Modern classic by Martin McDonagh is GLT’s entry to the Western Ontario Drama League Festival
From Jan. 24 to Feb. 3, the Guelph Little Theatre (GLT) is presenting its own version of Martin McDonagh’s modern classic, The Beauty Queen of Leenane. The play is a slice-of-life comedic drama featuring the lives of four modest adults living in Ireland during a time of great social change, deciding if they should remain in the town they’ve lived their whole lives, or seek greater opportunities abroad.
The plot centres on Maureen, a lonely woman in her 40s, who shares a house with Mag, her overbearing and often critical mother. For the first time in many years, Maureen has a real chance at a new relationship and a new life — far from the oppressive influence of her derelict and downtrodden mother. Mag, of course, sees nothing wrong with the traditional — and perhaps even pleasantly predictable — life that Maureen has been afforded in the town of Leenane, and thus, sees no problem with tampering in her daughter’s love life.
At first, the results are charming, enticing the audience to reflect on their own experiences in clashing with their parents, and offering a degree of catharsis to those memories. Of course, before long, the charming and relatable disagreement quickly spirals into dramatic escalation — one that first inspires shock in the audience, and then, gradually, relief that their own parental disputes never escalated as far as theirs. A roller coaster of emotion becomes the norm throughout this performance, with highs that stretch a smile across our face, and lows that leave our jaws on the floor.
Robin Bennett, director of the show, vaunts the Irish humour of the play as one of its most compelling attributes. Unlike overt American humour, the audience is never quite sure when a humorous lick or a subtle joke is coming their way, which adds to the persuasive storytelling of this production. All four members of the cast, when spoken to individually, also credits the unpredictability of the humour as a factor that makes the performance enthralling from moment to moment. Of course, the humour is far from the only attractive aspect of the show — the descent into dark and jarring scenes are perhaps the most compelling, and to the cast themselves, the most entertaining.
The Beauty Queen of Leenane is GLT’s entry into the Western Ontario Drama League Festival (WODL), an annual festival aimed at building community and developing the craft of local theatre. GLT has had an extensive and successful relationship with the festival, and is in fact hosting the adjudicators and providing a venue for the festival performers this year from Mar. 10 to 16. WODL adjudicates a number of plays, and the top five are selected to perform at the main festival, with the winning production advancing to the Theatre Ontario Festival.
A play for mature audiences, The Beauty Queen of Leenane is an excellent recommendation to anyone who enjoys subtle humour, personal drama, and of course, for those who are familiar with familial conflict.
Photos and article by Ryan Williams.