Beauty Queen of Leenane ~ Shattered Globe Theater

On Sunday, I went with some people from work to see a play at the Shattered Globe Theater called the Beauty Queen of Leenane.  The play itself is in a smaller theater on the second floor called the Athenaeum Theater.  Our tickets were in the front row and were pretty much on the stage, which made everything seem more real.  They purposefully made the set smaller, more enclosed, and cluttered to give the audience a feeling of a claustrophobia.  Adding to this, the play all took place in the same setting, so the scenery never changed.  It was very visually interesting, with many window panes nailed together in an overlapping pattern, and with old fashioned fixtures and decorations (think poor and early 20th century).  I was impressed that even the sink worked.

The acting was riveting and drew you into the performance.  You could never tell that the actor wasn't their character.  I was surprised to find at the end of the play that none of the actors had Irish accents.  In one scene where a character is burned with hot oil, you could really feel her pain and the entire audience collectively winced, even though you were aware that in reality the oil was cold.  I think that the acting was the most impressive part of the production.

The play itself was a fascinating dark comedy.  I usually get bored in movies and performances, even when I like them, but for this, I was with them the whole time.  The main plot revolved around the relationship of an Irish mother and daughter, and the resentment that can build up when a family member must be a long term care giver without having a life of their own.  It also includes elements of insanity and madness, the desperation of having to emigrate for employment, ostracism due to said emigration, and the loneliness and isolation that can occur due to aging and long term illness.  I would recommend it to anyone with a dark sense of humor looking for something to do.

The only thing I didn't like was that it was a little awkward to watch with some members of our group due to their life situations, but this couldn't be helped.  Think about it twice before you go with someone elderly in your care (it can be a little awkward depending on your relationship).

http://www.shatteredglobe.org/index.html
http://www.shatteredglobe.org/current_production.html

~Beth