‘Dublin Carol’ Reviews Praise Petersen

Reviews of the play “Dublin Carol,” currently running at Trinity Rep in Providence, Rhode Island and starring CSI star William Petersen (Gil Grissom) fail to offer holiday cheer. However, critical negativity does not appear to focus on Petersen’s performance.

The primary focus of critical scorn seemingly lies within the stage play itself. “Dublin Carol” is written by Conor McPherson, a modern Irish storyteller famous for “St. Nicholas,” “The Weir” and “Shining City.” McPherson pens dark tales of haunted men. The problem with “Dublin Carol” is that the character at the center of the story is haunted by unoriginal ghosts. A drunk who left his wife and children, never amounted to anything at work and is filled with a mix of self-loathing and self-pity. According to The Boston Globe, “The play never comes alive” and is “missing some essential spark.”

None the less, there is praise for Petersen’s performance. The Boston globe says Petersen delivers his speeches with admirable expertise and negotiates the turns like a pro.

Similarly, Theater Mania says, “Petersen illuminates all the facets of this conflicted soul.” While it’s believed that audiences will see the play because of Petersen’s fame, “[I]t’s the actor’s non-showy grasp of this shadow-dwelling character that’s apt to leave them enthralled.”

Full reviews of “Dublin Carol” may be found at The Boston Globe and Theater Mania.

Discuss this news item at Talk CSI!
 Add CSI Files RSS feed to your news reader or My Yahoo!
Also a Desperate Housewives fan? Then visit GetDesperate.com!