The Beauty Queen of Leenane.To February 12.
Basingstoke
THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE
by Martin McDonagh
Haymarket Theatre To 12 February 2005.
Mons Sats 7.45 pm; Mat: 3& 12 February 2pm
Page-to-Stage Day: Thursday 3rd February from 10:30am
Audio-described 12 Feb 2pm
Runs 2 hours 17 minutes One Interval
Tickets 0870 770 1088
www.haymarket.org.uk
Review Mark Courtice: 2nd February 2005
Murder mysteryWhy is this oddly disjointed play so popular? On the evidence of this showing it's something of a mystery. Admittedly this production often plays to its weaknesses, but director John Adams should not take all the blame.
Maureen and her mother live in a state of mutual hostility in a cottage in Leenane, Ireland. Mum watches Aussie soaps while Maureen, when not slaving for the old lady, reads and harbours romantic fantasies. Local man Pato (now working abroad most of the time) seems to offer a way out for her. The problem is - what to do with mother?
Despite including murder and madness, mixing reality and fantasy, the play is conventionally constructed. Each 20 minute-ish scene ponderously moves us to the inexorable conclusion. The tone is uncertain, trying for black comedy without being funny enough - uncomfortably mixing naturalism with Grand Guignol.
Adams' production does its best. He has chosen to play things very natural with the occasional crashing incursion of horror. Unfortunately this doesn't always work. Designer Elroy Ashmore's cottage surrounded by waterlogged peat bog isn't helpful. Important things are difficult to see and the lumbering set threatens to make the horror moments conventional old hat.
The early pace is deliberate, leaving room for domestic detail and family back-biting, but conventions like anchoring a character (the loathsome mum) in a chair centre stage and creating splits in the stage, requiring everyone to play round them, just slow things down unnecessarily.
Many of the characters are so horrible that it is hard to make us care about their fate. The actors have reacted to this in confusing ways. There is no coherent tone, so some energetic broad-brush performances battle with others carefully observing reality, neither fitting together.
The relationship between Maureen and Pato does work, because the two actors know their stuff. John Paul Connolly is excellent as Pato, dealing with a long letter scene with subtlety. With a part that has more gaps than substance he makes his scenes work to create a consistent person. Pauline O'Driscoll has good moments with Maureen, although the interminable early scenes defeat even her.
Mag Folan: Caroline John
Maureen Folan: Pauline O'Driscoll
Ray Dooley: Adam Moore
Pato Dooley: John Paul Connolly
Director: John Adams
Designer: Elroy Ashmore
Lighting: Simon Hutchings
2005-02-06 13:22:46