Thomas Keegan and Mousse in The Lieutenant of Inishmore. Photo: Constellation Theatre
By DCist Contributor Jonelle Walker
It’s common to hear “oohs” and “aahs” during a Constellation Theatre Company performance. The company specializes in the kind of dramatic spectacle that legitimizes the phrase “magic of the theater.” It is less rare to hear “ugh” and “yuck” during their shows, but those visceral reactions abound in their latest production of Martin McDonagh’s classic black comedy The Lieutenant of Inishmore. Don’t let that turn you away: If you can handle a bit of in-your-face gore, you’re in for a nastily funny good time.
Constellation’s production transports you back to the island of Inishmore in the early ’90s , a place where tensions are running high in the militia-driven battle for a “free” Ireland. McDonagh’s play focuses on one particular victim of murderous collateral damage: Wee Thomas, the beloved of cat of “mad” Padraic (Thomas Keegan), a volatile Second Lieutenant in INLA, the Irish National Liberation Army. In a slapdash attempt to stave off Padraic’s blind rage, his father Donny (Mark Lee Adams) and teenaged neighbor, Davey (Chris Dinolfo), try to cover up Wee Thomas’s untimely demise, setting off a chain reaction of revenge and misunderstandings, ending, of course, in a bloody climax.
The play itself, it should be said, is simply excellent and would be worth seeing even if the production weren’t as expertly executed as Constellation’s. Though Lieutenant of Inishmore has heavy political context, McDonagh so deftly maneuvers between the macabre and the hysterical that they become one and the same. The piece contemplates the horror of the hundreds of collateral deaths and escalating barbarism during Ireland’s Troubles without sacrificing the breakneck pace of the plot—this production clocks in at a swift 95 minutes—which often approaches the absurdity of French farce.
As is to be expected for a Constellation performance, however, the technical design of Inishmore is the major highlight.
For any McDonagh play, bringing the requisite various scenes of torture, murder, and decay to the stage demands a crack production team. Fight director Casey Kaleba and director Matthew R. Wilson, co-founders of Tooth & Claw Combat Arts, come together here to bring the blood for this bloody good time. Inishmore poses no small challenge to fight directors and Kaleba and Wilson easily exceed the play’s needs, choreographing a lengthy and complex multi-fighter shoot out. It would take away the fun to spoil exactly the kind of magic the two have to pull off beyond that, but suffice it to say that the mangled remains of Wee Thomas will leave you retching while you roll in the aisles.
Scenic designer AJ Guban shines in this production. Constellation has seemingly discovered every possible way to use the black box in the Source Theater, but the multi-faced proscenium of Lieutenant of Inishmore may be their most delightful trick yet. In a shining example of the company’s commitment to spectacle, what at first appears to be a straight-forward interior scene transforms, in the black out, to an exterior scene using a series of what might be folding walls. That the mechanism for the change is unclear is a great compliment to the production’s disciplined stage crew and Guban’s creative use of space.
The cast of Lieutenant of Inishmore is a strong bunch, including Constellation associate artists Megan Dominy, playing teenaged Mairead who only wants to join up in the good fight for Ireland, and Daniel Flint, playing INLA higher-up Christy. Leading the pack is Thomas Keegan playing the volatile, multifaceted Padraic. Keegan, a muscular and tall gentleman, comes to the part with the looks of an intimidating militiaman, but he puts in a great deal of work here, perfectly capturing the character’s heights of confident psychopathy and lows of childlike frustration. Keegan is well suited to McDonagh’s style of dialogue, taking on a particular brand of bravado and earnestness reminiscent of Colin Farrell’s performance in In Bruges.
Adams and Dinolfio also turn in excellent performances as the play’s clowns, Donny and Davey. The two have developed a comic chemistry that feels natural while still maintaining the ludicrously high stakes of any good comedy duo. Their scenes together are key to the movement of the plot, and director Wilson does solid work keeping the scenes tight where necessary, despite the danger of letting bits go long for an extra laugh.
Wilson had perhaps his biggest challenge in wrangling the production’s live feline performers (ed. note: no real cats are harmed in the show). Yes, in addition to the (fake) blood, violence, and Irish accents, this production had live cats on stage. There’s always danger in using animals on set, but that risk pays off in giving the piece realism and adding to the already thick tension in the room. Plus, it’s nice to throw a few “awws” into the mix with the “icks” and “bleghs.”
Constellation Theatre Company’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore is that rare piece of theater that is artistically substantial, bloody, and a whole lot of fun. Simply put, this high-wire act of a production is not to be missed.
Constellation Theatre’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore plays at Source‘s black box theater through March 8. Tickets, $20-45, are available here.
