Review: The Beauty Queen of Leenane
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It’s official, The Beauty Queen of Leenane has arrived at The Theatre On The Square in Johannesburg, South Africa. Oh,’ Boy… when I say that I was not prepared for it, well, that’s even an understatement. It absolutely blew me away. I went in having no expectations and no knowledge of the famed story of Martin McDonagh, and I was in awe of the storyline, the set design, and the acting. All of it was perfect.
From the very get-go, the play is set in 1996, with a beautifully designed set focused on attention to the smallest of details.
The play centres on the relationship between 70-year-old Mag, played by Jennifer Steyn, and her 40-year-old daughter and carer Maureen played by, Julie-Anne McDowell. They live together, isolated in a run-down Irish Village in the mid-1990s. They only have each other and this unfortunate dependency has led to a toxic relationship filled with various twists and turns as Maureen tries to find love. This psychological thriller will have audiences on the edge of their seats.
With Bryan Hiles as Pato the hunky love interest and Sven Ruygrok portraying Ray, Pato’s brother and the unique and hilarious messenger, the four talented individuals take us on a journey of emotions with quite a few darkly comedic moments being at the heart of the storytelling.
What really made me fall in love with this production was seeing how each actor gave it above and beyond their best. The small little movements of their hands, their facial expressions, they lived and breathed their characters and at that moment, so did we as the audience. Jennifer, Julie, Bryan and Sven bring theatre to life and for that, it was truly appreciated with a standing ovation on opening night.
The Beauty Queen of Leenane is a theatrical masterpiece.
Go and get your tickets to be a part of such an amazing production. It is currently running at The Theatre on the Square until 29 October 2022.
Performances will run at 20:00 from Tuesday to Saturday.
Tickets are now available via the theatre’s website www.theatreonthesquare.co.za or by calling the box office on 011 883 8606 or 083 377 4969. Bookings can also be made on Computicket or by dialling the call centre on 011 340 8000.
Lastly, a massive SHOUT-OUT to the multiple award-winning designers Greg King (set) and Denis Hutchinson (lighting). The Multi-award winner Charmaine Weir-Smith as the director, and the rest of the amazing team behind How Now Brown Cow as this was their debut production, and they did not disappoint at all.
With Julie-Anne McDowell Hegarty as the founder and Daniel Galloway as the General Manager & Associate Producer along sider Julie, this powerful combination will definitely be bringing us some amazing productions in the future. I will definitely be keeping a keen eye on what they have in store for us next! (Give them a follow below).
Get your tickets before it is all sold out – as this show is not to be missed.
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