The Beauty Queen of Leenane

Written by Martin McDonagh

Performed in: dlr Mill Theatre from 7 to 11 February 2023

 

Sometimes I dream… of anything! Of anything. Other than this.

In the mountains of Connemara, County Galway, Maureen Folan - a plain, lonely woman, tied to her manipulative and ageing mother, Mag - comes alive at her first and possibly last prospect of a new life. But Mag has other ideas; and her interference sets in motion a train of events that leads inexorably towards the play's breathtaking conclusion.

2023 marks Balally Players' 40th Anniversary and the group opened this special year with 'The Beauty Queen of Leenane' by Martin McDonagh.

The Beauty Queen of Leenane is one of playwright Martin McDonagh's (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Lieutenant of Inishmore) finest achievements. Winner of four Tony Awards on Broadway and nominated for an Olivier Award, the play conjures up the unbearable tension and loneliness of an isolated existence. Prior to his success with 'In Bruges' and the 'Banshees of Inisherin', this was McDonagh's debut play, the work that launched his career and electrified audiences. It introduced the world to McDonagh's darkly comic style, at times hilarious, at times vicious.

First produced by the Druid Theatre Company in 1996 'The Beauty Queen of Leenane' tells the story of spinster Maureen Folan, trapped in a dysfunctional relationship with her scheming and manipulative mother Mags, in a rundown cottage in the wilds of Connemara. Will Maureen's last chance at love have a happy ending? Not if Mags can help it.

 

Given that 'The Banshees of Inisherin' was hotly tipped for Oscar glory at the same time, Mill audiences had an opportunity to experience McDonagh's black humour in the flesh.