A Mother and Daughter Showdown

The Beauty Queen of Leenane – Northlight Theatre

 

Maureen Folan is a 40-year-old spinster whose life has been wasted away in the servitude of her ailing, controlling old mother, Mag. The 70-year-old’s other two daughters want nothing to do with their annoying, crotchety old mother so, by default, the duty to care for Mag has fallen to Maureen. As a result she’s turned into a bitter, lonely woman who’s almost a prisoner in the rundown hovel she shares with Mag. In a deteriorating Galway cottage in tiny Leenane, Maureen’s wasted life is epitomized by the house’s peeling wallpaper, its counters strewn with dirty dishes and a kitchen sink that mysteriously reeks of urine. All the while, outside the sky changes from gray to black; the rain falls and the wind howls around this haunted house on the hill.

In 1996 Irish playwright, screenwriter and director Martin McDonagh’s black comedy, the first installment of his Leenane Trilogy, opened to great acclaim at Galway’s Druid Theatre. This group of plays also includes the equally dark and disturbing “A Skull in Connemara” and “The Lonesome West.” After touring Ireland and playing London’s West End, McDonagh’s “Beauty Queen…” opened on Broadway in 1998, where the production earned four Tony Awards. Since that time the play has been revived, produced by many regional theatres and even enjoyed a National Tour.

Theatergoers unfamiliar with the works of McDonagh (who also wrote the screenplay for this year’s Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”), may be disturbed by this play. Audiences shouldn’t expect a merry romp in a sunny little Leprechaun-infested Irish village. Instead, as in his other black comedies, McDonagh has created a dysfunctional family in which the daughter is ruled by the selfish older parent. But in this play, the mother/daughter relationship isn’t just love-hate; it’s a bond of hatred and even more hate. Using her infirmity, Mag has figured out how to play on Maureen’s sympathy. In turn, Maureen knows what buttons to push to make her mother writhe. This sadistic relationship is both humorous and sad, eventually ending in a horrifying tragedy that will shock most theatergoers.

Imprisoned within Todd Rosenthal’s rustic, dirt-poor, hillside cottage, sprinkled with realistic detail, BJ Jones has masterfully directed this mesmerizing production. The kitchen is sparsely furnished. The only doors lead to the rest of the house and connect Maureen with the yard and outside world. Jones brings the story all the way downstage, close to the audience, so that nothing escapes our eyes and ears. Upstage an ever-darkening sky threatens to bring more rain and misery. Lit with appropriate melancholy and moodiness by JR Lederle, the stove, where peat is burned for warmth, is a glowing maw that consumes everything thrown into it. Andre Pluess’ sound design offers static-filled television and radio broadcasts, along with the raging inclement weather. Theresa Ham’s costumes add one more layer to each character and Jones’ cast sounds authentic, thanks to Brigid Duffy’s guidance with the Irish dialect. All-in-all, Jones’ production feels totally realistic.

One of Chicago’s finest, most respected actresses, Kate Fry beautifully creates the role of Maureen. She seems effortless in her portrayal of this poor woman, as heartbreaking and tortured as she is merciless and vindictive. Watch her eyes, the windows to her soul, and notice how Maureen copes with a life that’s helplessly incarcerated and battered her. Both a victim and a sadistic victimizer, Maureen has discovered how to use the little power she has over her mother to annoy and punish. It’s Maureen’s only pleasure in life.

As Mag, Maureen’s feeble, sickly mother, the always magnificent Wendy Robie turns in an award-winning performance that equals Ms. Fry’s. She plays this selfish, all-controlling harridan who whines, wheedles, nags, cajoles and ultimately promises anything to get what she wants. But Ms. Robie’s evil, impish half-smile informs theatergoers that this frail little woman is a heck of a lot tougher than she lets on. The outcome of this fight to the death becomes inevitable.

Nathan Hosner and Casey Morris play the neighboring Dooley brothers from down the hill. Pato, the eldest, has been off in London, working in construction, but he hasn’t made a life. He has no real friends there, nor even a girlfriend. When Maureen drops into the local tavern for a party, their old, casual acquaintance sparks into something more. Nathan Hosner, one of Chicago’s brightest and best young actors, is thoughtful and caring with Maureen. Playing a small-town man who’s equally as lonely, Pato’s best scene is a heartfelt letter that he writes to Maureen, offering to take her with him, if she wants to, for a new life in America. This monologue earns applause for its candor and the hope it affords them both. Casey Morris’ Ray is a typical young man, with the attention span of a gnat and the pent-up energy of a young puppy. He babbles and obsesses over the usual things teenagers love: TV, sports, speed, police brutality and, especially, a fire poker that foreshadows the tragic events to come. Morris is delightful and provides much of the comic relief in this production.

Martin McDonagh’s dark comedy is essentially a mother and daughter showdown that ultimately ends in tragedy. During the course of the play we witness much verbal and emotional abuse along with a transferral of power: a mother turns into the manipulative child, while the daughter becomes the all-controlling parent. By the final moments of the play we also see that the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree, and both women are equally unhinged. BJ Jones’ violent, truthful production is for adult audiences. It’s brash and unflinching, prompting as many gasps of astonishment as peels of laughter. But it’s a play that features a magnificently talented cast in a production that won’t soon be forgotten. It’s definitely one of Northlight Theatre’s very best.

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

 

Presented March 15-April 22 by Northlight Theatre at the North  Shore Center for the Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, IL.

Tickets are available at the box office, by calling 847-673-6300 or by going to www.northlight.org.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.