The Beauty Queen of Leenane

by Martin McDonagh

Overview

The Beauty Queen of Leenane was first presented as a Druid Theatre/Royal Court Theatre co-production in January 1996.
Set in the mountains of Connemara, County Galway, The Beauty Queen of Leenane tells the darkly comic tale of Maureen Folan, a plain and lonely woman in her early forties, and Mag her manipulative ageing mother whose interference in Maureen's first and potentially last loving relationship sets in motion a train of events that is as gothically funny as it is horrific.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780413707307
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/01/2011
Series:	Modern Classics
Pages:	80
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.20(d)

About the Author

Martin McDonagh's first play The Beauty Queen of Leenane was nominated for six Tony awards, of which it won four, and the Laurence Olivier Award. In 2003, his play The Pillowman had its world premiere at the Royal National Theatre and received the 2004 Olivier Award. In 2006, Martin McDonagh won an Oscar for his short film Six Shooter.

Editorial Reviews

(McDonagh) offers all the familiar delights of farce and melodrama, while at the same time offering a powerful critique of contemporary Ireland.” —The Guardian

“A richly human illustration of that tragicomic paradox. If it wasn't so funny it would be squalid.” —The Times (of London)

“The dramatic tension McDonagh creates is brilliantly sustained, while the sudden twists and turbans of the plot elicit genuine gasps of surprise from the audience.” —Daily Telegraph

“(McDonagh's) ear for the Irish rhythms and the absurdities of everyday speech is matchless.” —Sunday Daily Mail

“Martin McDonagh is one of the top playwrights to have emerged in the 1990's.” —Daily Mail

From the Publisher

Martin McDonagh is one of the top playwrights to have emerged in the 1990's.

Daily Mail

(McDonagh's) ear for the Irish rhythms and the absurdities of everyday speech is matchless.

Sunday Daily Mail

The dramatic tension McDonagh creates is brilliantly sustained, while the sudden twists and turns of the plot elicit genuine gasps of surprise from the audience.

Daily Telegraph

A richly human illustration of that tragicomic paradox. If it wasn't so funny it would be squalid.

The Times (of London)

(McDonagh) offers all the familiar delights of farce and melodrama, while at the same time offering a powerful critique of contemporary Ireland.

The Guardian

...THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE...is clearly the product of a major writer. Indeed, on the basis of this play alone, I am willing to make the rash claim that McDonagh is destined to be one of the theatrical luminaries of the twenty-first century.

New Republic

Mr. McDonagh...[is] like a young version of Synge in exile whose voice, worn with sorrow and savage humor, owes a debt to Synge's ...THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE is a gothic dark comedy.

NY Observer