Philadelphia Here I Come! Summary

Philadelphia Here I Come! Overview

Philadelphia Here I Come by Brian Friel is a play that captures the emotions and conflicts of the 25-year-old protagonist, Gareth O’Donnell as he plans to depart Ireland to go to Philadelphia. The tragicomedy explores relationships between fathers and sons, substitute mothers and sons and raises questions about identity, community and belonging. It covers a short span of time—less than two days—but brings out the dilemma of the protagonist by making a split between his external actions and internal thoughts and feelings through the characters of private and public Gar.