Philadelphia Here I Come!

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Philadelphia, Here I Come! is a play written by Irish dramistist Brian Friel. A highly original piece that launched Friel on the international stage, Philadelphia, Here I Come! centres around a young man, Gareth (Gar) O'Donnell, and his intended move to America, specifically Philadelphia. The play takes place on the night before and morning of Gar's departure to America. Gar is portrayed by two characters, Gar Public ("the Gar that people see, talk to, talk about") and Gar Private ("the unseen man, the man within, the conscience"). Gareth lives with his father, County Councillor and shopkeeper, S.B. O'Donnell ("a responsible, respectable citizen") with whom he has never connected. Gar works for his father in his shop and their relationship is no different from that of Boss and Employee. Private often makes fun of S.B. calling him "Screwballs" and parodying his nightly routine as a fashion show.

Essentially, this play is a tragic comedy. It contains many comical scenes, especially the scene with Lizzy Sweeny, Gar's aunt, in which Gar decides to go to America. Despite the fact that Gar seems to have a relationship with his father no different to that of Boss and Employee, there are indications that there is love between them. in episode 1, Madge says "It must have been near daybreak when he (SB O'Donnell) got to sleep last night. I could hear the bed creaking." Other indications that SB is secretley devastated by his son's imminent departure include his memory of Gar going to school in a sailor suit, and the scene when he pretends to read the paper, but fails to notice that it has been upside-down.

Gar's reasons for going to America (he wanted to prove to Aunt Lizzie that he was not "cold like the O'Donnells"), along with his secret love for his uncommunicative father, and their desperate final, pathetic attempts to communicate make this play quite tragic.

All of the action in this play takes place within a period of a few hours on the evening of Gar's departure, but it also includes flashbacks to Gar's relationship with local girl Kate Doogan, and the visit from his Aunt Lizzie

The play was recently performed (2003-2004) through the Association of Regional Theatres Northern Ireland, directed by Adrian Dunbar and produced by Andrea Montgomery. Second Age Theatre Company have announced (May 2007) that they will produce and tour Philadelphia Here I Come! as part of its Autumn 2007 season, touring to Donegal, Ennis, Dublin, and Cork. This play is on the syllabus for English higher level for the Leaving Certificate in Ireland.

[edit] Characters

Below is a list of the characters from the play Philadelphia, Here I Come! along with a cast list from when it was first performed, at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin, on September 28, 1964.