It's a bold stroke to put on stage in an hour and a half a poet of the stature of Walt Whitman, the recognised (as well as the self-appointed) bard not just of democracy but of America itself.  There is plenty to explore - he was a proto-feminist, a nationalist, bi-sexual, an advocate of  racial equality, but above all a great humanitarian.  And as John Farrell, who wrote and presents  this astonishing one man show notes, we may well find him more pertinent now than ever before. For those unfamiliar with Whitman this is a perfect introduction.  Farrell succeeds triumphantly in endearing us to his hero through a careful selection from his massive output of poetry. He entrances us with his language and moves us with his humanity without shielding us from the bombast and overpowering sense of his own importance -  something of an achievement since the poet saw no need to examine the nature of God on the grounds that there could not be any creation more wonderful than himself.  Whitman doesn't do metaphor - his poetry  is conversational, rhetorical, direct and is skilfully and theatrically integrated with the text  - Farrell reads not from a volume but from larger than life rough paper copies.   Ironically the poem for which he is best known, Captain my Captain, written on the death of George Washington,  is one of the very few in which he employs rhyme and metre. (It's a  particularly nice touch to have Whitman toss a copy of  it to an audience member to read, as he can no longer bear it himself)  Whitman's life story is presented through amusing anecdotes and observations  - many chosen to delight an Irish audience - and we get enough biographical detail to both understand his influences and observe him through other people's eyes.In subtitling his show Time Traveller Farrell allows Whitman  to speak beyond the grave, making scathing remarks about Yeats and the the Beat poets as well as his contemporary Emily Dickinson.  
Whitman's  poetry was dismissed as vulgar by many of his contemporaries during his lifetime and it wasn't until Emerson pronounced  Leaves of Grass  'the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom that America has yet contributed' that he began properly to occupy his self appointed niche.  
n Walt Whitman Time Traveller, given its first incarnation in a charming and intimate production by the ever-enterprising Beehive Theatre Company, John Farrell has added another string to his distinguished theatrical bow.  It deserves to be seen world wide.

Camilla Dinkel    “West Kerry Live” December 2011