The Lonesome West

The Gaiety Theatre, Dublin

Written by Martin McDonagh as the third instalment in his famous Leenane Trilogy, 'The Lonesome West' was first produced by Galway's Druid Theatre Company in the summer of 1997. The play was nominated for four Tony awards when it played in New York in 1999 and now, complete with the full Broadway cast, it returns to Dublin's Gaiety Theatre.

'The Lonesome West ' is a vicious black comedy about two feuding brothers, Coleman (Maeliosa Stafford) and Valene (Brian F O'Byrne), who have just buried their father. Akin to warring pairs such as Tom and Jerry or Tweddledum and Tweddledee, their constant baiting and provoking of each other frequently spills over into a cartoonish violence which further distresses the already maudlin local priest, young Father Welsh (Tom Murphy).

In a world where violence and cruelty is casual and habitual, the Father's conscience-stricken ramblings make him a figure of ridicule throughout the parish of Leenane. To this dysfunctional crew add the character of a schoolgirl poitin-seller, played by Dawn Bradfield and you have a tight four-hander, directed, once again, by Garry Hynes.

McDonagh's dialogue owes an obvious debt to JM Synge, as viewed through a modern-day perspective where Tayto crisps and Take a Break magazines take the place of the eggs, butter and "little laying pullet" of 'The Playboy of the Western World'. Although there are similarities of language and theme (patricide, amorality) as well as a dark comic streak running through both 'The Playboy' and 'The Lonesome West', McDonagh's vision is far darker and bleaker than that of Synge; murder is real, suicide is not uncommon.

Father Welsh, in despair, refers to Leenane as "the murder capital of feckin' Europe" as Valene taunts him: "A great parish it is you run. One of them murdered his missus, an axe through her head, the other her mammy, a poker took her brains out." These references to the other plays in the trilogy - 'The Beauty Queen of Leenane' and 'A Skull in Connemara' - reinforce the idea that 'The Lonesome West' is a further variation on a theme.

As one half of the warring Cain and Abel brothers, Brian F O'Byrne is brilliant as the fussy and miserly Valene, hiding his poitin in an old Kimberly biscuit tin which he seals with (reused) tape and inscribing his initial on his possessions throughout the miserable house. Maeliosa Stafford is his match as Coleman, a smouldering volcano of a man who is capable of violent eruption at unexpected moments. Two frustrated bachelors with little to do but torment each other, the fact that they have an arsenal stretching back to childhood is most evident during a confession/forgiveness scene which quickly disintegrates into yet another point-scoring episode.

Dawn Bradfield plays the part of the coquettish yet innocent Girleen to perfection but, although Tom Murphy's Father Welsh is suitably guilt-wracked, his character is pale and insipid alongside the combative brothers. McDonagh's characters may be unlikable but they're also unforgettable. Darkly hilarious and occasionally touching, 'The Lonesome West' is thoroughly entertaining.

Caroline Hennessy

'The Lonesome West' is at The Gaiety Theatre, Dublin until Saturday 29 September.