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Review Cuts
Never
the Sinner
“Leopold is played superbly by Paul Nugent … he turns in a performance that is nuanced,
explosive and measured.” Roberta
Gray, In Dublin,
21st Nov 2002.
“ Paul Nugent as Leopold waivers
between arrogance and vulnerability in a finely honed performance.” Mary Kate O’Flanagan,
The Sunday Business Post, 24th Nov 2002.
“Good and
committed acting are the essential mark of this gripping production … Leopold
is played by Paul Nugent in a
quieter vein, no less impressive in his penetration of the aberrant impulses
that drive him.” Gerry Colgan, Irish Times, 25th Nov 2002.
“ Director King has perfectly cast these pivotal roles.
Nugent plays his Nathan with a distanced intelligence that nevertheless
betrays a weaker will than that of his opposite number; appropriately stiff
in his body, he betrays his fragility in the use of his delicate hands, his
long fingers expressing what his entire body cannot … Their performances are
a slow burn, growing from capricious arrogance to hubris to defeat,
well-executed and directed to build and grow until we simply cannot take our
eyes off of them.” Susan Conley, Wow.ie, 14th Nov 2002.
“As the bookish,
bird-loving Leopold … Nugent wears his bow-tie with aplomb, and stands
appropriately aloof while delivering an impromptu treatise on the predatory
nature of falcons.” Brian Lavery, Irish Theatre Magazine, 19th Nov 2002,
pub.Spring 2003.
Tape
“More effective than gunfire … the actors are wholly convincing in
their roles, Jon (Paul Nugent) probing
for a painful truth … they build the serial tensions with conviction, and add
a tip-of-the-iceberg sense of much more beneath the surface.” Gerry Colgan,
Irish Times, 14th December 2002.
Boy Gets Girl
“ Paul Nugent is fascinating in
brief early appearances as Tony, and his subsequent absence is logical but
frustrating.” Gerry Colgan, Irish Times, May 8th 2003.
The
Laramie Project
“ The piece itself is a dream
come true for actors, and director Paul Brennan has assembled a company that
are clearly committed to the text … Standout performances by Nugent, O'Donnachadha, and Stapleton, with strong moments from
the ensemble as a whole.” Susan
Conley, Wow.ie, 20th May 2004.
“Actor
Paul Nugent says that despite the subject being a
controversial issue, it is something that people can identify with on many
levels. ‘We try our best to choose stories that anyone can come and see and
not feel alienated by. I think people tend to think that shows like this will
be a bit avant garde or
provocative or strange in some way, but the key thing is that a show should
have the ability to appeal to a wide range of people, which I think it
does.’” Louise Healy, Evening
Herald, 11th May 2004.
The Glory of Living
“Paul Nugent's
portrayal of Steve, a witness for the prosecution, was imbued with much
heartache and sorrow. The rest of the cast also performs admirably ...
excellent production ... superbly acted." James McMahon, rte.ie/Aertel, 19th
July 2005.
The Miracle Worker
"Paul
Nugent supplies an interestingly sardonic undertone to his
role as Helen’s older brother James, an attitude refined by his perception of
how he thinks his father feels about him." Paul Kolas, Worcester
Telegram Gazette, 10thJanuary 2006.
"The cast is deserving of praise ...
Paul Nugent shows James’ struggle to survive in a
family where so much is focused on his wild half-sister. As a group, they
make us feel the stress and dysfunction they must live with, yet always
bathed in the civility of the proper Southern manners." Nancy
Grossman, BroadwayWorld.com, 19th January 2006.
The Beauty Queen of Leenane
"Each member of the four-person cast gives a strong
performance ... Paul Nugent plays
the energetic youth, Ray ... His performance seems to come from an entirely
different era than his costars'. Though he may express himself wildly and
impatiently, Nugent's character often voices the thoughts of the audience.
Nugent gives a strong performance, punctuated by moments of vulnerability and
humor, and he creates a vivid juxtaposition between the outside world that he
comes from and the stifling world he enters ... It's
tough subject matter, but the subtle performances of the actors make the play
enjoyable." Emily Dreyfuss,
Connecticut Main Street,
10th March 2006.
The Field
“Only the Flanagans' sensitive older son, Leamy
(Paul Nugent), retains enough
innocence to squirm at their dishonorable role in the fraud. … The actors
convey the conflicts in their souls in ways that register subtly but surely,
as when Maimie almost whispers to her son, when he
complains of their complicity, "God we're a pity, Leamy
... the whole bunch of us." Charles Isherwood , New York Times, June 2nd
2006
“Played
by the sweet Irish juvenile Paul Nugent,
who surprised us all by standing up to Bull when he threatened his mother.” Reader Reviews, New York Times Online, May 31st
2006
“An almost pitch perfect
cast … lifts the work far above almost every other Irish play now showing in
the city … the actors’ skilled inhabitation of their characters lend this
production this production the mystic thrum of an early Tennessee Williams
piece … small but unforgettable moments stay with you … the tenderness that
passes between a mother and her son moments before they are pulled into a
maelstrom they can neither control nor escape.” Cahir
O’Doherty, Irish Voice, June 7th – 13th
2006.
“[The]
cast fill their perfs with realistic detail. The
entire ensemble creates a clear vocabulary of gestures and vocal mannerisms,
and their choices cohere into a vivid stage community.” Mark Blankenship,
Variety, June 1st 2006
“[The]
talented ensemble bring out all the nuance and
richness of Keane’s engaging script.” Jessica Branch, Time Out, Issue 558 June 8th –14th 2006
“It’s a credit to the
production’s fine actors that they inhabit their roles so fully that it seems
they have known each other for decades.” Joy
Goodwin, New York
Sun, June 2nd 2006
“Supporting cast shine in
Rep's intelligent staging of Keane favorite.” Joseph Hurley, Irish Echo, May
31st-June 6th
“An intense and powerful
saga with an excellent cast … Paul Nugent
is another of the vivid characters in Keane’s play.”
David
Rothenberg, WBAI Radio, June 8th 2006.
“A strong cast performs
well … The Flanagans are portrayed with economical
effectiveness by Cleary, Cassidy, and Nugent.” David
Finkle, Theatermania.com, June 2nd 2006.
“Spellbindingly acted by a first-rate cast … the
dozen actors occupy their roles with such passion and commitment that you’d
think they were born to play them – they render Keane’s rugged creations in
vivid, raw detail.” Martin Denton, nytheatre.com, May 28th 2006.
 
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