The Langham Court Theatre sets the scene for deception and betrayal with its production of the black comedy The Beauty Queen of Leenane.
The darkly comic tale centres on Maureen Folan, a 40-year-old virgin, and her manipulative 70-year-old mother, Mag. Maureen, who has a history of mental illness, is trapped in a small, bleak cottage and in an overly dependent, seriously dysfunctional relationship with her mother, who interferes in her daughter’s only chance at love.
Irish playwright Martin McDonagh’s Tony Award-winning show will be directed by Langham Court veteran Judy Treloar. The Beauty Queen of Leenane, part of the Leenane Trilogy, is set in the 1980s in and around County Galway, where playwright McDonagh spent his holidays as a child.
The cast includes Elizabeth Whitmarsh as Mag; Naomi Simpson as Maureen, the desperate virgin; Bill Adams, as Pato, the awkward suitor and newcomer Paul Wiebe as Ray, Pato’s younger brother.
McDonagh’s first non-Irish play, The Pillowman, set in a fictitious totalitarian state, won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2004. McDonagh’s film Six Shooter, won the Live Action Short Subject Oscar in 2006. He is perhaps best known to world-wide audiences for his multi award-winning screenplay of the crime comedy, In Bruges.
The show previews Nov. 16 and opens Nov. 17, running through Dec. 3. Tickets are $19 for adults, $17 for students and seniors. Preview night, they are two for $20. To buy, call 250-384-2142 or email boxoffice@langhamtheatre.ca.