Playwright: Martin McDonagh
At: The Gift Theatre Company, 4802 N. Milwaukee
Phone: 773-283-7071; $20-$25
Runs through: July 29
BY SCOTT C. MORGAN
'How are things in Irish Drama? Glum, glum, glum.'
Anyone familiar with Martin McDonagh's The Beauty Queen of Leenane would laugh upon hearing Forbidden Broadway's 1998 spoof sung to the Finian's Rainbow tune of How are things in Glocca Morra? But, far from being a Punch-and-Judy-style whacking match with comical Irish accents, The Beauty Queen of Leenane is actually a harrowing mother-daughter drama.
McDonagh tackles uncomfortable caretaker issues ( especially for those with infirm parents ) and longingly wallows in the grudge-filled poverty that has long defined the Irish mindset. The play is also extremely funny, which only makes the outbursts of violence near the end so much more disturbing.
Beauty Queen focuses on Maureen Folan, an embittered 40ish woman cooped up in a remote rain-soaked Irish cottage with her demanding elderly mother, Mag. Their routine of bickering over inconsequential things like porridge is hilarious, but there's a hateful resentment simmering underneath.
It's construction worker Pato Dooley who dubs Maureen 'The Beauty Queen of Leenane.' Pato's arrival threatens the routine of these two women, causing the mother-daughter conflict to boil over into sabotage and reprisals. Pato isn't entirely to blame—a good portion is stoked by his thoughtless intermediary younger brother, Ray, who fuels the Folan fire with his impatience.
McDonagh may over-foreshadow a tad too neatly in The Beauty Queen of Leenane, but he creates two monumental roles for two sparring actresses.
In the Gift Theatre's great intimate production that is directed by Sheldon Patinkin, it's clear that one actress outmatches the other. The ripping drama is still there, but it's not quite the gripping match up it could be.
First, the victor: Mary Ann Thebus veritably inhabits Mag with her tottering scarred hand and dithering scratched voice. Just how much of Mag's decrepit characteristics is a put-on is always up in the air because of Thebus' performance ( which doesn't allow you to label Mag as a manipulative monster ) .
As daughter Maureen, Lynda Newton is good but her technical performance isn't as solid. Her Irish dialect faltered a bit on opening night while her seething anger felt more applied instead of erupting from an internal cauldron.
John Gawlik is solid as Pato, while Brian Deneen gets plenty of laughs as the lanky layabout Ray, who spews on and on about Australian TV and childhood resentments. Any signs of Ray's violent nature early on might have enlivened Deneen's portrayal even more.
Now that Ireland has a booming economy as part of the European Union, the economic and emotional depression of The Beauty Queen of Leenane makes it a late 1980s period piece. The Gift Theatre production is near-perfect, which only makes the minor acting shortcomings more noticeable.
REVIEW
Talley's Folly
Playwright: Lanford Wilson
At: Oak Park Festival Theatre at Austin Gardens, Ontario and Forest
Phone: 708-445-4440; $17-$25
Runs through: July 15
BY SCOTT C. MORGAN
Lanford Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning Talley's Folly is a great choice for outdoor theater. One reason is that it's already set outdoors near Lebanon, Mo., on a decaying Victorian boathouse ( the architectural folly of the play's title ) .
The Oak Park Festival Theatre largely does the play right with a solid production. A few props look too modern, particularly the red-and-black ice skates. But then, where are you going to find winter athletic wear circa 1944, when the play is set?
At a short 90 minutes without intermission, Talley's Folly is mostly a 'Will the guy succeed in wooing the girl?' scenario. Matt Friedman, played by slightly rotund David Girolmo, sets up the play's premise to the audience in a comic direct address that allows for latecomers to amble in.
Now in his 40s, Matt is out to win the heart of one-time flame Sally Talley ( Maggie Graham ) , who is in danger of becoming a spinster in her late 20s. Sally's liberal views and willingness to speak her mind makes her a bit of an outcast with the town and her family. Though Sally seems like a fine soul mate for Matt, there's a secret she's hiding.
As an Eastern European immigrant who hasn't completely shaken his accent, Friedman also has secrets he's keeping. So the play becomes a back-and-forth volley between the two, each deploying diversionary tactics to get the upper hand.
It all seems to end happily but, as theater fans know, Talley's Folly is just the first chronological play in a trilogy that show all does not necessarily end well.
Director Michael Weber and his production design team create a lovely production in Oak Park's Austin Gardens.
As Matt, Girolmo is affable enough to like and believe. Though quite the snappy and confrontational match for Girolmo's Friedman, Graham's Talley wasn't quite as organic with her acting. There were times when you see her switching on the anger because it's required.
As a summer evening's worth of entertainment, you really can't go wrong with the quirky pairing of Matt and Sally. Oak Park Festival Theatre renders Talley's Folly quite nicely.
