A review by darcey_reads
Translations by Brian Friel

informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

3.5

The use of English when the characters are actually speaking Irish Gaelic in this play is really clever. Obviously Friel wanted English speakers to be able to watch the play and understand what was being said so it had to be in English for this to happen, but it just adds to the play. You don’t realise the characters aren’t speaking English to each other until the English characters come along and they don’t understand each other. The themes of colonisation, language, and the importance of naming are shown really well in this play, and I can only imagine that it would be even more effective when watching the play being performed as opposed to reading it.