The Beauty Queen of Leenane

Like many of McDonagh’s depictions of rural Ireland, the 1996 play that brought him to fame has its characters imagining a better life elsewhere, whether in shit jobs in England, soap operas from Australia or murkily perceived opportunities in America. That bleary view of what might be outside is encompassed by the dirt-streaked windows that make up scenic designer Amy Chisman’s cage for the embittered, middle-aged Maureen (Niccolai) and her selfish and demanding mother, Mag (Reiter). Both women, locked in a static but years-long battle for the upper hand, are thrown by the sudden reappearance of expat Pato (Wiens).

Scott’s uneven revival struggles to find its tone, dabbling in bleak desperation, dark humor and broad comedy alike. Any of these could be viable choices, but the admixture undercuts the deceptive momentum of McDonagh’s twisty script. Still, even though the relative ages of Scott’s cast members are all off—a fact that’s tough to gloss over in a staging as intimate as this—Niccolai and Reiter know each other well enough as performers to imbue their characters’ relationship with an amber-encased familiarity that makes us dread its inevitable, violent end.

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