Patrick Kealey, Actor

The Life And Rhymes Of Archy And Mehitabel

Adapted by Patrick Kealey, Theatre Nation.

Kealey is a masterful performer, and his renditions of the different characters, especially Tom, the old theatre cat, are superb. His delivery of Marquis’ humorous tales kept the audience chuckling appreciatively throughout and make this a performance not to be missed. 

Georgina Blair – Buxton Fringe review

A compelling solo performance by Theatre Nation’s Patrick Kealey. Kealey delivers this dialogue in a mostly classic New York patter. He is one of the most watchable actors I have ever seen. His stage presence is incredible, every word is a new thought from his brain, every movement intentional, every character (for which there are many) different and distinct. This is how solo shows should be done.

Joe Brooks – Barnstaple Fringe review

Voted Best Actor – Buxton Fringe Festival 2024

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Fiction Romance

John Knowles, Fetch Theatre

In Patrick Kealey’s one-man performance, the connections are beautifully drawn between Antonio’s connection to the sea, at once dreading it and attracted to it, and his ability to fall in love with unattainable beauties. Like the sea, Kealey’s performance draws you into a world that is at once alluring and dangerous, while his relaxed stage presence and warm, mellifluous voice make the audience feel totally secure in his company. With a few simple props and this accomplished actor as your guide, you’ll be as enchanted by this play, as Antonio is by Sebastian.

Robbie Carnegie – Buxton Fringe review

Hastings-based playwright/director/actor Kealey has a way with a beady Mariner’s eye, and possesses a voice that can growl or soar a high tenor, utterly penetrating. Kealey’s the ideal interpreter of this deeply-wrought way to think of Twelfth Night’s Antonio.

Simon Jenner – Fringe Review, Brighton fringe review

Kealey was brave in his emotional choices. He invited us into his thought processes, and allowed himself to be vulnerable. Raw emotional outbursts  as his anger and frustration emerged, gave the play an added edge. Kealey’s performance was so heartbreaking to watch that Fiction Romance was not just a play, but an emotional rollercoaster.

Sascha Cooper – Brighton fringe review, Broadway Baby (5 Stars)

Voted Best Actor Buxton Fringe Festival 2025

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“Hypocrisy”

Dan Bradford Play With Fire Productions, Chapter One Books, Manchester November 2025

From the moment you step foot inside this dazzling site-specific production, audiences are greeted with a detailed immersive experience where Kealey is seated, breathing slowly. This moment invites audience members into his present space, immediately connecting spiritual practice with the dedication of the performer. I would have been happy watching two hours of Kealey and Price debate common beliefs in spiritual practice without any intervention. Bradford’s writing is quick-witted and highly intellectual, Every actor held up to a remarkably quick, funny and brilliantly intense script, allowing the actors to almost feel raw.

Madim French

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The Weir

Conor McPherson; Stables Theatre

And then there is Jack, blustering, bravura, a born storyteller, a loquacious charmer, a drinker whose life, like Jim’s, has not gone very far. Juggling drinks, cigarettes, newspaper and engaging with the other characters in his Irish accent, Patrick Kealey dominated the show with a barnstorming performance. People talk, nothing happens. It’s a great evening.

Mary Barrett

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Waiting For Godot

ACE tour 2022, director David Glass

Billy Clarke and Patrick Kealey bring out the pair’s pathos, their fear of being alone, their codependence and their childishness. Each performance must have left them emotionally and physically exhausted. Patrick Kealey’s Estragon (Gogo) – has great clarity, directive speaking and intellectual detail. There’s touches where Clarke and Kealey inhale that terror and pathos that renders Godot heart-breaking and hilarious by turns. Kealey’s ‘leaves’ manages it sometimes too. Clarke like Kealey has real presence; you know you’re watching two terrific actors,

Simon Jenner – Plays International

… what emerged was a show that engaged everyone, hooked from the beginning via the dynamic Laurel and Hardy style partnership of Billy Clarke and Patrick Kealey. The chemistry of Clarke and Kealey was so intense and child-like that they were taking on many chances to play with dirt, nature and the prospect of death as a form of release

Sasha Cooper – Bexhill Radio

And to much acclaim and laughter … the actors give a sterling performance, combining vaudeville, physical theatre and brilliant comedic timing. David Glass said that he “wanted to return to its roots in vaudeville, silent movies, music hall verbal gymnastics and knock about,. In this often physically demanding endeavour, he and the cast have succeeded brilliantly.

Glyn Carter – Hastings Independent Press

David Glass, the Director, says that he wanted to build a ‘physical life’ to the play, based on the often comical and danced elements of music-hall and Commedia dell’Arte, and for this reviewer he’s succeeded brilliantly. The actors have whitened faces, and from Billy Clarke as Vladimir, and Patrick Kealey as Estragon, we got the feeling we were watching an old couple who’ve been together for many years;

Strat Mastorias – Brighton Fringe Review

David Glass said that he “wanted to return to its roots in vaudeville, silent movies, music hall verbal gymnastics and knock about,. In this often physically demanding endeavour, he and the cast have succeeded brilliantly. Beckett’s genius is to turn this ironic absurdity completely on its head, as both cast and director gleefully embrace it to the limit.

Zelly Restorick/Steve Stone – Hastings Online Times

All five characters, Pozzo, Vladimir, Estragon and Lucky, used highly stylised clowning and movement vocabulary in great detail and to strong effect. This was a grass-roots, direct to the audience, emotionally engaging play, in the full use of that word.

Jenny Miller – Barefoot Opera

Polyamory?

Tom Daldry – Hastings Fringe Festival

Mark is a raddled older man who works at the Council and pretends to be an MP with a sordid desire to control his young lodgers. The performance is like a dance This play is about compromise – why we choose to give control of our lives to someone or something else – and how we can escape from coercive control. The three actors were brilliant at conveying the emotions and repression that flow through the script.

Erica Smith – Hastings Online Times