Theatre Reviews
Theatre Reviews
King Lear
© Manuel Harlan
The Financial Times – Ian Shuttleworth | 2 October 2017
“As the treacherous Edmund, Damien Molony is fluent and downright casual in his serial wickednesses, almost sociopathic.”
WhatsOnStage – Maxwell Cooter | 2 October 2017
“There’s an excellent supporting cast: Damien Molony’s smooth-talking Irish charmer of an Edmund – it’s easy to see why so many fall for his deceptions…”
Broadway World – Rona Kelly | 2 October 2017
“The world of Munby’s King Lear feels big, its rotundity encompassing and drawing in audiences. From the King to the “poor naked wretches”, we see their stories and weather the storms with them. The strength of this production comes from its impressive ensemble, led by an incredible but not infallible McKellen” “Damien Molony’s bastard Edmund takes after his father. His actions planned meticulously, this Edmund is an individual with a desire only for power. His relationship to the sisters is an important feature in other productions; here, he uses them as much as they use him.”
Evening Standard – Henry Hitchings | 2 October 2017
“Jonathan Bailey’s Edgar is a touching study of transformation — from naive innocence into morally serious worldliness — and Damien Molony captures the self-seeking resentment of his half-brother Edmund.”
The Metro – John Nathan | 2 October 2017
“thriller-paced and intimate production” “The thinking is clear: an unhinged leadership has created a political climate in which the scheming Edmund (Being Human’s Damien Molony) and the barbarity of Lear’s pitiless daughters (Dervla Kirwan and Kirsty Bushell) can thrive.”
The Guardian – Michael Billington | 1 October 2017
“Jonathan Munby’s smart, lucid production features plenty of pomp and circumstance, and a superbly detailed performance by McKellen”
British Theatre Guide – Sheila Conner | 1 October 2017
Of the Earl of Gloucester’s two sons—another fight for inheritance here—Damien Molony really gets into the spirit of bastard son Edmund, wily, devious and resentful, while legitimate Edgar (Jonathan Bailey) is innocently far too trusting. Fight director Kate Waters, as well as the battle scenes, has choreographed a frighteningly credible fierce fight between the two boys, extremely well executed and there must be a bruise or two to show for it.
The Times – Anne Treneman | 30 September 2017
“Damien Molony and Jonathan Bailey excel…”
The Stage – Mark Shenton | 30 September 2017
“This King Lear is an intensely moving experience..” “There’s strong work, too, from Jonathan Bailey as a notably lithe Edgar, Damien Molony as Edmund, and the superb Michael Matus as a blustering Oswald”
No Man’s Land
© Johan Persson
The Londonist – Neil Dowden | 21 September 2016
“There is strong support from Owen Teale as the gruffly voiced, aggressive Briggs and Damien Molony as the provocatively camp Foster to complete a well-balanced ensemble of competing forces scrabbling around in no man’s land.”
Broadway World UK – Tom Cox | 20 September 2016
“Damien Molony gives a superb Foster, oozing charisma, flirting just the right amount to confuse both Spooner and the audience. Matched by Owen Teale’s steely Briggs, the pair completes this quartet of excellence. The whole cast is a worthy ensemble, and regardless of your appetite for Pinter it’s a pleasure seeing them flex their theatrical muscles and squeeze meaning out of every line.”
The Telegraph – Dominic Cavendish | 20 September 2016
“All four actors on stage (with Damien Molony and Owen Teale completing the quartet) display a deft sense of how to knock every utterance for six..”
The Guardian – Michael Billington | 20 September 2016
“four excellent actors, under Mathias’s direction, exquisitely capture the fluctuations of mood of this remarkable play”
The Independent – Paul Taylor | 20 September 2016
“two thuggish minders whose insolent possessiveness and vaguely homoerotic complicity are excellently communicated by Owen Teale and Damian Molony.”
The Stage – Mark Shenton | 20 September 2016
“The two actors, [Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart] a year apart in age at 76 and 77 respectively, are extraordinary in the way they convey a sense of isolation and containment, and they find plenty of humour too in the imposing gloom of Mathias’ darkly calibrated production…Owen Teale and Damien Molony also bring the required sense of menace to the servants who police their interactions.”
Radio Times – Tony Peters | 20 September 2016
“Everyone is good: Stewart is the picture of melancholy, while Damien Molony and Owen Teale are sinister as Hirst’s mysterious associates. But it’s McKellen who gives the masterclass. Every tic, every expression, every fumble with his hat or coat is carefully measured. You simply can’t take your eyes off him.”
Time Out – Andrzej Lukowski | 20 September 2016
“Set and costume designer Stephen Brimson Lewis also extracts some definite LOLs with the ‘70s setting: Molony and Teale look ludicrous, and a the deadpan deployment of an anachronistic serving trolley gets a deserved round of giggles. ”
“It’s not a boundary-pushing or definitive production, but it’s a finely-balanced and entertaining one, suggestive of the absurdity and chaos of late life and the disintegration of memory.”
Theatre Reviews UK – Stephen Collins | 17 September 2016
“Molony is an exemplary “vagabond cock”, a bristling, pouting, sexually ambiguous and latently terrifying Foster. He makes dark shadows his friend and convinces as a lurker on the edge, one whose power and influence over Hirst waxes and wanes. His loud clothes reflect his arrogance and his sense of his own masculinity. The moment he plunges Spooner into darkness is chillingly intense. Molony is superb.”
Theatre Smart | 10 September 2016
“Special mention to Damien Molony and Owen Teale who play the servants – not easy characters to make sense of, but acting of an impeccable standard nonetheless.”
Wales Arts Review – Gemma Briggs | 1 September 2016
“Damien Molony’s Foster has a lightness of tone, even when discussing the metaphorical No Man’s Land “which never moves, which never changes, which never grows older, but remains forever, icy and silent.””
Arts Scene in Wales – James Ellis | 31 August 2016
“..complimented by the supporting cast of Damien Molony and Owen Teale. Molony is Foster, Hirst son of sorts, spinning great little stories and as Teale’s Briggs is a threatening thug, who could violently snap at any moment. These two are their own double act, along with Hirst and Spooner.”
Wales Online – Karen Price | 30 August 2016
“The pair are later joined by Welsh Game of Thrones actor Owen Teale as Hirst’s personal assistant Briggs and Damien Molony as his apprentice and housekeeper Foster, who look like they’ve stepped out of a scene from The Sweeney with their authentic ’70s garb.They are certainly not in the shadow of the acting sirs..”
GScene Magazine – Eric Page | 23 August 2016
“Molony’s Foster is the picture of charming menace, visceral and mercurial, and his performance – like all the acting this evening – was superb.”
Chichester Observer – David Guest | 23 August 2016
“Damien Molony and Owen Teale as Foster and Briggs stay just on the right side of being threatening – are they staff, family, lovers or jailers? Often coming across as bullies, they reveal themselves as educated and eloquent in their own ways, and perhaps there is no escape for them either… a sublime and beautiful production.”
Chronicle Live – David Whetstone | 16 August 2016
“Damien Molony’s self-regarding young Foster, flicking his 70s-style hair and cutting through the air of drink-fuelled gentility with swear words…The mood swings, the threats, the moments of high comedy and the linguistic brilliance combine to make one hell of a good night in the theatre.”
Wear Valley Advertiser – Sarah Scott | 16 August 2016
“We had just witnessed brilliance.”
The Star – Julia Armstrong | 11 August 2016
“Foster (Damien Molony), full of his own attractiveness…Sean Mathias’s elegant direction plays to the cast’s considerable strengths.”
Derbyshire Times – Alan Payne | 10 August 2016
“Hirst has two servants, Briggs and Foster, played with subtle menace by Owen Teale and Damien Molony.”
Leeds Book Club – Dr neevil | 7 August 2016
“Owen Teale and Damien Molony in their supporting roles of Briggs and Foster were equally impressive.”
The Hard Problem
Damien Molony (Spike), Olivia Vinall (Hilary) © Johan Persson
“The performances are engaging and confident, particularly Vinall and Molony as the clever and abrasive Spike.”
BritishTheatre.Com – Stephen Collins | 11 February 2015
“The best performance comes from Damien Molony as Spike” “Molony is excellent at being the bad boy, and he also captures perfectly the cynical side of an academic/ thinker who despises those with whom he disagrees but with whom he is not above having sex.”
British Theatre Guide – Philip Fisher | 8 February 2015
“..dazzling new play..” “[Hilary] enjoys a series of trysts and debates with her American erstwhile professor and colleague/rival Damien Molony as Spike. While they are happy to exchange quips about game theory, the sparks only really start flying when religion becomes the central debating topic.”
Train Of Brain | 3 February 2015
“Damien Molony gives a strong, straight-talking performance that complements Olivia Vinall’s naïve Hilary in a way that makes their scenes easily the most engaging and substantial throughout.”
Broadstreet Review – Carol Rocamora | 3 February 2015
“Stoppard is offering a 90-minute jewel — one that, in the tradition of theater of ideas, will challenge you to think as well as feel.”
” Vinall… leads an able cast, including Damien Molony as her pragmatic paramour”
“[Vinall] breathes believable life into the role, proving herself to be a truly magnetic force on stage. A confident Damien Molony provides stark contrast as her bullish, dogmatic and cutting tutor turned lover, who, alongside Parth Thakerar’s strutting, money-hungry Amal add shade to Hilary’s otherwise almost overwhelming goodness.” The Standard Arts – Henry Hitchings | 29 January 2015
“an intellectually charged piece that delights in the slippery nature of language and pulses with interesting ideas.”
Mail Online – Quentin Letts | 28 January 2015
“Here are 100 minutes of condensed brain-ache, marbled by wit and some camisoled sexiness..
Damien Molony.. keeps stripping to his rippling six-pack.”
The Guardian – Michael Billington | 28 January 2015
“..we are made to care about Hilary, who is excellently played by Olivia Vinall. She brings out every facet of a woman who is altruistic, questing and vulnerable, and who asks all the right questions even if she doesn’t know all the answers. She is strongly supported by Jonathan Coy as her anxiety-ridden department boss; Damien Molony as her armour-plated lover; Vera Chok as her dazzling protege; and Anthony Calf as a financial titan..”
The Body Of An American
Dan Hutton Reviews | 7 March
“James Dacre’s staging is enviably simplistic, existing as little more than two actors and two chairs. These four objects hurtle through time and space at breakneck speed, reconfiguring themselves with each change of scene or tone. The two actors – William Gaminara and Damien Molony – throw themselves into each character with complete conviction, and still show a clear through-line as ‘Paul’ and ‘Dan’ respectively, with the issues of each slowly consuming the other.”
The Real Chrisparkle | 6 March 2014
“I can’t imagine how two minds can come together to perform this play with such verbal precision and dexterity as carried out by William Gaminara and Damien Molony.”
Northampton Chronicle | 1 March 2014
“The acting of Molony and Gaminara throughout feels natural and authentic. Arguably Gaminara has the easier task. Drawing drama and anguish from the life of a war photographer would appear to be relatively simple. But the additional layers of world-weary humour and charisma are worn like a second skin and, despite the fragmented format, make his portrayal immensely believable. Molony must have had to dig deeper but, though it is a close thing, he finds the richer vein. The fact that he shades the acting duel in a play ostensibly about the other character is great testimony to the younger man’s ability to affect audience members in a limited space. When he speaks straight at you, it feels natural rather than studied. Therefore in the battle to captivate he wins on points, the honesty and humanity channelled in such a fashion you would imagine the playwright would be thrilled.”
The Public Reviews – Maggie Constable | 1 March 2014
“Taking the role of keen, young Dan, a man full of inner doubts and demons, is Damien Molony who is utterly convincing. You are there with him all the time, feeling his angst as much as his desire to understand Paul.”
Stage Reviews | 28 February 2014
“William Gaminara and Damien Molony as the snapper and the playwright respectively make no apology for the full-on, graphic nature of their subject matter, and it’s all the more powerful because of it. Never more than inches away from the audience, theirs are terrific performances of bravery and honesty, and director Dacre takes full advantage of their copious talents.”
The Observer – Susannah Clapp | 2 February 2014
“William Gaminara and Damien Molony not only lock Hemingwayesque horns as the two main men, but also take on a myriad smaller roles, as Inuit aircrew, the dead man’s brother, a Rwandan interpreter. They do so with delicacy as well as ferocity.”
The Guardian – Lyn Gardner | 26 January 2014
“Damien Molony is Dan, a man struggling to finish his play and face his own demons. The acting is knockout, it has the muscular quality of a contest and yet it is scrupulously generous, too.”
Damien Molony Forum – fifi | 26 January 2014
“Surrounded by the audience and with only a chair to hide behind, Damien is compelling as the playwright, drawing the audience into his world with a truthful performance worthy of such open, honest writing. The two actors play a plethora of characters between them, flitting effortlessly between voices and changes in tone as the ghosts of memories intertwine with conversation and Damien is equally engaging as, among others, a parody of a South African psychiatrist and the American soldier’s grieving brother.”
Exeunt magazine – Stewart Pringle | 21 January 2014
“The challenging text is impressively wrangled by William Gaminara and Damien Molony, who flit between dozens of incidental characters as well as sudden impersonations of one another’s characters with superb clarity.”
Whats On Stage – Jimmy Kelly | 21 January 2014
“actors William Gaminara and Damien Molony (both superb) share between them around 80 parts – switching roles even in mid-sentence. They present not just myriad characters from countries as diverse Somalia, Afganistan and Northern Canada; but the difficult and fractured personalities of both the writer and photographer, who by their own reckoning are each to at least some degree, “crazy misfits”.”
The Stage – Aleks Sierz | 21 January 2014
“Gaminara and Molony as the world-weary Paul and the enquiring Dan are both excellent.”
Timeout London – Patrick Marmion | 21 January 2014
“the performers impress most with William Gaminara’s Paul having the gaunt look of a man who’s been to the end of the line and Damien Molony’s fleshier cheeks belying an intensity of his own”
The Upcoming | 21 January 2014
“Molony and Gaminara are both excellent, doing justice to a complex and powerful script.”
London Evening Standard – Henry Hitchings | 21 January 2014
“Two actors, William Gaminara and Damien Molony, play roughly 30 characters. Gaminara is gut-wrenchingly believable as Paul, whose air of decisive toughness prompts a nagging Dan (the equally impressive Molony) to accuse him of giving a “kind of Hemingway patina” to his recollections.”
If You Don’t Let Us Dream We Won’t Let You Sleep
Damien Molony Forum – fifi | 20 March 2013
“Damien convincingly created three very distinct identities for these characters, each one compelling and to some extent sympathetic whilst not necessarily being likeable – impressive in a play where the characters are primarily a conduit for a political message.”
Partially Obstructed View | 25 February 2013
“Damien Molony has been showing off his range impressively on TV lately and he’s doing the same here, as the spirited Irish protester..who uses his country as the example of a place that’s lost its dreams to austerity and crumbled as a result; but also doubling as a scarily aggressive, racist thug who abuses Lucian Msamati’s minimum-wage immigrant worker.”
The Public Reviews – Andy Moseley | 21 February 2013
“The cast all deliver excellent performances, and it’s impossible to single any one person out for individual praise in an ensemble piece with no weak links in the chain.”
British Theatre Guide – Philip Fisher | 21 February 2013
“If You Don’t Let Us Dream, We Won’t Let You Sleep is perhaps the most powerful piece of political theatre that has appeared for some years.”
Travelling Light
Damien Molony Forum – London Laura | 7 August 2012
“Damien perfectly captured Motl’s passion, commitment and talent for making movies.”
National Post – Robert Cushman | 19 June 2012
“Damien Molony is gently charming”
Yorkshire Post | 23 March 2012
“Mendl is played by Damien Molony..and it’s a testament to him that his complex and layered performance almost matches that of master craftsman Antony Sher”
“The young Mendl is played by Damien Molony, a recently trained young actor who carries the central character with sensitivity and pathos.”
Yorkshire Evening Post | 15 March 2012
“it is man-of-the-moment Damien Molony who is star of the show… Molony delivers an impressive performance which pivots on sheer exuberance.”
“Travelling Light is a play and a production of obvious quality, courtesy of Nicholas Hytner’s incomparable direction and a cast of superb actors. But, ultimately, it’s all about Damien.”
The Public Reviews | March 2012
“The story is told from one man’s point of view: Motl Mendl, played convincingly by Damien Molony.”
The Guardian | 19 January 2012
“Damien Molony doubles effectively as the idealistic Motl and a New York 1930’s actor.”
The Times | 19 January 2012
“It’s a Sher delight to see this tribute to the silent film era” “a golden hearted tragicominc fable”
‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore
The Telegraph – Dominic Cavendish | 19 May 2011
“the juvenile leads here fall on the barely tested shoulders of Damien Molony and Sara Vickers. They acquit themselves very well indeed – sensuous, beautiful, and moving up the register of desperation with a finesse that bodes well for both.”
A Younger Theatre – Catherine Noonan | 18 May 2011
“Damien Molony skilfully depicts Giovanni descending into a frenzied, impassioned madness”
Whatsonstage – Ron Simpson | 11 May 2011
“Sara Vickers and Damien Molony, barely out of drama school, give the siblings all the devotion and apparent innocence you could wish.. the intelligence and intensity of their performances suggest highly successful careers for both.”
