Brian Friel’s play Faith Healer is now considered to be, if not his masterpiece Translations (1980) probably takes that distinction at least one of his most successful works, but it took a while before its sneakily subverted approach to truth and illusion was appreciated. Its 1979 Broadway première, directed by José Quintero and starring James Mason no less, lasted a mere twenty performances. The fact that it is structured as four monologues probably did not appeal to a Broadway audience accustomed to colour and movement. Its many subsequent productions, including a magnificent one from the Abbey Theatre in the early 1990s starring Donal McCann, Judy Geeson, and Ron Cook have proved its worth although there are still recalcitrant critics like the Spectator’s Lloyd Evans whose supercilious review of a recent production sees it as patronising blarney and calls it ‘a miserable snapshot of Ireland’.