This Student Edition of Martin McDonaghs The Beauty Queen of Leenane features expert and helpful annotation; including a scene-by-scene summary; a detailed commentary on the dramatic; social and political context; and on the themes; characters; language and structure of the play; as well a list of suggested reading and questions for further study and a review of performance history.Set in the mountains of Connemara; County Galway; The Beauty Queen of Leenane tells the darkly comic tale of Maureen Folan; a plain and lonely spinster in her early forties; and Mag her devilishly manipulative ageing mother whose interference in Maureens first and potentially last loving relationship sets in motion a train of events that is as gothically funny as it is horrific. Maureen might long for the romance that will spirit her away; but if she goes; who will stir the lumps out of Mags Complan? The Beauty Queen of Leenane was first presented as a Druid Theatre/Royal Court Theatre co-production in January 1996. An instant classic from its first performance; The Beauty Queen of Leenane established Martin McDonagh as the natural successor to Oscar Wilde and Joe Orton. The Oscar and Bafta-winning writers other films and plays include In Bruges and The Pillowman.
#2211166 in eBooks 2013-11-24 2013-11-24File Name: B00F8MIJNK
Review
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. A disappontmentBy Russell J. SandersWhen I was in junior high in the early 1960s; I carted around a copy of David Ewenrsquo;s Complete Book of the American Musical Theater. I was never without it; and it was heavy; I tell you. My point is this theater obsessed boy was fascinated by Ewenrsquo;s accounts of the musicals that had played Broadway since Broadway began. Later in the decade; when I acquired a copy William Goldmanrsquo;s The Season; in which Goldman analyzed every production of the 1967-1968 Broadway season; I was enraptured. This never-out-of-Texas boy felt hersquo;d gone to NYC; seen the bright lights of Broadway; and experienced Nirvana. That junior high theater nut; since then; has read countless books about theater; and they have never failed to enlighten; entertain; and fuel my lust for theater. Until now. Peter Filichiarsquo;s The Great Parade; Broadwayrsquo;s Astonishing Never-To-Be-Forgotten 1963-1964 Season; for me; was a colossal bore. Filichia is so full of himself as a writer. His style is cutesy; riddled with puns and what he considers insider-information. He speaks of the musicals first; and then he tackles the comedies; the dramas; the revivals; the shows that featured anything about minorities; and the cast albums. So Filichia certainly did his research; and it is exhaustive. But the book is exhausting. Why do so many of the dramas need a four or five page summary from first word spoken to curtain call? And does Filichia love theater at all? I just didnrsquo;t get that feeling; as he endlessly analyzes why shows failed but doesnrsquo;t do much praising. Instead; he seems very focused on criticsrsquo; reactions and the personal peccadillos of actors; directors; and producers. And he most certainly doesnrsquo;t seem to have much love for women superstars. He has very few kind words for the first lady of musical theater Mary Martin. Elizabeth Taylor; who didnrsquo;t appear on Broadway that season; is mentioned simply because Richard Burton was on Broadway then; and Filichia ridicules her for her many marriages; as if that has anything to do with his analysis of Burtonrsquo;s Hamlet. Filichia seems pissed off that Barbra Streisand chose the movies over theater; and yet; his opinion of Funny Girl is fairly low; so why does he care that she never came back to Broadway? He saved the most vitriol for American legend Carol Burnett. He lets us know that she canrsquo;t sing and killed a show because she preferred TV to live theater; which seems to me to be an oversimplification of the turmoil surrounding her show Fade Out; Fade In. Furthermore; after trashing one of Americanrsquo;s most beloved performers; he lets us know that she didnrsquo;t return to Broadway for many years until ldquo;no other branch of entertainment was courting her.rdquo; Somehow I canrsquo;t imagine a woman who is almost worshipped by TV fans; made several well-received movies; proved herself a supremely wonderful dramatic actress in her TV film Friendly Fire; and did sold-out concerts returned to Broadway because she was desperate to work. I can see producers clamoring to present her in a show; however; and the show she chose; Putting It Together; a compendium of Sondheim songs; was quite delightful; showing off Burnettrsquo;s comedic skills and her exquisite delivery of song. No; Filichia seems to be puffing; wanting us to believe he knows everything there is to know about theater. And for that; he gets an award: one of my few book reviews that rate one star.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. A VERY TASTY READBy Charles A. ChristessonThis book is a must have for anyone who loves Broadway theatre. Mr. Filichia is that rare writer who is able to impart information in a humorous; almost gossipy; manner. Hes a great story teller. It just so happens his stories are true. A great charm of the book is its time machine quality. Its as if someone had picked up the reader from the present day and returned him to Broadway in 1964. By basic inclination; I was interested in the musical theatre works; primarily. However; the "straight" plays of that phenomenal season are dealt with; as well; in Filichias fascinating manner. I was especially intrigued by his discussion of THE DEPUTY; a play whose notoriety I was aware of; even when I was 14. The authors analysis of plays is impressive. His synopses are quite informative; and he dissects works; with very specific examples; as to why something works; doesnt work; and could have worked. When I was through with his piece on HERES LOVE; for instance; I finally realized how bad it really was; but more importantly for me; how it could have been so much better. I will be adding more of Mr. Filichias books to my library very soon.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A Parade Worth Marching InBy Samuel LeiterThere are a few glitches here and there but; ultimately; Peter Filichias book is so charmingly breezy yet well-researched that Im giving it the five-star treatment. Filichia has managed the difficult task of balancing historical detail with consistent readability. Since I saw many of the shows he outlines; I may have appreciated his overview more than those who came later (my daughter was born the day HELLO; DOLLY! opened); but even younger theatre fans will enjoy his flavorsome prose; which isnt the kind you find in most theatre history books (and that; essentially; is what this is); including my own. For geriatrics like me; THE GREAT PARADE is a trippy trip down Broadways memory lane; and I recommend it to any theatre lover; young or old.