I went through the natural process that most actors go through. I brought myself out here, had an audition on a Wednesday then had a call-back on Thursday, had a call-back on Friday and I had it by Friday afternoon.

I guess home is where the heart is, as they say. I've moved around the stage a lot - but I had intended on moving to New York anyway so I could live closer to Ireland and to Europe. That's where my sensibility is. This has just facilitated that process.

It's like a Master Class in Acting for three hours. I go to work and I learn so much and do so much. I'm privileged. I'm privileged to be on stage with them. That's all I can say. They're extremely generous. There are no egos in the room at all.

For me, it's about having a full life wherever I come to set my hat for a while so I like to be in a place that offers me a base that's rich and full of people. New York certainly has that at the moment.

You don't get a chance to sit back and relax because this is the point where we're tweaking things to see what works and what doesn't work so the level of concentration is very focused. But who wouldn't be happy with this? It's a great opportunity and a really great piece of writing. I'm just really very fortunate.

It's a piece that is so interactive, and relies so much on these five men in the room, that I think will appeal to the life experiences every person has, in some small way. Every aspect of the play will in some way touch somebody or they'll know someone that has a likeness... very representative of real life.

I don't want to denounce musicals because they certainly have a message they want to communicate. But with straight plays, there is a focus on what's going on between people and relationships. I think so much is happening in the world at the moment, so many changes politically and culturally, writers are writing about that.