THE THREE IRISH WIDOWS
VERSUS THE REST OF THE WORLD

Written & Directed by ED MALONE

Featuring
FERGAL TITLEY

The Theatre Space
at Ryan’s Daughter
350 East 85th Street
New York, NY 10028
(646) 384-0009
June 19 through July 24, 2014

Oh, bad boy. ED MALONE has written a play about his ma, her sister, and her sister-in-law. He says the play will never be performed anywhere near County Cork, Ireland, where mother lives. One must assume she would be displeased or embarrassed or both, and take after him with that classic weapon of women, the wooden spoon. Or perhaps the broom. Because these three widows mourn their “losses” by declaring riotous independence. Make the sign of the cross, then start laughing.

The play begins in1984 Ireland, where postureless pre-yoga women are housebound housewives, bending over the stove and the laundry. They had radios and perhaps TV. And husbands. One a polite British man, one a big drinker, and one who is, simply, the boss, and makes sure his wife doesn’t forget it. Life in the good old days.

The drunkard goes first, car versus tree. The tree won. His widow, Margaret, expresses her grief by going on a spending spree. Time passes and eventually “the boss” develops cancer and goes to that great pub in the sky. The polite gentleman, the playwright’s father Phillip, is last to leave this world, in 2007. The ladies don’t waste a moment before they start living their new lives of freedom to the fullest.

Off to the hair salon, then to the travel agency. First stop, Spain. Amor! These women are taking it all the way, baby. They are not little old ladies on a coach tour. They are hitting the clubs, flirting and way, way beyond. Then to New York, somewhere called Queens, where Nulla’s son Ed is working on Broadway…handing out leaflets. Widowed Brenda hits on a New York taxi driver, which turns out to be a bad idea. But these women don’t know the meaning of defeat. Next stop, India. Because Oprah liked it there.

FERGAL TITLEY plays 34 characters in this one-hour riot. By the end his shirt is soaked in sweat but his energy never lags. The venue, upstairs at Ryan’s Daughter, is a pleasant open space with slim windows, sunlight, a full bar, and upholstered couches and wing-chairs. The play is a dynamic whirlwind trip seen through the Irish eyes of the writer and performed by a classic Irish storyteller in the best tradition. A great way to forget your troubles. The non-stop narration doesn’t leave one second for your mind to wander. It’s irresistible total-immersion fun that takes you up, up, and away and keeps you there long after you leave the theater.

-Karen D’Onofrio-