Tuesday 10th October @ 8pm
Off The Meter, On The Record
A play by John McDonagh
A comedic glimpse into 35 years behind the wheel of a New York City yellow taxi, Off The Meter is a pithy social commentary from New York’s most recognizable cab driver about life spent behind the wheel. John McDonagh, veteran radio host, has condensed thirty-plus years of activism, reality show antics and observation into a love song to the city that never sleeps.
From the plight of the NYC homeless to the crazy demands of Upper East Side matrons, McDonagh brings the audience from laughter to tears and back again faster than the apparition of umbrella dealers on a rainy day. Throw in his tales of brushes with the rich and famous, and you have Irish storytelling at its best.
Residing in Queens, New York City, John’s parents were from Donegal and Tyrone, and he spent his childhood going back and forth between Queens and his uncle’s sheep farm outside of Pettigo, Donegal. He began his career as a cab driver after serving in the US army in Germany during the Vietnam war.
Off the Meter represents the culmination of a forty year career of driving a yellow cab in New York City, while trying to make a difference in the world. A glimpse into the changing landscape of the city from the unique position of behind the wheel of an NYC yellow cab, and takes the audience from tears to hilarity in the speed of a New York minute. Initially presented during the NYC Fringe Festival, it had a successful sold out run at the Irish Repertory Theatre in New York City, and was directed by Irish Rep founder Ciaran O’Reilly. Shown in theaters in Boston and New York, it also received the First Origin Irish Theatre Spirit Award in January of 2022 and was shown in the Sean O’Casey Theatre in Dublin before capacity crowds as part of the O’Casey Festival, where it was very well received.
When not performing the play, John co-hosts a weekly radio show with Malachy McCourt on WBAI, 99.5 FM in NYC every Sunday. He is a board member of the Irish American Writers and Artists, and has featured on the BBC program Steven Fry in America, Top Gear with Richard Hammond, and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
A Q&A will take place after the show with guest Conal Creedon.
Stephen Fry – ” My Fellow Cabbie- The best and most articulate guide I have ever had”
Richard Hammond – ” John McDonagh is faster than a New York Minute”
New York Times – “The Bard of Gridlock”
New York Daily News – ” John takes Passengers and theatre goers on one hell of a ride”
Irish Echo – ” Rip- Roaring -Side Spitting -Tongue in check one man play”
New York Irish Arts – ” “Off The Meter” offers a topsy-turvy journey through the New York streets”
Woman Around Town – “Had Mark Twain driven a yellow cab instead of a riverboat, his stories might’ve been like those of populist raconteur John McDonagh”
The New Yorker – “he’s an unfailingly affable raconteur… It’s all fascinating stuff”
The Epoch Times -“An absorbing portrait of a city and society in continual flux, as told by someone who has lived through it, Off the Meter, on the Record makes for an extremely satisfying journey.”
TheaterScene – “uproarious and moving”
Theatre’s Leiter Side – “Hilarious…It’s hard to think of anyone who could who could do justice to the New York cabby’s life better than John McDonagh.”
Curtain Up – ” it’s a gem”
Tickets: €15, Concessions €12
*Booking fees apply.
