The Cripple of Inishmaan

The Cripple of Inishmaan is familiar territory for Martin McDonagh - the setting is the Aran Islands during the 1930s. Generally the play is a bit less violent that his others, but not much. Cripple Billy is the main character, a young man mocked ceaselessly by the townsfolk for his physical deformities. Out of all the townspeople he is the only one who is not either insane or overtly cruel. Like other McDonagh plays, the dialogue gains humor from blending an exaggerated Irish idiom with ridiculous back and forth banter that either gets nowhere, or covers absurd topics (see Hitler's mustache or the repetition of Yalla-mallas, a type of sweetie). The play inhabits a world where everyone is predictably cruel which the audience, alongside cripple Billy, slogs through for one or two decent things. Plot twists are constantly turned on their head, only to be turned back again, and in some cases turned back once more. Most of this is achieved through lies, which all of the characters, including Billy are engaged in copiously. The violence toward the end with a lead pipe was a weak spot in the play - it really felt out of place. Unlike other McDonagh plays, this one displays a bit more human compassion, which in the end is exposed (however fleetingly). All in all the play is quite deliciously miserable, and you can appreciate the romping good time the author had in writing it.

On Broadway I saw productions of Martin McDonagh's "The Pillowman" and the "The Lieutenant of Inishmore;" the latter play had more blood and guts spread over the stage than any play within memory; the former was a dark, scary play that shocked even blasé New York audiences. This play is about simple folk in a small village in 1934, and one could be forgiven for considering them simple-minded as well. Elements of theater of the absurd, farce, vaudeville-like routines, and inane dialogue add to the great comic effects achieved in this piece. Two women run a grocery store that seems to be overstocked with cans of peas. There is no doubt that Cripple Billy is a cripple because the other characters are constantly mentioning it and calling him Cripple Billy. Some of the jokes are stupid, but nonetheless funny. Billy even goes to Hollywood to seek fame and fortune. Billy cons a boatman into taking him to a nearby island where Robert Flaherty is filming his documentary "Man of Aran." Billy stares at cows, Helen pegs eggs at Father Barratt, and Aunt Kate talks to a stone. Johnnypateenmike, the village gossip,(characters use long names in addressing each other) ferrets out and carries the news around the village. He keeps his Mammy in her nineties drunk and hopes she'll croak. These are like stage Irish types, stock characters. McDonagh is not aiming for realistic portrayals. This is farcical stuff with the flaky characters uttering vaudeville-like riffs. Some of the dialogue sounds nonsensical, absurdist, but somehow the plot gets moved along, and the audience gets entertained by these nut cases. It's almost like a hillbilly comedy. The play has its darker elements because McDonagh is not going to let the audience leave with a happy ending. Violence and cruelty are never far out of sight. If it plays as well as it reads, I'm sure it would be a hilarious theater experience.

Wonderfully dark, mean and hysterical, but under it all is the message that we all need family, community and each other. McDonagh has an incredible way with very natural stage dialogue and his characters are unique and vivid. I laughed on every page and winced with every vicious attack. Although some may argue that the play is hateful and sad, I have read few plays as ultimately life affirming. To use every characters' sentiments, Ireland mustn't be such a bad place if Martin McDonagh writes so well about it!

I have not yet had the chance to read "The Cripple of Inishmaan," however I have had the rare opportunity to see it performed at the Pioneer Memorial Theater in Salt Lake City. This play is absolutely amazing. I enjoyed it from start to finish, despite some of the harsh language. It only served as tool to further explore the characters. This play gave me the opportunity to explore a huge range of emotions in a short amount of time. I was laughing when it started and crying when it ended. The story is beautiful and gives a true and realistic view of humanity as we know it today.

I just saw a wonderful production of this play at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge. The playbill said that it was part of a trilogy. I was hoping to find the other two here. I believe they were called the Lieutenant of Inishmore and The Banshees of Inisheer. This play might have resonated with me a little more deeply because my great-grandparents emigrated from the Aran Islands to Boston, and I can't help but think they made the right decision.