Port Authority

Linda Gross Theatre

The poetry of ordinary life unfolds onstage as Conor McPherson tells the tale of three generations of loss, learning and fleeting love in Ireland.
Role
Dermot (Original)
Year
2008 (Off-Broadway)

Synopsis

Port Authority is a poignant and darkly humorous play by Conor McPherson that follows three Irish men — each at a different stage of life — as they reflect on missed chances, quiet regrets, and the enduring hope of connection. From a young man leaving home for the first time, to a middle-aged worker harbouring unspoken love, to an elderly resident of a care home haunted by past mistakes, their stories unfold in interwoven monologues that reveal the subtle triumphs and disappointments of ordinary lives. Set against the backdrop of modern Dublin, Port Authority offers a lyrical meditation on longing, fate, and the moments that shape who we become.

Reviews

“Most delightful of all is Brian d’Arcy James, an actor so quietly terrific he’s sometimes taken for granted … James’s gentle, unsentimental turn still yields fresh insights on those who look but never leap.”
New York Magazine

“What kept me eager and alert was knowing that another simple, surprising phrase was always around the corner. And with that phrase, one or another of the actors would quietly open a door onto a sad, resonantly quiet darkness that laps away, unacknowledged but omnipotent, at a perfectly ordinary life.”
The New York Times

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