Review of The Beauty Queen Of Leenane at The Playhouse Theatre, Northampton

While Martin McDonagh is now making quite a name for himself as a screenwriter, director and producer of hit films like Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, he started off a writer for the stage, like this play The Beauty Queen of Leenane, the first of a trilogy set in County Galway. And while McDonagh himself has said he has "respect for the whole history of films and a slight disrespect for theatre", it doesn't stop him writing pretty impressive plays like this one.

Having previously seen McDonagh's The Pillowman at The Playhouse, and an excellent version of Hangmen via NT Live, I was well aware of McDonagh's dark humour. Beauty Queen maintains that edge, with its tale of spinster Maureen, and her relationship with her oppressive and demanding mother Mag, ill, but still outwardly manipulative of events. It's dark, not quite as dark as The Pillowman perhaps, but like that play, features one truly disturbing torture scene, so, it's not for the faint-hearted. That's not to say it isn't funny, that is McDonagh's trademark, making you laugh while being pretty sure deep down you probably shouldn't be.

While there are also two male characters in this play, and they do drive events from afar, this is primarily about the two women of the piece, especially at first Mag. She is played incredibly well, by an unrecognisable Kimberly Vaughen, looking and embodying the frail creature Mag has become. Stooped, staggering, but with enough energy and glint of the eye, to still get about controlling, and trying to stop the relationships that her daughter attempts to have. It's an incredible performance, one of the best upon the Playhouse stage in recent times.

Her daughter Maureen performed by Kate Billingham wields just the right amount of desperation in the role, allowing the character enough room to develop into what she becomes as the story unfolds. It's a rightfully scary performance at times, but at its core, desperately sad.

The male characters, for the most part, offer the comic relief, and the larger than life characters. Richard Jordan as Pato Dooley is a likeable chap, and his offstage emotional reading of his letter is a particular highlight. Finally, Jof Davies' Ray Dooley is something else altogether, a livewire of a character, animated, fast-talking, willing to help, but no further than he can stand. It completes a quartet of brilliant performances, all brimming with strong and mostly maintained, Irish accents.

Liz Clark directs well, despite never being crowded of people, and it looks an absolute delight on Rod Arkle brilliant set, complete with appliances and even the very real, kitchen sink.

In fact, the whole thing combines into a great piece of theatre, which, yes, you can laugh at, despite often feeling you shouldn't be. It's challenging at times, and some of the themes will unquestionably touch a few nerves of some people watching. However, while one scene, can be truly uncomfortable, and the story doesn't end well, you can't help but admire the whole play and production as you leave, challenged and thinking, the theatre.

Performance reviewed: Saturday 16th March 2019 at the Playhouse Theatre, Northampton

The Beauty Queen Of Leenane ran until Saturday 16th March 2019 at The Playhouse Theatre, Northampton but have further dates on its tour. For details visit: whitecobraproductions.co.uk

For full details about the Playhouse Theatre visit their website at playhousenorthampton.com

Photos: Tom Jordan

Review of & Juliet at Milton Keynes Theatre

First performed in 2019, & Juliet has become quite a global success, and now, as part of a UK Tour, it has arrived at Milton Keynes Theatre for a two-week run. Featuring a book by David West Read, it tells the what-if story of the survival of Juliet at the end of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet . Primarily a jukebox musical, it more specifically features the works of Swedish songwriter Max Martin (and friends, as the credits describe). The question is, does & Juliet provide more than the standard of many a jukebox musical before it, and does it honour the tragic tale from which it has sprung? Our story opens with William Shakespeare presenting his latest work, Romeo & Juliet , for the first time. However, when his wife, Anne Hathaway, learns how he intends the tale to end, she is away with his quill and planning on her reworking of the story. At the core of this touring production's success is Geraldine Sacdalan's powerhouse performance as Juliet. Her Juliet ...

Review of Northern Ballet - The Great Gatsby at Milton Keynes Theatre

This production of The Great Gatsby performed by Northern Ballet was my fifth encounter at the theatre of a full ballet production and as before, I happily share my review of the show with nearly zero knowledge of-the-art form and more of a casual theatre-goer. You could say that this is a poor direction to come in on a review, but I would say that casual audience are the ones to review this for. Over the years, Northern Ballet has set quite a high benchmark for ballet productions, and any audience member who is worth their salt as a ballet fan would no doubt have tickets for this new touring version of the 2013 version of The Great Gatsby , lovingly created by David Nixon OBE. So much is Nixon part of the very fabric of this show, that he not only provides the choreography and direction but also the initial scenario and costume design (assisted by Julie Anderson). So, discounting those ballet fans already sitting in the audience, what does this offer for the more casual theatre-goer ...

Review of Ghost Stories at Milton Keynes Theatre

Written by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman, the play Ghost Stories has had great success since its first staging in 2010, with runs in the West End and a previous UK tour in 2020 and overseas. So, it is no surprise that a further tour has launched for 2025, reaching Milton Keynes Theatre this week. The pedigree for the show is also strong, written by Dyson, the unseen part of the legendary The League of Gentleman team, and Nyman, a man of many talents and perhaps most relevant for this show, as a long collaborator with magician Derren Brown. Stagecraft ideas for his work provide many tricks in this stage show. Without any spoilers, the story sees a sceptical Professor Goodman out to debunk the paranormal and using three apparent hauntings – as recounted by a night watchman, a teenage boy, and a businessman awaiting his first child as his basis for a lecture. However, has Goodman finally met something he can not discredit? Running as a speedy one-act 90-minute production, any tension the...

A Small Mind At The Theatre

Search This Blog