Philadelphia, Here I Come!

Philadelphia, Here I Come! is a play written by Irish dramistist Brian Friel. A highly original piece that launched Friel on the international stage, Philadelphia here I come centres around a young man, Gareth (Gar) O'Donnell, and his intended move to America, specifically Philadelphia.
The play takes place on the night before and morning of Gar's departure to America.
Gar is portrayed by two characters, Gar Public ("the Gar that people see, talk to, talk about") and Gar Private ("the unseen man, the man within, the conscience")
Gareth lives with his father, County Councillor and shopkeeper, S.B. O'Donnell ("a responsible, respectable citizen") with whom he has never connected. Gar works for his father in his shop and their relationship is no different to that of Boss and Employee. Private often makes fun of S.B. calling him "Screwballs" and parodying his nightly routine as a fashion show.

Characters

Below is a list of the characters from the play Philadelphia, Here I Come! along with a cast list from when it was first performed, at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin, on September 28 1964.

Gar (Public)- Patrick Bedford
Gar (Private)- Donal Donnelly
S.B O'Donnell- Eamonn Kelly
Madge Mulhern- Maureen O'Sullivan
Kate Doogan- Maire Hastings
Senator Doogan- Cecil Barror

Con Sweeney- Tom Irwin
Ben Burton- Michael Mara
Ned- Eamon Morrissey
Tom- Brendan O'Sullivan
Joe- Emmet Bergin
Canon Mick O'Byrne- Alex McDonald

The play was recently performed (2003-2004) through the Association of Regional Theatres Northern Ireland, directed by Adrian Dunbar and produced by Andrea Montgomery.

Second Age Theatre Company have announced (May 2007) that they will produce and tour Philadelphia Here I Come! as part of its Autumn 2007 season, touring to Donegal, Ennis, Dublin, and Cork.

The book is used for GCSE coursework throughout the UK.

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