Theatre in Review

Thursday, 14 December 2006 00:00

A Couple of Brothers

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A Couple of BrothersFrank McCourt once said “Malachy stood behind the bar and told his customers stories. I stood before the blackboard and told my students stories. At holiday gatherings we told our families stories. Why not get together, cobble these stories into a script and tell the world?” and so they did. Apart, the brothers McCourt have two incredibly interesting life stories. Together, they have one great play.

A Couple of BrothersA Couple of Blaguards is nothing more than two seasoned actors, a table, two chairs, minimal props, and a handful of costume pieces. The stage is transformed into Limerick, Ireland and New York City in a matter of seconds by the good old theatre rule- suspension of belief. Throughout a series of well-told stories and jokes, “This show is the result of Frank and myself listening to the stories of our elders which in turn tunes the ear, the eye and the tongue to observe and give voice to even the most trivial of events,” says Malachy McCourt.

Malachy McCourt was raised in Limerick, Ireland. He left school at thirteen to work in Ireland and England as a laborer. At twenty he traveled to America and again worked at the manual tasks such as longshoreman, truck loader, dishwasher, until he became an actor. He made a name for himself on Broadway and Off-Broadway and at the regional theatres. Soap operas such a Ryan's Hope, Search for Tomorrow, One Life to live were a good source of work for him. Movies and television were good to his career as well.


Due to a heavy schedule of writing, book signings and public appearances McCourt took a break from acting is now back after completing five movies plus a running part in the HBO prison series Oz. He was one of the first radio talk show hosts on WMCA, NYC, and he was a recurrent guest on the Tonight Show, Merv Griffin and Tom Synder shows. Along with the above, Malachy McCourt has been credited with founding the first singles bar in America, Malachy's of Third Avenue. In addition to being the co-author of the play A Couple of Blaguards, with his brother Frank, Malachy has written a New York Times bestseller memoir, A Monk Swimming. His most recent memoir, Singing My Him Song is now available as well as five other new books of his. Malachy writes a column, Sez I to Myself, that appears weekly in the Manhattan Spirit, The Westsider and Our Town in NYC.
A Couple of Brothers
Frank McCourt has been an English professor for three decades. His memoir, Angela’s Ashes, was honored with The Pulitzer Prize for literature, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Boston Book Review’s Non-Fiction prize, the Abbey Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Award, and spent more than 100 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. His second hit book, ‘Tis, was another bestseller in 1999. Angela’s Ashes was turned into a major motion picture. He has been keynote speaker at the White House on several occasions, and has been invited to Congressional committees to discuss education in America.

Obviously writing is in the brother’s blood. A Couple of Blaguards illustrates the life stories of these brothers in a comical manner. New York actor Jarlath Conroy and the gustier funny man that is Malachy, is played by Howard Platt. Platt used to be a commercial theater producer in Chicago and doubles as this production's director. The "brothers" are well represented by these two veteran actors. The chemistry is great but there is still plenty more discoveries that these two can find using the wonderful text. At times it seemed that the direction was so fast paced there was little room for emotional journeys on stage. All and all, these Irish clad funny men have a good thing going.
Last modified on Monday, 06 October 2008 18:29

 

 

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