The Skull In Connemara
The West Coast premiere of Martin McDonagh’s A Skull in Connemara is not exactly for the passive theatergoer-especially if they’re sitting in the first row. McDonagh’s middle play of his Leenane trilogy (which begins with "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" and concludes with "The Lonesome West") is stocked with the playwright’s dark comic sensibility that ends in a hilarious display of bloody violence. (McDonagh’s name, by the way, may sound familiar - he was recently Oscar nominated for his script to the black comedy "In Bruges" for Best Original Screenplay.)
Mick Dowd (Morland Higgins) is a widower whose main job in town is to dig up the bones of bodies buried seven years ago to make room for new ones. His assistant, the dim witted Mairtin (Jeff Kerr McGivney) sets the plot in motion when he comes hints at allegations of rumors surrounding Dowd and the circumstances behind his wife’s death seven years ago. To complicate matters, Dowd is to dig up his wife’s bones. Mick insists he’s not a murderer but Mairtin’s granny, Maryjohnny (Jenny O’Hara), demands he tell the truth. Rounding out the townsfolk is aspiring wannabe detective (by way of Quincy), Thomas (John K. Linton) who goes to major extremes to get a confession out of Dowd.
McDonagh’s play fits nicely in Theatre Tribe’s mission to produce intimate productions with small casts. Yet the production proves more ambitious than most produced in this studio theater, most memorably when Dowd’s Spartan home is seamlessly transformed into cemetery, complete with fresh dirt. This awe-inspiring feat is the work of set designer Jeff McLaughlin and lighting designer Luke Moyer. Later on, in Act II, the tag line "A bone crushing dark fecking comedy" comes into play as skulls are smashed and sent flying into the first row (much the same way the dirt did in Act I.)
Stuart Roger’s direction is equally impressive, maintaining a perfect balance between colloquial language that propels the story forward and the cringing inducing humor interlaced throughout the play. Not once does this production play up the violence and dark comedy for mere laughs. Instead, the performances of the actors emerge effortlessly from the circumstances of their characters. Though there isn’t much in the way of character study or deep and reflective speeches, Higgins delivers a powerful performance as a widower forced to fend off these accusations while maintaining a stone face façade. O’Hara’s gossipmonger of an old crone is dead-on hilarious. Linton and McGivney convincingly play off each other as brothers prone to violence than brotherly love.
This production of "A Skull in Connemara" is so well crafted, it’s the next best thing to being in Ireland, complete with music by Flogging Molly and The Pogues. It’s a treat to welcome this play to the West Coast in this fashionb-bjust be warned-watch out for the dirt and skull fragments.
A Skull in Connemara is playing through February 28 at Theatre Tribe Studio Theatre in North Hollywood. For more information about this production and to reserve tickets online, please visit the Theatre Tribe’s website.
