Kings

Thirty years after their youthful emigration from the Irish countryside to working-class London, five middle-age friends (Colm Meaney, Donal O’Kelly, Brendan Conroy, Barry Barnes, Donncha Crowley) gather for the funeral of their fellow “paddy” (Sean O Tarpaigh). But it is all too clear that hard labor, booze, varying degrees of failure and the promises of the past have taken a toll. Kings might be an unrelentingly bleak and brutally honest portrait of men at the brink, but it transcends its roots as an award-winning play thanks to even-handed direction and a fine ensemble cast.

Shelf Talk: A thoughtful portrait of the aging Irish underclass, Kings will appeal to those already steeped in serious Irish dramas such as The Butcher Boy.