Brothers at war wrestle their rage into belly laughs
But McDonagh doesn’t quite get to grips with rural loneliness
M‘He even owns the constantly growing collection of plastic religious figurines’
artin McDonagh is a genuine hellraiser of a writer, especially in his plays set in the west of Ireland. Black humour and farce go hand in hand with brutality, eccentric characters, outrageous behaviour and dialogue that can be hilariously lacerating.
Lonesome West is not as satirically savage as The Lieutenant Of Inishmore nor as gaspingly nasty as Beauty Queen of Leenane, but it has the McDonagh stamp of family dysfunction and poisonous invective laced with belly laughs.
On the menu here are multiple suicides and murders, blackmail, an endless feud between two warring brothers constantly on the verge of shooting each other, a young, well-meaning priest hopelessly out of his depth, and a young girl who sells poteen and has an eye on the priest.
There’s also a celebratory reconciliation that involves a tasty vol-au-vent being flung in fury, and a wicked confrontation that uses a large modern stove and two bags of Tayto crisps as hostages in the brotherly battle.
Valeen has the blackmailing upper hand over his brother Coleman, because of their father’s killing. As a result, Valeen has ownership of everything in the house, including his constantly growing collection of plastic religious figurines.
The problem is that Valeen can forbid Coleman from taking any action but he can’t actually stop him. When they’re not swearing at each other, Coleman regularly gets Valeen in a headlock that’s usually disturbed by the priest.
It would all be very nasty if it weren’t for McDonagh’s scarifying dialogue that turns rage into farce.
Father Welsh attempts unsuccessfully to reconcile the feuding brothers. His other problems include being a failure as a coach to the totally undisciplined ladies football team, a struggle with some Catholic doctrine over hell and heaven, and a developing need for relief through poteen while being friendly towards Girleen, but not encouraging her approaches.
At times things get more serious, especially when the priest (Art Campion) probes the morality of suicide. The scene in which, sitting alone by the sea, he spells out to the audience a letter he has written aiming to bring peace to the brothers, is serious and thoughtful but it doesn’t ring true amid the general mayhem. It’s as though McDonagh has decided to slam on the brakes and go philosophical for a while. The play makes some gestures towards being a reflection on lonely country lives, but it never really gets to grips with that as a theme.
And the priest performing a teeth-clenching mutilation job on his hands with burning plastic is an unconvincing steal from a more credible piece of savagery in Beauty Queen. But McDonagh gets snappily back on course in a great comic truth and reconciliation scene as the two brothers admit their sins against each other, building to an apparent summit of brotherly love. Has the priest’s heartfelt letter succeeded and has McDonagh set up a happy ending?
Like hell he has. That’s when the fun and chaos really kick in, bringing a brilliantly executed end to the peace process. Denis Conway as the irascible Coleman, constantly failing to control his rage, is a great contrast with Frankie McCafferty’s smug, taunting Valeen.
● Outrage, a new play by the prolific Deirdre Kinahan, is her third work about the Irish revolutionary wars. Following the story of two sisters in organising civil resistance and propaganda, the play explores the true nature of women’s role in the revolutionary wars, in particular the Civil War of 1922, a war that divided the nation and has affected Irish politics up to the present day. With Naoise Dunbar, Caitríona Ennis and Mary Murray. Courthouse Kells, March 1719; Pumphouse, Dublin Port, March 24-April 3; online April 14-23. See fishamble. com/outrage
● Marina Carr’s adaptation of Virginia Woolf ’s To The Lighthouse returns for a limited run on-demand, streaming online from March 19-26. The play opens with the Ramsey family on carefree days by the sea. But the tranquil surface hides currents of longing and frustration that fling these lives into turmoil. Multiple views €15/single €10.