2010-11 season features 3 plays by these writers
Beowulf Alley is Celtic terrain
Kathleen Allen Arizona Daily Star
The Celts rule in Beowulf Alley Theatre's just-announced 2010-11 season.
Three of the five plays in the upcoming doozie of a season are by Celtic playwrights, and everyone agrees - don't you? - that when it comes to writing, the Celts are the best.
The lineup includes the exquisite "Beauty Queen of Leenane" (Feb. 25-March 13, 2011) by Irish playwright Martin McDonagh. It's a disturbing, thrilling piece of theater about a compliant daughter who finally clashes with her mean-spirited mother.
Another Irish playwright, Conor McPherson, is represented with his "Shining City"(Sept. 10-26), about a man who seeks counsel from a priest-turned-therapist after he sees the ghost of his deceased wife. It's haunting and gorgeous - McPherson is one of the best storytellers around these days.
"Blackbird" (Dec. 3-19) by Scotland's David Harrower, is another powerful piece. It is a confrontation between a young woman and the older man who abused her 15 years before.
Works by two American playwrights fill out the season: "The Transylvanian Clockworks" (Oct. 22-Nov. 7 ) by Don Nigro, a funny retelling of the Dracula tale, and "Eurydice" (Jan. 21-Feb. 6), Sarah Ruhl's retelling of the Orpheus myth.
Other theaters should begin to announce their upcoming seasons in the next month or so. This is a bang-up start - let's hope more of the same thrills come through from other companies.
Season tickets
For season tickets to Beowulf Alley's 2010-11 season: www.beowulfalley.org
