The Beauty Queen of Leenane NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (104)
See it if Dark, sometimes funny. Bleakly claustrophobic. Intense. Riveting acting.
Don't see it if Accents are a big of work at times. Slow. Sometimes obvious. Read more
See it if You like dark dysfunctional family dramas, balances comedy/drama nicely. Acting is superb.
Don't see it if You have a hard time understanding thick accents. It's important to be actively listening or you will miss things.
See it if 20th anniversary of McDonagh's pitch black dramedy is as riveting as ever The ensemble is as perfect as Hynes' Tony winning direction.
Don't see it if Irish/Gaelic accents often a little thick but seldom a problem Mullen's mother could be a bit more malevolent but a minor objection
See it if You love Martin McDonagh, or would enjoy an extremely dark, yet comic Irish drama.
Don't see it if You expect the humor of "Lieutenant of Inishmore". This isn't as raucous a comedy -- it focuses on familial mental illness.
See it if I would love to talk to people who claim they liked this show. The Accents and all the acting was way over the top. I have been wanting to
Don't see it if see this show for years and have never been more disappointed. A show like this should never be done in such a big theater.
See it if first-rate Irish actors in authentic Irish milieu. Mullen, Monaghan and Rea are priceless. Directed by Hynes, no one does Irish better.
Don't see it if you like your McDonagh leavened with humor. Accents are a bit challenging. I preferred Cripple Billy and Lieutenant of Inishmore
See it if You like Irish plays that take your emotions on a roller coaster ride;mother-daughter drama at its best;exquisite cast from the Druids
Don't see it if You expect an action-packed play and dislike listening to dialogue spoken in a strong Irish accent; Dislike violence and elder abuse Read more
See it if You enjoy smart bitingly funny comedies with an edge that is both heartbreaking and beautiful
Don't see it if You have a really hard time understanding irish accents. I definitely missed some jokes because of the accents
Critic Reviews (34)
"The four characters are more overtly comic than they were before...They’re more companionable than they used to be. That means they’re also less likely to creep into your nightmares and break your heart...You’re more aware of the jokes as jokes, and also of the dramatist’s calculations behind the twists of plot...If this 'Beauty Queen' lacks the power to rattle as its first version did, it still makes for a smooth, easily digested evening’s entertainment."
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“A solidly entertaining revival. Notable among the cast is Mullen, the original Maureen, now old enough to play the wheedling, malingering Mag. Mullen makes a full meal of her role, which, perversely, grows more pathetic the meaner she gets...With these vibrant, lusty performers at the controls, the grim machinery of McDonagh’s amoral morality tale clicks into place: so ugly you can’t take your eyes off it."
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"'Beauty Queen' may be funny in the way a YouTube video of a man diving into a frozen pool can be, but it’s no comedy. Rather, it exists somewhat beyond our traditional genre definitions, encompassing many of them...For all its laughs it’s also a tragedy, in which even the satisfaction of Maureen’s prime objective fails to make a difference. She just becomes Mag instead of fighting her. Or would if Hines’s generally expert staging didn’t falter slightly in its interpretation of the women."
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"Nearly two decades since its Broadway debut, Martin McDonagh’s breakthough play retains the power to tickle the funny bone and turn the stomach...The cast grips all of the darkly amusing and dangerous curves in his unflinching story. The riveting Aisling O’Sullivan shades her star turn as the desperate daughter with vulnerability and venom…The play isn’t all that subtle or always easy to watch. But it’s richly theatrical and satisfying. Every beauty queen should age so well."
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"McDonagh's tale still produces the intended gasps 20 years on…Mullen gives an inscrutable and highly realistic performance as Mag…Together, Mag and Maureen make a perfect picture of mother-daughter codependence. Hynes directs the play with special attention to the relationships between characters…'Beauty Queen' has some surprisingly astute things to say about the gulf between desire and responsibility, especially as it pertains to the immigrant experience."
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"An excellent ensemble in a thoroughly engaging bit of storytelling that's both humorous and horrific…The remarkable feat of the writing, direction and acting is that both characters are equal parts repulsive and sympathetic and the conflict is both funny and ugly…Though the playwright describes Maureen as plain-looking, O'Sullivan appears on stage as, by most anyone's standards, a striking beauty, which distracts a bit from the reality of the situation, but she is convincing."
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“The gasps and shocked laughter happened in all the right places. McDonagh's portrait of boredom, loneliness, and skullduggery in the west of Ireland has lost none of its power to amuse -- and appall...In his first play, McDonagh displays a knack for dramatic construction that some playwrights never achieve…Nobody understands McDonagh's work better than Garry Hynes, who ensures that this production moves confidently to its macabre double-twist ending."
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"Its sad truths and perverse humor have not lost their power…With all the history and success, a ‘Beauty Queen’ revival is a no-brainer. It’s also a must-see…Depressing? Yes, but also grimly hilarious…’Leenane’ allows its characters to do incredibly ugly things, but also creates moments of sincere sweetness between the gasps and the guilty laughs. Just like Mag does to Maureen, the play will toy with your emotions; and just like Maureen with Mag, it’ll stick with you."
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