‘The Lieutenant of Inishmore’ @ Lakeside Community Theatre
Photos by Joel Hashop
—Hannah Kneen
Irish-British playwright Martin McDonagh’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore is onstage at Lakeside Community Theatre (but not for much longer!) with a spray of blood and a black sense of humor to match it. Dark, irreverent, and full of characters who really need their priorities checked, this one bounces from casual to explosive and back again with impressive ease.
It all starts with a dead black cat.
Only, this cat doesn’t belong to just anyone; oh no, this cat is the most treasured companion of “Mad” Padraic (Patrick Britton), a man so violent the IRA didn’t want him. Instead, he is a part of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA)—and he’s trying even their patience.
When one of Padraic’s torture sessions is interrupted by a phone call regarding his cat (and boy, is that a funny scene) he rushes back to Inishmore. His father Donny (Michael Miller) and a local boy named Davey (Kolby Campbell) are in a sweat, knowing they’re the ones who will catch hell if Padraic finds out the cat is not just “unwell” but missing half its skull. They devise a (poor) plan to replace the cat, and their execution of that plan leaves much to be desired. Watching their laughter subside into whimpers (as they stand over a very orange cat with a bad shoe-polish paint job) while contemplating their imminent demise is very entertaining.
Things escalate with the inclusion of Davey’s teenaged sister Mairead (Isabell Moon), who is intent on Padraic and his violent and supposedly patriotic ways. Moon and Britton play off each other brilliantly in this production, escalating together into a perfect crescendo. Miller and Campbell are similarly well-matched, though their function in the story is very different, being the most normal, non-violent characters of the company. Keep in mind, though, that there is a wonderfully gruesome scene of them being forced to pull bodies apart—so “normal” and “non-violent” are very relative descriptions.
Completing this strange group of characters are James (Timothy Jones), Christy (Michael Smithgall), and Brendan (Jayden Mathews), three members of the INLA who are not happy with Padriac’s general behavior and talk of splinter groups (among other things). In an attempt to avoid spoilers, I will leave their role in all this up to your imagination.
I’m having difficulty coming up with any parts of the production I did not enjoy. From the stellar and gruesome props (designed by Katlyn Snader) to the effective, rustic set (designed by Keegan Arnold) to the fearless acting, Lieutenant came together very nicely. There was never a moment when I was bored. The pacing was just right, neither slow nor rushed, and I could feel the touch of intimacy director Mandy Rausch and dialect coach Elizabeth Whittington in the easy interactions between Mairead and Padraic and the natural accents throughout the cast. Director Keegan Arnold has pulled together a very clean show. Ironic, considering the literal buckets of blood and overflow of strong language.
The Lieutenant of Inishmore is a black comedy with, and I cannot stress this enough, a lot of violence and strong language—so consider yourselves warned. However, for such a violent play it has a decidedly non-violent message. It exaggerates violence into absurdity, attacking the common paths of revenge and violence via dark humor. The show closes June 22, so I’d recommend getting tickets soon. It’s well worth seeing and has some nice twists at the end to keep you on your toes.
And you have no idea how hard I’ve been trying not to call it purr-fect.
WHEN: June 7-22, 2024
WHERE: Lakeside Community Theatre, 6303 Main Street, The Colony TX
WEB: lctthecolony.com
