Da

by Hugh Leonard

Middle-aged assimilated American Charlie returns home to his native Dublin to sort through and come to terms with his relationship to this thoroughly beguiling, maddening presence in his "Da."

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Drama

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Hugh Leonard was an Irish dramatist, television writer and essayist. In a career that spanned 50 years, Leonard wrote more than 18 plays, two volumes of essays and two autobiographies, one novel and numerous screenplays and teleplays, as well as writing a regular newspaper column.

Reviews

[Thenia]

θέλω τόσο πολύ να το σκηνοθετήσω

[Alan]

This is a fine play which we saw in Dublin quite a few years ago. I bought it at the time to clarify some dialogue I had missed.
Charlie has come home to Ireland for his father's funeral and to shut down the house. When he is sitting in the kitchen, he sees his father, his younger self, childhood friends, his mother, and his old boss and carries on conversations with them. Quite a bit is revealed about their feelings and motivations. Very well done.

[Brittany Petruzzi]

A playwright works out his own daddy issues by writing himself into his play. The end result is more like being a fly on the wall at a psychiatric session rather than an evening at the theatre.

Perhaps it's more compelling when staged, but I found myself bored through almost the entire thing.

[Terry Mulcahy]

Pretty funny. It's not actually as much about Ireland or the Irish as it is about a man coming to terms with his dad, long after he's left home, and more than that, after his dad is dead.

[Jason]

A fascinating play. Poignantly examines a man's relationship to his father, but with some dark humor. Charlie returns to his father's home for his funeral and spends most of the lay chatting with the version of his DA that's in his head, with flashback scenes. Cleverly structured, it subtly examines guilt, our lack of seeing our parents as real people and relationships in general. Quite interesting.

[christine]

when I was reading this I was mildly uncomfortable by the dialogue of the father and the insane things he would say... but obviously a good play makes u uncomfortable. really wish I could see this live... in sum, hugh leonard has some daddy issues and coveys it pretty well.

[Brian McCann]

Irish memory play - meh!!

[Victoria & David Williams]

The 1988 film with Barnard Hughes and Martin Sheen was wonderful.

[Michelle Hill]

Tony Award 1978.

Charlie goes home for his father's funeral and is visited (haunted) by his mother, father and younger versions of himself (and their younger-selves as well). The play mostly focuses on the strained father/son relationship, but hints of adoption and trouble with mother are also present.

The front of the play reads "A Comedy in Two Acts"....certainly very, very difficult to unearth the comedy.

[DRM]

Very nice even though it ends rather abruptly. I wanted more inner conflict!

[Bobby Sullivan]

Meh.