| General
praise from feature articles and interviews |
| "I GET
A KICK OUT OF HUGHES" —Headline, New Haven Advocate |
| "The
Gagarin Way cast says that Hughes's blend of intellect,
compassion, and love of laughter is what makes him so special as
a director. They credit him with creating a supportive rehearsal
environment, one in which risk-taking is encouraged, while also
making everybody laugh so much that the rehearsal process doesn't
feel like work. 'With Brendan, the work stays really fresh during
rehearsals, so the play keeps its spark going into opening night,'
says the Welsh-born actor and Cape Cod resident Dafydd Rees, who
plays the kidnapping victim in Gagarin Way." |
| "I've
seen quite a few things Hughes has directed, and have come to
count on him for snappy pacing and a quick comic sense."
—New Haven Advocate |
| Praise
for The Drawer Boy at American Stage in St. Petersburg,
Florida |
"From
the moment the play started until its final startling conclusion,
you could have heard a pin drop in the American Stage theater,
so enthralling was the story and so riveting were the performances…[THE
DRAWER BOY] held the Wednesday night preview audience in the palm
of their collective hand…The three actors are, in a word,
marvelous…[Joe Parra's] performance is one of the most compelling
this writer has ever seen grace a local stage…confirms the
power of theater and story-telling to transform and elevate the
human condition…[THE DRAWER BOY] will be a hard act to follow
as [American Stage's] season progresses. They have set the bar
wonderfully high, right from the get-go." —Tampa
Tribune
"A
wonderfully realized production at American Stage…hilarious
and beautiful…lovely…evocative… a treatise about
the joys and obligations of deep friendship…[Joe Parra]
is sensational…[Steve Pachosa is] just as impressive…director
Brendan Hughes shows a deft touch with the comic moments, which
are plentiful and formidable." —St.
Petersburg Times
"Enchanting
and moving…strong and compelling performances from the three
cast members…a story well worth hearing."
—Sarasota Herald-Tribune |
| Praise
for My Heart Split in Two with Lucid Theatre |
"Maybe the next generation of theatre." —Variety
"My Heart
Split In Two is a radio play that still pulls off all the comic
intricacies of a traditional play, except the audience gets to
see the brilliant cast giggle behind the glass. And as a radio
production, playwright Terry Withers and director Brendan Hughes
add and remove tension and laughs freely, using the proper old
time sound effects and playful narration. It’s ridiculous
comedy at its best, leaving the audience to its own imagination
while continuously pushing the limits of reason." —Show
Business Weekly
"Director
Brendan Hughes has skillfully woven together a brilliant cast,
edgy material and an innovative idea, culminating in a mind-boggling
theatrical and listening adventure." —nytheatre.com |
|
Gagarin
Way for the Sugan in Boston a critical meteor |
Recently
I had the great pleasure of meeting Scottish playwright Gregory
Burke, who wrote Gagarin Way. I had seen his picture
but had yet to meet him in person. I stood outside the restaurant
we had arranged, talking to Ciaran Crawford, one of the cast members,
on my cell phone.Suddenly, I found myself in a headlock.
This
was my introduction to the bouyant and lively Gregory Burke.
These
are links to some interviews I gave to the Boston Herald, and
the Boston Irish Reporter, inthe weeks before Gagarin Way opened.
Boston
Herald interview by Terry Byrne.
BostonIrish
Reporter interview by Dave McLaughlin. Also printed in the Dorchester
Reporter.
Here
are some quotes from the Boston press.
"hilarious...
Gagarin Way packs a punch. But the blow is tempered by Gregory
Burke’s wide-ranging and wicked sense of humor… crackles
with foreboding even as it sparkles with wit” – Terry
Byrne, Boston Herald (read complete
review)
“The
Pythonesque laughs keep coming in this startling Súgán
production but so does the Pinteresque menace. There are bits
of Joe Orton as well” – Ed Siegel, Boston Globe (read
complete
review)
“I can’t remember the last time I laughed as hard
… Gagarin Way is brutal, dark and hilarious” –
Nick Dussault, Metro Boston
"funny…
Burke has a way of combining blundering and menace, violent shorthand
and intellectual pretension, that makes for absurdist comedy"
– Carolyn Clay, Boston Phoenix (read complete
review)
"..dances
along the thin line of entertainment and horror in a very well-acted
production of a riveting play about using political radicalism
as an excuse for mindless violence... what makes Gagarin Way compelling
is the antic absurdity of Burke's dialogue" – Bill
Marx, WBUR (hear and read complete
review)
“once
in awhile a gifted new playwright shakes up the theater by launching
a work of jolting force... explosively compelling” –
Jules Becker, South End News
“gut-wrenching
comedy…a wild 90 minute ride, full of Pythonesque laughter
until the reality of the situation turns ghastly” –
Will Stackman, Aisle Say (read complete
review)
"You
won’t find a better play in town or better acting"
– Beverly Creasey, Theater Mirror (read complete
review)
"impressive"
– Carl Rossi, TheaterMirror (read complete
review)
|
|
Gum
flapping at Booktrader to Yale's fourth estate |
| This
is an interview I gave to the Yale Herald when i was directing A
Bright Room Called Day last fall at Yale. |
| Praise
for You've Never Done Anything Unforgivable at Fringe NYC 2004 |
| "In the
wrong hands, the material could feel like watching the recording
of an audiobook. But [Hughes] repeatedly finds the subtle sound
cue or the telling downward glance that nudges the story into theatrical
life." —broadway.com |
| “Throughout
one feels Hughes’ directorial presence as the stories modulate
and build to their conclusions with questionable redemptions. …
‘Never Done’ proved to be a darkly satisfying piece of
theater.” —Andy Propst, American Theater Web |
| Praise
for The Art Room at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater |
| "There
are puns, double entendres, slapstick, and ironies within this fast-paced
production. Lots of slamming doors and hiding in closets require
split second timing which this cast, under the expert direction
of Brendan Hughes accomplishes beautifully. " —Cape Cod
Chronicle, on The Art Room, at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors
Theatre |
| Praise
for The Night of the Iguana at the Theatre Cooperative |
| "Brendan
Hughes's direction finds dark humor in a play that can be as wordy
and dated as it is powerful and thought provoking." —Boston
Globe, on The Night of the Iguana, at the Theatre Cooperative |
| Praise
for Cafe Society with the Mill6 Collaborative |
| "The play
is highly—and consistently—amusing, often hilarious, and
unpredictable... Luckily, Brendan Hughes's direction supplies what
the script lacks, walking a fine line between realism and absurdity.
It is also exceedlingly well-paced and never lets the play's off
the wall qualities dominate the dramatic arc." —Boston
Globe |
| Praise
for Roosters at the Theatre Cooperative |
| "Like
the play, the PHTC production is ballsy and ambitious, with loud
live music, risky stage business, and quite a few actors with little
or no stage experience. But most of the neophytes make up in cheek
and guts what they lack in dramatic finesse, and the sets, lighting
and sound are right on the money... This production of Roosters
is something to crow about." —Boston Phoenix, on Roosters,
at the Theatre Cooperative |
| "Director
Brendan Hughes has heeded his script well. His creative staging
(he enacts several different fights simultaneously,) and excellent
casting create a wel-paced and compelling production of a play that
could otherwise turn maudlin and caricature-ish. The move to cast
humans in the parts of the roosters is brilliant, and brings to
the stage a surprising amount of visceral excitement." —South
End News, on Roosters, at the Theatre Cooperative |
| "With
few exceptions, director Brendan Hughes manages to turn the Peabody
House into an alternate universe. With spirits emerging from shadows,
the language bristling with poetry and bawdy one-liners, in less
able hands "Roosters" could have easily turned out to
be a pretty silly play." —Somerville Journal , on Roosters,
at the Theatre Cooperative |
| Praise
for Machinal at the Theatre Cooperative |
| "Thanks
to Hughes's rhythmic and atmospheric staging, this Machinal holds
the Peabody House stage well enough to reveal the surprising facets
of a rediscovered gem." —Boston Globe, on Machinal,
at the Theatre Cooperative |
| "Under
the direction of Brendan Hughes, the Peabody House Theatre Cooperative
has mounted a worthy production of the play, long forgotten by everyone
except theatre historians... Machinal is well worth a visit. Bravo
to the Peabody House Theatre Cooperative for resurrecting a minor
treasure of 20th century theater" —Boston Herald, on Machinal,
at the Theatre Cooperative |
| Praise
for Of Mice and Men at the Theatre Cooperative |
| "Pleasant
surprises don't come along very often for the critic dutifully making
the ragged rounds of small local theatres. But when they do, they
are bursts of welcome relief" —Boston Globe, on Of
Mice and Men, at the New Broadway Theatre |
| "...theatregoers
should wish Hughes luck bucking the odds." —Boston Globe |