The Beauty Queen of Leenane returns!

Druid will be re-staging a 20th anniversary production of Martin McDonagh's "The Beauty Queen of Leenane"!

Even better - original cast member, Tony-winning Marie Mullen will return! Even better than that, this time she will playing the role of Mag, the elderly mother originally played by Anna Manahan in the Broadway production.

Unfortunately, it won't reach the US until 2017* - but I, for one, am excited!

The Beauty Queen of Leenane



Druid officially opened the Town Hall Theatre in 1996 with the premiere of The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh. In September, to mark the 20th anniversary of its opening, Druid will return with a new production of the award winning play. Garry Hynes will once again direct this dark comedy and Marie Mullen will this time play the role of manipulative ageing mother Mag, having originally played the part of daughter Maureen in 1996.

Touring is central to Druid and The Beauty Queen of Leenane will be the company’s flagship touring production for this coming winter and spring 2017. After its Galway run, the production will play across Ireland and embark upon a coast-to-coast tour of the US.

Druid received four Tony Awards for the original production in 1998, including Best Direction of a Play (Hynes), Best Leading Actress, Best Featured Actress (Mullen) and Best Featured Actor.

Link (Druid website)



*Um, except for L.A....

Updated On: 10/21/16 at 10:14 PM

20 years. My god. But this is still one of the greatest plays I've ever seen and I pray I'll get a chance to see this.

I saw a fantastic production of this in 2011 at the Young Vic in London and it's still one of my favorite things I've ever seen. It's truly a haunting play.

I was not familiar with McDonagh's work 20 years ago when I saw the play so was startled but mesmerized by his adroit, darkly comedic writing and bursts of violence. I've made it a point to try to catch all his plays since then---as well as the films for which he wrote the screenplay, including my favorites IN BRUGES and SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS. His best play is probably THE PILLOWMAN but BEAUTY QUEEN doesn't fall far behind. I'm looking forward to the new production.

Jay Lerner-Z said: "Unfortunately it won't reach the US until 2017, but I, for one, am excited."

The last time I looked, L.A. was still part of the U.S.

It's playing at the Mark Taper Forum from November 9 to December 18, 2016. Have had my ticket for several months now.

https://www.centertheatregroup.org/about/press-room/press-releases-and-photos/archive/2016/september/cast-set-for-the-beauty-queen-of-leenane-at-taper/

Updated On: 10/21/16 at 09:16 PM

This play holds a special place in my heart. For two long weekends in my high school year my parents took me to New York from Tennessee to treat us all to some Broadway shows. While we were lucky enough to see some special things including the revival of Caberet with Cumming and Jennifer Jason Leigh and the first off Broadway production of Hedwig it is the original production of Beauty Queen remains the most memorable simply because it was the most unexpected. We went in completely blind and we're completely shocked with what we were seeing on stage. Unexpected, shocking, and surprisingly emotional.

Updated On: 10/21/16 at 10:51 PM

I saw this tonight in Dublin and loved it. I'm a big admirer of Martin McDonagh but had never seen this one.



This has to be a great play for an actor to be in. All four characters had some great moments. Hilarious and pretty heartbreaking.



Coming from not too far from where the play is set some of the dialog and character interactions were very close to the bone.



Ive seen all the actors in several things before and they all gave great performances. Special praise has to go to Marie Mullen who really made Mag such an infuriating character. From the moment Pato specifies that his letter must be handed to Maureen you knew what was going to happen. And yet when it did happen the audience gasped.



One of the best plays I've seen in a while and if you get the chance to see it I highly recommend it

January 11 - February 5th at BAM

BAM member onsale 11/7@10

General onsale 11/14@10

Thanks for the clarification, Harriet. Check your sources, sunset/Michael. :)

I'd definitely put this production under the heading of essential viewing, even if you've seen another production of the play. Garry Hynes is a visionary, and having the chance to experience her revisiting the play that she collaborated with McDonagh on that gave him his career and her a Tony, with Marie Mullen returning to the mother's role after having won her Tony for playing the daughter in the original, and collaborating with Druid stalwarts Aisling O'Sullivan, Marty Rea, and Aaron Monaghan – well, it will be definitive, and I count it as a can't-miss event of the season.

Saw the first performance of Druids Beauty Queen last night, it took a little while to get past the really thick Irish accents, but once you did what a brilliantly funny, scary, upsetting, horrifying, night of theatre it was. The cast was superb, highly recommend, grabbed a hotix an hour before the show and end up in the Centre section row D.

Way too young to have seen the original production, but I thought this one was absolutely astonishing. Although I'd loved In Bruges as well as the NT Live screening of Hangmen, I went in mostly blind and while it took two or three minutes to adjust to the heavy Oirish accents, it certainly was a good decision. Kind of struck me as a Galway Glass Menagerie by way of Tarantino. Beautiful staging - Garry Hynes' hand is steady but invisible - and I loved how scorched and sooted the set was, complemented by the omnipresent rain in the windows and above the house.

Marie Mullen is absolutely extraordinary, and a master of economy. She has tremendous vocal color and variety, but it's remarkable just how much she can get by alternating the rhythms of her rocking chair or by glancing across the room. It's a performance that's incredibly full of life and detail despite being mostly confined to a rocking chair. And Aisling O'Sullivan brings a perfect mixture of cruelty and childishness. It's fascinating as the power dynamic between the two women switches back and forth how we perceive their relative wisdom and maturity. Marty Rea is lovely as the suitor, and Aaron Monaghan very funny as his smartass brother.

If you're in LA for the Taper run, or if you can see it at BAM or on tour next year, I'd say it's a can't miss production!

Updated On: 11/16/16 at 04:12 PM

Thanks so much for the tip, bandit964! Can't beat that price.