Theater Review: Beauty Queen of Leenane

                    Jessica John and Deborah Gilmour Smyth

Oh, those Irish really know how to tell a story. Playwright Martin McDonagh is one of those, and his fascinating, horrifying, like-no-other play “The Beauty Queen of Leenane” is onstage now through July 13 at the Tenth Avenue Arts Center, thanks to Backyard Renaissance Theatre Company.

Francis Gercke directs “Beauty Queen,” which brings us four characters in a small town in Connemara, county Galway. Be ready for accents you may not be familiar with, a script described as “art to the gut” and a dysfunctional family that is anything but loving. This will be an emotionally wrenching evening of theater.

Deborah Gilmour Smyth is smashing (sometimes literally) as 70-year-old matriarch Mag Folan, who mostly sits in the big rocking chair, loudly complaining about something or someone. Mag is likely slipping into dementia, but she expects constant nursemaid care from her 40-year-old spinster daughter Maureen (Jessica John).

Maureen has never had a boyfriend or even the hint of affection, it seems, and it shows in her dead-eyed expression.

The framed photo of John F. Kennedy and the crucifix on the wall remind us of a world that doesn’t exist in this tortured household, and Maureen of a world she wants desperately to escape to.

The entrance of two other characters, the Dooley brothers Ray (Nick Daugherty) and his older brother Pato (MJ Sieber), gives the audience a hope of at least momentary escape from the desperate misery of Mag and Maureen.

Pato is returning from a trip to England, giving Maureen at least someone different to talk to. Maureen is desperate to experience and to give love, something she has never had. Can/will Pato offer that?

Or will McDonagh’s less-than-subtle clues of violence such as a poker and a heavy-looking frying pan continue the atmosphere of dread?

Director Gercke gets the most out of his skilled cast, and from Tony Cucuzzella’s set.

“Beauty Queen of Leenane” is an experience like no other. It is haunting and often downright depressing. But if you’re up to it, be assured that you’ll never forget it.

The details

“Beauty Queen of Leenane” plays through July 13, 2024 at the Tenth Avenue Arts Center, 930 Tenth Avenue, downtown San Diego.

Schedule: Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday at 3 p.m.

Special industry performance: Monday, July 8 @ 7 p.m.

Ticket prices: $18 previews, $32-40 for show run

Get tickets here: https://backyardrenaisssance.com/tickets/beautyqueen/