Venue: Old Fitzroy Theatre (Woolloomooloo NSW), Jan 13 – Feb 10, 2024
Playwright: Martin McDonagh
Director: Anna Houston
Cast: Lee Beckhurst, Andre de Vanny, Ruby Henaway, Abe Mitchell
Images by Saz Watson
Theatre review
Coleman and Valene are brothers who fight all day, over the pettiest of things like crisps and religious figurines. Local priest Father Welsh is at the end of his wits, trying to be peacemaker, whilst fulfilling his duties for a parish that seems to be beyond redemption. Martin McDonagh’s 1997 play The Lonesome West is set in the western Irish town of Leenane, where resources are limited, and hope even more scarce. The humour is absurd and very dark, about a couple of ne’er-do-wells who never hesitate to use language that is misogynist, homophobic and racist. Contemporary audiences might find those instances quite jarring, but the fact remains, that we are not supposed to ever regard the men as anything but undesirables.
Directed by Anna Houston, the show is relentlessly hilarious, never missing a beat with its comedy. Whether broad or nuanced, Houston goes into remarkable detail, in order that the theatrical experience is persistently engrossing and rib-tickling. Her cast rises to every challenge, keeping us thoroughly enthralled for the surprisingly swift two-and-a-half hour duration.
Andre de Vanny is masterful in the role of Valene, delivering for the character every shade of human response, from naturalistic to bizarre, in his astonishing depictions of a parochial type. Coleman is played by Lee Beckhurst, whose acerbic approach makes for a thrilling rendition of a despicable yet charismatic personality. The pair’s ignitable chemistry and flawless timing, ensure that we are always amused, even if The Lonesome West takes place somewhere quite alien to where we are, in our here and now. Additional performers Ruby Henaway and Abe Mitchell demonstrate great dedication, as they each bring meaning, as well as amusement, to their respective parts.
Set and costumes by Kate Beere offer a sense of accuracy to whom and where we visit, giving further visual resonance to the storytelling. Lights by Spencer Heard, along with music by Zachary Saric, provide subtle enhancements to the staging, very measured and intentional with every gesture they introduce to the action.
The essence of how people battle, and how our hate manifests, points to the unyielding self destructiveness of our very nature. Coleman and Valene are kin, but they can never stop finding ways to identify every point of discord and division, unable to be content with any notion of harmony and unity that should come naturally by virtue of their familial bond. Much of the comedy in The Lonesome West relies on the obvious stupidity of their war. If only it is quite as easy to laugh in real life, as we agonise every day, about all the annihilation we seem mercilessly determined to inflict on ourselves.
Suzy Goes See 