Martin McDonagh: Feisty Comedy

Hello Everyone-

For this month’s Contemporary Classics Conversation subject, I was inspired by an article in the New York Times about Martin McDonagh and his coming-to-Broadway play, The Hangmen. Martin McDonagh is one of my absolute favorite playwrights to come around in a long time. He has struck a chord in me with his intelligence, his humor, his incredible story telling structure filled with surprises, his feistiness, and his very, very Irishness.

When I was a young theatre student, I was drawn to Sam Shepard for these same reasons (except for the Irishness; or Shepard, it was his Americanness). Shakespeare was still several years away, until I was taught how to access these same traits in his writing. So, it is no surprise that the first McDonagh play I read was The Lonesome West, an Irish tribute to Shepard’s True West. I was so impressed by how funny it was, how surprisingly violent (which I have to admit, I love that stuff in the theatre-see: William Shakespeare’s plays), and yet how sympathetic to humanity it was. Our flaws and vulnerabilities and unignorable desires are on full display in that play and in all his other work I have since read and/or seen.

The first play of his I saw was The Cripple of Inishmaan, in a 2011 Irish and American tour co-produced by the Druid Theatre Company of Ireland, and New York’s Atlantic Theater Company at the International Festival of Arts & Ideas in New Haven. I had not yet read the play, and purposefully chose not to prior to seeing the performance. I read so many plays for my work, my pleasure, my curiosity, that it is a rare occasion that I can see a show in which I don’t already know the story. I wanted the experience of suspense and surprise that comes with a new, unknown play. And boy, did I get it! Twists, turns, shocks, all accompanied by outbursts of laughter, sighs of sympathy, and silent, awestruck appreciation for the brilliance of the script. I jumped into a standing ovation at the curtain call (a rarity) and later that evening at a nearby restaurant when I saw a few of the actors, I crossed over to their table and told them of my great enjoyment of their work (even more rare).

In this vein, the Conversation I would love for us to have this month, is one about the surprises we have had in the theatre. Those emotional responses that are out of our mouths before we know it. The joy of seeing something brand new, and the great appreciation of excellence in the theatre. I look forward to hearing from you!

For more on Martin McDonagh, here are the links to the NY Times article, and the webpage to the Broadway show:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/04/theater/martin-mcdonagh-hangmen-broadway.html

https://hangmenbroadway.com/

Geoffrey Sheehan

Artistic Associate

Capital Classics Theatre Company