The arrival of a potential suitor for Maureen, however, blows any such notions sky-high, revealing mother and daughter locked in a primal battle for survival.McDonagh's skill in depicting the long-silted layers of the relationship is evident here, from biting black comedy to a heart of deeper darkness, ultimately unrelieved by humour. The effect is enriched by his blurring of the lines between reality and delusion, truth and lies, repeatedly confounding the credence we give each character's version of events. McLean and Timoney inhabit their roles with conviction, McLean delivering a consummate portrayal of the elderly mother from hell, a formidable psychological tactician ruthlessly ready to sacrifice her daughter's well-being for her own or just for the hell of it. And Timoney delicately but vividly exposes the profound damage done to Maureen by this decades-old war of attrition.Lewis Howden provides a benchmark of normality as Maureen's guileless lover Pato, whose presence expands McDonagh's canvas beyond the Folans' kitchen: Pato works away in London, while his unemployed brother Ray (avolatile John Kielty) shows what happens to those who stay at home.
Even as our sympathies oscillate between Mag and Maureen, McDonagh suggests that both, along with Pato and Ray, are trapped by forces larger and older than themselves. With so much going on in the play's rich dialogue, the fact that it's all illuminated so completely, and with such intricate definition, is a tribute to Heggie's gripping production.Sue WilsonTo May 26 (0141 552 4267). At last, I thought, my first real jammy dodge: three months as writer-in-residence of the Marsh Harrier pub in Cowley, Oxford, paid for by the Arts Council as part of the Year of the Artist. At last, I thought, my first real jammy dodge: three months as writer-in-residence of the Marsh Harrier pub in Cowley, Oxford, paid for by the Arts Council as part of the Year of the Artist. Every Thursday lunchtime and evening, a stream of would-be writers came to talk to me, alerted by the local press.
The publican was so thrilled with the influx that he offered me free drinks. Unlimited Fuller's London Pride all evening can be a hazard, but I soon learned to pace myself. The Marsh Harrier proved to be an ideal location. A pub is a safe, unpretentious place where you can bring friends for support and leave when you want. I found myself running impromptu seminars with the whole range of ability and talent. There were no appointments: as each person arrived, everyone shunted up the table, so that the last person in sat next to me I introduced them and we all shared experiences.
