Beauty Queen of Lenane
Uploaded by HanMan1492 on Nov 19, 2003
The WWU theatre arts production of “The Beauty Queen of Leenane,” written by Anglo-Irish playwright Martin McDonagh is labeled as a tragic comedy directed by Jessica McGlaughlin. However I felt that the production was below the standard that I hoped it would meet. My impression of the play was more comedic then a tragic story due to the hysterical content displayed in the WWU production on February 2, 2001 at the Old Main theatre. Beauty Queen of Leenane is the first play in McDonagh’s Leenane trilogy premiering in 1996 in Galway, Ireland and has been nominated for six Tony Awards coming away with four of them along with the Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards for best play of 1988.
The set design by Dan Zimmerman takes place in the living room of a small cottage in rural Ireland where Maurine, a middle aged woman played by Lisa Hopp who seemingly has no choice but to take care of her hypochondriac mother, Mag played by Lisa Hoyt. The room has no accessories besides a few pictures a television and radio. You can imagine the burning hostility and feuds rising in the presence of the small shack they live in especially with both women in a crooked manipulative state of mind. However the two got along better then I hoped they would and the communication between them went on as though they were joking around. The only other characters in the play are Maurine’s love interest Pato Dooley, played by Zayce Kruse and the comic relief of the play his younger brother Ray Dooley, played by Aaron Tobiason who played his role as the comedian pictured in the book.
Lisa Hoyt’s portrayal of a complaining mother was the most amusing character in the play due to her annoying high-pitched voice comparable to nails on a chalkboard as she begins to sound like a broken record by harassing her daughter and asking for complan (a powdered drink mix, similar to Metmucil) from anyone in her presence. Even more amusing was the portrayal of Mag’s costume designed by Katina Button displaying Mag in bright pink loafers and Ray Dooley in something similar to an Old Navy performance fleece. Although Hopp’s character isn’t particularly appealing either mentally or physically due to her make-up by Avi Liebowitz her acting makes up for it, and Mag becomes the only likeable character as you can sense...