Review: Lakeside Community Theatre's THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE is fantastically gory and outrageously funny!

THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE 

by Martin McDonagh 
presented by Lakeside Community Theatre

Audience Rating: R
Running Time: 1:30 with no intermission
Accessible Seating: Available
Hearing Devices: Not Available
Sensory Friendly Showing: Not Available
ASL Performance: Not Available
Volume Level: Comfortable to loud.
Noises and Visuals to Prepare For: Strong language, torture, gun violence, blood and body parts, animal violence, and death

If you’re an animal lover, you’ve probably had a pet you would do anything for. Even though I’ve had cats most of my life, I still miss my favorite cat, Higgins, and he’s been gone for about 20 years now. A man’s love for his cat is the impetus of Martin McDonagh’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore, a pitch black comedy that takes place in 1993. Padraic is the leader of an Irish National Liberation Army splinter group (he was considered too radical for the IRA). When we meet him, he’s busily torturing James, a drug dealer, for selling to children.

Patrick Britton perfectly captures the (slightly?) insane personality of Padraic as he tortures James. When he receives a phone call from his father Donny letting him know his cat Wee Thomas is “poorly,” he immediately heads for home. Britton’s overly dramatic reaction to his cat’s plight is hilarious, especially with Timothy Jones hanging upside down and bleeding. I kept wondering how Jones was able to act - and well - while spending the entire scene hanging from his ankles. What Donny didn’t tell Padraic is that Wee Thomas is actually dead. In fact, his brains are hanging out, having probably been run over in the road. Davey is the hapless neighbor who brought the poor cat home, and everyone is convinced Davey actually killed him. Davey is hilariously played by Kolby Campbell, who gets drawn further and further into the madness as the plot thickens. Campbell interacts well with Michael Miller’s Donny, especially as they try to paint Davey’s sister’s cat to try to pass it off as Wee Thomas. Campbell is not afraid to get dirty (and I don’t just mean soil, as he ends up covered in blood and shoe polish by the end of the show), and he and Miller present a fabulous love-hate relationship. As Davey’s fanatic sister Mairead, Isabell Moon is key to many of the plot points turning. Only 16, Mairead has long had a crush on Padraic and wants to join him in the INLA. She’s good at overhearing important information and even better with a BB gun. Moon and Britton have excellent chemistry as they hook up and their smoldering connection, while sudden, is entirely believable. Michael Smithgall, Jayden Mathews, and Jones (in his dual role of Joey) are fellow members of Padraic’s INLA but are getting fed up with his insane antics and have come to take care of him. Once Mairead tells Padraic THEY were the ones who killed his cat, things get bloody, but before they die, Smithgall, Mathews, and Jones provide additional humor and violence. Mathews’ denial of who said what famous quote in an early scene is priceless entertainment. 

I’ve mentioned the fact there is a lot of violence and blood in The Lieutenant of Inishmore, but what I haven’t really mentioned enough is how FUNNY it all is! The sold-out opening night audience was often roaring with laughter, and rightly so. While it’s VERY dark, it’s often SO absurd that there’s no choice but to laugh! I’m not going to go into any more of the plot because I feel like I’ve already revealed a few minor spoilers (and some of the remaining spoilers are absolutely hilarious), but I do have to congratulate Keegan Arnold for bringing out not only the hilarity but also the gore. (You’ll understand what I mean when you see the final scene.) His three-part set is also extremely realistic and works perfectly for the show. I must also give kudos to Dialect Coach Elizabeth Whittington, as the Irish accents were excellent...AND to whoever has to clean up after each performance! While my guest and I absolutely loved it and laughed A LOT, The Lieutenant of Inishmore is NOT for everyone. There are lots of triggers (including animal violence) and if you’re squeamish at the sight of blood, it’s definitely not for you. However, if you like laughing at uncomfortable yet ridiculous situations in dark comedies, GO SEE THIS SHOW! It’s one of the best things I’ve seen this year.

There’s NOTHING like live theatre!

Carol M. Rice