https://tickets.computicket.com/event/the_beauty_queen_of_leenane/172644/7190884/118552
“The play centres on the life of Maureen, an unmarried middle-aged woman, as she cares for her ailing mother, Mag, and tries to find love. When the two brothers enter, we are set on a path ....”
The beauty queen of Leenane (1996) had been flooding my Facebook timeline for the past two weeks. Journalists and critics, far more versed in theatre, far more eloquent and well read, were participating in a gush-athon over the Joburg production of this Martin McDonagh-penned play. In all honesty, I was unaware of his illustrious start as playwright.
As someone who routinely jots down thoughts on film and quite shamelessly shares these fraught opinions publicly, I knew the name Martin McDonagh meant one thing to me. Fantastic films. His short, albeit distinguished resume as writer/director includes Three billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri, In Bruges, Seven psychopaths and the highly anticipated The Banshees of Inisherin. I mean, what the actual.
When asked to attend the play and formulate a few comprehensible sentences on the performance, I jumped at it. Even though I had to face Sandton City in all its gaudiness.
If your starting point is an award-winning play, you are building on a solid foundation. McDonagh captures the Irish sensibility with such skill, from the sayings, the language, the repeated “aye”, to the small-town relationships and the cultural references. (I had to Google Complan.) Yet, even though the characters are wrapped in an Irish woollen blanket, they are still universal. Change the names, the sayings, and it could be set in Putsonderwater and still ring true.
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Yet, even though the characters are wrapped in an Irish woollen blanket, they are still universal. Change the names, the sayings, and it could be set in Putsonderwater and still ring true.
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Whether Jennifer Steyn is an icon in South African theatre, film and TV cannot be questioned. Still, in this role, she managed to exceed my over-the-top expectations of her. The way she juts out her chin makes her simply unrecognisable. Within minutes, she transports you to a house on a hill with muddy fields and chickens, a house where two tragic figures wage a war.
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The whole cast is solid, but Sven Ruygrok deserves special mention. His portrayal of Ray could easily have been too much of a caricature of this small-town lad, clad in tracksuits and sporting a mullet, a cocky stance and the occasional blank stare. Ray is the comedic relief you long for. McDonagh knows how to blend gothic humour, pathos and violence. He also knows the audience needs a break from Maureen and Mag every now and again.
.............
The whole cast is solid, but Sven Ruygrok deserves special mention. His portrayal of Ray could easily have been too much of a caricature of this small-town lad, clad in tracksuits and sporting a mullet, a cocky stance and the occasional blank stare. Ray is the comedic relief you long for. McDonagh knows how to blend gothic humour, pathos and violence. He also knows the audience needs a break from Maureen and Mag every now and again.
A night out is not complete without a bit of load-shedding. Halfway through a scene with our adorable Ray, the lights cut out. It took a good few minutes for the generators to kick in. Sven did not miss a beat. “What was I saying?”
The Beauty Queen of Leenane | Theatre on The Square | until 29 October 2022