“No Irish Need Apply!”
Many years ago, there were signs like this in major American cities and small towns. Such was the sentiment against the wave of immigrants from the Emerald Isle. Or Italians. Or Jews. Or other European settlers who crossed the Atlantic, hoping for a new start but often finding stumbling blocks, billy clubs, and heartache.
This is the new world we find in the bones of an old play, thanks to Séamus Miller’s timely and lively adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona, now The Two Gentlemen of Killarney.
Two Gentlemen, one of Shakespeare’s early plays (circa 1590), focused on two friends, Valentine and Proteus, who part ways when Valentine decides to travel to Milan. In Milan, Valentine falls in love with the Duke’s daughter, Silvia. Sent to Milan to fetch his friend, Proteus falls in love with Silvia as well, despite leaving behind his own love, Julia. She, now disguised as the pageboy Sebastian, follows her unfaithful beau. All parties mix and match until the serendipitous conclusion, in which the new couple, Valentine and Silvia, and the old couple, Proteus and Julia, get married.
This outline remains intact in this new take on the venerable story, as do the themes of coming of age, loyalty, friendship versus love, and betrayal versus forgiveness.
What the director and adapter adds to the mix is the plight of immigrants, this time Irish, around the time of the Great Famine (1845–1852), when roughly a million countrymen and women headed west to seek their American dream. Cillian (Valentine in the original) is idealistic and has a wanderlust to see what the new world will offer. Cillian is played with wide-eyed earnestness by Colin Villacorte. His friend and eventual rival, Finnegan (formerly Proteus), stands in stark contrast, cunning and confident, personified by Stephen Kime. Villacorte and Kime make the coming-of-age story feel natural and contemporary, even within the mid-1800s period setting.
As the objects of their affection, Ali Haas and Kiana Johnson make strong impressions as Saoirse (sounds like “sur-shuh”) and Silvia. Haas has the Irish lilt and dialect down to a T and brings out the loveliest qualities of the love-struck lass who becomes a pageboy in disguise. Johnson skillfully shows Silvia’s backbone and independence and handles the confusion of having two men both conflicted by her charms.
Aiding the friends and rivals are their trusty and sometimes befuddled servants, Speed and Sean. Maryanne Henderson is an energetic and wily Speed, while Samuel Richie brings an easy charm as Sean (among several roles). Sean’s sidekick here, as in the original, is the dog Crab. But instead of a trained canine actor, Rachel Johns pants and barks her way into being an audience favorite as Crab. She even has an interpolated soliloquy from one of the Bard’s most famous tragedies and makes the speech her own.
The cast also includes Avant Bard veteran Christopher Henley as both Finnegan’s father and Silvia’s father, Mr. Adams, and Gary DuBreuil as Silvia’s original intended groom, William. Cammiel Hussey and Alexandria Grigsby round out the cast as various gents, gang members, and the like.
Adding to the true Irish flavor of the piece, Emily Erickson provided vocal arrangements and musical direction for the cast to intersperse tunes and rounds throughout the story. The talented cast picks up guitars (Kime and Villacorte), drums (DuBreuil), and an array of other instruments, joined by the impeccable Ellie Cattle on the fiddle. Switching back and forth between dialogue and songs, the entire experience is seamless and makes for a rousing evening, as if the audience were at a hoolie (an enthusiastic celebration), albeit one where the songs sometimes veer from celebration to commentary. The cast performs traditional tunes such as “Join the British Army,” “Good Night, Joy Be to You All,” “Cockles and Mussels,” “On Ragland Road,” and “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling.” By contrast, “No Irish Need Apply” opens the second act, highlighting the reaction many immigrants faced at the time. According to music director Emily Erickson, this Act II opener is an homage to “The Last Shanty” by Tom Lewis.
The grand finale, as pointed a statement as could be, is the group musical number for the entire company, “If I Wanted a King, I’d Just Stay Home and Starve.” This original song was written by director and adaptor Miller, with arrangements by Erickson, and really hammers home the focus of the production.
One can’t help but hear the echoes of such lyrics in the land in which we find ourselves now. This melting pot of immigrants from all corners of the globe continues to fight for autonomy, rights, and the age-old pursuit of happiness, even as powerful forces work to contradict the foundations on which this nation was built.
When theater can entertain with originality and wit while also reflecting life, there is still hope. For the Irish, or the Italians, or the Jews, or the Muslims. Truly, for all of us.
Running Time: Two hours and 25 minutes, including a 10-minute intermission.
The Two Gentlemen of Killarney plays through March 28, 2026, presented by Avant Bard Theatre at the Gunston Arts Center, Theatre Two,
2700 South Lang Street, Arlington, VA. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Refer to the specific schedule of performances on their website or purchase tickets online. General admission tickets are $45. Senior citizens, veterans, active duty military, and students get 50% off tickets. Arlington County dtudents are free and their accompanying adult receives a 50% discount.
The program for the production is available here.
The Two Gentlemen of Killarney
“An Immigrant Love Story with Music”
Presented by Avant Bard Theatre
Adapted from Shakespeare’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Adapted and Directed by Séamus Miller
Music Direction and Vocal Arrangements by Emily Erickson
CAST
Cillian: Colin Villacorte
Finnegan: Stephen Kime
Silvia: Kiana Johnson
Saorise: Ali Haa
Speed: Maryanne Henderson
Mr. O’Casey and Mr. Adams: Christopher Henley
Sean, Host, Outlaw: Samuel Ritchie
Crab: Rachel Johns
William, Outlaw, and Percussion: Gary DuBreuil
Patti, Outlaw: Cammiel Hussey
Louisa, Frederick: Alexandria Grigsby
Fiddle Player: Ellie Cattle
