The Lieutenant of Inishmore

Martin McDonagh, The Lieutenant of Inishmore (Dramatist's Play Service, 2003) Martin McDonagh is one of the world's finest playwrights, whether he's writing for stage (The Pillowman) or screen (In Bruges). Here is more evidence of that: The Lieutenant of Inishmore, as savagely funny as In Bruges and as full of violence as The Pillowman, examining the absurdity of the continuing conflict in Ireland with McDonagh's always-jaundiced eye. The play opens with the death of a cat. In fact, the whole play turns on the death of that cat, as its caretakers try to figure out how to find a replacement before its owner, an officer in an IRA splinter group, comes home to find out what's happened to it. But the question remains: how did the cat die? And more importantly, when its owner returns, will he care, or will he just kill everyone involved? But no explanation of the plot is going to do this justice; you have to read it for yourself. It's convulsively funny, its characters are drawn with all the remarkable precision we've come to expect from McDonagh, and its pace is spot-on. This is, once again, perfect work, and is a strong competitor for the top spot on my Best Reads of the Year list. *****

I saw this play at the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway (7/9/06, Sunday matinee) not even a week ago as of this writing. It was nominated for several Tony awards this season and I can easily understand why. It is absolutely the most outrageous comedy I have seen in years of theatregoing. Very dark. Very well written. Very funny. Worth the trip and definitely worth the read. McDonagh challenges us to laugh at what would be normally very tense, dramatic, serious scenes. He has created a world populated by characters that think they are smart but we can see they have solutions and ideas that are idiotic. These absurdities make scene after scene strikingly laugh out loud funny, despite their violent conclusions. The point well made - that terrorism is a fool's paradise and is pointless, creating needless hurt and confusion - is spelled out in comedic terms so well drawn that you laugh despite your better judgment. That is, until you understand the logic of placing humor front and center, as the most integral of survival skills.

OK. I think McDonagh is a straight genius. I read this play, because I am currently in The Cripple of Inishmaan(the tame McDonagh play), but only because out director didn't think he could get the rights to this one. But I read this play, and I almost [messed] myself almost every other line. it is just that funny. I wish that we could have gotten the rights to it. It would be great to watch our director figure out how he would pull all this crazy stuff off. Overall, this is just a really funny, violent reason as to why I love the theatre. READ THIS SCRIPT. IT IS AMAZING. It is also very, very lean. No fat at all. A very short, perfect read.

I directed McDonagh's "The Lonesome West" for the Station Theatre, Urbana, IL, in January 2000. (See 8am.com for reviews and links.) What an exhilarating ride! The new play -- like all of McDonagh's maddeningly vicious, hilarious efforts -- would be equally frustrating to stage, particularly the need for dead cats, live cats (covered with shoe polish), and other acts to drive directors mad. ("The Lonesome West" required dozens of Catholic religious figurines to be smashed nightly, not to mention an exploding oven and on-stage rain.) Certainly his staging challenges make these plays riveting to see, but they are equally rich in the reading. Be prepared to laugh... and then shocked at yourself for laughing.