Set in the mountains of Connemara in County Galway, Ireland, the play tells the darkly comic tale of Maureen Folan, a plain and lonely Irish woman in her early forties, and Mag, her manipulative aging mother, whose interference in Maureen’s first and possibly final chance of a loving relationship sets in motion a train of events that leads inexorably towards the play’s terrifying dénouement.

STAG have created a very well put together production with a cast of sensational actors who display incredible talent in all of their roles.

First in the demanding role of Maureen, Sharon Casey is stunning, from the moment she steps into character I couldn’t take my eyes off her.  Her portrayal of the daughter caring for her domineering mother is something to be seen, particularly as the show goes on and see the evil and psychopathic side.  I know I was jumping she would become angry and fall into a rage on her mother.  She handles the role with amazing passion and astonishing poise, even with a massive amount of dialogue.

As the mother, Mag, Regina Miller puts on an equally stunning performance as she constantly throws demands at her daughter but then suffers at the hands of her abuse.  A particularly eery moment when her hands get burned in boiling water is very realistic and I know the audience was feeling the pain and heavy emotion with her.  She handles this role both in both a comic style and with an incredible sense of reality.

In the role of Maureen’s lover, Pato, Chris Mentor is fantastic.   He plays the role with stoic masculinity and becomes scared and innocent when he realises Maureen’s situation.  A particular highlight moment is when he delivers the opening monologue in Act 2, which is done on the floor in front of the stage in a spotlight.  His delivery of this scene is very powerful.

Finally in the role of Ray, Fletcher Lodwick is very funny.  Though his role is not a big one, every time he enters he delivered with ease and vulnerability, often showing anxiety is his character making him very human and I admired his performance.

Directed by Matthew Freeman, this is an extremely high quality production equipped with great set, mood lighting and incidental music which made the show that slightly bit more eery and creepy.