The Beauty Queen of Leenane
by Tom
Williams October 31, 2002 What a rare treat! This magnificent
play, direct from Ireland is a masterpiece. The winner of four Tony Awards
in 1996 including Best Play, The Beauty Queen of Leenane is part of Martin McDonagh's
Leenane Trilogy, which includes A Skull in Connemara and Lonesome West. McDonagh
has been described as the most original and serious Irish playwright in years.
In McDonagh's plays everday banality takes on sinister undertones, coupling this
with dark comedy and melodramatic plots makes for interesting theatre. Performed
beautifully by the Ennis Players with an all-Irish cast, this show demonstrates
the quality of Irish theatre. Ennis Players considered by many as one of Ireland's
most innovative theatre companies, showcase McDonagh's brash humor, rich language
and inventive storytelling in a beautifully realized production of this dark and
bitingly funny play. Set in a shabby, isolated cottage in the west of Ireland,
the play tells the darkly comic tale of a mother and daughter engaged in an epic
battle of ordinary life. The mother whines and bullies to get her way while the
plain, unmarried forty-year-old daughter, resentfully carries out the mother's
every command. The women spend their days in endless rounds of petty insults
and physical threats as each maneuver for control of their isolated existence.
When Maureen is offered a chance at love and a new life with Pato Dooley, this
once-benign terrain grows treacherous and the two women, bound by blood but driven
by desperation, will do anything to survive. Pato's brother Ray provides the
light relief in this potent family drama. Full of universal theme as it
applies to any place where people are trapped by circumstances, whether family
or social; this play redefines 'dysfunctional families.' The cast of four
wonderfully talented actors is lead by Geraldine Greene's powerful, wicked Mag
Folan. This could be the best performance of the year seen on Chicago stages.
Greene got us to hate the evil old lady. She was great! While everyone in the
cast gave fine performances, I enjoyed the comedic timing of Joe Varden as the
simple-minded Ray Dooley. It is refreshing to see an Irish play performed
by Irish actors here in Chicago. This play is worth seeing and will only
be here for three more performances. Make plans to see this terrific play;
it will get you laughing and surprise you with its ending. This fast-paced production
captivates audiences from the start and transforms us into the bleak world of
rural Ireland. The set, shipped in from Ireland, gives the show a realistic look
at how the poor live. It underscores the message of this show. Don't miss this
theatrical treat. You don't have to Irish to love this show. The Beauty Queen
of Leenane is a great play! Highly Recommended Tom Williams
tom@chicagocritic.com | 
