ALONE IT STANDS by John Breen Premieres at 59E59 Theaters

L-R: Ed Malone, Henry Raber, David O'Hara, Rob McDermott, Chase Guthrie Knueven, and Sarah Street in ALONE IT STANDS.  Photo by Heidi Bohnenkamp.

The US victory over the Soviet Union in ice hockey in the 1980 Winter Olympics came to be known as the “Miracle on Ice.”  It was, after all, an extraordinary event: the Soviets were overwhelming favorites, they had taken the gold in five of the previous six Olympics, and their players were primarily professionals, whereas the American team consisted exclusively of amateurs and was the youngest team in the tournament. Little wonder that, two decades later, Sports Illustrated crowned the “Miracle on Ice” as the top sports moment of the Twentieth Century, nor that in 2008 the International Ice Hockey Federation named it the best international ice hockey story of the previous hundred years.

Less well remembered was a similar upset that occurred two years before the “Miracle on Ice.” Munster, a small Irish provincial rugby team stunned Ireland when, in 1978, it defeated the New Zealand All Blacks (who, at the time, were generally considered to be one of the greatest teams in rugby history).  To be sure, the event was not as momentous to the rest of the world as was the “Miracle on Ice,” but it sure was to the Irish who, at the time, were suffering through war and economic recession.  For the Irish, the upset victory could not have come at a better time.

Alone It Stands, written and directed by John Breen, relates the story of that remarkable sports event and its effect on the Irish people.  Originally opening in 2000 at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin, the play transferred to London’s West End, and went on to become an international hit.  At last it has crossed the Atlantic and is currently enjoying its New York premiere at 59E59 Theaters on East 59th Street in midtown Manhattan as part of Origin’s 1st Irish Festival.

This is an exceptionally entertaining play, a brilliantly choreographed work, an exuberantly athletic romp, and a celebratory paean to the indomitability of the human spirit.  A truly talented cast of six play – wait for it, this is not a typo – sixty-two (62) different characters including the players on both rugby teams (Munster and the All Blacks), coaches, spouses, fathers, nurses, fans, street children, baby twins, a pregnant woman, a pet dog, and - before I forget – a newborn emerging from the birth canal!  Much of the play is devoted to the rugby game itself, with grueling scrums aplenty, but the multiplicity of scenes also include a celebratory bonfire, a wake (you can’t have an Irish play without a wake!) and, of course, that cheerfully and tastefully executed childbirth moment.

The play’s entire cast of five men (Chase Guthrie Knueven, Ed Malone, Henry Raber, Rob McDermott, and David O’Hara) and one woman (Sarah Street) deserve accolades for their performances, both on the field and off.  Casting is almost as gender-blind (and even species-blind!) as you can get: Sarah Street more than holds her own on the rugby field and in the scrums although her real star turn comes in a more natural role as the birthing mother; Chase Guthrie Knueven performs well as a pet dog but his strongest performances are barreling down the rugby field; and while several of the male actors do provide a bit of comic relief in their momentary performances as women, their finest performances still are as male rugby players.  I guess when push comes to shove (or scrum or childbirth), boys will still be boys and girls will still be girls (and dogs will still be dogs).