written by martin mcdonagh
directed by les waters
limited season | roda theatre
april 17–may 24, 2009
Running time: 2 hours
including one 15 minute intermission
the play
April is the cruelest—and most hilarious—month, when Les Waters lets loose with another shocking script from Martin McDonagh. In 2007, the Obie Award-winning director scored a direct hit with his extended run of The Pillowman; since then, the Oscar Award-winning author released his first feature film, In Bruges. Now Berkeley Rep reenlists these seasoned artists for another vicious comedy. The Lieutenant of Inishmore employs explosive dialogue and a perfectly oiled plot that is brutal, bloody, yet irresistibly funny. As part of an I.R.A. splinter group, Padraic thinks nothing of murdering and mutilating his enemies—but the sudden death of his beloved cat leaves him heartbroken. Amidst the comedy and carnage, McDonagh delivers cutting commentary on the endless cycle of violence that engulfs our world.
the players
Martin McDonagh was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe this year for his first feature film, In Bruges. He already earned an Oscar for his short film Six Shooter, four Tony nominations for Best Play and England’s prestigious Olivier Award for The Pillowman. The New Yorker places him on the highest plane of playwrights, pointing out that he’s the “first dramatist since Shakespeare to have four works professionally produced on the London stage in a single season!”
Les Waters most recently directly the world premiere of In the Next Room (or the vibrator play), a new play commissioned by Berkeley Rep and seen first by our audiences. Les will restage In the Next Room (or the vibrator play) on Broadway to open this fall. His shows have ranked among the Top 10 Plays of 2007 in Time Magazine, 2006 in the New York Times and 2005 in Time Out New York. He won an Obie Award for Big Love. His recent hits here at Berkeley Rep, where he serves as associate artistic director, include The Glass Menagerie with Rita Moreno, TRAGEDY: a tragedy and Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman.
multimedia
See the trailer—the critics are gushing
from the blog
Guns are Dangerous
The guns onstage are real…and the actors never forget it.
With, matter, cat
Hear an interview with Dialect Coach Lynne Soffer about the accents of Inishmore.
Making an Entrance
If you’re only going to be in one scene, it had better be memorable.
New Business
Production meetings can be serious business, but the business is a play after all.
But I’m a pacifist!
Our props manager on the perils of purchasing firearms
