Irish season in Philadelphia is upon us and there are so many ways to celebrate Irish heritage from parades to live music to pub crawls. One of the best things the Irish are known for, though, is their storytelling, so don’t miss your chance to also immerse yourself in the richness of the language and emotion of Irish and Irish American theatre.
The Irish Heritage Theatre, the city’s only theatre company dedicated to producing Irish and Irish American classics, is performing Martin McDonagh’s ‘The Beauty Queen of Leenane’ during the month of March. McDonagh is best known for his award-winning film ‘The Banshees of Inisherin.’
The ‘Beauty Queen of Leenane‘ tells the story of middle-aged Maureen and her mother Mags living in the rural community of Connemara County, Galway. When a handsome man shows some interest in Maureen, giving her hope that she might not have to spend her whole life alone catering to her demanding mother, Mags sets off a series of horrifying betrayals to prevent her daughter from finding happiness.
Martin McDonagh, born in Camberwell, London, England, has written numerous plays and has written and directed several films as well. His ‘The Banshees of Inisherin,’ starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson received 9 Oscar nominations including Best Motion Picture of the Year and Best Original Screenplay.
The Irish Heritage Theatre was co-founded by John Gallagher and John Cannon as a way to preserve the legacy of Irish theatre both in Ireland and in America.
Kirstin Quinn, a founding member, president of the board of directors and resident actor of the Irish Heritage Theatre, told Metro, “It was incorporated in 2011 and had early productions under Gallagher as Artistic Director. After he passed away in 2016, the theater company was rebooted under Peggy Mecham, the new artistic director.”
“Years ago, there was the Irish Repertory Theatre of Philadelphia also run by Gallagher. We wanted to reinvigorate that type of theatre which we felt was lacking in the city,” she explained.
Past productions of The Irish Heritage Theatre include ‘The Bear & Afterplay: Two Plays After Chekhov,’ by Brian Friel, ‘The Steward of Christendom,’ by Sebastian Barry and ‘Lay Me Down Softly,’ by Billy Roche.
Many famous playwrights have drawn on their Irish roots for inspiration from Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, William Butler Yeats to more contemporary talents like Martin McDonagh, Sebastian Barry and Marina Carr.
Quinn said they chose their current production, ‘The Beauty Queen of Leenane’, because they always wanted to do something by McDonagh.
“We wanted to tackle this play because it is a fascinating story of a mom and daughter, their loneliness in the community and how they turn on each other. It has great roles for actors and is a huge challenge for us.”
On what makes Irish theater so special, Quinn said, “The richness of the language is so important, and the characters are so well crafted by Irish playwrights, the way they show insight into family life and Ireland’s relationship with England. There is a long history of oppression in Irish culture.”
She added that the Irish are naturally born storytellers who plumb the depth of the human existence with their words and that you don’t necessarily have to be Irish to gain personal insights from these plays.
Directed by the Irish Heritage Theatre’s Artistic Director Peggy Mecham, the production of ‘The Beauty Queen of Leenane’ is being performed at Plays & Players Theatre, at 1714 Delancey Place, now through March 23.
Quinn is playing Maureen Folan and Mary Pat Walsh is playing her mother, Mags. The production also features Rob Hargraves and Brian Anthony Wilson.
Quinn said, “We are honored to have Brian Anthony Wilson in the cast. He has starred in many prominent films and television shows including ‘The Wire.’”
Ticket prices for the show are $15 for students and theatre industry workers, $20 for seniors and $25 for general admission.
She added, “Play & Player Theatre is our home base and an amazing partner for us. On March 16, Play & Players is hosting their 5th Annual Hooley to celebrate Irish tradition.”
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit irishheritagetheatre.org
