The play, which originally premiered at London's Royal Court Theatre in 1996, was first seen in New York in 1998 in a production at Off-Broadway's Atlantic Theater that subsequently transferred to Broadway's Walter Kerr, where it was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play, and saw its director Garry Hynes and three of its cast — Marie Mullen, Tom Murphy and Anna Manahan — win Tonys for Best Director, Best Actress in a Play, Best Featured Actor and Best Featured Actress in a play, respectively. The play also won the 1998 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play. In the U.K., it won the Evening Standard, Critics' Circle and Writers' Guild Awards for Best New Play.
Set high in the mountains of Connemara, the play revolves around a lonely spinster Maureen who lives there with her devilishly manipulative mother Mag. Maureen longs for the romance that will spirit her away. But if she goes, who will stir the lumps out of Mag's complan? The new production will be directed by Joe Hill-Gibbins, whose previous productions at the Young Vic include The Girlfriend Experience and A Respectable Wedding. He also directed Family Plays and Bliss at the Royal Court and has also directed work at the Barbican Pit, Gate Theatre, Theatre 503 and Battersea Arts Centre. It is designed by Ultz (Olivier Award winner for the current West End production of Jerusalem), with lighting by Charles Balfour, sound by Paul Arditti and casting by Sarah Bird.
McDonagh is currently represented on Broadway by the premiere of his latest play, A Behanding in Spokane, starring Christopher Walken and Sam Rockwell. Other plays include A Skull in Commemara and The Lonesome West (both part of the Leenane trilogy that The Beauty Queen of Leenane began), as well as The Lieutenant of Inishmore and The Pillowman In 2006, he won an Oscar for his short film "Six Shooter," and in 2008 won the BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay for his feature film debut "In Bruges," which he wrote and also directed.
Priority booking for members is open now, with public booking from April 6. To book tickets, contact the box office on 020 7922 2922, or visit www.youngvic.org.
