A friend told me about a production that she loved at Inis Nua Theatre that was going to close after a three-week run this weekend. I was scheduled to go to plays on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday this week and the only way I could squeeze it in was to attend on Wednesday, to see “Can’t Forget About You,” though it was too late to write a review. I loved it so much that I had to tell everyone that it was the best show I’d seen in many months. So here it is.
“Can’t Forget About You,” by George Ireland, which first opened in 2013, and is making its American premiere, is a comedy. But it’s not a silly comedy. It’s sensitive and real as it deals with loss. Stevie (Adam Howard) is grieving over the the loss of his girlfriend. He is 25. Though it is years after her husband left her, Stevie’s sister Rebecca (Alice Yorke) is dealing with that. Even their mother, Dorothy (Megan Belwoar), a religious Protestant in East Belfast (where the play takes place), is struggling in her way. She was pregnant with Stevie when her husband died. And then there is Martha (Genevieve Porter), who Stevie meets in a Starbucks. She is still in therapy after losing her husband seven years before. Sound grim? It’s not. She is old enough to be Stevie’s mother, yet they become involved.
Ireland’s play is about sex and love- more about sex. . It’s about religion but it is not a religious play. It’s as much about the rejection of religion and alternatives to it. It’s mostly about discovery as the characters develop and learn things about each other and about themselves. And we are laughing through these discoveries and nodding our heads “yes” as the story moves along.
And move along it does as the play has many locations. The fluid changing of the set pieces is a treat to watch. Kudos to set designer Nick Embree! And thank you, Melanie Julian for giving the actors the lilt of the Irish dialogue without making it challenging to understand. But most of all, I can’t say enough about the outstanding direction of the play by the theater company’s artistic director, Kathryn MacMillan.
Comedy is a very personal thing. To lead a cast that is making jokes about sex and love, loss and grieving, religion and atheism, is a challenging task to make it all seem real. MacMillan has done it. It is not a spitfire of jokes flying at us. She has found the moments to reflect and the moments to respond. And with this outstanding cast, we are watching not just the talkers, but those on stage who are responding with so many different expressions.
I am so glad I went to this unique comedy. I can’t believe that it took 13 years to reach an American stage. Thank you, Inis Nua for giving me what might be the best play in Philadelphia for 2026!
“Can’t Forget About You” by David Ireland at Inis Nua Theatre Company at The Proscenium Stage at the Drake, 302 S. Hicks St., Phila., PA 19102, 215-454-9776, inisnuatheatre.org, thru April 5,, 2026
Philadelphia Theater Reviews by Frank Burd 