Reviews of Donleavy Plays

"I dwell often in the past because it presents me with a future."

- J.P. Donleavy from an interview in Irish Connections Magazine, Oct., 2001
conducted during the run of The Ginger Man at The Irish Arts Center, New York

Photo by Charles Ruppmann.

Reviews of Donleavy plays are listed by title of work and in chronological order of performances of that play. When possible, links are provided to the entire review.

Key for reviews is as follows: (+) = favorable review; (-) = unfavorable; (~) = so-so or mixed; (*) = unread, reference ambiguous or too incomplete to draw conclusion

The Ginger Man
Fairy Tales of New York
A Singular Man
The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B

REVIEWS OF THE GINGER MAN

Fortune Theatre, London, September 1959

London Daily Express (+)
The Sunday Times - Harold Hobson (+)
Guardian (+)

Gaiety Theatre, Dublin - October 1959

The Irish Times - M.K., (~)
The Irish Press - M.M., (~)
The Irish Independent - D.R., (-)
The Evening Herald - J.J.F. (-)
The Dublin Evening Mail - R.M.F. (-)

Orpheum Theatre, New York - November, 1963

The Nation - Harold Clurman, December 21, 1963 (+)
Time - Jan 3, 1964 (~)

Ashcroft and Royal Court Theatres, London - January, 1964

Plays and Players magazine - Simon Trussler, January, 1964 (~)

Encore Theater, San Francisco, March, 1964

The San Francisco Examiner - Kenneth Rexroth March 8, 1964 (+)

New Theatre, Dublin / Dublin Theatre Company, July 1999

The Irish Times - Edward Power, July 17, 1999 (+)
Guardian Unlimited -July 28, 1999 - Mic Moroney (+)
Weekly WOW - Jocelyn Clarke (-)

Irish Arts Center, New York / Dublin Theatre Company, May-June, 2000

Irish Connections - Brad Balfour, May 13, 2000 (+)
The New York Theatre Experience, May 21, 2000 (~)
Curtain Up - Les Gutman, from a performance May 23, 2000 (+)
Irish Echo - Joseph Hurley - May 24, 2000 (+)
New York Times - Wilborn Hampton, June 1, 2000 (-)
The Village Voice - Russo, June 13, 2000 (~)
Show Business - Paul Grant, August 10, 2000 (+)
Show Guide - Backstage Off-Broadway - September 15, 2000 (-)
Aisle Say New York - David Spencer (-)

Centaur Theatre, Montreal / Dublin Theatre Company, July/Aug., 2000

The Gazette - Pat Donnelly, July 7, 2000 (+)

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REVIEWS OF FAIRY TALES OF NEW YORK

Pembroke Theatre, Croydon, 1960

Evening Standard (+)
Publication?- Milton Shulman (+)

Comedy Theatre, London, 1961

Publication? - Kenneth Tynan (+)
Time - February 3, 1961 (+)
New Left Review - Norm Fruchter, March-April, 1961 (+)
The Spectator - Alan Brien (+)
The New Statesman - H.A.L. Craig (+)

Warehouse Theatre, Croydon, 1991

City Limits - Ian Shuttleworth (+)

A Theatre Under the Influence, Union Garage, Seattle, Feb.-March, 2000

Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Mary R. Martin, Feb. 15, 2000 (+)
The Seattle Times - Paul de Barros, Feb. 15, 2000 (+)
The Stranger:Theater - Tom Spurgeon (+)

REVIEWS OF A SINGULAR MAN

Comedy Theatre, London, October, 1964

Plays and Players, 1964 - H.G.M. (~)
The Times - (+)

REVIEWS OF THE BEASTLY BEATITUDES OF BALTHAZAR B

Duke of York's Theatre, London, September - October, 1981

Standard - Milton Shulman, Oct. 1, 1981 (+)
Financial Times - Michael Coveney, Oct. 1, 1981 (-)
The Lady - Oct., 1981 (~)
Daily Mail - (+)
Daily Telegraph - Eric Shorter, Oct. 2, 1981 (+)
International Herald Tribune - (+)
The Times - Ned Chaillet, Oct. 2, 1981 (+)
Sunday Telegraph - Francis King, Oct. 4, 1981 (~)
Punch - Sheridan Morley, Oct. 14, 1981 (+)
Country Life - Oct. 22, 1981 (+)
Harpers - Dec., 1981 (+)
London News - Dec., 1981 (+)
American Variety - (+)
Guardian - July 16, 1982 (+)

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Nicol Williamson and T.P. McKenna in the Ashcroft and Royal Court productions of The Ginger Man.

Special thanks to Ken Knabb for forwarding this review from his excellent Rexroth Archives site and for obtaining permission from the Rexroth Trust to post it here.

Special thanks to Dr. Andrew Schuman for forwarding these reviews to the JPDC and much other information on stage and printed versions of The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B.