The Leiutenant of Inishmore by Martin McDonagh
(At Northlight Theater through June 7)
I walked into this show with basically no idea of what I was in for. I knew it was a dark comedy by a playwright Amy loves and the whole thing was centered around the murder of a hitman's cat. Not necessarily the most enticing offer, but I agreed to go because this summer is about seizing little opportunities in hopes of finding the occasional gem.
And this show turned out to be a hilarious, raucous, blood-soaked gem.
The show worked so well as a whole, I am having trouble picking out the pieces that made it so successful. The script was an amazing starting point, so outlandish and satirical; it left a lot of room for fun. The acting was great (save for a little trouble with the Irish accents), with everyone exuding just the right amount of crazy. And the set and EFFECTS tied the show together so well. But beyond that, I just know I had a fucking great time. There was blood everywhere, bullets flying, and of course a few dismembered corpses for good measure. I laughed the whole way through.
The whole production reminded me of the scene in Pulp Fiction when Marvin gets shot in the face. I've seen that movie dozens of times and I still laugh every time the gun goes off. It's part shock, part disbelief, and part confusion that lead to my completely inappropriate response, but it seems to be the only way I can deal with something so ridiculous, even if guilt eats at me the whole time. And that's exactly what happened in this story; sure I felt bad when the female lead shot her new found boyfriend over a cat-related misunderstanding, but in that moment -like in all the others- you had to step back, realize this was all about a fucking cat, and laugh the horror away.
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