"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then the dauphiness, at Versailles"

Saw a spectacularly good play tonight, Brian Friel's Philadelphia, Here I Come! at the Irish Rep. First half rather better than the second, but then that is a very common problem even with great plays. I've read some of Friel's plays, but have never seen one onstage, and was really blown away by it. Incredibly good acting by James Kennedy (Private Gareth) and Helena Carroll (Aunt Lizzy), but really all the actors are excellent. The play makes good use of snatches of song and radio pastiche and other stuff including a particular favorite line of mine from Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France. Highly recommended.