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The Leenane Trilogy
The Beauty Queen of Leenane and Other Plays
These three plays are set in a town in Galway so blighted by rancor, ignorance, and spite that, as the local priest complains, God Himself seems to have no jurisdiction there.
The Beauty Queen of Leenane portrays ancient, manipulative Mag and her virginal daughter, Maureen, whose mutual loathing may be more durable than any love. In A Skull in Connnemara , Mick Dowd is hired to dig up the bones in the town churchyard, some of which belong to his late and oddly unlamented wife. And the brothers of The Lonesome West have no sooner buried their father than they are resuming the vicious and utterly trivial quarrel that has been the chief activity of their lives.
"[McDonagh is] the most wickedly funny, brilliantly abrasive young dramatist on either side of the Irish Sea.... He is a born storyteller."-- New York Times
The Beauty Queen of Leenane portrays ancient, manipulative Mag and her virginal daughter, Maureen, whose mutual loathing may be more durable than any love. In A Skull in Connnemara , Mick Dowd is hired to dig up the bones in the town churchyard, some of which belong to his late and oddly unlamented wife. And the brothers of The Lonesome West have no sooner buried their father than they are resuming the vicious and utterly trivial quarrel that has been the chief activity of their lives.
"[McDonagh is] the most wickedly funny, brilliantly abrasive young dramatist on either side of the Irish Sea.... He is a born storyteller."-- New York Times
259 pages, Hardcover
First published September 8, 1998
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About the author
Martin McDonagh
27听books849听followersWhile still in his twenties, the Anglo-Irish playwright Martin McDonagh filled houses in New York and London, was showered with the theatre world's most prestigious accolades, and electrified audiences with his cunningly crafted and outrageous tragicomedies.
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October 13, 2022
I cannot wait for Banshees.
January 18, 2025
携 胁卸械 褔懈褌邪谢邪 袦邪褉褌褨薪邪 袦邪泻袛芯薪褍 褨 薪械 褉邪蟹. 袦邪褞 芯褋芯斜谢懈胁褨 褋褌芯褋褍薪泻懈 蟹 薪懈屑, 芯褋泻褨谢褜泻懈 屑芯褦 锌械褉褕械 褋胁褨写芯屑械 蟹邪薪褍褉械薪薪褟 褍 写褉邪屑褍 (褌械芯褉褨褞 泄 褌械泻褋褌懈) 胁褨写斜褍谢芯褋褟 褍 谢褨褌芯 锌褨褋谢褟 10-谐芯 泻谢邪褋褍 泄 袦邪泻袛芯薪邪 斜褍胁 芯写薪懈屑 褨蟹 泻谢褞褔芯胁懈褏 胁褨写泻褉懈褌褌褨胁 褌芯谐芯 锌械褉褨芯写褍.
芦袣芯褉芯谢械胁邪 泻褉邪褋懈 蟹 袥褨薪邪薪邪禄 鈥� 锌褉芯 斜邪蟹褍 袦邪泻袛芯薪懈: 袉褉谢邪薪写褨褞. 校 薪褨泄 褦 卸褨薪泻邪-褨褉谢邪薪写泻邪 袦芯褉褨薪, 褟泻邪 褏芯褔械 (褨 薪邪胁褨褌褜 锌芯褉褍褕褍褦) 屑芯褉邪谢褜薪褨 薪芯褉屑懈 鈥� 胁褨写胁械褉褌邪 褋褍泻薪褟, 写芯褕谢褞斜薪褨 褋褌芯褋褍薪泻懈, 卸邪谐邪 褉芯蟹锌褍褋褌懈. 袗谢械 薪邪泄胁邪卸谢懈胁褨褕械, 褖芯 斜邪褔懈屑芯 屑懈 鈥� 褨褉谢邪薪写褋褜泻褍 褨写械薪褌懈褔薪褨褋褌褜. 袧邪 蟹邪褉芯斜褨褌泻邪褏 褍 袗薪谐谢褨褩 锌芯谐邪薪芯, 邪谢械 泄 蟹邪谢懈褕邪褌懈褋褜 褍 袉褉谢邪薪褨写褨褩 褋泻谢邪写薪芯. 袙芯薪邪 蟹械谢械薪邪 褨 泻褉邪褋懈胁邪, 胁芯薪邪 褋胁芯褟, 邪谢械-邪谢械. 芦携泻斜懈 邪薪谐谢褨泄褑褨 薪械 胁褨写褨斜褉邪谢懈 胁 薪邪褋 薪邪褕褍 屑芯胁褍, 薪邪褕褍 蟹械屑谢褞 褨 薪邪褕械 袘芯谐-蟹薪邪褦-褖芯, 褌芯 褏褨斜邪 屑懈 屑褍褋懈谢懈 斜 褩蟹写懈褌懈 写芯 薪懈褏 胁懈锌褉芯褕褍胁邪褌懈 褉芯斜芯褌褍 泄 屑懈谢芯褋褌懈薪褞?禄
芦袥褞写懈薪邪-锌芯写褍褕泻邪禄 锌褉芯 褌邪斜褍 褨 屑芯褉邪谢褜薪褨 薪芯褉屑懈. 袛褨褌械泄 泻褉懈胁写懈褌懈 薪械 屑芯卸薪邪, 邪谢械 袣邪褌褍褉褟薪 泻褉懈胁写懈褌褜: 胁褨薪 锌懈褕械 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪薪褟 锌褉芯 褌械, 褟泻 写褨褌懈 锌芯褌褉邪锌谢褟褞褌褜 褍 褉褨蟹薪褨 薪械锌褉懈褦屑薪芯褋褌褨 泄 锌芯屑懈褉邪褞褌褜. 袟芯泻褉械屑邪, 锌褉芯 屑邪泄卸械 泻邪蟹泻芯胁芯谐芯 锌械褉褋芯薪邪卸邪 芦袥褞写懈薪褍-锌芯写褍褕泻褍禄, 褟泻懈泄 锌褉懈褏芯写懈褌褜 写芯 写褨褌械泄 褨 锌械褉械泻芯薪褍胁邪薪薪褟屑懈 锌芯蟹斜邪胁谢褟褦 褩褏 屑邪泄斜褍褌薪褜芯谐芯 锌褉懈褉械褔械薪芯谐芯 薪械 薪械褖邪褋褌褟 卸懈褌褌褟.
芦校褋褨泻薪芯胁械薪薪褟 褉褍泻懈 胁 小锌芯泻邪薪褨禄 鈥� 锌褉芯 袣邪褉屑邪泄泻谢邪, 褟泻懈泄 锌褉邪谐薪械 锌芯薪邪写 褍褋械 锌芯胁械褉薪褍褌懈 胁褌褉邪薪械薪褍 胁 写懈褌懈薪褋褌胁褨 泻褨薪褑褨胁泻褍. 笑械 泄芯谐芯 薪械蟹邪泻褉懈褌懈泄 谐械褕褌邪谢褜褌. 笑械 泄芯谐芯 褌褉邪胁屑邪. 笑械 泄芯谐芯 斜褨谢褜. 笑械 泄芯谐芯 邪褉谐褍屑械薪褌 褉芯斜懈褌懈 斜芯谢褟褔械 褨薪褕懈屑 薪邪 褕谢褟褏褍 写芯 褋胁芯褦褩 屑械褌懈.
袗谢械 薪邪褋锌褉邪胁写褨 褍褋褨 褌褉懈 褌械泻褋褌懈 锌褉芯 写懈褌褟褔褨 褌褉邪胁屑懈 褨 斜邪褌褜泻褨胁褋褜泻懈泄 胁锌谢懈胁. 袦芯褉褨薪 薪械 屑芯卸械 锌芯蟹斜褍褌懈褋褟 褋胁芯褦褩 屑邪褌械褉褨 袦械覒, 斜邪褌褜泻懈 袣邪褌褍褉褟薪邪 锌褉邪谐薪褍褌褜 胁懈褉芯褋褌懈褌懈 褋懈薪邪-谐械薪褨褟 泄 褋褌邪胁谢褟褌褜 薪邪写 薪懈屑 锌褋懈褏芯谢芯谐褨褔薪褨 械泻褋锌械褉懈屑械薪褌懈, 蟹薪褍褖邪褞褔懈褋褜 薪邪写 泄芯谐芯 斜褉邪褌芯屑 袦褨褏邪谢芯屑 (褍 写褉褍谐芯褉褟写薪懈褏 写褨泄芯胁懈褏 芯褋褨斜 鈥� 锌芯谢褨褑械泄褋褜泻懈褏 鈥� 褌械卸 褨薪写懈胁褨写褍邪谢褜薪褨 褋泻谢邪写薪褨 褨褋褌芯褉褨褩 蟹 斜邪褌褜泻邪屑懈 褔懈 斜邪褌褜泻褨胁褋褌胁芯屑: 褋械泻褋褍邪谢褜薪械 薪邪褋懈谢褜褋褌胁芯 蟹 芯写薪芯谐芯 斜芯泻褍, 胁褌褉邪褌邪 写懈褌懈薪懈 蟹 褨薪褕芯谐芯); 屑邪褌懈 薪械 锌褨写褌褉懈屑邪谢邪 袣邪褉屑邪泄泻谢邪, 泻芯谢懈 胁褨薪 胁褌褉邪褌懈胁 褉褍泻褍. 笑褨泻邪胁芯 褌械, 褖芯 卸芯写械薪 蟹 芯锌芯胁褨写邪褔褨胁 薪械 薪邪写褨泄薪懈泄. 袦懈 薪械 屑芯卸械屑芯 写芯胁褨褉懈褌懈褋褟, 薪械 蟹薪邪褦屑芯, 邪 褟泻 斜褍谢芯 薪邪褋锌褉邪胁写褨 泄 褖芯 斜褍谢芯 薪邪褋锌褉邪胁写褨, 写械 屑械卸邪 胁懈谐邪写泻懈 泄 锌褉邪胁写懈, 锌褋懈褏褨褔薪芯谐芯 褉芯蟹谢邪写褍 褨 胁褨写褔邪褞, 褋邪写懈蟹屑褍 褨 写芯斜褉芯褌懈.鈥ㄢ€�
袩始褦褋懈 袦邪泻袛芯薪懈 鈥� 褑械 褟泻 锌械褉械写邪褔邪 薪邪 小孝袘, 褌懈锌褍 芦袣芯褏邪薪邪, 屑懈 胁斜懈胁邪褦屑芯 写褨褌械泄禄, 邪谢械 小孝袘 锌褉邪谐薪械 褕芯褍, 邪 袦邪泻袛芯薪邪 褍褋械 卸 谢褞斜懈褌褜 褨 褕泻芯写褍褦 褋胁芯褩褏 谐械褉芯褩胁, 胁芯薪懈 芯斜始褦屑薪褨 泄 褋泻谢邪写薪褨. 校 褑懈褏 锌始褦褋邪褏 斜邪谐邪褌芯 谐邪褔泻褨胁 写谢褟 褉械卸懈褋械褉褨胁 褨 褔懈褌邪褔褨胁 鈥� 屑邪斜褍褌褜 褌芯屑褍 袦邪泻袛芯薪褍 邪泻褌懈胁薪芯 褋褌邪胁谢褟褌褜 胁 校泻褉邪褩薪褨. 鈥ㄢ€�
袛芯 褉械褔褨, 锌褉懈薪邪谐褨写薪芯 胁邪褉褌芯 蟹谐邪写邪褌懈 锌褉芯 锌芯写泻邪褋褌 芦小褌邪薪褑褨褟 451禄, 褍 褟泻芯屑褍 小邪褕泻芯 袦懈褏械写 屑褨褉泻褍褦 锌褉芯 袦邪泻袛芯薪褍 褌械褉邪褌褉邪谢褜薪芯谐芯 写褉邪屑邪褌褍褉谐邪 褌邪 泻褨薪芯褉械卸懈褋械褉邪: 薪邪 褔芯屑褍 胁褨薪 褋褌芯褩褌褜, 褖芯 写谢褟 薪褜芯谐芯 胁邪卸懈褌褜.
芦袣芯褉芯谢械胁邪 泻褉邪褋懈 蟹 袥褨薪邪薪邪禄 鈥� 锌褉芯 斜邪蟹褍 袦邪泻袛芯薪懈: 袉褉谢邪薪写褨褞. 校 薪褨泄 褦 卸褨薪泻邪-褨褉谢邪薪写泻邪 袦芯褉褨薪, 褟泻邪 褏芯褔械 (褨 薪邪胁褨褌褜 锌芯褉褍褕褍褦) 屑芯褉邪谢褜薪褨 薪芯褉屑懈 鈥� 胁褨写胁械褉褌邪 褋褍泻薪褟, 写芯褕谢褞斜薪褨 褋褌芯褋褍薪泻懈, 卸邪谐邪 褉芯蟹锌褍褋褌懈. 袗谢械 薪邪泄胁邪卸谢懈胁褨褕械, 褖芯 斜邪褔懈屑芯 屑懈 鈥� 褨褉谢邪薪写褋褜泻褍 褨写械薪褌懈褔薪褨褋褌褜. 袧邪 蟹邪褉芯斜褨褌泻邪褏 褍 袗薪谐谢褨褩 锌芯谐邪薪芯, 邪谢械 泄 蟹邪谢懈褕邪褌懈褋褜 褍 袉褉谢邪薪褨写褨褩 褋泻谢邪写薪芯. 袙芯薪邪 蟹械谢械薪邪 褨 泻褉邪褋懈胁邪, 胁芯薪邪 褋胁芯褟, 邪谢械-邪谢械. 芦携泻斜懈 邪薪谐谢褨泄褑褨 薪械 胁褨写褨斜褉邪谢懈 胁 薪邪褋 薪邪褕褍 屑芯胁褍, 薪邪褕褍 蟹械屑谢褞 褨 薪邪褕械 袘芯谐-蟹薪邪褦-褖芯, 褌芯 褏褨斜邪 屑懈 屑褍褋懈谢懈 斜 褩蟹写懈褌懈 写芯 薪懈褏 胁懈锌褉芯褕褍胁邪褌懈 褉芯斜芯褌褍 泄 屑懈谢芯褋褌懈薪褞?禄
芦袥褞写懈薪邪-锌芯写褍褕泻邪禄 锌褉芯 褌邪斜褍 褨 屑芯褉邪谢褜薪褨 薪芯褉屑懈. 袛褨褌械泄 泻褉懈胁写懈褌懈 薪械 屑芯卸薪邪, 邪谢械 袣邪褌褍褉褟薪 泻褉懈胁写懈褌褜: 胁褨薪 锌懈褕械 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪薪褟 锌褉芯 褌械, 褟泻 写褨褌懈 锌芯褌褉邪锌谢褟褞褌褜 褍 褉褨蟹薪褨 薪械锌褉懈褦屑薪芯褋褌褨 泄 锌芯屑懈褉邪褞褌褜. 袟芯泻褉械屑邪, 锌褉芯 屑邪泄卸械 泻邪蟹泻芯胁芯谐芯 锌械褉褋芯薪邪卸邪 芦袥褞写懈薪褍-锌芯写褍褕泻褍禄, 褟泻懈泄 锌褉懈褏芯写懈褌褜 写芯 写褨褌械泄 褨 锌械褉械泻芯薪褍胁邪薪薪褟屑懈 锌芯蟹斜邪胁谢褟褦 褩褏 屑邪泄斜褍褌薪褜芯谐芯 锌褉懈褉械褔械薪芯谐芯 薪械 薪械褖邪褋褌褟 卸懈褌褌褟.
芦校褋褨泻薪芯胁械薪薪褟 褉褍泻懈 胁 小锌芯泻邪薪褨禄 鈥� 锌褉芯 袣邪褉屑邪泄泻谢邪, 褟泻懈泄 锌褉邪谐薪械 锌芯薪邪写 褍褋械 锌芯胁械褉薪褍褌懈 胁褌褉邪薪械薪褍 胁 写懈褌懈薪褋褌胁褨 泻褨薪褑褨胁泻褍. 笑械 泄芯谐芯 薪械蟹邪泻褉懈褌懈泄 谐械褕褌邪谢褜褌. 笑械 泄芯谐芯 褌褉邪胁屑邪. 笑械 泄芯谐芯 斜褨谢褜. 笑械 泄芯谐芯 邪褉谐褍屑械薪褌 褉芯斜懈褌懈 斜芯谢褟褔械 褨薪褕懈屑 薪邪 褕谢褟褏褍 写芯 褋胁芯褦褩 屑械褌懈.
袗谢械 薪邪褋锌褉邪胁写褨 褍褋褨 褌褉懈 褌械泻褋褌懈 锌褉芯 写懈褌褟褔褨 褌褉邪胁屑懈 褨 斜邪褌褜泻褨胁褋褜泻懈泄 胁锌谢懈胁. 袦芯褉褨薪 薪械 屑芯卸械 锌芯蟹斜褍褌懈褋褟 褋胁芯褦褩 屑邪褌械褉褨 袦械覒, 斜邪褌褜泻懈 袣邪褌褍褉褟薪邪 锌褉邪谐薪褍褌褜 胁懈褉芯褋褌懈褌懈 褋懈薪邪-谐械薪褨褟 泄 褋褌邪胁谢褟褌褜 薪邪写 薪懈屑 锌褋懈褏芯谢芯谐褨褔薪褨 械泻褋锌械褉懈屑械薪褌懈, 蟹薪褍褖邪褞褔懈褋褜 薪邪写 泄芯谐芯 斜褉邪褌芯屑 袦褨褏邪谢芯屑 (褍 写褉褍谐芯褉褟写薪懈褏 写褨泄芯胁懈褏 芯褋褨斜 鈥� 锌芯谢褨褑械泄褋褜泻懈褏 鈥� 褌械卸 褨薪写懈胁褨写褍邪谢褜薪褨 褋泻谢邪写薪褨 褨褋褌芯褉褨褩 蟹 斜邪褌褜泻邪屑懈 褔懈 斜邪褌褜泻褨胁褋褌胁芯屑: 褋械泻褋褍邪谢褜薪械 薪邪褋懈谢褜褋褌胁芯 蟹 芯写薪芯谐芯 斜芯泻褍, 胁褌褉邪褌邪 写懈褌懈薪懈 蟹 褨薪褕芯谐芯); 屑邪褌懈 薪械 锌褨写褌褉懈屑邪谢邪 袣邪褉屑邪泄泻谢邪, 泻芯谢懈 胁褨薪 胁褌褉邪褌懈胁 褉褍泻褍. 笑褨泻邪胁芯 褌械, 褖芯 卸芯写械薪 蟹 芯锌芯胁褨写邪褔褨胁 薪械 薪邪写褨泄薪懈泄. 袦懈 薪械 屑芯卸械屑芯 写芯胁褨褉懈褌懈褋褟, 薪械 蟹薪邪褦屑芯, 邪 褟泻 斜褍谢芯 薪邪褋锌褉邪胁写褨 泄 褖芯 斜褍谢芯 薪邪褋锌褉邪胁写褨, 写械 屑械卸邪 胁懈谐邪写泻懈 泄 锌褉邪胁写懈, 锌褋懈褏褨褔薪芯谐芯 褉芯蟹谢邪写褍 褨 胁褨写褔邪褞, 褋邪写懈蟹屑褍 褨 写芯斜褉芯褌懈.鈥ㄢ€�
袩始褦褋懈 袦邪泻袛芯薪懈 鈥� 褑械 褟泻 锌械褉械写邪褔邪 薪邪 小孝袘, 褌懈锌褍 芦袣芯褏邪薪邪, 屑懈 胁斜懈胁邪褦屑芯 写褨褌械泄禄, 邪谢械 小孝袘 锌褉邪谐薪械 褕芯褍, 邪 袦邪泻袛芯薪邪 褍褋械 卸 谢褞斜懈褌褜 褨 褕泻芯写褍褦 褋胁芯褩褏 谐械褉芯褩胁, 胁芯薪懈 芯斜始褦屑薪褨 泄 褋泻谢邪写薪褨. 校 褑懈褏 锌始褦褋邪褏 斜邪谐邪褌芯 谐邪褔泻褨胁 写谢褟 褉械卸懈褋械褉褨胁 褨 褔懈褌邪褔褨胁 鈥� 屑邪斜褍褌褜 褌芯屑褍 袦邪泻袛芯薪褍 邪泻褌懈胁薪芯 褋褌邪胁谢褟褌褜 胁 校泻褉邪褩薪褨. 鈥ㄢ€�
袛芯 褉械褔褨, 锌褉懈薪邪谐褨写薪芯 胁邪褉褌芯 蟹谐邪写邪褌懈 锌褉芯 锌芯写泻邪褋褌 芦小褌邪薪褑褨褟 451禄, 褍 褟泻芯屑褍 小邪褕泻芯 袦懈褏械写 屑褨褉泻褍褦 锌褉芯 袦邪泻袛芯薪褍 褌械褉邪褌褉邪谢褜薪芯谐芯 写褉邪屑邪褌褍褉谐邪 褌邪 泻褨薪芯褉械卸懈褋械褉邪: 薪邪 褔芯屑褍 胁褨薪 褋褌芯褩褌褜, 褖芯 写谢褟 薪褜芯谐芯 胁邪卸懈褌褜.
October 15, 2020
谢褞斜谢褞 泄芯谐芯 褎褨谢褜屑懈, 邪谢械 胁懈褟胁懈谢芯褋褟, 褖芯 锌'褦褋懈 胁 薪褜芯谐芯 薪邪胁褨褌褜 褑褨泻邪胁褨褕褨. 卸芯褉褋褌芯泻褨, 邪谢械 写褍褕械胁薪褨, 胁械褋械谢褨, 邪谢械 锌芯胁褔邪谢褜薪褨. 薪邪泄斜邪谐邪褌芯胁懈屑褨褉薪褨褕邪 - 袥褞写懈薪邪-锌芯写褍褕泻邪 - 锌褉芯 邪胁褌芯褉邪 褨 泄芯谐芯 胁褨写锌芯胁褨写邪谢褜薪褨褋褌褜. 褍褋褞写懈 褦 锌褉芯斜谢械屑邪 斜邪褌褜泻褨胁 褨 写褨褌械泄, 褨 胁褋褞写懈 胁芯薪邪 屑邪褦 写芯胁芯谢褨 泻邪褌邪褋褌褉芯褎褨褔薪械 蟹邪斜邪褉胁谢械薪薪褟. 褑褨泻邪胁懈屑 褦 褏褉懈褋褌懈褟薪褋褜泻懈泄 锌褨写褌械泻褋褌, 褨 蟹邪谐邪谢芯屑 袦邪泻袛芯薪邪 屑邪泄褋褌械褉薪芯 卸芯薪谐谢褞褦 褉褨蟹薪懈屑懈 泻褍谢褜褌褍褉薪懈屑懈 锌谢邪褋褌邪屑懈.
芯泻褉械屑懈泄 泻邪泄褎 - 锌械褉械泻谢邪写 袧械谐褉械斜械褑褜泻芯谐芯: "薪邪 褎褨泻, 写芯胁斜邪泻, 写芯胁斜械谢懈泻, 锌褉懈斜邪褑芯泻, 薪褍写邪泻, 泻芯蟹谢褟泻 褨 胁懈锌谢褜芯胁芯泻".
芯泻褉械屑懈泄 泻邪泄褎 - 锌械褉械泻谢邪写 袧械谐褉械斜械褑褜泻芯谐芯: "薪邪 褎褨泻, 写芯胁斜邪泻, 写芯胁斜械谢懈泻, 锌褉懈斜邪褑芯泻, 薪褍写邪泻, 泻芯蟹谢褟泻 褨 胁懈锌谢褜芯胁芯泻".
December 6, 2022
孝邪褉邪薪褌褨薪芯 胁褨写 写褉邪屑邪褌褍褉谐褨褩 邪斜芯 褖芯褋褜 褌懈锌褍 褌芯谐芯. 袩'褦褋邪 "袥褞写懈薪邪-锌芯写褍褕泻邪" 谢懈褕邪褦 芯褋芯斜谢懈胁芯 褋褌褨泄泻褨 胁褉邪卸械薪薪褟.
December 19, 2020
"袥褞写懈薪邪-锌芯写褍褕泻邪" - 5/5.
February 5, 2017
Read The Pillowman and went crazy for McDonagh; his work is so incredibly Irish, I have no other way to describe it. This book brings me to a total of five of his plays that I have raced through in a week's time. I have also just discovered that he is a director as well as a playwright, so this weekend will be filled with In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths, where he had the good taste in casting Colin Ferrell.
The Beauty Queen of Leenane
There's a theme in his work, and the theme is elderly people who annoy the shit out of their grown children and neighbors, to the point of death threats (see: Johnnypateeenmike in Cripple of Inishmaan and Maureen & Ray here). Things to know: Kimberley biscuits are apparently the worst type of all and should only be purchased to torment your irritating housebound mother.
When Mairtin showed up in a Manchester United shirt, I knew I wouldn't like him. Then we find out he would like to beat women (exceptin' of course, for his bad leg getting in the way) and was expelled from school for cooking a hamster alive, so my dislike was extremely justified. Also, he's a fucking idiot. At least now I know why Ray mentioned the priest slapping him in The Beauty Queen of Leenane "for no reason" - he asked about the church cutting "the willies off [of corpses they bury] and give them to the tinkers [to eat]".
The Lonesome West
Father Welsh-Walsh-Welsh has lost control of his parish. Or never, even once, had control of it to begin with.
The Beauty Queen of Leenane
There's a theme in his work, and the theme is elderly people who annoy the shit out of their grown children and neighbors, to the point of death threats (see: Johnnypateeenmike in Cripple of Inishmaan and Maureen & Ray here). Things to know: Kimberley biscuits are apparently the worst type of all and should only be purchased to torment your irritating housebound mother.
MAG (pause): Do me a mug of tea, Ray. (Pause.) Or a mug of Complan do me, even. (Pause.) And give it a good stir to get rid of the oul lumps.A Skull in Connemara
RAY: If it was getting rid of oul lumps I was to be, it wouldn't be with Complan I'd be starting. It would be much closer to home, boy. Oh aye, much closer. A big lump sitting in an oul fecking rocking-chair it would be. I'll tell you that!
When Mairtin showed up in a Manchester United shirt, I knew I wouldn't like him. Then we find out he would like to beat women (exceptin' of course, for his bad leg getting in the way) and was expelled from school for cooking a hamster alive, so my dislike was extremely justified. Also, he's a fucking idiot. At least now I know why Ray mentioned the priest slapping him in The Beauty Queen of Leenane "for no reason" - he asked about the church cutting "the willies off [of corpses they bury] and give them to the tinkers [to eat]".
The Lonesome West
Father Welsh-Walsh-Welsh has lost control of his parish. Or never, even once, had control of it to begin with.
GIRLEEN: Father Walsh Welsh has no sense of humour. I'll walk him the road home for himself, and see he doesn't get hit by a cow like the last time.Overall: don't live in this fecking town, because you're likely to get offed by someone you're related to.
November 8, 2020
袛褍卸械 胁褉邪蟹懈谢邪 锌鈥櫻斞佇� 芦袥褞写懈薪邪-锌芯写褍褕泻邪禄, 芯写薪邪 蟹 薪邪泄泻褉邪褖懈褏 锌鈥櫻斞� 锌褉芯褔懈褌邪薪懈褏 屑薪芯褞 胁蟹邪谐邪谢褨. 孝芯屑褍 锌褉懈写斜邪谢邪 泻薪懈谐褍. 袗谢械 芦袣芯褉芯谢械胁邪 泻褉邪褋懈 蟹 袥褨薪邪薪邪禄 褏芯褔 褨 胁邪卸谢懈胁邪, 锌械胁薪芯, 写谢褟 褨褉谢邪薪写褑褨胁, 蟹写邪谢邪褋褜 薪邪写褌芯 胁卸械 芦胁 谢芯斜禄, 褌芯写褨 褟泻 芦校褋褨泻邪褔禄 薪邪写褌芯 薪械锌褉邪胁写芯锌芯写褨斜薪懈屑, 褨 卸邪谢褜, 斜芯 蟹邪屑褦褋 褌邪屑 褎械褦褉懈褔薪懈泄.
March 9, 2020
By turns playful, vicious, and surprising, but throughout completely absorbing.
January 20, 2021
The Pillowman, 蟹邪褉邪写懈 褟泻芯谐芯 褟 褌褍褌, - 谐械薪褨邪谢褜薪懈泄. 袗谢械, 褟泻-褌芯 泻邪卸褍褌褜, WTF? 袝屑芯褑褨泄薪芯 胁褉邪蟹谢懈胁懈屑 谢褞写褟屑 褔懈褌邪褌懈 薪械 褉邪写卸褍
June 5, 2018
Rounded down mainly because the middle play is weak, but the other two are fabulous. I've been a long-time fan of McDonagh's writing, and this book comprises the Leenane Trilogy, some of his earliest plays. I've never seen stageplays interwoven like this: they're set in the same small town, where everyone knows everyone and repercussions/characters are offhand mentioned in subsequent plays, and you really get a sense of this being a real place with real people all trapped in a claustrophobic fishbowl together. It's like an interlinked anthology, with Easter eggs scattered between the works if you've read/seen all three plays, and even recurring jokes in the first two set up for some payoff in the third. It's remarkable, and makes it a delight to read all three back-to-back.
Since this was such an early work, you can see McDonagh hammering out his craft and developing his toolkit: Chekov's guns galore; dramatic irony re: what is or isn't known; the audience's imagination filling in the blanks horrifically; unreliable characters; dark pasts and unexpected turns; long epistolary letters narrated.
The trilogy centers on toxic families, pettiness, and vengeance. As is his tradition, it's incredibly dark but also incredibly darkly funny (particularly THE LONESOME WEST); there are glimmers of occasional hope, but because this is McDonagh, they're obviously gonna be squashed.
THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE
The only one of these three that I'd seen performed beforehand, and also my favourite of the three (when I saw it, it left me feeling pretty lost and sad). It centers on the poisonous relationship between a spinster and the elderly mother she's trapped looking after: the weary abuse between them, the sense of old fights repeated over and over and looping until it hits a breaking point. It's bittersweet, melancholy, wistful. My heart aches. Plus Pato Dooley is the softest, sweetest character I've ever encountered in a McDonagh text, and I love him:
A SKULL IN CONNEMARA
The weakest. There's a couple good reveals, but the central twist/conflict is a little ham-handed compared to McDonagh's usual, and the ending just sort of peters out. I also had the trouble that, since I was reading rather than watching it performed, I couldn't tell the dialogue apart that easily since 3/4 characters' names started with M (Mick, Mairtin, Maryjohnny).
THE LONESOME WEST
The funniest. It was great finally meeting Father Welsh Walsh Welsh after so long; he was also one of my favourite characters. His horror and exasperation at his disaster of a parish, dogged by murders and suicides, and his last hope of redemption in trying to reconcile two squabbling brothers, Coleman and Valene -- whose extreme pettiness is astounding and morbidly hilarious. Poor, poor Welsh. Walsh. (It actually reminded a bit of Rickety Cricket in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, in terms of the earnest priest whose life is systematically destroyed by a group of terrible people.)
Anyway, do read these plays if you're a fan of dark humour and twisted plots and seeing how toxic families combust. It's good stuff.
Since this was such an early work, you can see McDonagh hammering out his craft and developing his toolkit: Chekov's guns galore; dramatic irony re: what is or isn't known; the audience's imagination filling in the blanks horrifically; unreliable characters; dark pasts and unexpected turns; long epistolary letters narrated.
The trilogy centers on toxic families, pettiness, and vengeance. As is his tradition, it's incredibly dark but also incredibly darkly funny (particularly THE LONESOME WEST); there are glimmers of occasional hope, but because this is McDonagh, they're obviously gonna be squashed.
THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE
The only one of these three that I'd seen performed beforehand, and also my favourite of the three (when I saw it, it left me feeling pretty lost and sad). It centers on the poisonous relationship between a spinster and the elderly mother she's trapped looking after: the weary abuse between them, the sense of old fights repeated over and over and looping until it hits a breaking point. It's bittersweet, melancholy, wistful. My heart aches. Plus Pato Dooley is the softest, sweetest character I've ever encountered in a McDonagh text, and I love him:
MAUREEN (quietly): It's true I was in a home there a while, now, after a bit of a breakdown I had. Years ago this is.
PATO: What harm a breakdown, sure? Lots of people do have breakdowns.
MAUREEN: A lot of doolally people, aye.
PATO: Not doolally people at all. A lot of well-educated people have breakdowns too. In fact, if you're well-educated it's even more likely. Poor Spike Milligan, isn't he forever having breakdowns? He hardly stops. I do have trouble with me nerves every now and then, too, I don't mind admitting. There's no shame at all in that. Only means you do think about things, and take them to heart.
A SKULL IN CONNEMARA
The weakest. There's a couple good reveals, but the central twist/conflict is a little ham-handed compared to McDonagh's usual, and the ending just sort of peters out. I also had the trouble that, since I was reading rather than watching it performed, I couldn't tell the dialogue apart that easily since 3/4 characters' names started with M (Mick, Mairtin, Maryjohnny).
THE LONESOME WEST
The funniest. It was great finally meeting Father Welsh Walsh Welsh after so long; he was also one of my favourite characters. His horror and exasperation at his disaster of a parish, dogged by murders and suicides, and his last hope of redemption in trying to reconcile two squabbling brothers, Coleman and Valene -- whose extreme pettiness is astounding and morbidly hilarious. Poor, poor Welsh. Walsh. (It actually reminded a bit of Rickety Cricket in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, in terms of the earnest priest whose life is systematically destroyed by a group of terrible people.)
Anyway, do read these plays if you're a fan of dark humour and twisted plots and seeing how toxic families combust. It's good stuff.
November 18, 2012
The Beauty Queen of Leenane
Wow! This was a psychological thriller of a play! It reads well, with humorous interplay between the characters that has a wide, dark side to it that veers violently off course.
It would be a great night to be able to watch this on stage.
This play rates 5*.
The Skull in Connemara
Wonderful! I thoroughly enjoyed this play. Can't say much without giving things away. Bummer!
5* rating.
The Lonesome West
Another winner of a play. Again, there's that dark humour, there's violence and petty differences that erupt into huge issues.
Another 5* rating.
Each of these plays is wonderful. They are loosely connected through the town of Leenane and some of its residents. The characters don't overlap: those we meet in TBQoL may be mentioned in the next 2 plays but aren't present; those we meet in the final 2 plays are referenced in other plays but not met. It's very well done. One feels that one knows these people and some of their characteristics without actually meeting them for awhile.
McDonagh's writing is captivating. It has an easy, dark humor, everday feel about it with some interesting twists. I highly recommend these three plays.
Wow! This was a psychological thriller of a play! It reads well, with humorous interplay between the characters that has a wide, dark side to it that veers violently off course.
It would be a great night to be able to watch this on stage.
This play rates 5*.
The Skull in Connemara
Wonderful! I thoroughly enjoyed this play. Can't say much without giving things away. Bummer!
5* rating.
The Lonesome West
Another winner of a play. Again, there's that dark humour, there's violence and petty differences that erupt into huge issues.
Another 5* rating.
Each of these plays is wonderful. They are loosely connected through the town of Leenane and some of its residents. The characters don't overlap: those we meet in TBQoL may be mentioned in the next 2 plays but aren't present; those we meet in the final 2 plays are referenced in other plays but not met. It's very well done. One feels that one knows these people and some of their characteristics without actually meeting them for awhile.
McDonagh's writing is captivating. It has an easy, dark humor, everday feel about it with some interesting twists. I highly recommend these three plays.
May 18, 2020
After being a fan of some of McDonagh's movies for some time now, I was very excited when a good friend of mine sent me this collection of plays to read. After reading the book, I can happily say that my excitement was justified, and I am eager to read more of McDonagh's plays, as he is a quite talented playwright.
Each of the three plays in this collection, forming a trilogy of stories in the rural town of Leenane, touches on themes of life and death, of love and relationships, and the individual stories dive into grief and loneliness and regret. That being said, McDonagh's black comedic style keeps these stories from becoming too bleak, at least superficially. It's not often that I find myself laughing out loud while reading a book, but I was during this one. On top of that, I think these stories are written in such a way that how bleak they really are is a bit of a matter of interpretation. After finishing the book, I found myself feeling rather sad, but hopeful. I hoped that the characters in these stories had done the right thing, and would find love or redemption or acceptance or whatever they were looking for in the future. I think it's a testament to McDonagh's play-writing abilities that I was so moved by characters I had spent such a short amount of time with.
I also thought it was interesting to see how these plays, and their dialogue, would evolve into the movies that McDonagh has written and directed. I don't think I had actually read a play since high school, and so it has been a while since I've read a story in such a dialogue-focused medium. The lines were sharp, without a wasted word, and I could easily picture the back-and-forth between some characters as a scene in a movie like In Bruges or something similar. I really enjoyed seeing these earlier works and getting glimpses of what would become some of my most favorite movies.
This collection of plays manages to be funny and bleak, depressing and uplifting, and made me really feel with and for these characters. I am very much looking forward to reading more of McDonagh's plays.
Each of the three plays in this collection, forming a trilogy of stories in the rural town of Leenane, touches on themes of life and death, of love and relationships, and the individual stories dive into grief and loneliness and regret. That being said, McDonagh's black comedic style keeps these stories from becoming too bleak, at least superficially. It's not often that I find myself laughing out loud while reading a book, but I was during this one. On top of that, I think these stories are written in such a way that how bleak they really are is a bit of a matter of interpretation. After finishing the book, I found myself feeling rather sad, but hopeful. I hoped that the characters in these stories had done the right thing, and would find love or redemption or acceptance or whatever they were looking for in the future. I think it's a testament to McDonagh's play-writing abilities that I was so moved by characters I had spent such a short amount of time with.
I also thought it was interesting to see how these plays, and their dialogue, would evolve into the movies that McDonagh has written and directed. I don't think I had actually read a play since high school, and so it has been a while since I've read a story in such a dialogue-focused medium. The lines were sharp, without a wasted word, and I could easily picture the back-and-forth between some characters as a scene in a movie like In Bruges or something similar. I really enjoyed seeing these earlier works and getting glimpses of what would become some of my most favorite movies.
This collection of plays manages to be funny and bleak, depressing and uplifting, and made me really feel with and for these characters. I am very much looking forward to reading more of McDonagh's plays.
October 6, 2022
袦邪褉褌褨薪 袦邪泻袛芯薪邪 鈥� 褋褍褔邪褋薪懈泄 褨褉谢邪薪写褋褜泻懈泄 写褉邪屑邪褌褍褉谐 褨 泻褨薪芯褉械卸懈褋械褉, 锌鈥櫻斞佇� 褟泻芯谐芯 褋褌邪胁谢褟褌褜 锌褉芯胁褨写薪褨 褌械邪褌褉懈 褋胁褨褌褍.
袙懈 屑芯谐谢懈 胁锌褨蟹薪邪褌懈 泄芯谐芯 褟泻 褉械卸懈褋械褉邪 胁褨写芯屑芯谐芯 褨 褕邪薪芯胁邪薪芯谐芯 褎褨谢褜屑褍 "孝褉懈 斜褨谢斜芯褉写懈 蟹邪 屑械卸邪屑懈 袝斜斜褨薪谐邪, 袦褨褋褋褍褉褨鈥�. 携 卸 蟹 薪懈屑 锌芯蟹薪邪泄芯屑懈谢邪褋褟 蟹邪胁写褟泻懈 胁懈褋褌邪胁褨 鈥溞毿狙€芯谢械胁邪 袣褉邪褋懈鈥� 褍 褌械邪褌褉褨 袣褍褉斜邪褋邪.
校 锌鈥櫻斞佈� 芦袣芯褉芯谢械胁邪 泻褉邪褋懈 蟹 袥褨薪邪薪邪禄 蟹邪褌芯褉泻薪褍褌芯 锌褉芯斜谢械屑懈 薪械褉芯蟹褍屑褨薪薪褟 泄 薪械锌芯褉芯蟹褍屑褨薪薪褟 屑褨卸 锌芯泻芯谢褨薪薪褟屑懈 斜邪褌褜泻褨胁 褨 写褨褌械泄, 写械 褋褌邪褉邪 械谐芯褩褋褌懈褔薪邪 屑邪褌褨褉 褌褉懈屑邪褦 锌褉懈 褋芯斜褨 胁褋械 卸懈褌褌褟 写芯薪褜泻褍, 蟹邪薪邪锌邪褖邪褞褔懈 褩褩 芯褋芯斜懈褋褌械 褖邪褋褌褟, 褖芯 蟹褉械褕褌芯褞 褋泻邪谢褨褔褍褦 卸懈褌褌褟 褍褋褨屑. 孝邪芯泻芯卸 褑褨泻邪胁邪 褌械屑邪 - 屑械薪褕芯胁邪褉褌薪芯褋褌褨 褨褉谢邪薪写褑褨胁 褍 泻芯薪褌械泻褋褌褨 褨褉谢邪薪褑褨胁 - 邪薪谐谢褨泄褑褨胁 - 邪屑械褉懈泻邪薪褑褨胁. 效懈屑芯褋褜 薪邪谐邪写邪谢芯 褋懈褌褍邪褑褨褞 胁 薪邪褋, 薪邪 卸邪谢褜.
袧械 屑芯卸褍 薪械 蟹谐邪写邪褌懈 锌褉芯 胁懈褋褌邪胁褍 - 胁芯薪邪 褨写械邪谢褜薪芯 锌械褉械写邪谢邪 写褍屑泻懈 褨 薪邪褋褌褉芯褩 褌胁芯褉褍. 袙械褋褜 斜褨谢褜, 薪械薪邪胁懈褋褌褜 褨 谢褞斜芯胁. 孝邪泻芯卸 胁写邪谢芯 胁懈褋胁褨褌谢懈谢邪 胁邪卸泻褨褋褌褜 褋褌芯褋褍薪泻褨胁 屑褨卸 屑邪褌褨褉褞 褨 写芯褔泻芯褞. 袨写薪芯蟹薪邪褔薪芯 褉械泻芯屑械薪写褍褞 胁褨写胁褨写邪褌懈.
校 锌鈥櫻斞佈� 芦袥褞写懈薪邪-锌芯写褍褕泻邪禄 邪胁褌芯褉 胁写邪褦褌褜褋褟 写芯 屑械褌邪褎芯褉, 褖芯斜 芯泻褉械褋谢懈褌懈 锌褉芯斜谢械屑褍 卸芯褉褋褌芯泻芯谐芯 锌芯胁芯写卸械薪薪褟 蟹 写褨褌褜屑懈 泄 蟹芯斜褉邪卸邪褦 胁邪褉褨邪薪褌懈 褌芯谐芯, 写芯 褔芯谐芯 锌褉懈蟹胁芯写懈褌褜 褋泻邪谢褨褔械薪邪 蟹 屑邪谢懈褏 谢褨褌 写懈褌褟褔邪 锌褋懈褏褨泻邪, 胁 褟泻褨泄 写褨泄褋薪褨褋褌褜 胁卸械 薪械屑芯卸谢懈胁芯 胁褨写屑械卸褍胁邪褌懈 胁褨写 胁懈谐邪写泻懈. 孝邪泻芯卸, 邪胁褌芯褉 褉芯蟹谐谢褟写邪褦 锌懈褌邪薪薪褟 胁褨写锌芯胁褨写邪谢褜薪芯褋褌褨 邪胁褌芯褉邪 蟹邪 褋胁芯褦 褌胁芯褉褨薪薪褟. 效懈 薪械褋械 胁褨写锌芯胁褨写邪谢褜薪褨褋褌褜 锌懈褋褜屑械薪薪懈泻, 褟泻褖芯 泄芯谐芯 褌胁褨褉 薪邪写懈褏薪褍胁 薪邪 蟹谢芯褔懈薪? 袧械 屑械薪褕 胁邪卸谢懈胁懈屑 褦 锌懈褌邪薪薪褟 锌芯谢褨褑械泄褋褜泻芯褩 卸芯褉褋褌芯泻芯褋褌褨 褨 薪械褋锌褉邪胁械写谢懈胁芯褋褌褨.
袧邪 屑芯褞 写褍屑泻褍, 褑械 斜褍谢邪 薪邪泄锌芯褌褍卸薪褨褕邪 褉芯蟹锌芯胁褨写褜 蟹斜褨褉泻懈. 孝褉懈屑邪谢邪 胁 薪邪锌褉褍蟹褨 写芯 芯褋褌邪薪薪褜芯谐芯 褉褟写泻邪 褨 胁械褋褜 褔邪褋 锌褨写泻懈写邪谢邪 褨写械褩 写谢褟 褉芯蟹写褍屑褨胁. 袗 泻褨薪械褑褜 胁懈褟胁懈胁褋褟 泻褉邪褖懈屑 蟹邪 屑芯褩 芯褔褨泻褍胁邪薪薪褟. 袙蟹邪谐邪谢褨 胁 邪胁褌芯褉邪 褔褍写芯胁芯 胁懈褏芯写懈褌褜 蟹 泻褨薪褑褨胁泻邪屑懈 - 胁屑褨褦 蟹邪泻褨薪褔懈褌懈 薪邪 胁懈褋芯泻褨泄 薪芯褌褨.
袗 胁 锌鈥櫻斞佈� 芦校褋褨泻薪芯胁械薪薪褟 褉褍泻懈 胁 小锌芯泻邪薪褨禄 蟹芯斜褉邪卸械薪芯 褔芯谢芯胁褨泻邪, 褟泻懈泄 褍褋械 卸懈褌褌褟 胁懈褌褉邪褌懈胁 薪邪 锌芯褕褍泻 褌芯谐芯, 褖芯 泄芯屑褍 薪械 锌芯褌褉褨斜薪芯 泄 锌芯胁械褉薪褍褌懈 褑械 蟹邪谐邪谢芯屑 薪械 胁写邪褋褌褜褋褟. 孝邪 薪邪泄斜褨谢褜褕懈屑 褉芯蟹褔邪褉褍胁邪薪薪褟屑 写谢褟 薪褜芯谐芯 褋褌邪褦 褌械, 褖芯 褕褍泻邪薪械 蟹邪胁卸写懈 斜褍谢芯 蟹 薪懈屑, 邪 胁褨薪 褑褜芯谐芯 薪械 锌芯屑褨褌懈胁.
袧褨斜懈 褎褨谢褜屑 孝邪褉邪薪褌褨薪芯 锌芯写懈胁懈谢邪褋褟 - 泻褉芯胁, 薪邪褋懈谢褜褋褌胁芯 褨 胁褋械 薪邪 褕邪谢械薪褨泄 褕胁懈写泻芯褋褌褨. 袘褍谢芯 褑褨泻邪胁芯 褨 械锌褨褔薪芯.
袟邪谐邪谢芯屑 褟 斜褍谢邪 锌褉懈褦屑薪芯 胁褉邪卸械薪邪, 邪写卸械 斜褨谢褜褕械 谢褞斜谢褞 写懈胁懈褌懈褋褟 胁懈褋褌邪胁懈, 邪 薪械 褔懈褌邪褌懈 写褉邪屑懈. 袙芯薪懈 斜褍谢懈 薪邪褋褌褨谢褜泻懈 写芯斜褉械 薪邪锌懈褋邪薪褨, 褖芯 褟 斜邪褔懈谢邪 泻邪褉褌懈薪泻褍 薪褨斜懈 锌械褉械写 褋芯斜芯褞 褨 蟹邪薪褍褉褞胁邪谢邪褋褟 褍 褋褑械薪懈. 携泻褖芯 胁懈 蟹薪邪褦褌械, 褟泻褨 褌胁芯褉懈 邪胁褌芯褉邪 锌械褉械泻谢邪写械薪褨 褔懈 泄写褍褌褜 褟泻 胁懈褋褌邪胁懈 (褍 袥褜胁芯胁褨) - 蟹邪谢褞斜泻懈 锌芯褋谢褍褏邪褞.
袉 写褟泻褍褞 胁懈写邪胁薪懈褑褌胁褍 袗薪械褌褌邪 袗薪褌芯薪械薪泻芯 蟹邪 褔褍写芯胁械 胁懈写邪薪薪褟 蟹 胁屑褨谢懈屑 锌械褉械泻谢邪写芯屑.
袙懈 屑芯谐谢懈 胁锌褨蟹薪邪褌懈 泄芯谐芯 褟泻 褉械卸懈褋械褉邪 胁褨写芯屑芯谐芯 褨 褕邪薪芯胁邪薪芯谐芯 褎褨谢褜屑褍 "孝褉懈 斜褨谢斜芯褉写懈 蟹邪 屑械卸邪屑懈 袝斜斜褨薪谐邪, 袦褨褋褋褍褉褨鈥�. 携 卸 蟹 薪懈屑 锌芯蟹薪邪泄芯屑懈谢邪褋褟 蟹邪胁写褟泻懈 胁懈褋褌邪胁褨 鈥溞毿狙€芯谢械胁邪 袣褉邪褋懈鈥� 褍 褌械邪褌褉褨 袣褍褉斜邪褋邪.
校 锌鈥櫻斞佈� 芦袣芯褉芯谢械胁邪 泻褉邪褋懈 蟹 袥褨薪邪薪邪禄 蟹邪褌芯褉泻薪褍褌芯 锌褉芯斜谢械屑懈 薪械褉芯蟹褍屑褨薪薪褟 泄 薪械锌芯褉芯蟹褍屑褨薪薪褟 屑褨卸 锌芯泻芯谢褨薪薪褟屑懈 斜邪褌褜泻褨胁 褨 写褨褌械泄, 写械 褋褌邪褉邪 械谐芯褩褋褌懈褔薪邪 屑邪褌褨褉 褌褉懈屑邪褦 锌褉懈 褋芯斜褨 胁褋械 卸懈褌褌褟 写芯薪褜泻褍, 蟹邪薪邪锌邪褖邪褞褔懈 褩褩 芯褋芯斜懈褋褌械 褖邪褋褌褟, 褖芯 蟹褉械褕褌芯褞 褋泻邪谢褨褔褍褦 卸懈褌褌褟 褍褋褨屑. 孝邪芯泻芯卸 褑褨泻邪胁邪 褌械屑邪 - 屑械薪褕芯胁邪褉褌薪芯褋褌褨 褨褉谢邪薪写褑褨胁 褍 泻芯薪褌械泻褋褌褨 褨褉谢邪薪褑褨胁 - 邪薪谐谢褨泄褑褨胁 - 邪屑械褉懈泻邪薪褑褨胁. 效懈屑芯褋褜 薪邪谐邪写邪谢芯 褋懈褌褍邪褑褨褞 胁 薪邪褋, 薪邪 卸邪谢褜.
袦袨袪袉袧: 笑械 薪械 薪褨褋械薪褨褌薪懈褑褨. 笑械 褨褉谢邪薪写褋褜泻邪 屑芯胁邪.
袦袝覑: 袦械薪褨 胁芯薪芯 褟泻 薪褨褋械薪褨褌薪懈褑褨. 效芯谐芯 斜 褩屑 薪械 谐芯胁芯褉懈褌懈 邪薪谐谢褨泄褋褜泻芯褞, 褟泻 谢褞写懈?
袦袨袪袉袧: 袗 褔芯谐芯 褑械 褩屑 谐芯胁芯褉懈褌懈 邪薪谐谢褨泄褋褜泻芯褞?
袦袝覑: 些芯斜 蟹薪邪褌懈, 褖芯 胁芯薪懈 泻邪卸褍褌褜.
袦袝覑: 袙 袉褉谢邪薪写褨褩.
袦袨袪袉袧: 孝芯 褔芯谐芯 卸 褑械 胁 袉褉谢邪薪写褨褩 屑邪褞褌褜 谐芯胁芯褉懈褌懈 邪薪谐谢褨泄褋褜泻芯褞?
袦袝覑: 携 薪械 蟹薪邪褞, 褔芯谐芯.
袦袨袪袉袧: 袙 袉褉谢邪薪写褨褩 褌褉械斜邪 褉芯蟹屑芯胁谢褟褌懈 褨褉谢邪薪写褋褜泻芯褞.
袦袝覑: 袨褌芯卸.
袦袨袪袉袧: 袚邪?
袦袝覑: 袚邪?
袦袨袪袉袧: 芦袚芯胁芯褉懈褌懈 邪薪谐谢褨泄褋褜泻芯褞 胁 袉褉谢邪薪写褨褩禄.
袦袨袪袉袧: 笑械 袉褉谢邪薪写褨褟. 袟邪胁卸写懈 褏褌芯褋褜 胁褨写鈥櫻椥缎葱缎把�.
袩袗孝袨: 袟邪胁卸写懈 写芯褉芯谐邪.
袦袨袪袉袧: 袙懈褏芯胁褍胁邪褌懈 胁 写褨褌械泄 写褍屑泻褍, 褖芯 胁褋械, 薪邪 褖芯 胁芯薪懈 蟹写邪褌薪褨 鈥斝残感垦€芯褕褍胁邪褌懈 屑懈谢芯褋褌懈薪褞 胁 邪薪谐谢褨泄褑褨胁 褨 褟薪泻褨. 袨褑械 褨 褦 褋邪屑褨褋褨薪褜泻邪 褋褍褌褜 褨 锌褉懈褔懈薪邪 胁褋褜芯谐芯.
袧械 屑芯卸褍 薪械 蟹谐邪写邪褌懈 锌褉芯 胁懈褋褌邪胁褍 - 胁芯薪邪 褨写械邪谢褜薪芯 锌械褉械写邪谢邪 写褍屑泻懈 褨 薪邪褋褌褉芯褩 褌胁芯褉褍. 袙械褋褜 斜褨谢褜, 薪械薪邪胁懈褋褌褜 褨 谢褞斜芯胁. 孝邪泻芯卸 胁写邪谢芯 胁懈褋胁褨褌谢懈谢邪 胁邪卸泻褨褋褌褜 褋褌芯褋褍薪泻褨胁 屑褨卸 屑邪褌褨褉褞 褨 写芯褔泻芯褞. 袨写薪芯蟹薪邪褔薪芯 褉械泻芯屑械薪写褍褞 胁褨写胁褨写邪褌懈.
校 锌鈥櫻斞佈� 芦袥褞写懈薪邪-锌芯写褍褕泻邪禄 邪胁褌芯褉 胁写邪褦褌褜褋褟 写芯 屑械褌邪褎芯褉, 褖芯斜 芯泻褉械褋谢懈褌懈 锌褉芯斜谢械屑褍 卸芯褉褋褌芯泻芯谐芯 锌芯胁芯写卸械薪薪褟 蟹 写褨褌褜屑懈 泄 蟹芯斜褉邪卸邪褦 胁邪褉褨邪薪褌懈 褌芯谐芯, 写芯 褔芯谐芯 锌褉懈蟹胁芯写懈褌褜 褋泻邪谢褨褔械薪邪 蟹 屑邪谢懈褏 谢褨褌 写懈褌褟褔邪 锌褋懈褏褨泻邪, 胁 褟泻褨泄 写褨泄褋薪褨褋褌褜 胁卸械 薪械屑芯卸谢懈胁芯 胁褨写屑械卸褍胁邪褌懈 胁褨写 胁懈谐邪写泻懈. 孝邪泻芯卸, 邪胁褌芯褉 褉芯蟹谐谢褟写邪褦 锌懈褌邪薪薪褟 胁褨写锌芯胁褨写邪谢褜薪芯褋褌褨 邪胁褌芯褉邪 蟹邪 褋胁芯褦 褌胁芯褉褨薪薪褟. 效懈 薪械褋械 胁褨写锌芯胁褨写邪谢褜薪褨褋褌褜 锌懈褋褜屑械薪薪懈泻, 褟泻褖芯 泄芯谐芯 褌胁褨褉 薪邪写懈褏薪褍胁 薪邪 蟹谢芯褔懈薪? 袧械 屑械薪褕 胁邪卸谢懈胁懈屑 褦 锌懈褌邪薪薪褟 锌芯谢褨褑械泄褋褜泻芯褩 卸芯褉褋褌芯泻芯褋褌褨 褨 薪械褋锌褉邪胁械写谢懈胁芯褋褌褨.
袧邪 屑芯褞 写褍屑泻褍, 褑械 斜褍谢邪 薪邪泄锌芯褌褍卸薪褨褕邪 褉芯蟹锌芯胁褨写褜 蟹斜褨褉泻懈. 孝褉懈屑邪谢邪 胁 薪邪锌褉褍蟹褨 写芯 芯褋褌邪薪薪褜芯谐芯 褉褟写泻邪 褨 胁械褋褜 褔邪褋 锌褨写泻懈写邪谢邪 褨写械褩 写谢褟 褉芯蟹写褍屑褨胁. 袗 泻褨薪械褑褜 胁懈褟胁懈胁褋褟 泻褉邪褖懈屑 蟹邪 屑芯褩 芯褔褨泻褍胁邪薪薪褟. 袙蟹邪谐邪谢褨 胁 邪胁褌芯褉邪 褔褍写芯胁芯 胁懈褏芯写懈褌褜 蟹 泻褨薪褑褨胁泻邪屑懈 - 胁屑褨褦 蟹邪泻褨薪褔懈褌懈 薪邪 胁懈褋芯泻褨泄 薪芯褌褨.
袗 胁 锌鈥櫻斞佈� 芦校褋褨泻薪芯胁械薪薪褟 褉褍泻懈 胁 小锌芯泻邪薪褨禄 蟹芯斜褉邪卸械薪芯 褔芯谢芯胁褨泻邪, 褟泻懈泄 褍褋械 卸懈褌褌褟 胁懈褌褉邪褌懈胁 薪邪 锌芯褕褍泻 褌芯谐芯, 褖芯 泄芯屑褍 薪械 锌芯褌褉褨斜薪芯 泄 锌芯胁械褉薪褍褌懈 褑械 蟹邪谐邪谢芯屑 薪械 胁写邪褋褌褜褋褟. 孝邪 薪邪泄斜褨谢褜褕懈屑 褉芯蟹褔邪褉褍胁邪薪薪褟屑 写谢褟 薪褜芯谐芯 褋褌邪褦 褌械, 褖芯 褕褍泻邪薪械 蟹邪胁卸写懈 斜褍谢芯 蟹 薪懈屑, 邪 胁褨薪 褑褜芯谐芯 薪械 锌芯屑褨褌懈胁.
袧褨斜懈 褎褨谢褜屑 孝邪褉邪薪褌褨薪芯 锌芯写懈胁懈谢邪褋褟 - 泻褉芯胁, 薪邪褋懈谢褜褋褌胁芯 褨 胁褋械 薪邪 褕邪谢械薪褨泄 褕胁懈写泻芯褋褌褨. 袘褍谢芯 褑褨泻邪胁芯 褨 械锌褨褔薪芯.
袟邪谐邪谢芯屑 褟 斜褍谢邪 锌褉懈褦屑薪芯 胁褉邪卸械薪邪, 邪写卸械 斜褨谢褜褕械 谢褞斜谢褞 写懈胁懈褌懈褋褟 胁懈褋褌邪胁懈, 邪 薪械 褔懈褌邪褌懈 写褉邪屑懈. 袙芯薪懈 斜褍谢懈 薪邪褋褌褨谢褜泻懈 写芯斜褉械 薪邪锌懈褋邪薪褨, 褖芯 褟 斜邪褔懈谢邪 泻邪褉褌懈薪泻褍 薪褨斜懈 锌械褉械写 褋芯斜芯褞 褨 蟹邪薪褍褉褞胁邪谢邪褋褟 褍 褋褑械薪懈. 携泻褖芯 胁懈 蟹薪邪褦褌械, 褟泻褨 褌胁芯褉懈 邪胁褌芯褉邪 锌械褉械泻谢邪写械薪褨 褔懈 泄写褍褌褜 褟泻 胁懈褋褌邪胁懈 (褍 袥褜胁芯胁褨) - 蟹邪谢褞斜泻懈 锌芯褋谢褍褏邪褞.
袉 写褟泻褍褞 胁懈写邪胁薪懈褑褌胁褍 袗薪械褌褌邪 袗薪褌芯薪械薪泻芯 蟹邪 褔褍写芯胁械 胁懈写邪薪薪褟 蟹 胁屑褨谢懈屑 锌械褉械泻谢邪写芯屑.
March 18, 2010
I think I may have set my expectations a bit high after the genius of In Bruges, but these are well written, interesting plays. The titular piece is a surprisingly intense drama, A Skull in Connemara is probably the weakest of the three, it has intriguing characters but a weak final act, while The Lonesome West had probably the most fascinating characters of any of them and was quite powerful though a bit inconsistent.
May 13, 2016
Martin McDonagh's psychological dark comedy shines in this trilogy of interconnected stories. From a needy, naggy old woman and her psycho daughter, to a murderous gravedigger asked to dig up his wife's bones, to a pair of brothers whose tale of betrayal, violence, and blackmailed birthright evokes strong Jacob and Esau themes, these plays keep the reader (and, I assume, the audience) intrigued and hungry for more information to clarify the mysteries. McDonagh continues to impress me.
April 1, 2023
The early plays with which McDonagh made his mark. 'Beauty' is certainly a stand-out, but "A Skull in Connemara" and "The Lonesome West" are worthwhile, too. The plays are connected; characters mentioned in one pop up in another, such as the harried local priest with the name no one can get right: "Welsh. Walsh. Welsh." The humor and the horror come in rapid succession, as does the head-spinning dialogue. I was sorry to leave this benighted cast of characters.
March 14, 2018
HOW DOES HE FUCKING DO IT? His plays are funny and dark and everything is there for a reason and ARG. I could read his plays all day.
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January 8, 2024Useful Object (April 2005)
Maureen Folan, in Martin McDonagh鈥檚 The Beauty Queen of Leenane, is constantly grumbling about the daily chores she performs for a mother she is rarely shown not fighting with. She dreams of being comforted by and of going away with a man, but since these dreams arose her lack of surety concerning her actual appeal to men, they actually serve to strengthen rather than loosen her ties to her mother. However, the play argues that a man is exactly what she needs for her to leave her everyday life behind her. For though Maureen initially tries to make use of a strong, gentle man who enters her life鈥擯ato鈥攁s if he were just another prop with which to wage her ongoing war with her mother, he is actually means for her to forget all about that, and begin a better life for herself.
I do not mean to suggest, however, that Maureen is your typical lady-in-distress. Indeed, she is at times shown to be tyrannical; notably over her mother. However, at at least one point in the play, her domination of her mother actually serves to strengthen her desire to be united to her. In scene two, after catching her mother in lie, Maureen makes use of her mother鈥檚 鈥渃rime鈥� to justify a commanding stance toward her. Buoyed by a sense of righteousness, she tells Mag something she 鈥渟ometimes鈥� dreams of to make herself 鈥渉appy鈥� (24). She tells Mag she dreams of being 鈥渃omfort[ed]鈥� (23) by a man while at Mag鈥檚 wake. The man in her dreams also courts her, makes her an offer to join him at his place, to which she remarks, 鈥渨hat鈥檚 stopping me now?鈥� (24). We note, however, that another person needn鈥檛 be intent on stopping her, for she stops the day-dream plot before it explores what it might be like to become involved with a man. She does so because the idea troubles her, for just after describing her dream to her mother she prompts a conversation clearly designed to result in both of them repeatedly agreeing that Mag will surely 鈥渉ang on forever鈥� (24).
Maureen might in this particular instance find comfort in her mother鈥檚 taunt that she will be around forever, because unlike when Maureen summons her dream while 鈥渟craping the skitter out of them hens鈥� (24), she cannot at this moment discuss her dream without feeling some of the trepidation from anticipating an opportunity to soon realize it. Maureen has just been invited by Pato to a party, a party which would involve 鈥済allivanting with fellas鈥� (22)鈥攖hat is, the sort of event Maureen thinks of as having propelled her sisters into marriage. Therefore, she may sense that a man might very soon enter her life. We also know that Maureen is not entirely wed to the idea that she must wait for her mother to die before she might leave her. In conveying her dream to her mother, she works her way to proclaiming that she might leave with a man, 鈥淸a]t [her mother鈥檚] [. . .] bloody wake, sure! Is even sooner!鈥� (24). But leaving her mother cannot but be terrifying for Maureen: not only is she a virgin whose one experience away from home is associated with a mental collapse, she is someone who is accustomed to and finds some self-validation in taking care of her mother.
The play directs us to understand Maureen as someone whose identity is inextricably linked to routine daily chores and household rituals. More specifically, it suggests that her purpose in life has become nothing more than making use of the objects involved in these rituals to engage in an ongoing battle with her mother. Complan and porridge are their weapons of choice; they are the primary objects used by Maureen and Mag in their ongoing dispute over who is master of whom in their household, a title neither of them has clear claim to. When Maureen caught Mag in a lie, for instance, Maureen utilized the preparation of Complan to force her mother to demonstrate her acknowledgement of her guilt by drinking it, despite her ill-stomach. But earlier we observed how Mag used the preparation of Complan to force Maureen to acknowledge her being culpable of having once seared Mag鈥檚 hand (5). And given her familiarity with this way of life, and given she knows that mastering her mother offers reliable rewards (i.e., feelings of elation and self-validation), it is not surprising that Maureen seems more comfortable conceiving of a man that enters her life as an ideal object she can use to humiliate her mother than as someone who might lead her away from all that.
Maureen brings Pato back to her home, and he ends up staying overnight. Though they are shown flirting with one another, to be genuinely interested in one another, we suspect that Maureen brought him home primarily to triumphantly frustrate and humiliate her mother. Maureen knows her mother is disgusted by just the idea of her having sex: she 鈥渓augh[ed],鈥� after her mother called her a 鈥淸w]hore鈥� (23) for imagining herself enjoying being intimate with two men. Maureen now has the opportunity to experience how Mag would react to actually seeing her with a man she had slept with, and she will not let it slip away. She convinces Pato not to sneak out before her mother awakens, something he had intended to do, and wastes no time making use of him in the morning to antagonize her. She comes in 鈥渨earing only a bra and slip,鈥� 鈥済oes over to Pato,鈥� 鈥渟its across his lap,鈥� and 鈥渒isses him at length鈥� (39). She obviously wants her mother to believe they had had sex the night before: she says to Pato that he鈥檒l 鈥渉ave to be putting that thing of [his] [. . .] in [her] [. . .] again before too long is past鈥� (39). Maureen is of course referring to his penis here, and it is no surprise that Pato reacts to Maureen鈥檚 statement by 鈥済et[ting] up and idl[ing] around in embarrassment鈥� (40).
Pato鈥檚 discomfort leads to his insisting he must soon be off: 鈥淚鈥檒l have to be off now in a minute anyways. I do have packing to do I do鈥� (40). But Mag, intent on making full use of him, persists in relating to him in ways he finds uncomfortable. She orders him into the kitchen to 鈥淸s]mell the sink鈥� (41). He does so, and he is described as being 鈥渄isgust[ed]鈥� (41) by the smell of Mag鈥檚 urine. But though Maureen has effectively made use of him to disturb her mother, Mag is equally facile at making use of whatever is at hand to manipulate and manage her daughter. She responds by informing Pato of Maureen鈥檚 stay in a mental hospital, and this is effective in upsetting Maureen, causing her to lose her assurance and her control, and to run over, 鈥渇ists clenched鈥� (42), to assault Mag. Pato, however, prevents her from landing blows鈥攁n act which ends his stance in this scene as a passive tool/observer. He physically intercedes between the two of them (he 鈥渟teps between the two鈥� [42] of them), and, in comforting her and reassuring her that she is not abnormal, that she is sane, makes claim to all of Maureen鈥檚 attention and interest. After Pato says, 鈥淸t]hat鈥檚 all past and behind you anyways鈥� (44), Maureen responds by 鈥渓ook[ing] at him awhile鈥� (44). In her daydream she imagined being comforted by a man, a consideration scary enough to have her follow it by strengthening her attachment to her mother. Here now, likely for the first time, she actually experiences being comforted by a man she cares about, and it proves sufficiently compelling that she replies by attending more closely rather than by backing away.
True, she does make use of her renewed intimacy with him to better sell her story that she was not the one who burned Mag, but she may do so primarily now to ensure Pato continues to find her desirable鈥攖he first time that morning she shows this concern. She clearly begins to see Pato as someone who could assist her in leaving her current life. She 鈥渓ook[s] straight at him,鈥� and asks, 鈥淸d]on鈥檛 I have to live with it?鈥� (45). Much seems to depend on how he responds to this question, for her disposition changes abruptly when Pato responds simply by requesting she put some clothing on. She becomes 鈥渟ombre again鈥� (45), looks 鈥渄own at herself鈥� (45), and concludes that Pato had from the beginning not found her good-looking enough to excite him.
But though Pato failed to supply the reassurance she needed to brave the continuation of their courtship, the scene offers uninterrupted evidence of how much his interest in her has affected and changed her. Mag re-enters the room 鈥渨aving papers,鈥� she even 鈥渟topp[s] Pato鈥檚 approach鈥� (46), but neither of them seem to notice her, something she is shown cognizant of in her asking, 鈥淓h?鈥� (46), after allowing sufficient time for them to respond to her discovery of the Difford Hall papers. But Pato 鈥渓ook[s] [only] at Maureen,鈥� and Maureen will 鈥渓ook at her a moment鈥� (47), but only after Pato has left her home. Maureen will again speak to Mag, but has lost all interest in combating her. After 鈥渓inger[ing]鈥� (47) over her dress, she says in 鈥減assing [to] her mother,鈥� 鈥淲hy? Why? Why do you . . .?鈥� (47), but is not really interested in her response. Mag is left 鈥渉olding [the] [. . .] papers rather dumbly鈥� (47), and though she subsequently tries to make use of a more familiar object鈥攈er porridge鈥攖o engage her daughter鈥檚 attention (something she managed to do at the end of scene one), the scene ends with her all alone, speaking to no one but herself.
After she concludes that Pato is not interested in her, Maureen returns to her habitual means of engaging with her mother, but Mag knows her daughter would be doing otherwise had she not intercepted Pato鈥檚 letter to her. Though Maureen tries to persuade herself that she and Pato are incompatible, Mag remarks that she knows her daughter attends to her now only because he did 鈥渘ot invit[e] [her] [. . .] to his oul going-away do鈥� (61). And, indeed, whereas it was once the only relationship Maureen was comfortable being involved in, their relationship now serves as compensation for the one Maureen failed to secure with him. Maureen has proven herself to be just like her sisters in that she too can lose herself in a man, and she will once again show how quickly she can forget about Mag upon learning that Pato had not in fact rejected her but actually had invited her 鈥渢o go to America with him鈥� (68). After hearing this, Maureen is described as 鈥渋n a daze,鈥� as 鈥渂arely noticing her鈥� mother (even though her mother lies on the floor, 鈥渃onvulsing鈥� and 鈥渟creaming鈥� [68]). And we note this scene is also one that ends with Maureen talking only to herself.
Pato ends up marrying someone else, and once Maureen is made aware of this, her fate is sealed: she will forever after be 鈥渁 dried up oul鈥� (23) bitty. While she still believed it possible she would join him in America, she aggressively removed from her kitchen shelves those objects鈥擟omplan and porridge鈥攎ost clearly associated with her life with her mother. But without a man to lead her out of her previous existence, she even more closely fuses herself to her, and all promise of her having her own life is over.
Work Cited
McDonagh, Martin. The Beauty Queen of Leenane and Other Plays. New York: Vintage, 1998. Print.
Maureen Folan, in Martin McDonagh鈥檚 The Beauty Queen of Leenane, is constantly grumbling about the daily chores she performs for a mother she is rarely shown not fighting with. She dreams of being comforted by and of going away with a man, but since these dreams arose her lack of surety concerning her actual appeal to men, they actually serve to strengthen rather than loosen her ties to her mother. However, the play argues that a man is exactly what she needs for her to leave her everyday life behind her. For though Maureen initially tries to make use of a strong, gentle man who enters her life鈥擯ato鈥攁s if he were just another prop with which to wage her ongoing war with her mother, he is actually means for her to forget all about that, and begin a better life for herself.
I do not mean to suggest, however, that Maureen is your typical lady-in-distress. Indeed, she is at times shown to be tyrannical; notably over her mother. However, at at least one point in the play, her domination of her mother actually serves to strengthen her desire to be united to her. In scene two, after catching her mother in lie, Maureen makes use of her mother鈥檚 鈥渃rime鈥� to justify a commanding stance toward her. Buoyed by a sense of righteousness, she tells Mag something she 鈥渟ometimes鈥� dreams of to make herself 鈥渉appy鈥� (24). She tells Mag she dreams of being 鈥渃omfort[ed]鈥� (23) by a man while at Mag鈥檚 wake. The man in her dreams also courts her, makes her an offer to join him at his place, to which she remarks, 鈥渨hat鈥檚 stopping me now?鈥� (24). We note, however, that another person needn鈥檛 be intent on stopping her, for she stops the day-dream plot before it explores what it might be like to become involved with a man. She does so because the idea troubles her, for just after describing her dream to her mother she prompts a conversation clearly designed to result in both of them repeatedly agreeing that Mag will surely 鈥渉ang on forever鈥� (24).
Maureen might in this particular instance find comfort in her mother鈥檚 taunt that she will be around forever, because unlike when Maureen summons her dream while 鈥渟craping the skitter out of them hens鈥� (24), she cannot at this moment discuss her dream without feeling some of the trepidation from anticipating an opportunity to soon realize it. Maureen has just been invited by Pato to a party, a party which would involve 鈥済allivanting with fellas鈥� (22)鈥攖hat is, the sort of event Maureen thinks of as having propelled her sisters into marriage. Therefore, she may sense that a man might very soon enter her life. We also know that Maureen is not entirely wed to the idea that she must wait for her mother to die before she might leave her. In conveying her dream to her mother, she works her way to proclaiming that she might leave with a man, 鈥淸a]t [her mother鈥檚] [. . .] bloody wake, sure! Is even sooner!鈥� (24). But leaving her mother cannot but be terrifying for Maureen: not only is she a virgin whose one experience away from home is associated with a mental collapse, she is someone who is accustomed to and finds some self-validation in taking care of her mother.
The play directs us to understand Maureen as someone whose identity is inextricably linked to routine daily chores and household rituals. More specifically, it suggests that her purpose in life has become nothing more than making use of the objects involved in these rituals to engage in an ongoing battle with her mother. Complan and porridge are their weapons of choice; they are the primary objects used by Maureen and Mag in their ongoing dispute over who is master of whom in their household, a title neither of them has clear claim to. When Maureen caught Mag in a lie, for instance, Maureen utilized the preparation of Complan to force her mother to demonstrate her acknowledgement of her guilt by drinking it, despite her ill-stomach. But earlier we observed how Mag used the preparation of Complan to force Maureen to acknowledge her being culpable of having once seared Mag鈥檚 hand (5). And given her familiarity with this way of life, and given she knows that mastering her mother offers reliable rewards (i.e., feelings of elation and self-validation), it is not surprising that Maureen seems more comfortable conceiving of a man that enters her life as an ideal object she can use to humiliate her mother than as someone who might lead her away from all that.
Maureen brings Pato back to her home, and he ends up staying overnight. Though they are shown flirting with one another, to be genuinely interested in one another, we suspect that Maureen brought him home primarily to triumphantly frustrate and humiliate her mother. Maureen knows her mother is disgusted by just the idea of her having sex: she 鈥渓augh[ed],鈥� after her mother called her a 鈥淸w]hore鈥� (23) for imagining herself enjoying being intimate with two men. Maureen now has the opportunity to experience how Mag would react to actually seeing her with a man she had slept with, and she will not let it slip away. She convinces Pato not to sneak out before her mother awakens, something he had intended to do, and wastes no time making use of him in the morning to antagonize her. She comes in 鈥渨earing only a bra and slip,鈥� 鈥済oes over to Pato,鈥� 鈥渟its across his lap,鈥� and 鈥渒isses him at length鈥� (39). She obviously wants her mother to believe they had had sex the night before: she says to Pato that he鈥檒l 鈥渉ave to be putting that thing of [his] [. . .] in [her] [. . .] again before too long is past鈥� (39). Maureen is of course referring to his penis here, and it is no surprise that Pato reacts to Maureen鈥檚 statement by 鈥済et[ting] up and idl[ing] around in embarrassment鈥� (40).
Pato鈥檚 discomfort leads to his insisting he must soon be off: 鈥淚鈥檒l have to be off now in a minute anyways. I do have packing to do I do鈥� (40). But Mag, intent on making full use of him, persists in relating to him in ways he finds uncomfortable. She orders him into the kitchen to 鈥淸s]mell the sink鈥� (41). He does so, and he is described as being 鈥渄isgust[ed]鈥� (41) by the smell of Mag鈥檚 urine. But though Maureen has effectively made use of him to disturb her mother, Mag is equally facile at making use of whatever is at hand to manipulate and manage her daughter. She responds by informing Pato of Maureen鈥檚 stay in a mental hospital, and this is effective in upsetting Maureen, causing her to lose her assurance and her control, and to run over, 鈥渇ists clenched鈥� (42), to assault Mag. Pato, however, prevents her from landing blows鈥攁n act which ends his stance in this scene as a passive tool/observer. He physically intercedes between the two of them (he 鈥渟teps between the two鈥� [42] of them), and, in comforting her and reassuring her that she is not abnormal, that she is sane, makes claim to all of Maureen鈥檚 attention and interest. After Pato says, 鈥淸t]hat鈥檚 all past and behind you anyways鈥� (44), Maureen responds by 鈥渓ook[ing] at him awhile鈥� (44). In her daydream she imagined being comforted by a man, a consideration scary enough to have her follow it by strengthening her attachment to her mother. Here now, likely for the first time, she actually experiences being comforted by a man she cares about, and it proves sufficiently compelling that she replies by attending more closely rather than by backing away.
True, she does make use of her renewed intimacy with him to better sell her story that she was not the one who burned Mag, but she may do so primarily now to ensure Pato continues to find her desirable鈥攖he first time that morning she shows this concern. She clearly begins to see Pato as someone who could assist her in leaving her current life. She 鈥渓ook[s] straight at him,鈥� and asks, 鈥淸d]on鈥檛 I have to live with it?鈥� (45). Much seems to depend on how he responds to this question, for her disposition changes abruptly when Pato responds simply by requesting she put some clothing on. She becomes 鈥渟ombre again鈥� (45), looks 鈥渄own at herself鈥� (45), and concludes that Pato had from the beginning not found her good-looking enough to excite him.
But though Pato failed to supply the reassurance she needed to brave the continuation of their courtship, the scene offers uninterrupted evidence of how much his interest in her has affected and changed her. Mag re-enters the room 鈥渨aving papers,鈥� she even 鈥渟topp[s] Pato鈥檚 approach鈥� (46), but neither of them seem to notice her, something she is shown cognizant of in her asking, 鈥淓h?鈥� (46), after allowing sufficient time for them to respond to her discovery of the Difford Hall papers. But Pato 鈥渓ook[s] [only] at Maureen,鈥� and Maureen will 鈥渓ook at her a moment鈥� (47), but only after Pato has left her home. Maureen will again speak to Mag, but has lost all interest in combating her. After 鈥渓inger[ing]鈥� (47) over her dress, she says in 鈥減assing [to] her mother,鈥� 鈥淲hy? Why? Why do you . . .?鈥� (47), but is not really interested in her response. Mag is left 鈥渉olding [the] [. . .] papers rather dumbly鈥� (47), and though she subsequently tries to make use of a more familiar object鈥攈er porridge鈥攖o engage her daughter鈥檚 attention (something she managed to do at the end of scene one), the scene ends with her all alone, speaking to no one but herself.
After she concludes that Pato is not interested in her, Maureen returns to her habitual means of engaging with her mother, but Mag knows her daughter would be doing otherwise had she not intercepted Pato鈥檚 letter to her. Though Maureen tries to persuade herself that she and Pato are incompatible, Mag remarks that she knows her daughter attends to her now only because he did 鈥渘ot invit[e] [her] [. . .] to his oul going-away do鈥� (61). And, indeed, whereas it was once the only relationship Maureen was comfortable being involved in, their relationship now serves as compensation for the one Maureen failed to secure with him. Maureen has proven herself to be just like her sisters in that she too can lose herself in a man, and she will once again show how quickly she can forget about Mag upon learning that Pato had not in fact rejected her but actually had invited her 鈥渢o go to America with him鈥� (68). After hearing this, Maureen is described as 鈥渋n a daze,鈥� as 鈥渂arely noticing her鈥� mother (even though her mother lies on the floor, 鈥渃onvulsing鈥� and 鈥渟creaming鈥� [68]). And we note this scene is also one that ends with Maureen talking only to herself.
Pato ends up marrying someone else, and once Maureen is made aware of this, her fate is sealed: she will forever after be 鈥渁 dried up oul鈥� (23) bitty. While she still believed it possible she would join him in America, she aggressively removed from her kitchen shelves those objects鈥擟omplan and porridge鈥攎ost clearly associated with her life with her mother. But without a man to lead her out of her previous existence, she even more closely fuses herself to her, and all promise of her having her own life is over.
Work Cited
McDonagh, Martin. The Beauty Queen of Leenane and Other Plays. New York: Vintage, 1998. Print.
April 4, 2024
A must read for fans of McDonaghs movies
September 19, 2016
These were a great read. I'd like to say they were fun, but they're just brutal and twisted enough that the word "fun" seems inappropriate. They are wickedly funny, to be sure, enough so that I laughed out loud more than once.
The denouement of "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" left me wondering what had just happened, though not in a bad way; I won't say why, but it's a play I'll be going back to again for the fun of deconstructing it.
"A Skull in Connemara" conjures up both the gravediggers in "Hamlet" and the Melancholy Dane himself, for me. Mick, the main character, seems to find that revenge is indeed sweet, but not in any way that could be expected. In fact, there's a part of his revenge that he doesn't get until the third play, "The Lonesome West," in which he's only mentioned tangentially.
That third play was the most enjoyable, as McDonagh shows us not just the murderous lengths one can take a trivial argument, but the bitterness on both sides of its origins. The two brothers at the center of the play have abandoned every positive and potentially rewarding aspect of their lives in favor of their relentless torment of each other.
The dialogue is beautifully written in that Irish country accent you'll be familiar with if you've ever seen "The Quiet Man." I can even now be hearing it in me head, so.
One of the most immersive aspects of these three 4-character plays is that they're so neatly tied together. Since all are set in the same small Irish village, it adds to the sense of realism that all twelve of the characters know each other well, and refer to each other in their respective stories. There are a couple running gags that span the three plays, with setups in the first two, and payoffs in the third.
It's well worth a read.
The denouement of "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" left me wondering what had just happened, though not in a bad way; I won't say why, but it's a play I'll be going back to again for the fun of deconstructing it.
"A Skull in Connemara" conjures up both the gravediggers in "Hamlet" and the Melancholy Dane himself, for me. Mick, the main character, seems to find that revenge is indeed sweet, but not in any way that could be expected. In fact, there's a part of his revenge that he doesn't get until the third play, "The Lonesome West," in which he's only mentioned tangentially.
That third play was the most enjoyable, as McDonagh shows us not just the murderous lengths one can take a trivial argument, but the bitterness on both sides of its origins. The two brothers at the center of the play have abandoned every positive and potentially rewarding aspect of their lives in favor of their relentless torment of each other.
The dialogue is beautifully written in that Irish country accent you'll be familiar with if you've ever seen "The Quiet Man." I can even now be hearing it in me head, so.
One of the most immersive aspects of these three 4-character plays is that they're so neatly tied together. Since all are set in the same small Irish village, it adds to the sense of realism that all twelve of the characters know each other well, and refer to each other in their respective stories. There are a couple running gags that span the three plays, with setups in the first two, and payoffs in the third.
It's well worth a read.
May 17, 2022
袧械泄屑芯胁褨褉薪芯 锌褉懈褦屑薪械 胁褉邪卸械薪薪褟 胁褨写 械谢械泻褌褉芯薪薪芯褩 泻薪懈谐懈 袙懈写邪胁薪懈褑褌胁邪 袗薪械褌褌懈 袗薪褌芯薪械薪泻芯: 邪泻褍褉邪褌薪芯 蟹胁械褉褋褌邪薪邪 泻薪懈谐邪, 褦 蟹邪谐芯谢芯胁泻懈, 蟹薪芯褋泻懈. 袣褉邪褋邪! 孝械锌械褉 褏芯褔械褌褜褋褟 锌褉懈写斜邪褌懈 褋芯斜褨 锌邪锌械褉芯胁褍 泻薪懈谐褍 褨 褉芯蟹写邪胁邪褌懈 褩褩 写械泻芯屑褍 蟹 写褉褍蟹褨胁, 褖芯斜 锌褉芯褔懈褌邪谢懈.
袛褍卸械 褏芯褉芯褕懈泄 锌械褉械泻谢邪写 袨谢械泻褋懈 袧械谐褉械斜械褑褜泻芯谐芯, 褋锌械褑懈褎褨褔薪懈泄. 孝邪屑 写械 锌芯褌褉褨斜薪芯, 胁 屑芯胁谢械薪薪褨 褔褍褌薪芯 "褋褨谢褜褋褜泻褨 薪芯褌泻懈", 写械褋褜 "蟹 褉邪泄芯薪褍", 写械褋褜 胁懈褌褉懈屑邪薪褨. 袟胁褍褔懈褌褜 胁褋械 写褍卸械 卸懈胁芯, 薪褨斜懈 胁懈褋褌邪胁邪 锌械褉械写 芯褔懈屑邪.
孝褉懈 褌胁芯褉懈 褍 泻薪懈蟹褨. 袙褋褨 褉褨蟹薪褨, 邪谢械 锌芯-褋胁芯褦屑褍 褔懈屑芯褋褜 褋褏芯卸褨. 袛褍卸械 褏懈褌褉芯 蟹邪胁械褉薪褍褌褨 褋褞卸械褌懈. 效懈褌邪泄褌械, 薪邪褋芯谢芯写卸褍泄褌械褋褟. 携 谢懈褕械 泻褨谢褜泻邪 褑褨泻邪胁懈褏 褎邪泻褌褨胁 薪邪褋懈锌谢褞 写谢褟 褌芯谐芯 褖芯斜 锌褨写卸懈胁懈褌懈 邪锌械褌懈褌.
袣褨谢褜泻邪 褋谢褨胁 锌褉芯 袦邪褉褌褨薪邪 袦邪泻写芯薪褍, 褑械 邪胁褌芯褉 鈥淪ix Shooter鈥�, 鈥溞椥靶谎徯逞傂� 薪邪 写薪芯 胁 袘褉褞谐械鈥�, 鈥溞⊙栃� 锌褋懈褏芯锌邪褌褨胁鈥�, 鈥溞⒀€懈 斜褨谢斜芯褉写懈鈥︹€�. 孝芯斜褌芯, 褟泻褖芯 胁邪屑 褑褨 褎褨谢褜屑懈 褋锌芯写芯斜邪谢懈褋褟, 斜褍写褜褌械 锌械胁薪褨, 褨 泄芯谐芯 锌鈥櫻斞佇� 褌械卸 褋锌芯写芯斜邪褞褌褜褋褟. 笑械 写褍卸械 褌芯薪泻懈泄 褔芯褉薪懈泄 谐褍屑芯褉. 袣芯谢懈 屑械薪械 蟹邪锌懈褌褍褞褌褜 锌褉懈泻谢邪写 褔芯褉薪芯谐芯 谐褍屑芯褉褍 褟 褉械泻芯屑械薪写褍褞 锌械褉械谐谢褟薪褍褌懈 褋邪屑械 泻芯褉芯褌泻芯屑械褌褉邪卸泻褍 袦邪褉褌褨薪邪 袦邪泻写芯薪懈 鈥淪ix Shooter鈥�.
袛芯 褉械褔褨, 褟泻 褟 写褨蟹薪邪胁褋褟, 锌芯 胁褋褨屑 褑懈屑 褌胁芯褉邪屑 胁 校泻褉邪褩薪褨 胁卸械 褋褌邪胁懈谢懈 胁懈褋褌邪胁懈:
- 鈥溞浹幮葱感窖�-锌芯写褍褕泻褍鈥� 褋褌邪胁懈胁 褑械薪褌褉 褋褍褔邪褋薪芯谐芯 屑懈褋褌械褑褌胁邪 鈥溞斝愋モ€� 褌邪 袣懈褩胁褋褜泻邪 邪泻邪写械屑褨褔薪邪 屑邪泄褋褌械褉薪褟 褌械邪褌褉邪谢褜薪芯谐芯 屑懈褋褌械褑褌胁邪 鈥溞⊙冃费栄€'褟鈥�;
- 鈥溞炐葱叫狙€褍泻芯谐芯鈥� (胁褨薪 卸械, 褌芯泄 泻芯屑褍 蟹褉芯斜懈谢懈 褍褋褨泻薪芯胁械薪薪褟 褉褍泻懈 胁 小锌芯泻邪薪褨) 鈥� 袣懈褩胁褋褜泻懈泄 邪泻邪写械屑褨褔薪懈泄 屑芯谢芯写懈泄 褌械邪褌褉;
- 鈥溞毿狙€芯谢械胁y 泻褉邪褋懈鈥� 褋褌邪胁懈谢懈 孝械邪褌褉 芦袟芯谢芯褌褨 胁芯褉芯褌邪禄, 袗屑邪褌芯褉褋褜泻懈泄 褌械邪褌褉 芦袘校!禄, 褨 锌械褉褋芯薪邪谢褜薪芯 褍谢褞斜谢械薪懈泄 袥褜胁褨胁褋褜泻懈泄 邪泻邪写械屑褨褔薪懈泄 褌械邪褌褉 褨屑械薪褨 袥械褋褟 袣褍褉斜邪褋邪.
孝芯屑褍, 褑褟 泻薪懈谐邪 鈥� 褑械 锌褉械泻褉邪褋薪邪 屑芯卸谢懈胁褨褋褌褜 锌褨写谐芯褌褍胁邪褌懈褋褟 写芯 褌械邪褌褉邪谢褜薪芯褩 锌芯褋褌邪薪芯胁泻懈. 袗斜芯 褟泻褖芯 薪械 胁写邪褋褌褜褋褟 锌芯褌褉邪锌懈褌懈 胁 褌械邪褌褉 薪邪 胁懈褋褌邪胁褍 鈥� 写芯 褎褨谢褜屑褨胁 袦邪泻写芯薪懈.
袛褍卸械 褏芯褉芯褕懈泄 锌械褉械泻谢邪写 袨谢械泻褋懈 袧械谐褉械斜械褑褜泻芯谐芯, 褋锌械褑懈褎褨褔薪懈泄. 孝邪屑 写械 锌芯褌褉褨斜薪芯, 胁 屑芯胁谢械薪薪褨 褔褍褌薪芯 "褋褨谢褜褋褜泻褨 薪芯褌泻懈", 写械褋褜 "蟹 褉邪泄芯薪褍", 写械褋褜 胁懈褌褉懈屑邪薪褨. 袟胁褍褔懈褌褜 胁褋械 写褍卸械 卸懈胁芯, 薪褨斜懈 胁懈褋褌邪胁邪 锌械褉械写 芯褔懈屑邪.
袛芯 褉械褔褨, 蟹邪褉邪蟹 芯褎褨褑褨泄薪懈泄 褋邪泄褌 袙懈写邪胁薪懈褑褌胁邪 袗薪械褌褌懈 袗薪褌芯薪械薪泻芯 锌褉芯写邪褦 械谢械泻褌褉芯薪薪褨 泻薪懈谐懈 蟹邪 褑褨薪芯褞 1 谐褉薪 泻芯卸薪邪 褨 锌械褉械写邪褦 泻芯褕褌懈 薪邪 写芯锌芯屑芯谐褍 邪褉屑褨褩.
孝褉懈 褌胁芯褉懈 褍 泻薪懈蟹褨. 袙褋褨 褉褨蟹薪褨, 邪谢械 锌芯-褋胁芯褦屑褍 褔懈屑芯褋褜 褋褏芯卸褨. 袛褍卸械 褏懈褌褉芯 蟹邪胁械褉薪褍褌褨 褋褞卸械褌懈. 效懈褌邪泄褌械, 薪邪褋芯谢芯写卸褍泄褌械褋褟. 携 谢懈褕械 泻褨谢褜泻邪 褑褨泻邪胁懈褏 褎邪泻褌褨胁 薪邪褋懈锌谢褞 写谢褟 褌芯谐芯 褖芯斜 锌褨写卸懈胁懈褌懈 邪锌械褌懈褌.
袣褨谢褜泻邪 褋谢褨胁 锌褉芯 袦邪褉褌褨薪邪 袦邪泻写芯薪褍, 褑械 邪胁褌芯褉 鈥淪ix Shooter鈥�, 鈥溞椥靶谎徯逞傂� 薪邪 写薪芯 胁 袘褉褞谐械鈥�, 鈥溞⊙栃� 锌褋懈褏芯锌邪褌褨胁鈥�, 鈥溞⒀€懈 斜褨谢斜芯褉写懈鈥︹€�. 孝芯斜褌芯, 褟泻褖芯 胁邪屑 褑褨 褎褨谢褜屑懈 褋锌芯写芯斜邪谢懈褋褟, 斜褍写褜褌械 锌械胁薪褨, 褨 泄芯谐芯 锌鈥櫻斞佇� 褌械卸 褋锌芯写芯斜邪褞褌褜褋褟. 笑械 写褍卸械 褌芯薪泻懈泄 褔芯褉薪懈泄 谐褍屑芯褉. 袣芯谢懈 屑械薪械 蟹邪锌懈褌褍褞褌褜 锌褉懈泻谢邪写 褔芯褉薪芯谐芯 谐褍屑芯褉褍 褟 褉械泻芯屑械薪写褍褞 锌械褉械谐谢褟薪褍褌懈 褋邪屑械 泻芯褉芯褌泻芯屑械褌褉邪卸泻褍 袦邪褉褌褨薪邪 袦邪泻写芯薪懈 鈥淪ix Shooter鈥�.
袛芯 褉械褔褨, 褟泻 褟 写褨蟹薪邪胁褋褟, 锌芯 胁褋褨屑 褑懈屑 褌胁芯褉邪屑 胁 校泻褉邪褩薪褨 胁卸械 褋褌邪胁懈谢懈 胁懈褋褌邪胁懈:
- 鈥溞浹幮葱感窖�-锌芯写褍褕泻褍鈥� 褋褌邪胁懈胁 褑械薪褌褉 褋褍褔邪褋薪芯谐芯 屑懈褋褌械褑褌胁邪 鈥溞斝愋モ€� 褌邪 袣懈褩胁褋褜泻邪 邪泻邪写械屑褨褔薪邪 屑邪泄褋褌械褉薪褟 褌械邪褌褉邪谢褜薪芯谐芯 屑懈褋褌械褑褌胁邪 鈥溞⊙冃费栄€'褟鈥�;
- 鈥溞炐葱叫狙€褍泻芯谐芯鈥� (胁褨薪 卸械, 褌芯泄 泻芯屑褍 蟹褉芯斜懈谢懈 褍褋褨泻薪芯胁械薪薪褟 褉褍泻懈 胁 小锌芯泻邪薪褨) 鈥� 袣懈褩胁褋褜泻懈泄 邪泻邪写械屑褨褔薪懈泄 屑芯谢芯写懈泄 褌械邪褌褉;
- 鈥溞毿狙€芯谢械胁y 泻褉邪褋懈鈥� 褋褌邪胁懈谢懈 孝械邪褌褉 芦袟芯谢芯褌褨 胁芯褉芯褌邪禄, 袗屑邪褌芯褉褋褜泻懈泄 褌械邪褌褉 芦袘校!禄, 褨 锌械褉褋芯薪邪谢褜薪芯 褍谢褞斜谢械薪懈泄 袥褜胁褨胁褋褜泻懈泄 邪泻邪写械屑褨褔薪懈泄 褌械邪褌褉 褨屑械薪褨 袥械褋褟 袣褍褉斜邪褋邪.
孝芯屑褍, 褑褟 泻薪懈谐邪 鈥� 褑械 锌褉械泻褉邪褋薪邪 屑芯卸谢懈胁褨褋褌褜 锌褨写谐芯褌褍胁邪褌懈褋褟 写芯 褌械邪褌褉邪谢褜薪芯褩 锌芯褋褌邪薪芯胁泻懈. 袗斜芯 褟泻褖芯 薪械 胁写邪褋褌褜褋褟 锌芯褌褉邪锌懈褌懈 胁 褌械邪褌褉 薪邪 胁懈褋褌邪胁褍 鈥� 写芯 褎褨谢褜屑褨胁 袦邪泻写芯薪懈.
November 19, 2012
The Beauty Queen of Leenane: The horrifying and mesmerizing tale of a mother and daughter hellbent on destroying, one for fear of losing the other and the other so that she can get lost. I finished this in a heavily over-chlorinated hot tub that may or may not have gone straight to my head. I had to keep rereading sections just to be sure that it was as cruel and twisted as I believed it to be. With McDonagh, I should know better than to doubt it by now.
Skull in Connemara : It's hard, when reading McDonagh, to remember that all of this startling violence is to be performed on a stage...in front of people. As such, I imagine this skull-bashing feck of a play hits like a mallet to the head in performance, but on the page it's not quite there. It's full of old grudges and secrets and the bitter solitude at the core of even communal life, but it doesn't ring out like the better pieces on the McDonagh set.
The Lonesome West : A ludicrously funny tale of failed brotherly love, of the need to possess outright, and the inability to control and hold those things we most desperately want. Perhaps the most explicitly funny of the McDonagh plays I have read.
Skull in Connemara : It's hard, when reading McDonagh, to remember that all of this startling violence is to be performed on a stage...in front of people. As such, I imagine this skull-bashing feck of a play hits like a mallet to the head in performance, but on the page it's not quite there. It's full of old grudges and secrets and the bitter solitude at the core of even communal life, but it doesn't ring out like the better pieces on the McDonagh set.
The Lonesome West : A ludicrously funny tale of failed brotherly love, of the need to possess outright, and the inability to control and hold those things we most desperately want. Perhaps the most explicitly funny of the McDonagh plays I have read.
February 21, 2012
Three intense, gripping, and tragically funny plays about the devastating nature of resentment, secrecy, and deceit, as seen through the tales of the pitiful inhabitants of a small town in Ireland. Each of the three stories has a unique sadness to offer, often by way of revelations that alternate between subtly suggestive and downright stunning. McDonagh's consistently provocative plot twists almost become caricatures of themselves after a point, but they're ultimately more than earned by the fascinating characters and their dull, throbbing sense of desperation in the face of their less-than-desirable circumstances. I wish I had a better Irish accent--I would love to inhabit Leenane on the stage someday. But, like Welsh (or is it Walsh?), I probably wouldn't want to stay there for long.
November 11, 2020
I read 鈥楾he Beauty Queen of Leenane鈥� about a year or so ago and loved it, so I was very excited to read more Martin McDonagh. He has a real talent for writing a story that鈥檚 dark and depressing but also makes you laugh. 鈥楾he Lonesome West鈥� is a really good example of that鈥攅very scene between Valene and Coleman is simultaneously messed up and hilarious, even when they鈥檙e trying to kill each other.
It was a nice surprise to figure out that these plays are actually a trilogy that go together. They all take place in the same little town in Ireland and characters are mentioned outside of the plays they鈥檙e in. It鈥檚 satisfying to read all three together, but I imagine you could just as easily read just one without getting confused.
It was a nice surprise to figure out that these plays are actually a trilogy that go together. They all take place in the same little town in Ireland and characters are mentioned outside of the plays they鈥檙e in. It鈥檚 satisfying to read all three together, but I imagine you could just as easily read just one without getting confused.
November 13, 2009
Martin McDonagh is a genius. These three plays comprise the Leenane trilogy and though each story stands alone, the characters and events recounted in each are loosely interwoven. McDonagh's Ireland is definitely not the romanticized one of The Quiet Man. The stories are dark as night and funnier than they have any right to be. The dialogue is brilliant. And yet there is an underlying sadness as well as a humanity that gives the plays a soul and a depth.
July 18, 2007
Disturbing, dark, cruel, and unusual, these plays are not in the least bit cuddly, but they are definitely funny. McDonagh is one of the most original and clever playwrights today, and this trilogy about the miserable and bitter residents of Leenane make him the Tarantino of the theater world--well, an IRISH Tarantino. I bet they'd make good friends.
March 23, 2008
The Beauty Queen of Leenane is my favorite Martin McDonagh play because I saw it in previews at the Atlantic Theater Co. before it moved to Broadway to eventually win the Tony Award for Best play in 1998. McDonagh is a natural playwright who brings out dark deep secrets of the characters to life on the page and on stage. His dialogue chisels away the outer layers down to the bones.
March 4, 2016
A humorous play-script examining the mother-daughter relationship and the behaviours we adopt and pass on, in that downward spiral of destruction which at one end of the scale can inhibit our ability to develop positive relationships in the future and at the other end eventually lead to destroying lives.
September 9, 2012
It's hard to critique shit written for stage just by reading it 'cause like, what if it turns out that your brain is just a shitty director & cast? How embarrassing would that be?!
(these are pretty decent plays btw)
(these are pretty decent plays btw)
September 18, 2016
That was one of the most brilliant, disturbing things I have ever read in my entire life. I absolutely loved it and hate myself for loving it so much. Already requested another McDonagh play (or two) from the library.
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