The Beauty Queen of Leenane Reviews

DC Theater Arts- Recommended

"...McDonagh wrote the play so that Maureen (Gene Fouche), the daughter, and Mag the mother Mag (Julie Herber) are both protagonist and antagonist. They are outstanding actors and play the roles so that the audience can despise the characters at times and sympathize with them at other times."

MD Theatre Guide- Highly Recommended

"...Director Elizabeth van den Berg has guided each actor to a uniquely excellent performance. Accents are consistent throughout. Julie Herber’s Mag appears sympathetic in her old age, but her cruel cunning soon shows. Willem Rogers’ Ray, an impatient messenger of local news, brings welcome comic relief. Bill Dennison as Pato brings the poetic language to life, especially in the heartfelt monologue of his letter from England. But Gené Fouché, as the struggling Maureen, embodies the full scale of tragedy and pathos in a deeply moving interpretation that is the centerpiece of McDonagh’s play."

Theatre Bloom- Highly Recommended

"...Visceral is the word best used to describe the experience as a whole. These actors do an impressive job of getting you to turn the events of reality…and perception of reality…over in your mind quote thoroughly and the darkness is intricately woven into the plot in such a way that you don’t even realize you’ve been consumed by it until the whole experience is bathed in unshakeable shadows. Definitely a must-see; The Beauty Queen of Leenane is unsettlingly discomforting and makes for an excellent afternoon of evocative theatre."