(Alfred Hickling’s article appeared 11/12 in the Guardian.)
It is sometimes hard to believe that there's only one Brian Friel. On the one hand there is the expansive bard of Ballybeg, the Emerald Chekhov. On the other is the austere master of theatrical monologue. By presenting Translations (1980) and Molly Sweeney (1993) in the form of a mini-festival, the Curve brings both sides of Friel's inspiration into contrast. It is like walking into a gallery and seeing a topographical canvas and a still life, by the same hand, side by side.
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