REVIEWS
The Lady of Larkspur Lotion (Tennessee
Williams) - Courtyard Theatre London
"There are certainly some fine performances from the cast.......Rita
Hamill convinces in her personal turmoil as Mrs Hardwick-Moore, crassly
titled The Lady of Larkspur Lotion"
The Stage
The Field by J B Keane - Tricycle Theatre London - Director Roisin McBrinn
"...this is the first London production in two decades of J.B. Keane's 1966 play. Roisin McBrinn's fine revival reveals the original as a gripping, gutsy drama. Lorcan Cranitch's Bull is frighteningly convincing...and is surrounded by vivid support. Rita Hamill is a poignantly fading, flame-haired beauty, her strutting sexiness giving way to the slumped despair of a woman eroded by the claustrophobia and hypocrisy of village life, and by endless drudgery and child-bearing".
The Times
"...The excellent cast deliver performances rich in insight and idiosyncrasy, particularly Tony Rohr as the dilapidated barfly and Rita Hamill as the publican's spirited spouse who is sorely frustrated by her small-minded community".
The Observer
"...Along the way, Keane offers some sharp social insights into life in south-west Ireland...the chattel-like status of the publican's wife who has borne her husband nine children. All this comes across clearly in Roisin McBrinn's lively production. And I have no complaint about...Rita Hamill as the ceaselessly fertile wife..."
The Guardian
"...the supporting roles are superlatively played too, from Tony Rohr.....to David Ganly as the duplicitous barman and Rita Hamill as his unhappy wife. This is a tremendous evening, entertaining, dramatic, yet with an underlying melancholy about human nature that lingers potently in the memory".
The Daily Telegraph
"The first half of this two-and-a-half-hour drama takes place in 1965 in a bar-cum-auction house run by Mick and Maimie Flanagan. David Ganly plays a solid citizen while Rita Hamill is charming as his flighty wife."
The British Theatre Guide
Living Quarters by Brian Friel - Peacock Theatre Dublin - Director Jason Byrne
".....Jason Barry has encouraged powerful performances from this strong cast...."
The Irish Press
Limbo - The Crypt Arts Centre, Dublin Castle
"The author-director is in debt to the cast...includes Rita Hamill...all excellent."
The Irish Press
Learning to Drive By Sean Moffatt - Bewley's Theatre Cafe, Dublin - Director Jane McDaid
"...Learning to Drive shifts gear many times over an hour and 10 minutes, as the versatile Rita Hamill demonstrates her emotional range. This monologue, is a beautifully modulated piece, initially enigmatic as the nervous widow (Hamill) tentatively rebuilds her life after the sudden death of her husband. The result is funny, engaging and poignant."
The Irish Times
"This one woman play tells the story of an overly anxious, mentally unstable widow who tries to come to terms with the traumatic circumstances surrounding her husband's death. Rita Hamill in this difficult and exhausting role is brilliant, working a stilted sometimes over elaborate script into a moving performance."
Teletext
End of Term by Maeve Binchy - National Tour - Director Tim McDonnell
".....Rita Hamill and Margaret Toomey are excellent as the teachers...."
The Irish Times
Red Devils by Debbie Horsefield - National Tour - Director Mary Linehan
"......if the test of an actress is that she can suppress her true feelings and convince the audience that what she is up to on stage is her real self, then Rita Hamill is well on her way to the top".
The Sunday Press
"Red Devils centres around four girls from Manchester who are football crazy. The best thing about Red Devils - apart from the acting, which is simply superb (Rita Hamill, who plays Beth, is particularly brilliant) - is that it brings to the stage a new concept of what drama is."
Dublin Echo
"......an interesting performance from a Gaiety School graduate Rita Hamill as the "pisshead" who screams at "wogs" on the terraces and gets herself a bloody ear for her pains. They give it their all with spunk and gutso".
The Sunday Times
Mary and Lizzie by Frank McGuinness - Crypt Arts Theatre - Dublin Theatre Festival - Director Jo Mangan
".....and the best feature of the evening was the acting of Mary Linehan as Mary Burns and Rita Hamill as Lizzie Burns".
The Sunday Press
"...but Rita Hamill and Mary Linehan as the Burns sisters, had the best and most sustained parts and made the most of them".
The Irish Times
Laundry and Bourbon by James McClure - Andrew Lanes Studio - Director Mary Linehan
".....in which......and Rita Hamill shine like the stars their characters aspire to....."
The Sunday Press
"...there is wit, observation and compassion in the writing and considerable accomplishment in the playing by Elizabeth Moynihan, Orlaith De Burca and Rita Hamill under Mary Lenehan's direction".
Sunday Independent
The Man From the North by Paul McVeigh - Edinburgh Festival - Director Lousie Stafford-Charles
".....Rita Hamill as the rather spiteful Ma Campbell outshines the men in their performances. Though the plot is too predictable the play grips and entertains".
"The Scotsman"
The Factory Girls by Frank McGuinness - Bickerstaffe Theatre Co Kilkenny - Director Richard Cook
".......while Rita Hamill gives it her all as a battered wife and looks certain to be a much-in-demand actress".
The Kilkenny People
"....McGuinness's people are, however, very real and equipped with dialogue that falls naturally from their lips. A first-rate team delivers it here......Rita Hamill a distraught mother....they are a brilliant team. This is essentially a comedy with a wry view of different women reacting and inter-acting under stress. They are worth looking at".
The Irish Times