In Pigeon House Reviews

Chicago Sun Times - Recommended

"...Art most definitely imitates life in Honor Molloy's play, "In Pigeon House," now receiving its world premiere by Chicago's Seanachai Theatre. A multilayered history of the invariably rough-and-tumble, penniless and often brutal existence of itinerant Anglo-Irish performers throughout the 20th century, its quartet of time-shifting characters moves from squalid bedsits to the stage and screen."

Chicago Reader - Recommended

"...In Pigeon House is ultimately a tribute to the spirit of stage play through the generations. I'm sure I'd have caught a lot more if I were Irish, but patience is rewarded here by Molloy's cunning and surreal sensibility—channeling a whole slew of Irish bards, from Beckett to Martin McDonagh and Enda Walsh—and by the fit-upish elan of Seanachai Theatre's own cast of artistes under the direction of Brian Shaw."

Centerstage - Not Recommended

"... It’s a challenging play, potentially fascinating. Here, regrettably, I feel it has been mismanaged. While watching, I found myself asking questions, searching for some kind of shape: Who are we focusing on in this scene? Is this person going to change? Where are they now, physically and/or mentally? Changes of location were explicit; actors wrangled ungainly pieces of rolling scenery about the stage regularly, and with fervor. But despite their relentless effort I never felt the scenes move anywhere, or add up to anything. The scene changes, the shifting landscape of relationships between characters, all seemed to be on stage merely because the script indicated their presence, and not because they were part of a larger story."

Stage and Cinema - Somewhat Recommended

"...Every once in a while, a theater company falls in love with a script and simply must stage it. I can't imagine any other reason that Seanachaí decided to present In Pigeon House, a surreal Vaudeville by Honor Molloy which, even with Brian Shaw's vibrant staging, Patrick McGee's über-creative sets/props, and an entertaining quarto of loveable, roguish thespians, makes little to no sense to an audience (at least, not an American audience). Somewhere buried within this Irish traveling show and the burlesque shenanigans therein is a story, but it is practically incomprehensible."

Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Recommended

"...In a play focused on actors, IN PIGEON HOUSE effectively illustrates the struggles of actors past and present. The four actors wholeheartedly commit to ambiguity. Skits go buffoon. Songs go maudlin. Lives go into the television set. It's a showbiz hodge-podge. John Mossman (Basher) makes a memorable entrance and then goes into a disturbing rant on Charlie Chaplin. In white-faced clown make-up, Mossman establishes himself as the disconcerting leader of this ragtag crew. In character and presence, Mossman guides the quirky antics of Katherine Schwartz (Dolly), Barbara Figgins (Masher) and Ira Amyx (Rasher). The tight ensemble come together in real life to portray a cast coming a part. This is definitely an actors' showcase."