Stage West Presents THE LONESOME WEST, Kicks Off 4/15

Welcome to Leenane, a small village in the rugged landscape of County Galway. It might seem to be a typical Irish village, but there's something a bit different about it. The young parish priest, Father Welsh, puts it this way: "I thought Leenane was a nice place when first I turned up here, but no. Turns out it's the murder capital of f***ing Europe." His assessment is not far wrong. There have been more than a few suspicious deaths in the village, including a supposedly accidental shooting which has recently occurred, in Martin McDonagh's black and funny The Lonesome West, which will begin its run at Stage West Thursday, April 15.

The shooting victim in question was the father of Valene and Coleman Connor, and it was Coleman who did the shooting. Now that he's dead, the two brothers are alone in their father's house, locked in a years-old hostility which constantly threatens to escalate into more violence. Father Welsh is determined to broker some kind of peace between them, but it's an uphill battle-especially for a priest who is generally regarded by them with a kind of amused and tolerant contempt. Not helping the situation is Father Welsh's attachment to the wicked Irish home-brew, poteen, which he gets from the flirtatious and tough teenager, Girleen. All in all, it's no wonder that he's experiencing a serious crisis of faith. Can he make one last-ditch effort to save the brothers from murder? Or will he give it up, along with his faith, as a lost cause?

It may not sound like it, but it's funny stuff. The often-violent relationship between the brothers is also an oddly symbiotic one, and they're generally united in their dislike of most of the villagers. Their trenchant observations are quite funny, as is Girleen's gentle mocking of Father Welsh, due in no small part to McDonagh's gift for colorful Irish vernacular. And as is usual in a McDonagh piece, this play gives us some surprising twists and turns. It makes for an evening of both darkness and laughter, with some genuinely touching moments as well.

The Guardian noted that "Mr. McDonagh's great strength is that he combines a love of traditional story-telling with the savage ironic humour of the modern generation." And Caroline Hennessey, writing for RTE Entertainment, Ireland, said "Darkly hilarious and occasionally touching, 'The Lonesome West' is thoroughly entertaining." This Tony nominee for Best Play is Stage West's second play of the Leenane trilogy; the theatre previously produced A Skull in Connemara.

Martin McDonagh has been hailed as "the first great dramatist of the twenty-first century" by American Repertory Theatre's Robert Brustein. Born of Irish parents, he grew up in the Camberwell district of London. He left school at sixteen, and after five years of unsuccessful radio-writing attempts, he had two of his scripts taken by stations in Australia. He spent just eight days writing The Beauty Queen of Leenane, and by the time it was produced, he was only 27 years old and had four plays running simultaneously. He won the 1996 Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright as well as the 1996 George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright, and The Beauty Queen netted four Tony Awards. McDonagh has been resident playwright for the Royal National Theatre, and his plays have been produced in more than 30 countries. His other works include The Cripple of Inishmaan, The Lieutenant of Inishmore (Olivier Award 2003), The Pillowman (Olivier Award 2004), and films Six Shooter (Oscar-winner for Best Live Action Short, 2006) and In Bruges.

Director Jim Covault has assembled a cast of three Stage West favorites and one newcomer for this piece. Playing the feuding brothers will be Jakie Cabe (as Valene), whose many Stage West credits include Mitch in A Streetcar Named Desire, and Trey Walpole (as Coleman), most recently seen as Charles in Circle Theatre's production of Incorruptible. Father Welsh will be played by Justin Flowers, applauded for his work as Norman in Stage West's The Norman Conquests. All three men have appeared in previous Stage West productions of Irish works; Cabe played multiple roles in the hit Stones in His Pockets, while Flowers made his Stage West debut as Mairtin in A Skull in Connemara. And Walpole appeared in Connor McPherson's Port Authority. Rounding out the cast is Meg Bauman as Girleen, who was most recently seen in Circle's Opus, as Grace.
Scenic design duties will be handled by director Covault, with lighting by Michael O'Brien. Costume design will be by Covault and Peggy Kruger-O'Brien, while Jakie Cabe also serves as Stunt Choreographer.

The Lonesome West will preview Thursday, April 15 at 7:30 and Friday, April 16 at 8:00, and will run through Sunday, May 9. Performance times will be Thursday evenings at 7:30, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00, with Sunday matinees at 3:00. The opening night reception will be Saturday, April 17 following the play. Ticket prices range from $26 to $30, with discounts for students and seniors. Preview tickets are priced at only $15. Pay What You Can performances will be Sunday, April 18 and Thursday, April 22. Food service is available 90 minutes prior to performances (reservations strongly advised. Reservations and information are available through the Box Office (817-784-9378), or on the website, www.stagewest.org.

NOTE: Theatre-goers should be aware that this play contains strong language (in Irish vernacular) and violence.

 

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