The critical context is suggested by the two thematic interpretations of the play
It is at once part of a long traditional coming-of age play
The subject of leaving home is emotional enough, and the melancholy
music of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto only underscores this
sentimental thrust.
Towards the end of the play Gar and SB reveal significant memories
that they cannot share with each other, the mood is very moving.
However, Friel rises above sentimentality by his exploitation of comedy.
Private's satiric commentary along side moments of pure slapstick helps
keep the play from becoming maudlin.
It is also a part of the experimental movement of the 1960s.
The nonrealistic method of presenting one character with two
actors helps to dispel the sentimentality which comes from the
story
Some say that it is the familiarity of the story that allows the experimental technique to work
The tension between the familiar, sentimental plot and the highly
experimental technique emerged as the decisive factor in creating
the play's commercial and critical success