Beauty Queen Of Leenane

This was How Now Brown Cow’s very first stage production! Below is the press release …

The Beauty Queen of Leenane, a theatrical masterpiece by acclaimed Irish playwright Martin McDonagh (In Bruge, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Hangmen) and winner of four Tony Awards, is a darkly comic tale about the turbulent, dysfunctional, and often savage relationship between mother and daughter, Mag and Maureen Folan. 

The play centres around the life of Maureen, an unmarried middle-aged woman, as she cares for her ailing mother Mag, and tries to find love.  When the two brothers enter, we are set on a path to the play’s thrilling conclusion. Interspersed with romance and humour, this psychological thriller has audiences on the edge of their seats.

The Beauty Queen of Leenane was the debut production from the How Now Brown Cow Productions stable. Said Galloway of this new venture; “It’s been two and a half years since we launched How Now Brown Cow - a new, independent South African based, global production company. It has tested our patience and resolve and we now find ourselves ready to announce our very first stage production. While we’ve had to wait much longer than we would’ve liked, we have kept ourselves busy during this period of waiting. This play by the world renowned Martin McDonagh is the ideal production to launch with.”

Galloway continued; “The Beauty Queen of Leenane is a powerful piece of writing and offers an excellent vehicle to our all-star line-up who together will deliver a world-class piece of theatre. We could not be more excited about our first outing! And as we emerge on the other side of what has been a brutally difficult period for everyone in the theatre sector, I encourage you to buy your tickets and come and see just how good South African talent can be!”

Multi-award winner Charmaine Weir-Smith (The Train Driver) directed a stellar cast starring Jennifer Steyn (Recipes for Love and Murder, The Inconvenience Of Wings) as Mag, Julie-Anne McDowell (The Revlon Girl, Couplet) as Maureen, Bryan Hiles (Sweeney Todd, Cabaret) as Pato and Sven Ruygrok (Spud, Abraham Lincoln) as Ray.

The production was designed by multiple award-winning designers Greg King (set) and Denis Hutchinson (lighting). The production went on to win 5 Naledi Theatre Awards for its season in Johannesburg.