Reviewed by Judd Hollander
There's a moment in Martin McDonagh's pitch-black comedy The Beauty Queen of Leenane where the
entire audience gasps over a certain character's actions. It's a sound not of
horror or pain, but rather of anger and disgust over what they see is about to
happen; as well as their inability to do anything about it. Such is the power
of this completely shattering work, which offers a look at the dark side of
family relationships. The work performed to absolute perfection by The Druid
Theater Company at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
In County Galway , Ireland Leenane .
The two have a tense and caustic relationship, that has grown more combative
over time. With her two sisters married and gone, Maureen has long since become
Mag's de facto caregiver. Mag's daily wants in terms of tea, food, listening to
the radio or watching the television - all accompanied by various digs at her
daughter - have begun to take their toll on the younger woman. In addition to
her family responsibility, there's another reason why Maureen stays with her
mother. One which Mag lords over her every chance she gets.
Maureen's perennially depressed outlook is exacerbated by
the fact she recently turned 40, and sees nothing in her life ever changing.
Her only victories over her mom coming when she deliberately buys her the wrong
type of cookies or biscuits. Mag, who harbors a deep fear of being sent to a
home for the aged, does all she can to prevent any type of change to their status
quo.
However things do change when Maureen learns that Pato Dooley
(Marty Rea), an old friend who moved to London ,
is coming back from a visit. Their subsequent meeting turning into something more,
and which presents the possibility of a lasting happiness for Maureen.
Something Mag is determined to stop at all costs.
It should be noted that Mag sees her need to keep her daughter
by her side as perfectly legitimate. Mag's status and identity are all tied up
in her home, possessions and daily routine. The thought of being reduced to
just another old person alone somewhere absolutely terrifies her. It's that
fear which has turned her into someone with a pathological need to control
those closest to her, which in turn has the effect of alienating those who, in
other circumstances, would be her closest allies.
At the same time, one can't help but feel sympathy for
Maureen, a woman who is certainly deserving of a life of her own. Pato finding
himself caught between these forces in an initially hilarious sequence where
both mother and daughter try to get the upper hand. Pato soon desperately
wishing he could anywhere else.
Having seen the Druid production of the play when it was
first performed in New York
twenty years ago, it was the bleakness of the show I remembered most of all.
What I had forgotten however, until I saw it again, was just how funny The Beauty Queen of Leenane can be. McDonagh
not hitting anyone over the head with a message, but rather slowly drawing the
audience into the drama by initially treating the mother-daughter relationship in
a comical way, and thus quite relatable to anyone who has ever had to care for
another. At least part of the comedy is delivered by Aaron Monaghan as Pato's
younger brother Ray, who comes by to deliver letters or impart vital bits of
news to Mag and Maureen. He, like his brother, bringing a sort of outsider
quality to the two women's environment. Once which both ladies welcome, albeit
for completely different reasons.
Not simply content with the initial narrative, McDonagh
turns the story on its head several times by showing that the accusations Mag
and Maureen level against each other are perhaps not that far off the mark.
There's also the question of just how much described is actually true. The
characters at times creating their own perception of reality to fit the
situations in which they find themselves.
Garry Hynes, who directed the original production of Leenane, guides the play with strength
and subtlety. She allowing the characters to take center stage and thus makes
the play about these specific individuals who you care for, root for, or root
against. At the same time, she never permits the comedic moments to overwhelm
the underlying seriousness of the situation. The final effect being quite
powerful and affecting. Hynes won a Tony Award for her directorial efforts with
the show originally and quite deservedly so.
Mullen, who played Maureen in the original production, winning
a Tony for the role, is excellent here as the physically weak, but mentally
devious Mag. Someone who is determined not to lose what she has; at least not without
a fight. The actress also offers up some hysterical moments via her slowly
changing expression when she realizes Pato and her daughter have spent the
night together.
O'Sullivan strikes a powerful yet poignant note as Maureen,
a woman wanting to finally have a life of her own and who is terrified of becoming
just like her mother. Rea is good as the earnest if perhaps too trusting Pato.
His scenes with Mullen offer some hilarious moments, particularly when he
unwittingly serves up some poetic justice for Mag via a bowl of porridge.
Monaghan is fine as Ray; the only character who doesn't change during the
course of the play, but rather is content to go on his merry way, never conscious
of the effect his actions have on others.
Francis O' Connor's set of the Folan home is appropriately
drab and depressing. Nothing warm or happy here, rather just a gray and empty
space. Greg Clarke's sound design and lighting by James F. Ingalls ably adds to
this effect.
Perfectly executed on so many levels, The Beauty Queen of Leenane is a masterpiece in showing how bad
family life can be when one side doesn't take the time to truly consider the
wishes and needs of the other.
The Beauty Queen of Leenane
by Martin McDonagh
Featuring: Aaron Monaghan (Ray Dooley), Marie Mullen (Mag
Folan), Marty Rea (Pato Dooley), Aisling O'Sullivan (Maureen Folan).
Set Design by Francis O'Connor
Lighting Design by James F. Ingalls
Sound Design by Greg Clarke
Composer: Paddy Cunning
Presented by the Druid Theater Company at the Brooklyn
Academy
Tickets: 718-636-4100 or www.bam.org
Running time: 2 hours, 25 minutes, one intermission
Closes: February 5,
2017
