brilliant use of the new Roberts Studio Theatre at the Boston Center for the Arts... John Malinowski's lighting is a work of art in itself.... O'Reilly has found three actors who get to the heart and soul of Murphy's writing... audiences need to be attentive to the subtleties and silences that complement the gorgeous arias Murphy gives his characters" – Boston Globe (read complete review)

"Playwright Tom Murphy's trenchant gift for taking on Ireland's sacred cows comes to rich fruition in this carefully layered play... Murphy's imagery is as rich and evocative as the warm, red glow of the lamp that remains long after the play is over" – Boston Herald (read complete review)

"Súgán illuminates The Sanctuary Lamp... shadowy, eruptive staging ... Murphy’s long night’s journey for spiritual refugees grows increasingly compelling in the second act... it’s when Parkinson takes over, with his biting if ominous tale of a circus performance gone awry, that The Sanctuary Lamp truly shines" – Boston Phoenix (read complete review)

"three lost souls find solace in the compelling Sanctuary Lamp... expect to leave the theatre questioning your own beliefs" – Metro

"His characters set forth their problems with a complexity that makes most contemporary drama seem banal. Murphy is not afraid to let them go on at length and to take on big questions emotionally... As Harry says at the very end of the play, "You know." But what can only be decided by viewing this extraordinary work" – On the Aisle (read complete review)

"worth seeing for Murphy's incisive and honest probing of questions of morality and redemption in a time when faith is dead; for the offhandedly simple magnificence of the language he couches his catechism in; for two of the best performances I've seen this season by actors in Boston's smaller theaters, and for the skillful, knowledgeable direction of Carmel O'Reilly" – Patriot Ledger (read complete review)

Gagarin Way by Gregory Burke
April 2005
Directed by Brendan Hughes
New England premiere
Cast: Ciaran Crawford, Rick Park, Rodney Raftery (Eric Hamel) and Dafydd Rees.
Design: Sandra Goldmark, John Malinowski, Chelsea White and Rick Brenner

Nomination, 2006 Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Production, Small Resident Company

Gary wants to make the ultimate political statement. Eddie has always been interested in violence. Frank is a symbol of multinational capitalism. And Tom? Tom just came back for his hat. Existentialism, the crisis of masculinity, globalization and anarchy are on the agenda in this black comedy hailed among the best of 2001 by the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, the Observer, and the Mail on Sunday.

"hilarious... Gagarin Way packs a punch. But the blow is tempered by Gregory Burke’s wide-ranging and wicked sense of humor… crackles with foreboding even as it sparkles with wit” – Terry Byrne, Boston Herald (read complete review)

“The Pythonesque laughs keep coming in this startling Súgán production but so does the Pinteresque menace. There are bits of Joe Orton as well” – Ed Siegel, Boston Globe (read complete review)

“I can’t remember the last time I laughed as hard … Gagarin Way is brutal, dark and hilarious” – Nick Dussault, Metro Boston

"funny… Burke has a way of combining blundering and menace, violent shorthand and intellectual pretension, that makes for absurdist comedy" – Carolyn Clay, Boston Phoenix (read complete r eview)

"..dances along the thin line of entertainment and horror in a very well-acted production of a riveting play about using political radicalism as an excuse for mindless violence... what makes Gagarin Way compelling is the antic absurdity of Burke's dialogue" – Bill Marx, WBUR (hear and read complete review)

“once in awhile a gifted new playwright shakes up the theater by launching a work of jolting force... explosively compelling” – Jules Becker, South End News

“gut-wrenching comedy…a wild 90 minute ride, full of Pythonesque laughter until the reality of the situation turns ghastly” – Will Stackman, Aisle Say (read complete review)

"You won’t find a better play in town or better acting" – Beverly Creasey, Theater Mirror (read complete review)

"impressive" – Carl Rossi, TheaterMirror (read complete review)

"some great performances" – Jennifer Bubriski, EdgeBoston (read complete review)

All of this season's performances took place at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street, Boston.


	SEASONS PAST 2004-2005 Season
	The Well of the Saints by John Millington Synge. October-November 2004 Directed by Carmel O'Reilly Cast: Nate Connors, Michael Dell'Orto, Beth Gotha, Tim Hoover, Caryn Andrea Lindsey, Billy Meleady, Therese Plaehn, Kate Reilly and Derry Woodhouse Design: J. Michael Griggs, Karen Perlow, Molly Trainer and Dewey Dellay The Well of the Saints is a rich and complex tragic-comedic study of the conflict between imagination and reality. Two married blind beggars get a chance to finally see the world – and each other – when a wandering holy man gives them their sight. "Súgán Theatre works a miracle... note-perfect production... casts a hypnotic spell" – The Boston Herald (read complete review) "this simple and compelling production.. provides an extremely rare opportunity to see this strange, beautiful play... the Súgán production has a wonderful sound, and that’s the key to a successful Well of the Saints... You get the sense that the company caught the spirit of the piece. And what a piece it is — lyrical, magically elusive, and neglected for a century" – The Boston Phoenix (read complete review) "superb 'Saints' proves love is blind... filled with laughter, tears and thought-provoking moments. Beth Gotha and Billy Meleady are delightful as Mary and Martin Doul... impeccable direction... Carmel O'Reilly brings this 100-year old tale to life with a fresh perspective" – Boston Metro "Waters run deep in The Well of the Saints... a parable with a variety of thought-provoking meanings" – The Standard Times (read complete review) "superb black comedy... The Well of the Saints is such a diabolically lyrical farce that it makes you want to Synge" – WBUR (read complete review) "a short, charming and timeless fable... strong and endearing performances" – Edge Boston (read complete review) The Sanctuary Lamp by Tom Murphy February 2005 Directed by Carmel O'Reilly New England premiere Cast: Stacy Fischer, Nigel Gore, Aidan Parkinson and Jackson Royal. Design: J. Michael Griggs, John Malinowski, Molly Trainer and Rick Brenner Winner, 2005 Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Production, Small Resident Company Three lost souls occupy a city church for a night – Harry, an English-born Jew and an ex-circus strongman; Francisco, an Irishman and Harry’s best friend; and the waif-like Maudie. Betrayed by his best friend and wife and grieving over the death of his daughter, Harry talks to the sanctuary lamp to assuage his pain, his guilt and his murderous intentions… First staged by the Abbey Theatre in 1975, where it provoked the most vocal disturbances in the Abbey since Sean O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars in 1926, The Sanctuary Lamp questions religious faith and consolation. "Súgán Theatre Company's lovely new production of Tom Murphy's finely etched The Sanctuary Lamp ....Carmel O'Reilly and set designer J. Michael Griggs make brilliant use of the new Roberts Studio Theatre at the Boston Center for the Arts... John Malinowski's lighting is a work of art in itself.... O'Reilly has found three actors who get to the heart and soul of Murphy's writing... audiences need to be attentive to the subtleties and silences that complement the gorgeous arias Murphy gives his characters" – Boston Globe (read complete review) "Playwright Tom Murphy's trenchant gift for taking on Ireland's sacred cows comes to rich fruition in this carefully layered play... Murphy's imagery is as rich and evocative as the warm, red glow of the lamp that remains long after the play is over" – Boston Herald (read complete review) "Súgán illuminates The Sanctuary Lamp... shadowy, eruptive staging ... Murphy’s long night’s journey for spiritual refugees grows increasingly compelling in the second act... it’s when Parkinson takes over, with his biting if ominous tale of a circus performance gone awry, that The Sanctuary Lamp truly shines" – Boston Phoenix (read complete review) "three lost souls find solace in the compelling Sanctuary Lamp... expect to leave the theatre questioning your own beliefs" – Metro "His characters set forth their problems with a complexity that makes most contemporary drama seem banal. Murphy is not afraid to let them go on at length and to take on big questions emotionally... As Harry says at the very end of the play, "You know." But what can only be decided by viewing this extraordinary work" – On the Aisle (read complete review) "worth seeing for Murphy's incisive and honest probing of questions of morality and redemption in a time when faith is dead; for the offhandedly simple magnificence of the language he couches his catechism in; for two of the best performances I've seen this season by actors in Boston's smaller theaters, and for the skillful, knowledgeable direction of Carmel O'Reilly" – Patriot Ledger (read complete review) Gagarin Way by Gregory Burke April 2005 Directed by Brendan Hughes New England premiere Cast: Ciaran Crawford, Rick Park, Rodney Raftery (Eric Hamel) and Dafydd Rees. Design: Sandra Goldmark, John Malinowski, Chelsea White and Rick Brenner Nomination, 2006 Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Production, Small Resident Company Gary wants to make the ultimate political statement. Eddie has always been interested in violence. Frank is a symbol of multinational capitalism. And Tom? Tom just came back for his hat. Existentialism, the crisis of masculinity, globalization and anarchy are on the agenda in this black comedy hailed among the best of 2001 by the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, the Observer, and the Mail on Sunday. "hilarious... Gagarin Way packs a punch. But the blow is tempered by Gregory Burke’s wide-ranging and wicked sense of humor… crackles with foreboding even as it sparkles with wit” – Terry Byrne, Boston Herald (read complete review) “The Pythonesque laughs keep coming in this startling Súgán production but so does the Pinteresque menace. There are bits of Joe Orton as well” – Ed Siegel, Boston Globe (read complete review) “I can’t remember the last time I laughed as hard … Gagarin Way is brutal, dark and hilarious” – Nick Dussault, Metro Boston "funny… Burke has a way of combining blundering and menace, violent shorthand and intellectual pretension, that makes for absurdist comedy" – Carolyn Clay, Boston Phoenix (read complete r eview) "..dances along the thin line of entertainment and horror in a very well-acted production of a riveting play about using political radicalism as an excuse for mindless violence... what makes Gagarin Way compelling is the antic absurdity of Burke's dialogue" – Bill Marx, WBUR (hear and read complete review) “once in awhile a gifted new playwright shakes up the theater by launching a work of jolting force... explosively compelling” – Jules Becker, South End News “gut-wrenching comedy…a wild 90 minute ride, full of Pythonesque laughter until the reality of the situation turns ghastly” – Will Stackman, Aisle Say (read complete review) "You won’t find a better play in town or better acting" – Beverly Creasey, Theater Mirror (read complete review) "impressive" – Carl Rossi, TheaterMirror (read complete review) "some great performances" – Jennifer Bubriski, EdgeBoston (read complete review) All of this season's performances took place at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street, Boston. 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