Brian Friel’s 'Freedom of the City' at the Irish Rep - Freedom’s just another word

It's thrilling to see this wonderful play back on the boards in such an intimate setting. The politics aside (which is where Friel, to a greater extent than one might suppose, leaves them), I'm urging students at the university where I teach to go for a first class lesson in dramatic structure and the use of language. The initial Broadway production at the Alvin Theatre, with a wonderful cast that included Kate Reid and the late, great Lenny Baker, was my first exposure to Brian Friel's work. The run was under financed and disappointing (barely a week, February 17-23, 1974), but I've been a fan of the author's ever since.