IT’S NOT SO MUCH HOW IRISH BECAME AMERICANS —
IT’S HOW AMERICA BECAME IRISH
Greater Boston Stage Company’s lively production of Frank McCourt’s The Irish and How They Got That Way ennobles often painful history with music, physical comedy, and funny tales. Directed by A. Nora Long, the show is set in a realistically appointed Irish pub with a few patrons seated at tables and the bar. With a voice that seems to come from some legendary era, stocky, pig-tailed Billy Butler—playing a pub employee—announces: “We are the music makers.” Playing the owner, the tall and lanky Janis Hudson‘s physical comedy is aided by her long limbs and expressive face as well as her commanding voice. Hudson, Butler, and Kirsten Salpini, another pub employee, provide the narrative that is interwoven with the many traditional and sometimes comic Irish songs that form the backbone of this celebration of Irish culture.
We learn about the hardships endured by the Irish: a reading from the English magazine Punch portrays them as “gorillas” speaking “gibberish;” we hear of Irish soldiers fighting for the British in the American Revolution; and, of course, we confront the horrors of the Irish Potato Famine. While “God sent the potato blight,” it was “the English created the famine” by refusing to let Ireland keep any foodstuffs other than potatoes.
Once in the United States, those who managed to escape the famine through emigration made themselves indispensable by building canals and railroads and paving streets even as they were refused access to more desirable jobs. The work they were forced to do wasn’t easy, and Irish Americans played an early role in unionizing coal miners through the notoriously violent Molly Maguires. They filled the ranks of urban police units, and took control of political machines in many cities.
But by the time we get to the 2oth century, the tone has changed. The role of Irish entertainers in vaudeville and early Broadway, and especially of songwriter George M. Cohan (“Give My Regards to Broadway” and “You’re a Grand Old Flag”) lightens the narrative. Cohan is followed by the Andrews Sisters, Bing Crosby, Gene Kelly, and Spencer Tracy. We hear as well about the many significant politicians who have influenced American politics—Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Tip O’Neill, Ronald Reagan, and John F. Kennedy. Those who stayed behind are not completely forgotten—we get passing references to Oscar Wilde, William Butler Yeats, Bernard Shaw, and James Joyce—but for the most part the focus is on the transformation of the United States through the presence, talents, and determination of those who came here from Ireland.
These tidbits of information are woven together with delightful tunes—Tessa Paige Sacramone and Jeffrey Song provide fiddle, bass, and piano music, occasionally bursting into a sweet soprano and clear tenor. Dan Prior provides guitar, banjo, Irish drum, pennywhistle, and washboard and lends his own voice. Together, these three provide the songs that carry the show; the audience participates with stomping feet and clapping hands to create a welcome sense of community in GBSC’s former movie theater. The show ends with a beautiful medley of The Cranberries’ “Linger” and Hozier’s “Someone New,” anchored and interspersed with passages from U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”
The Irish and How They Got That Way is more than a celebration of the Irish—it’s a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit, the power of music, and the endurance of storytelling. This ability to overcome adversity is shared by many ethnic and racial groups that have faced discrimination. For someone like me, with no particular Irish heritage but a deep appreciation for the entertainers and writers referenced in this production, it serves as a poignant reminder of the struggles that shape us all—and the strength we can draw upon to keep moving forward.
photos by Nile Scott Studios
The Irish and How They Got That Way
East Coast Premiere
Greater Boston Stage Company
395 Main Street in Stoneham, MA
two hours, including a brief intermission
ends on March 16, 2025
for tickets ($25-69), call 781-279-2200 or visit GBSC
for more shows, visit Theatre in Boston
