25 year old Gar O’Donnell is going to Philadelphia. Brian Friel’s play Philadelphia Here I Come! invites us into Gar’s world on the night of his departure. We see his frustration with his life working in his father’s store in the small (fictional) Irish village of Ballybeg and the memories that push him away and anchor him at the same time.

The scene of the action is Gar’s home. The set is made up of two parts – Gar’s Bedroom and the dining/living room - and is skilfully lit to emphasise different aspects at different times. The set and the music successfully evoke the feel of 1960s Ireland. The clock on the wall becomes an integral part of the play as the actors move the hands of the clock round, as though time in Ballybeg is reluctant to move of its own accord.

Gar is represented by two actors – the public Gar, played by Tom Nickalls, and the private Gar, played by Aled Roberts. They carry their joint role well, with Nickalls managing to maintain his shy and introverted manner whilst his more expressive alter ego walks around speaking. This contrast between the two helps highlight the claustrophobic nature of Gar’s life so far. All the actors masterfully manage to appear oblivious to the presence of the private Gar, making it easy to believe someone so very present, is invisible.

The story flits between the past and the present, showing us how Gar’s shyness and fears lost him the girl he loved (Kate, played by Belle Lupton), how desperate his American Aunt Lizzie (Kirsten Sample) is for a child to share her fortunes with, how Gar’s uncommunicative father (Matthew Quin) loves his son, but is unable to find the words to tell him so. The ties that bind Gar to Madge, the motherly housekeeper (Helen McGowan), are amply demonstrated through subtle nuances.

Once I got over the annoyance of the disappearing-reappearing Irish accents, I found myself sucked into Gar’s world. I watched the father and son sit facing each other in silence and willed there to be a break in the tension. I cared about the characters and felt their sadness.

The play explores the awkwardness of paternal love, the treachery of memory, the frustration of not being able to say the things that buzz round your mind and how it’s always hard to leave home – no matter how much it drives you mad.