contemporary Irish comedy
"The Lonesome West," a lampoon of Ireland's conflict-riddled history, will open the second half of the School of Drama's 2003-2004 season.
The play by Martin McDonagh, an award-winning playwright who has been hailed for his contributions to contemporary Irish theater, will be staged Tuesday-Saturday, Feb. 3-7, at the Yale Repertory Theatre, corner of Chapel and York streets.
The production will be directed by Brendan Hughes, an M.F.A. candidate in directing at the School of Drama.
"The Lonesome West" is the darkly comic tale of two brothers who come to blows over everything from a bag of crisps to the mystery of their father's death. As the brothers' destructive relationship threatens to turn into carnage, their hapless parish priest searches for a means of reconciliation.
The play, which received its debut in 1997, is part of a trilogy that also includes "The Beauty of Leenane," which won four Tony Awards on Broadway, and "A Skull in Connemara." New revisions to "The Lonesome West" by the author will be premiered in the Yale production.
Born in London as the child of expatriate Irish parents, McDonagh is currently resident playwright at the Royal National Theatre. His numerous honors include the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright.
Hughes, who is presenting the work as his thesis production, is the founder of The Theatre Cooperative in Boston, where his professional directing credits ranged from "The Art Room" by Billy Aronson and "The Home" by Jami O'Brien" to "The Taming of the Shrew" by William Shakespeare and "The Night of the Iguana" by Tennessee Williams. At Yale, he served as artistic director of the student-run Yale Cabaret and has directed productions that have included "Jackie: An American Life" by Gip Hoppe, "House of Yes" by Wendy McLeod and works by rising playwrights at the School of Drama.
The cast for "The Lonesome West" includes David Bardeen as Coleman Connor, Amanda Cobb as Girleen Kelleher, Jacob Knoll as Varlene Connor and James Lloyd Reynolds as Father Welsh.
The play features scenic design by Sara Clement, costume design by Chloe Chapin, lighting design by Gina Scherr and sound design by Keith Townsend.
Performances are at 8 p.m. daily, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday. Tickets are $12-$14, with discounts available for seniors and groups. To purchase tickets, call the Yale Rep box office at (203) 432-1234.
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