The Beauty Queen of Leenane returns!- Page 2

[little_sally]

Posted: 12/7/16 at 11:57am

bandit964 said: "Single tickets on sale NOW.

 

Just got front row center balcony for $25!

 

Same here! I'm so excited!

 

[sm33]

Posted: 12/16/16 at 4:41pm

We saw this at the Mark Taper Forum in LA last night via TodayTix, in large part because of the good reviews in this thread. I didn't know anything about it going in, and had never read or seen another play by this playwright, and it was an enjoyable evening of theater. 

The tickets were $32.50 + fees, so $75 for a pair. I have a mini-subscription at the CTG this year, so I cross-checked with the subscriber pricing, but I found it to be a better deal to just go thorough TodayTix. The theater is small, so I can't imagine any seat is a bad one. We were seated in one of the center rear sections just a couple rows from the back, we and had our row to ourselves (the theater was about 2/3 full).

The drab, sparse decor and staging is effective, and Marie Mullen (Mag) and Aisling O'Sullivan (Maureen) are both extremely believable in their roles. I particularly liked O'Sullivan, who made you empathize with her predicament while still showing her flaws plainly. The accents are A LOT at first; there were whole sentences in the opening scene that I didn't get a word from, but either I got used to it or they eased up or both, because they were easy enough to understand after ten or fifteen minutes. The brothers were also well cast, with Aaron Monaghan (Ray) being a great source of comic relief, and Marty Rea (Pato) easily conveying his character's sweet and slightly awkward nature.  

I don't know if it's because I watch too much TV or because the play isn't trying to be coy, but nothing that happened surprised me at all. But because it was well paced and acted, that wasn't too much of a detriment. Judging from the crowd reactions, though, I was in the minority - there were a lot of gasps and pleas to the characters onstage at various points. 

This weekend is the last weekend for the play in LA, so I would recommend seeing it if you have a free night.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/16/16 at 4:43pm

Got my tickets in the mail today. I can't even put into words how excited I am to see this play again. 

[The Josh]

Posted: 12/17/16 at 4:04am

Really looking forward to seeing this in Boston!!

[Melissa25]

Posted: 12/17/16 at 4:34am

Splurged on front row for this one. Really looking forward to it too!

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 12/17/16 at 9:20pm

sm33 said: "...I don't know if it's because I watch too much TV or because the play isn't trying to be coy, but nothing that happened surprised me at all....

"

Thank you. I realize we are in the minority, but I found the play utterly predictable. In fact the only thing I didn't see coming long beforehand was SPOILER ALERT the young man's letter after he moved to Great Britain.

Excellent cast. Formulaic plot, despite the "controversial" (and still relevant) subject matter.

[Glittergrrl]

Posted: 12/17/16 at 9:56pm

20 years ago.  Good God, I am old. I saw the Broadway production. It was my first Martin McDonough play and I think I've seen every Broadway production since.  Pillowman is probably his best work-saw it twice!  but Leenane is fantastic. I remember one particular moment so vividly--I gasped out loud.  I don't think I'll revisit this one. Just too many shows to see and not enough money to see them all.  Look forward to reading your comments though.

Updated On: 12/17/16 at 09:56 PM

[dave1606]

Posted: 1/12/17 at 3:08pm

I saw this at BAM last night and thought it was fantastic. Definitely ranks among the favorite Martin McDonaugh plays I have seen. The text feels fresh despite being 20 years old.

The one warning I will say is I had trouble understanding the accents at first from the balcony. If you are considering splurging for a better ticket I would recommend it as I thought the sound didn't always carry up. These are strong Irish accents and took me a bit to adjust, but once I did I was fine. It was not well sold at BAM last night, sides of the balcony and orchestra were empty. 

I thought the cast was phenomenal and the play balanced it's humor and darker scenes very well. I thought that one of the more shocking moments was handled really well. This will be one of my favorite plays I see this season. Don't miss it!

My friend and I kept saying how this would make a wonderful film, you can imagine an atmospheric house up on a hill and the rain pouring down.  

[BroadwayLuv2]

Posted: 1/12/17 at 6:44pm

Does anyone know if BAM has a rush policy and how much tickets are? 

[sondmon]

Posted: 1/12/17 at 7:10pm

BroadwayLuv2 said: "Does anyone know if BAM has a rush policy and how much tickets are? 

 

"https://twitter.com/BAM_Brooklyn/status/819678911181258754

 

[little_sally]

Posted: 1/13/17 at 11:10am

Saw this last night and thought it was excellent. The cast is truly top notch, and it is great to have a McDonagh play back in NYC.

[sondmon]

Posted: 1/13/17 at 3:30pm

anyone sit in the upper orchestra and can comment on the view? There are $40 seats on todaytix there. 

[BroadwayLuv2]

Posted: 1/14/17 at 12:46am

How is the view from the balcony?  I have never sat up there at BAM, it looks rather high.  Not sure if I want to go for balcony or spring for a rear orchestra seat.  Thoughts? 

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 1/14/17 at 6:35pm

I'm still looking forward to eventually seeing this in March, and happy to hear good things.

My friend and I kept saying how this would make a wonderful film, you can imagine an atmospheric house up on a hill and the rain pouring down.  

Yeah...a movie would be nice, though like all plays, it would take a talented movie-maker to expand it out from the limited setting. The Richard Harris movie "The Field" was actually filmed in the village of Leenane if you want to get an idea of what it could be like.

 

[little_sally]

Posted: 1/14/17 at 7:40pm

BroadwayLuv2 said: "How is the view from the balcony?  I have never sat up there at BAM, it looks rather high.  Not sure if I want to go for balcony or spring for a rear orchestra seat.  Thoughts? 

I would go for the rear orchestra. The view from the balcony is very good but it's very high up and very steep. 

As far as this working as a film, McDonagh once said he believes his plays are just meant for the stage. Shame because I think all of his work would make great movies.

Updated On: 1/14/17 at 07:40 PM

[Dollypop]

Posted: 1/15/17 at 8:58pm

Somewhat Off Topic: My mothercalways thought the title was "Beauty Queen of Linoleum".

 

I'm not joking.I

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 1/20/17 at 10:39pm

I saw this tonight and loved it. I do have a few questions though. Major spoilers ahead!!

 

What all was "imagined?" Did he really write that letter? Did she really burn her mother? Did she really kill her mother or was that also in her head? Sorry to sound like a dummy but it started feeling like a confusing dream near the end and I couldn't make total sense of it.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/20/17 at 10:49pm

"What all was "imagined?"

No.

 

"Did he really write that letter?"

 

Yes.

 

"Did she really burn her mother?"

 

Yes.

 

"Did she really kill her mother or was that also in her head?"

 

She killed her. 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 1/20/17 at 11:01pm

So did she say goodbye to him at the train station or not?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/20/17 at 11:37pm

No, she didn't. That was all in her head. Don't forget - she cray. 

[bandit964]

Posted: 1/21/17 at 1:31pm

THANK YOU, BAM, for upgrading those balcony seats.  

[#1Elphie]

Posted: 1/21/17 at 10:35pm

I have an extra pair of front row center balcony seats (A116, A117) for Friday, January 27th at 7:30pm if anyone is interested. Looking for $20 a ticket, can meet up in Manhattan sometime this week to make the hand-off (they're hard tickets). I saw the show today and loved it. 

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 1/23/17 at 9:08am

little_sally said: "BroadwayLuv2 said: "How is the view from the balcony?  I have never sat up there at BAM, it looks rather high.  Not sure if I want to go for balcony or spring for a rear orchestra seat.  Thoughts? 

I would go for the rear orchestra. The view from the balcony is very good but it's very high up and very steep. 

Indeed.  Also, the seats in the Harvey balcony used to be extremely uncomfortable.  Does anyone know if they still are?

[little_sally]

Posted: 1/23/17 at 9:11am

henrikegerman said: "little_sally said: "BroadwayLuv2 said: "How is the view from the balcony?  I have never sat up there at BAM, it looks rather high.  Not sure if I want to go for balcony or spring for a rear orchestra seat.  Thoughts? 

I would go for the rear orchestra. The view from the balcony is very good but it's very high up and very steep. 

Indeed.  Also, the seats in the Harvey balcony used to be extremely uncomfortable.  Does anyone know if they still are?


They aren't the most comfortable, that's for sure. It's a pretty tight fit up there (I was in row B, if that matters.)

 

[macnyc]

Posted: 1/23/17 at 12:24pm

Sorry to say, I didn't have a good reaction to this play. After loving the recent Cripple of Inishmaan production, I was hoping for the best.

Part of my difficulty is that my Irish grandmother lived with us while I was growing up, and her sadistic streak colored my childhood. We all bring ourselves, baggage and all, to every show we see, and that's a good thing. But I found Beauty Queen way over the top sadistic, and it was horrible to watch. I know it's shocking for anyone to see, but I think it resonated with me in an especially bad and painful way. 

Also, I would have liked a bit more of the character's backstory. For example, why did Maureen end up staying? Her two sisters apparently escaped. What kept Maureen back? To my knowledge, this is never explored. Also, although the play is set in the early 1990s, it seemed to take place in the 1890s. Are women's options in Ireland so limited? I know it's a rural area and all, but it seems unrealistic to me.

I also had trouble with the accents, as previous posters have said. I even prepared ahead of time by listening on the Internet to lots of Irish accents (there are many). I opted for the assistive headset, as suggested by a friend, even though my hearing is fine. He was hoping the headset would help with the accents, but it didn't. I could hear fine either way, but I just wasn't understanding it.

On the bright side, my friend and I sat in the rear orchestra, the part underneath the balcony. The view and the audio are fine back there. Just be mindful of the pillars. My friend purchased the tickets over the phone and specifically requested to avoid the pillars. I would recommend that section. I think we paid $54 each.

And of course the acting was tremendous. I enjoyed all the performances. I guess I needed a bit more comic relief, or to have seen another play!

Updated On: 1/23/17 at 12:24 PM