About The Show
“It is only in the shelter of our neighbors that we all can live.”
“It is only in the shelter of our neighbors that we all can live.”
After a sell-out run in Dublin in 2022, Parcel From America will make its New York Premiere featuring an International Cast from Ireland and the United States. Adapted from a tale by acclaimed Irish storyteller Tomáseen Foley, Parcel from America, features a book and lyrics by Jahnna Beecham, Malcolm Hillgartner, and Michael J. Hume, with music by Malcolm Hillgartner and Kevin Corcoran. The production is directed by J.R. Sullivan, with music director and arranger Kevin Corcoran.
"At Christmastime, more than all the Christmas cards, more than all the symbols of Christmas, for me, growing up as a small boy in Teampall an Ghleanntain, the prime symbol of Christmas was the parcel from America. And every family had a relative in America, and they would send home a parcel at Christmastime. And in that parcel would be a big pile of clothing that they had accumulated in America over the previous year. And very often in that parcel would be an envelope stuffed with dollars. And I can tell you that for many families, more cash money would come into the house in that envelope at Christmastime than in the course of the whole year that had preceded it. So that parcel was looked forward to with the same glee and anticipation by grown men and women as young children look forward to Santy Claus. For this was the real Christmas present at that time in Teampall an Ghleanntain from the United States of America.”
"At Christmastime, more than all the Christmas cards, more than all the symbols of Christmas, for me, growing up as a small boy in Teampall an Ghleanntain, the prime symbol of Christmas was the parcel from America. And every family had a relative in America, and they would send home a parcel at Christmastime. And in that parcel would be a big pile of clothing that they had accumulated in America over the previous year. And very often in that parcel would be an envelope stuffed with dollars. And I can tell you that for many families, more cash money would come into the house in that envelope at Christmastime than in the course of the whole year that had preceded it. So that parcel was looked forward to with the same glee and anticipation by grown men and women as young children look forward to Santy Claus. For this was the real Christmas present at that time in Teampall an Ghleanntain from the United States of America.”
"At Christmastime, more than all the Christmas cards, more than all the symbols of Christmas, for me, growing up as a small boy in Teampall an Ghleanntain, the prime symbol of Christmas was the parcel from America. And every family had a relative in America, and they would send home a parcel at Christmastime. And in that parcel would be a big pile of clothing that they had accumulated in America over the previous year. And very often in that parcel would be an envelope stuffed with dollars. And I can tell you that for many families, more cash money would come into the house in that envelope at Christmastime than in the course of the whole year that had preceded it. So that parcel was looked forward to with the same glee and anticipation by grown men and women as young children look forward to Santy Claus. For this was the real Christmas present at that time in Teampall an Ghleanntain from the United States of America.”
Parcel From America is the story of a young boy and a lonely widow in a remote parish in the west of Ireland, and the importance of one special parcel that changes the lives of the entire community, carrying them all into the true heart of Christmas.
Inspired by the history of Irish emigration and the cherished parcels filled with gently used clothing and much-needed dollars sent by loved ones from across the Atlantic, this musical celebrates the old Irish adage that “it is only in the shelter of our neighbors that we all can live,” a theme that rings especially true in these fraught times.
Company of the 2022 The Dublin Production of Parcel From America.
Learn More about the development of Parcel From America.