By ALICE BRADLEY
LAST Thursday the Williamstown Little Theatre opened with its latest production, written by Tony award-winning playwright Mark McDonagh, The Beauty Queen of Leenane.
The story follows the dysfunctional relationship between 40-year-old spinster Maureen Folan, played by Melanie Rowe and her bitterly dependent 70-year-old mother, Mag, played by Shirley Sydenham.
Star News had the chance to speak to Ms Sydenham before the opening night on Thursday. She said audiences can look forward to having a few laughs, and possibly shedding a few tears too.
“Playing the vile mother was actually very liberating – being rude, nasty and wearing horrible clothes,” she said.
People will laugh but afterwards feel awful.”
Set in the interior of an old bluestone cottage in a small Irish village in the late 1980s, the plot centres on the manipulations and machinations that begin to occur between the mother and daughter once two male characters enter the scene – Pato Doolan, played by Bevan Uran, and his teenage brother, Ray, played by Gabriel Bergmoser.
Director and long-time committee member of Williamstown Little Theatre, Ellis Ebell, said this was no mother-and-daughter feel-good play.
“It’s a black comedy, people will leave feeling uncomfortable,” Mr Ebell joked.
One-time president of the theatre’s committee, Mr Ebell has been a member of the theatre for 50 years, and even helped in the theatre’s construction 40 years ago when it was the site of an old run-down bakery.
This is Mr Ebell’s sixth director’s production at Williamstown. His last play, Doubt: A Parable, took away nine top awards at the Victorian Drama League Awards last year.
“I love working at Williamstown – I helped create it so I have a great affection for the theatre,” he said.
The Beauty Queen of Leenane will run at Williamstown Little Theatre until July 13.
