SOURCE: "Potent Memories, Great Joys," in Time, Vol. 138, No. 18, 4 November 1991, p. 97.

In the review below, Henry claims that Dancing at Lughnasa evokes great joy as well as sadness, and states that although Friel has been influenced by Chekhov, this work is one of "authentic originality. "

A good dramatist defines a theme, shapes a story to illu-mine it and moves clearly and logically toward an emotionally satisfying conclusion. A great dramatist can make quicksilver leaps from theme to theme, fragment a story into seemingly disparate shards and play games with character and chronology, yet achieve a conclusion that is even more emotionally satisfying because of the sense of surprise and revelation in how it all comes together. For more than three decades, in such works as Aristocrats and Philadelphia, Here I Come!, Ireland's Brian Friel has been a good dramatist. In Dancing at Lughnasa, which opened on Broadway last...