THIRST, a play by Ronan Noone, presented by Irish Classical Theatre Company, directed by Kate LoConti Alcocer, starring Aleks Malejs, Kai Crumley, and Peter Johnson. The show runs from November 7th through November 23rd, 2025: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. Located at ICTC, 625 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203. For tickets: 716-853-4282 | irishclassical.com
THUMBNAIL SKETCH: The concept is pretty cool. THIRST is set during Eugene O’Neill’s classic play Long Day’s Journey Into Night (LDJIN). It simultaneously plays out in a single day. While LDJIN takes place in the living room, focusing on the Tyrone family, THIRST happens solely in the kitchen, highlighting the stories of two Irish immigrants, Bridget Conroy (the cook), her niece Cathleen Mullin, and the Tyrone’s American chauffeur, Jack Smythe, in New London, Connecticut, circa August 1912. The play focuses on a search for belonging, finding success (as in making it in America), and making a home in a new country. It scales themes of love and passion, failure and denial, and escaping the choices and confines of one’s past. Tensions grow as the three characters navigate their emotions, desires, and frustrations—all while carrying out their daily tasks.
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 30 minutes, with one 15-minute intermission.
THE PLAYERS, THE PLAY, AND THE PRODUCTION
Kate LoConti Alcocer directs THIRST with an intimacy and cohesiveness that elicit compelling performances from her three actors. Aleks Malejs as Bridget, Kai Crumley as Cathleen, and Peter Johnson as Jack play their characters convincingly as they interact—sometimes intensely, sometimes hilariously, and sometimes heartbreakingly. The Irish accents of Malejs (Bridget) and Crumley (Cathleen) were solid and unwavering as their kitchen conversations relentlessly unfold. They are in a constant state of motion, either preparing meals or cleaning up from them.
Aleks Malejs is absolutely engrossing; you can’t take your eyes off her. I have been a fan since People, Places and Things, not long after I moved back to Buffalo from NYC. She gives a multilayered performance as Bridget. Ms. Malejs is utterly gripping as you see loss, grief, shame, pain, and disappointment flicker throughout her exquisitely expressive face. There is a stoic subtlety to Malejs as Bridget, as she drinks her way through the evening. You also see other emotions bubbling under the surface, as she wrestles with whether she deserves to be loved or to be happy, trying to find a comfortable way to live with herself.
Kai Crumley brings a youthful rebellious spirit mixed with hope and optimism to Cathleen, Bridget’s spunky niece. Cathleen knows she will break free of being the Tyrones’ servant—quite the opposite of her Aunt Bridget, whom we assume has been the Tyrones’ cook for 16 years since arriving from Ireland. Ms. Crumley has a glint in her eyes that illuminates ambition and drive as Cathleen, a winsome young woman who dreams of climbing the ladder of success in America, possibly becoming a famous actress.
Peter Johnson, fresh off his excellent performance in Road Less Traveled’s production of Our Lady of 121st Street, gives another outstanding performance as Jack Smythe, the American chauffeur to the Tyrone family. Mr. Johnson delivers a nuanced performance as Jack, who suffers from past decisions, has regrets, but manages to find hope among his surroundings. Johnson’s Jack carries a quiet dignity with him, but when he lets loose, it’s a dazzling display of fireworks. Johnson’s Jack is a blend of charm, humor, longing, and angst.
The set of the spacious Tyrone kitchen is truly impressive; the attention to detail makes it feel like a real home where people work and live. Congrats to scenic designer David Dwyer, and kudos to props designer extraordinaire Diane Almeter Jones for creating a space that draws you right in. Lighting designer Matt DiVita works his usual magic, taking our characters from morning to nighttime gently and seamlessly. The costumes and hair design by Kenneth Shaw are perfect for the period, and Christopher Guilmet makes a major contribution in the sound design work, especially with the Tyrone’s dialogue going on in the other room.
In the playwright’s note, Mr. Noone states that THIRST speaks directly to the immigrant experience: the internal pressure to prove the journey was worth it, to justify leaving behind your home, your language, your culture, and your identity to start anew in America. They feel they must “make it,” and THIRST explores what it takes for an immigrant to survive. My theater companion wept at one point during a poignant exchange at the end of the play. Her mom was an Irish immigrant who recounted her own history, coming to America, then to NYC, Westchester, and finally Buffalo, working whatever jobs she could get to survive. She said her mom had a similar box, as you will see featured in the play, full of shamrocks brought over from Ireland. I could see how much the play resonated with her, and I was so glad we could experience it together.
The title THIRST could parallel Mary Tyrone and Bridget Conroy, both trying to numb pain and quench a thirst: Mary with morphine and Bridget with alcohol, trying to quell their desires for what life could have been or could be. It may be THIRST for a new life, where Bridget and Jack can run away together and leave the monotonous life of certainty they exist in. It could be Cathleen’s thirst for fame and fortune. She has only just arrived in America; what she may lack in a master plan, she definitely thirsts for a better life.
The construct of diving into the lives of secondary characters of established works has become more popular these days, and I found it to be both fascinating and generally satisfying. You do not need to be overly familiar with Mr. O’Neill’s LDJIN to enjoy THIRST, but it does not hurt if you know the original play. As the Tyrones are heard offstage, our three protagonists bring all their hopes, dreams, and flaws to a shared kitchen table. They have more in common than regrets and heartbreak—they are three survivors who will hopefully not suffer the fates of the folks they work for.