“Impossible not to love and a pleasure to know,” is how the Artistic Director of Galway International Arts Festival, Paul Fahy, summed up Frasier actor John Mahoney who died on Sunday.
John Mahoney was known worldwide as the irascible Marty Crane, father to the uptight Frasier and Nils, in the TV series Frasier but in Galway, people came to love him for his stage performances.
Mr Mahoney’s relationship with Galway and the Arts Festival began in 2000 under the event’s then Artistic Director, Rose Parkinson, when he played the lead role of James Tyrone in Eugene O’Neill’s play, Long Day’s Journey into Night. Although he was a member of the world-renowned Steppenwolf, who also took part in that year’s Festival, Mr Mahoney appeared in Galway with the fledgling Irish Repertory of Chicago. His generosity to that fledgling company was typical of the man who became an avid supporter of the Arts Festival, and was its patron for several years.
His most recent appearance at the Festival was in 2014, when he appeared in Chapati, written by local playwright Christian O’Reilly and co-produced by the Arts Festival and Chicago’s Northlight Theatre.
In between, there were outstanding performances in works such as Bruce Graham’s The Outgoing Tide, a three-hander written especially for John Mahoney, dealing with the difficult issue of dementia. That was presented by Northlight, with whom he developed a close relationship, while still being a member of Steppenwolf.
Paul Fahy visited Mr Mahoney in Chicago last November, when the Frasier star was performing in Steppenwolf’s production, The Rembrandt.
The actor, who had previously defeated cancer 21 years ago, had been given the all-clear from stage three throat cancer late last year.
Although he had been in frail health, he had discussed returning to Galway with Paul Fahy – there were tentative plans for The Rembrandt to be staged here.
See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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