For Immediate Release:
Contact: David Kuehn, Executive Director
Cotuit Center for the Arts
Phone: (508) 428-0669
Email: David@cotuitcenterforthearts.org
Website: ArtsOnTheCape.org
“Beauty Queen of Leenane” at Cotuit Center for the Arts
Cotuit Center for the Arts presents “The Beauty Queen of Leenane” by Martin McDonagh in the Black
Box Theater Thursday, June 11 to Sunday, June 28. Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 8
PM and Sunday at 2 M. Carol McManus directs.
Set in the small village of Leenane in the mountains of Connemara, County Galway, “The Beauty
Queen of Leenane” tells the darkly comic tale of Maureen Folan, a plain and lonely woman in her
early 40s, who lives with her manipulative, aging mother, Mag.
“The two women have a love-hate relationship,” said Carol McManus. “They are dependent on each
other, for different reasons, yet each is resentful and complains about the other. There is a lot of
bantering back and forth, and the women say terrible things to each other—but the bantering is
more careless than hateful.
“I’ve chosen to emphasize the humor in this very black comedy,” McManus said. “I’ve seen other
productions that are presented much more darkly, but my view is that there are no evil people in the
play, that all the characters have a reason to be the way they are. Leenane is in a very impoverished
area of Ireland, where it is nearly impossible to eke out a living, and many people go off to England or
American to try to get work.”
Mag is played by Linda Monchik, who was the German librarian in “33 Variations” at Cotuit Center for
the Arts. Jane Geist Moore plays Maureen. She appeared recently in the Black Box in “Stop Kiss.”
While Maureen is out one day, Mag is visited by Ray Dooley, played by Daniel Souza. He invites them
to a party in honor of his older brother Pado, who has returned from a stint working in a
manufacturing plant in England. Pado is played by Richard Martin.
Souza is a student at Sturgis Charter School, and Martin has appeared in and directed numerous
productions at CCftA.
Fearful that Maureen will meet someone and leave her, Mag doesn’t tell Maureen about the
invitation. Maureen finds out anyway, and goes to the party, where she and Pado hit it off. Pado
remembers her from their youth as “the beauty queen of Leenane.”
But all does not go well. “The play builds up to a very dark conclusion,” said McManus.
“I’ve wanted to do this play for years,” said McManus. “The writing is very poetic, though the subject
matter is grim. It’s very Irish in its use of language, the way that people express themselves. The
scene in which Pado writes a letter to Maureen is just beautiful.”
“The Beauty Queen of Leenane” opened in London in 1996, where it was nominated for an Olivier
Award. The 1998 Broadway production was nominated for six Tony Awards and won four.
Tickets are $15, $12 for members. Cotuit Center for the Arts is at 4404 Route 28 in Cotuit. For more
information, visit artsonthecape.org or call 508-428-0669.
# # #
What:
“Beauty Queen of Leenane,” by Martin McDonagh
Where:
Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Route 28, Cotuit
When:
June 11 to 28, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 8 PM; Sunday, 2 PM
Admission:
$15, $12 for members
END