Praise and glowing reviews continue to shower Orlagh as she captivates audiences with her role as Kate in The Irish Repertory Theatres' 20th Anniversary Production of Brian Friel's Tony Award Winning Dancing At Lughnasa.
"Orlagh Cassidy (playing Kate Mundy) stood out from the group as a particularly brilliant performer. Cassidy brought humor and life to what is, on script, a stiff, unyielding, impersonal character. Cassidy manages to maintain this religious strictness yet gives Kate a certain comedic quality that is endearing. Through Cassidy, Kate becomes the glue that holds the Mundy family together and a favorite of the audience."
~ Mary LeSage, Fordham University ~
"Kate (the magnificent Orlagh Cassidy) is the toughest aunt of the bunch, always worried what the neighbors will think. Of course, the family did take a hit when Christina (the poignant Annabel Hagg) had Michael out of wedlock. So Kate’s not taking any chances from now on. Thus, when her four sisters desperately want to attend the annual harvest dance which they haven’t been to in years, Kate does everything but sing “And I am telling you, we are not going.” Later, however, Maggie (the earthy Jo Kinsella) turns on the radio, is moved by what she hears and begins dancing. One by one, the sisters exuberantly join her, although Kate just watches – until she can no longer help herself. What’s good and astonishing is how marvelously Kate dances. Our hearts break because she’s easily the best of the bunch, and now we know that she’s been denying herself something that obviously brings her a lot of pleasure. Does Orlagh Cassidy have formal Irish dance training? She couldn’t have picked this up after just a few weeks’ rehearsals, could she have?"
~ Peter Filichia, Filichia On Friday ~
"As Kate, the eldest sister and the local schoolteacher, Orlagh Cassidy mines the humor and the anxiety of her character to anchor the production on her slender but surprisingly strong shoulders. Cassidy is variously the ringmaster, the recorder and the most eloquent witness to the events that unfold around her, and her performance is one of the joys of this production."
~ Cahir O'Doherty, Irish Voice ~
More outstanding reviews can be found at:
Show Business Weekly Magazine
Irish Central
Wolf Entertainment Guide
Time Out New York
Poughkeepsie Journal
Stage Voices
Stage Partners
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