In ‘Beauty Queen,’ a familial dance of potentially deadly dysfunction
Mother-daughter relationships can certainly be dysfunctional, but many would look like child’s play next to this pair.
In “The Beauty Queen of Leenane,” opening Friday at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, 40-year-old spinster Maureen Folan cares for her elderly mother, Mag. Maureen falls in love, and the estranged Mag does everything in her power to keep the relationship from blossoming.
But Maureen may not be the most emotionally stable one either, leaving the story to spin into a world of revenge, devious means and, perhaps, murder.
“Maureen’s mother is very controlling and passive aggressive,” said director Tom Amen. “Mag acts like she’s in a lot worse of a state than she actually is. Maureen also has a history of mental illness, so that kind of compounds things a bit.”
Amen said he chose the Tony-award winning play, written by Martin McDonagh, to challenge his actors and the audience.
Because the characters are older adults, three of the four actors in the cast are veteran actors between ages 40 and 60. The theater program calls them “non-traditional students.”
To perform in a production at Golden West, actors must be enrolled in a class, which is “the only way the play could be funded and the only way the students would be covered in terms of insurance and liability,” Amen explained.
“We try to periodically choose something that serves some of our non-traditional students, which a play like this does, and something that we think is going to be a little bit different than you might see at a local community theater,” he said.
He said shows like “The Beauty Queen of Leenane” give younger actors the chance to work with people who have performed much of their lives, making for a great learning experience.
Amen, a fan of McDonagh’s, has directed some of the playwright’s other works.
“He’s a favorite, and the way I look at it is his name has attracted a lot of quality actors,” Amen said. “The audience gets to see a really finely acted play, because you’ve got a director who’s passionate about the work he’s directing and a cast that’s passionate and engaged with the work that they’re involved in. The chances of an outstanding production are high.”
“The Beauty Queen of Leenane” also fits with the season, Amen said, explaining that the play’s mysterious elements evoke the eeriness of Halloween.
“The play is a dark comedy,” he said. “There are some moments that are funny, but at the same time, it really goes to some really dark places. This is truly a high-caliber piece of theater.”
*
IF YOU GO
What: “The Beauty Queen of Leenane”
Where: Golden West College’s Mainstage Theater, 15751 Gothard St. in Huntington Beach
When: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 9, 10, 15, 16 and 17; 2 p.m. Oct. 11 and 18.
Cost: $16 general admission; $14 for students and seniors
Information: gwctheater.com