The brilliance of Brian Friel

[Bobbie Ireland]

I'm a big fan of NPR when I am home - it is never off! But one thing they do not do - at least on ROC's WXXI - is drama. On the BBC's Radio 4 right now is the brilliant "Translations" by Brian Friel... (Some may know him through the likes of "Philadelphia, here I come!".) No posts from me for the duration! Anyone who has not had the pleasure is in for the most amazing dramatic experience. One actually believes that some of the dramatis personae are not speaking English. Seek it out. I saw it first in the 1980s, featuring a young fellow called Liam Neeson...

[anneintoronto]

For the people who haven't heard of Brian Friel, which includes myself, there is a comprehensive, and hopefully accurate, write-up in Wiki. Bobbie peaked my curiosity, with her praise, so I took a moment to look up some information about him... This man sounds amazing.  He's in his 80s and still reasonably active...  Have any of you heard any of his dramas over here on the "other side of the pond"?  It may be that I just haven't clued in to who he is...which, I guess, wouldn't be hard, seeing as I had no idea until moments ago...  I'd be curious to know if he's well-known over here!  I certainly know who Liam Neeson is -- he's been in an amazing number of movies -- including several Star Wars releases!  Thank you for the stir, Bobbie!  It's good to learn something new every day!

"Brian Friel (born 9 January 1929) is an Irish dramatist, theatre director and author. He is best known for his plays Philadelphia Here I Come! and Dancing at Lughnasa."  Here is the URL:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Friel

Best wishes,

Anne C. (Toronto, ON Canada, eh!)