Harsh humor, toxic relationships propel Northlight's excellent 'Beauty Queen of Leenane'

“The Beauty Queen of Leenane” - ★ ★ ★ ★

Two women locked in a toxic relationship battle each other in not so subtle ways in Northlight Theatre's exquisitely honed revival of Martin McDonagh's “The Beauty Queen of Leenane.”

An early work by the writer/director of “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and “In Bruges” and the first in his Leenane trilogy, it illustrates in grim detail the damage family members can inflict on each other.

Dread and desperation underscore this blackly comic kitchen sink drama, which unfolds as a battle of wills between beleaguered 40-year-old Maureen Folan (a magnificent Kate Fry) and her septuagenarian mother Mag (shrewd, complex work by Wendy Robie) who share a cottage in a backwater burg in County Galway, Ireland.

For all of the county's considerable beauty, a pall hangs over this gray, rain-soaked community where loneliness and boredom breed resentment and anger. As Maureen's would-be lover Pato observes, “you can't kick a cow in Leenane without some (expletive) holding a grudge twenty year.”

That's certainly true of Mag and Maureen, discontent and dependent people whose passive aggression and caustic exchanges reflect long-held grievances.

Their bleak abode (tellingly designed by Todd Rosenthal), with its scuffed cabinets; peeling, water-stained wallpaper; and tatty linoleum reflects a ruined relationship.

If affection ever existed between them, it turned to animus years earlier. Now their relationship is rooted in mutual torment. For the last 15 years, the embittered Maureen has cared for the manipulative Mag, who sugarcoats her demands, then complains about how Maureen performs them.

Two locals are inadvertently caught in their crossfire. Ray Dooley (funny, frustrated Casey Morris) is an impatient, casually insolent, unemployed 20-year-old who primarily serves as messenger for his older brother Pato (a compassionate Nathan Hosner). A fundamentally decent man who left the economically depressed Leenane to work construction in England, Pato has returned for a visit during which he and Maureen take tentative steps toward romance. For the virginal Maureen, Pato represents her best (and last) chance at happiness.

While Morris supplies the comic relief, Hosner supplies the heart. But in director BJ Jones' swift, unflinching production, Fry and Robie provide the fireworks.

Robie's subtle, expressive performance reveals Mag as a sly instigator more calculating than anyone realizes. Meanwhile, Fry's expertly calibrated performance reveals a woman more fragile than she appears. At the same time, Fry owns Maureen's cruelty. The result is a wonderfully subtle performance that is never less than compelling.

McDonagh's harsh humor and edgy, aggressive characters - who often find it difficult to check their violent impulses - aren't everyone's cup of tea. The tension is constant.

Ultimately, watching a play like “The Beauty Queen of Leenane” unfold is like waiting for the other shoe to drop. You may not relish what happens, but until it does, you're on the edge of your seat.

And in the theater, there's no better place to be.

<b>Location:</b> Northlight Theatre, North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, (847) 673-6300 or northlight.org/

<b>Showtimes:</b> 1 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday; 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 2:30 and 7 p.m. Sunday through April 22. No 2:30 p.m. show April 1; no 1 p.m. show April 4; no 7 p.m. show April 8

<b>Tickets:</b> $30-$81

<b>Running time:</b> About two hours, including intermission

<b>Parking:</b> Free parking in the lot and garage adjacent to the theater

<b>Rating:</b> For adults; contains strong language, mature situations and violence