Beauty Queen Comes to the Hawk’s Well

Four award-winning actors who form the cast of the long-awaited production of “The Beauty Queen of Leenane” have been in painstaking rehearsal under the direction of Joan Fitzpatrick, and the fruits of their endeavours are about to be brought to the stage. Sligo audiences will not be disappointed by this superb production from Sligo Drama Circle. The small Connemara townland of Leenane comes to life through the characters of Maureen Folan (Ann Marie Byrne), her aging and needy mother (Pat Sweeny), her love interest Pato Dooley (Vinnie Holland) and his younger brother Ray (Colin Callanan).

This tragicomedy makes for the ultimate theatrical experience as the pathological relationship between mother and daughter unfolds alongside the relationship between Maureen and Pato, observed by the “go-between” Ray. Martin Mc Donagh is renowned in his writing for his portrayal of the darker sides of the Irish landscape, but in this production we see how successful he is at combining both humour with deep sadness. On Broadway “The Beauty Queen of Leenane” sold out for its entire run but there are some seats still available for this one week only performance of this classic play by the Sligo Drama Circle. The play opens on Tuesday November 14th and will continue its run until Saturday 18th.

from The Sligo Champion, November, 2005