THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE - Free Rain Theatre - ACT Hub.

Janie Lawson (Maureen Foley) - Alice Ferguson (Mag Foley) in "The Beauty Queen of Leenane"

 

Written by Martin McDonagh – Designed and Directed by Cate Clelland

Lighting Design by Craig Muller – Sound Design by Neville Pye

Presented by Free Rain Theatre:  25^th June – 5^th July 2025.

Opening Night performance reviewed by BILL STEPHENS.

Bruce Hardie (Pato Dooley) - Janie Lawson (Maureen Foley) in "The Beauty Queen of Leenane"

Written in 1996 as the first of a trilogy of plays by Irish playwright, Martin McDonagh, set in County Galway, The Beauty Queen of Leenane is set in a small village on the west coast of Ireland. The play enjoyed critical acclaim on London’s West End where it was nominated for “Best New Play” in the 1997 Olivier Awards, and on Broadway where it was nominated for six Tony Awards and took home four.

The play follows a series of events arising out of the toxic relationship between 70-year-old Mag Foley (Alice Ferguson), and her 40-year-old spinster daughter, Maureen, (Janie Lawson), who feels trapped by having to care for her elderly mother in the remote Irish village.

The pair spend their time making each other’s lives as miserable as they can. Maureen desperately seeks release from her perceived entrapment, even resorting to torturing her mother on occasion, to which Mag responds by tantalising Maureen at every opportunity and blocking any hope of escape.

Robbie Haltiner (Ray Dooley) - Alice Ferguson (Mag Foley) in "The Beauty Queen of Leenane"

When a young neighbour, Ray Dooley, (Robbie Haltiner) calls on Mag in Maureen’s absence to invite both women to a farewell party for his visiting American uncle Pato Dooley (Bruce Hardie). The seeds for tragedy are sown when Ray, impatient about Maureen’s absence, but unsure of Mag’s ability to remember the details of the invitation, decides to write them on a note and leaves it in Mag’s care to pass on to Maureen on her return.  But as soon as Ray leaves, Mag burns the note.  

However, on his way out Ray meets the returning Maureen and informs her of the party.

Maureen questions Mag about the invitation, but she denies all knowledge of it.

 Infuriated, Maureen decides to attend the party without Mag, whereupon she strikes up an acquaintance with Pato, brings him home, and they spend the night together.

This is not the end of the play of course, because Maureen’s decision to attend the party leads to a series of miscommunications that have tragic consequences for all concerned.

McDonagh has crafted four compelling characters, brought to life with commendable skill by this meticulously chosen cast. Although Maureen's treatment of her mother may not be commendable, Janie Lawson's responses to Mag's relentless mischievous nit-picking, her misinterpretation of Pato’s concern for her comfort, and her poignant realisation that her opportunity to change her circumstances has slipped away, are portrayed with impressive emotional insight.

Alice Ferguson's portrayal of Maureen's mother, Mag, is also skilfully executed, earning audience empathy while maintaining their support.

Bruce Hardie (Pato Dooley) - Janie Lawson (Maureen Foley) - Alice Ferguson (Mag Foley)

Bruce Hardie delivers an excellent performance as Pato, Maureen’s last hope for escape, while Robbie Haltiner brings dark humour as the insensitive Ray Dooley.

Cate Clelland's setting accurately depicts the atmosphere of the Irish cottage where the Foleys live, with the actors surrounded by well-chosen properties that reflect their situation. Her direction is also precise and well considered.

However, the choice to have Pato read his pivotal letter to Maureen in the kitchen of the Foley cottage raises questions. Additionally, the transitions between scenes were unimaginative and frequently disrupted the carefully crafted act climaxes, causing the audience to become disengaged while they observed dimly lit figures rearranging props on the set.

It was especially disheartening toward the conclusion of the play when the actor portraying the murdered corpse stood up and exited the stage in clear view of the audience, distracting from what should have been an impactful denouement and resulting in an untidy sequence of bows.

Hopefully these blemishes will be attended to before the season progresses much further, to allow future audiences to enjoy this otherwise excellent production without distraction.

  

                                                 Photos by Janelle McMenamin

        This review also published in AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW. www.artsreview.com.au