Declan Hassett's Sisters, starring Tony winner Anna Manahan, will play in New York this fall. The solo show is set to open at 59E59 Theaters on September 12, according to The New York Times.
Sisters will mark Manahan's first New York stage appearance since her Tony Award-winning turn in The Beauty Queen of Leenane, which ran until March 14, 1999. The 81-year-old Irish actress also received a Tony nomination when she appeared on Broadway in Lovers.
In Sisters, Manahan portrays two sisters, the bitter spinster Martha and the more outgoing and successful Mary. The piece, which was written with Manahan in mind, previously ran at the Everyman Theater in Cork, Ireland, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Colorado Festival of World Theater.
In his review of the Colorado mounting, Variety's Bob Bows wrote: "Manahan is haunting as two different women peering out from the same familial face, as she discovers the beats, savors the language and reveals a pair of Irish hearts both savage and refined: Martha's brogue is lush yet accessible, and often coarse; Mary's lilt is formal and precise, at times condescending. In both characters, Manahan's gift for storytelling never wavers… As a showpiece it's stellar; as a drama it's stunning. Manahan is riveting, leaving no doubt that her skills are as formidable as ever."
