Brian M. Haney, Michelle Charisse, Caitlyn Kelly, Philip J. Shortell, Rachel Foster, Graydon Clarke, David Yakubik, and Parker Owen Photo by Howen Photography

Albuquerque had its own little Irish theatre festival some years ago, spearheaded in large part by the late Alan Hudson, a professor of linguistics at the University of New Mexico and a frequent actor on local stages. He was proudly born and raised in the Republic of Ireland. One time, I told him that I had bought some Irish whisky, Bushmills. Oh no, he said, that's a mistake because Bushmills is from Northern Ireland!

I mention this anecdote because it points out the persistent animosity that many of the Irish have had toward the British ever since Oliver Cromwell and the Protestants invaded their island in 1649. This is a significant plot point in Translations, but there is a lot more to it.

Alan would have loved this play and this production. As the title suggests, it's largely about language and the difficulty of communicating across cultures. The setting is a small Irish village in the 1830s. Almost all of the population is monolingual, speaking only Irish. English to them is a very foreign language. All of the action takes place in a small school, a so-called "hedge school," which was sort of an underground education system for the peasantry, not sanctioned by the British. In this school, they are not being taught English. All the instruction is in Irish, and they are learning ancient Greek and Latin and translating Homer and Virgil. Most of the students want nothing to do with the British, although one wants to learn English just so that she can emigrate to Brooklyn.

Into this little village come an English cartographer and an orthographer to map out that part of Ireland and to translate the place names from Irish into words that the English could pronounce. At first, relations are cordial, but could they stay that way? If you know your Irish history, you'll know the answer.

The most brilliant scene is a dialogue between Maire, the young woman who wants to get to America, and Lieutenant Yolland, the young orthographer. Neither one understands what the other one is saying, but they don't really need to. It is beautifully acted by Rachel Foster and Graydon Clarke.

The acting all around is terrific. It's a great delight, a privilege really, to see two old pros like James Cady and Philip J. Shortell on stage together. It's a master class in acting. Parker Owen, Brian M. Haney, Myles Hughes, Caitlin Kelly, Michelle Charisse, and David Yakubik compose the rest of the cast, and all do very fine work.

A lot of credit goes to the director Joe Feldman, who cast the show so well and elicited such good performances. Donna Marie Barra is the stage manager. There is another perfect set by Ryan Jason Cook, good lighting design by Riley Lewis, and excellent costumes by Rhonda Backinoff and props by the ever-reliable Nina Dorrance.

I don't know if this show is going to inspire a new spate of Irish plays being produced in Albuquerque, but if they're as good as this one, I'd welcome them heartily.

Translations, presented by West End Productions, runs through November 23, 2025, at North Fourth Theatre, 4904 Fourth Street NW, Albuquerque NM. Performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30, Sundays at 2:00. For tickets and information, please visit westendproductions.org.