The Lonesome West is a play by contemporary Irish playwright Martin McDonagh, part of his Connemara trilogy, which includes The Beauty Queen of Leenane and A Skull in Connemara. All three plays depict the shocking and violent goings-on in the Western Ireland town of Leenane.
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Synopsis
The Lonesome West features the constantly arguing brothers Coleman and Valene, whose father has just died in a shotgun "accident." Valene is only interested in his religious ornaments, and drinking poteen. Coleman is only interested in eating, and attends funerals to collect free sausage rolls and vol au vents. When Valene goes out to help drag a body out of the lake with Father Welsh, Coleman destroys all of Valene's plastic figurines, by placing them in Valene's new stove. Only Father Welsh, the alcoholic parish priest, attempts to fix their relationship, but his advice mostly goes unheard. It is revealed later in the play that Coleman had shot his father because he insulted his (Coleman's) new haircut. Neither of the brothers show any grief or remorse at their father's death. The two brothers fight over everything and anything. Valene attacks Coleman over eating his crisps, and they fight over whose turn it is to read the magazine, and who left the top off Valene's pen. Father Welsh, depressed because of the hatred between the brothers, and with a low self esteem, writes a letter begging the brothers to get along, saying that he will stake his soul on it. Father Welsh then goes on to drown himself in the lake. When Coleman and Valene read his letter, they attempt to reconcile themselves, and a "confessions" scene ensues, in which the brothers take turns to admit the wrongs that they had secretly done to each other in the past, and to forgive each others "sins." Coleman loses his temper when Valene admits to shoving a pencil down the throat of a girl that Coleman loved, causing her to then fall in love with the doctor that removed it. Coleman proceeds to smash Valene's precious religious figurines, and destroy his stove with multiple shot gun blasts. After Coleman calms down, Valene says "Try and top that one for yourself". Coleman does, however, deliver an even more terrible confession. He reveals that he cut the ears of Valene's dog two years previously, presenting the evidence of severed dog's ears in a brown paper bag. With this, Valene flies into a rage, and a major fight scene ensues. It becomes clear that the two brothers can never have a good relationship.
Production History
The play premièred in 1997 at the Druid Theatre Company in Galway, in a co-production with the Royal Court Theatre. The same four actors also appeared in the 1999 Broadway production, at the Lyceum Theatre. Brían F. O'Byrne played Valene, Maelíosa Stafford played Coleman, David Ganly played Father Welsh, and Dawn Bradfield played Girleen. Garry Hynes directed all three productions.
Awards
- Tony Award for Best Play (nominated)
- Alfréd Radok Award for Best Play (won)
- Tony Award for Best Actor, Brían F. O'Byrne (nominated)
External links
- South Coast Repertory articles about the play
- The Lonesome West at the Internet Broadway Database
- New York Times review
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