melbourne

Strathmore Theatrical Arts Group (STAG) has once again outdone themselves, with their final production for 2025: Martin McDonagh’s multi-award-winning play, The Beauty Queen of Leenane.

Directed by Matthew Freeman, who did an amazing job in casting four extremely talented actors, who each shone individually in their roles: Sharon Casey as Maureen, Regina Miller as Mag, Chris Mentor as Pato, and Fletcher Lodwick as Ray.

This is Matthew’s second appearance as a director at STAG, last year directing the Cripple of Inishmaan. When asked, he describes The Beauty Queen of Leenane as “a horror disguised as a bleak dramedy.” And when you see this play, you will soon find out why.

Set in the Connemara village of Leenane, Ireland, in the 1990s, the play follows 40-year-old Maureen, who lives with and cares for her 70-year-old mother Mag. From the start, we see that their relationship is extremely strained. After a neighbouring young man, Ray, arrives at the house to invite the mother and daughter pair to a farewell party for his visiting American Uncle, what follows is a story that is humorous, dark, and at times deeply disturbing.

To say that Matthew and his team have curated a masterpiece of community theatre would not be amiss. With outstanding performances from all four cast members, the brilliant writing of McDonagh was brought to life amidst a stunning set that served every need of the play and more.

Sharon is absolutely spellbinding to watch on stage. She holds such a strong stage-presence, and shift gears at all the right moments, keeping the audience utterly enthralled.

Regina was superbly nuanced in her role as Mag, delivering a magnificent standout performance in one gut-wrenching scene; the entire audience was holding their breath and on the edge of their seats (I can’t give any spoilers on the details. You will just have to see it to find out for yourself!).

Chris gave a stellar performance as Pato, really encapsulating the character. And the audience was absolutely taken in by his intimate monologue scene below the stage.

Fletcher brilliantly encapsulated the character of Ray, curating a loveable and memorable character that had so many humorous moments. He managed to find so many intricacies in this character, and it was hard to take your eyes off him when he moved around the stage.

The performances across all four of these actors was just an absolute delight to watch. They were each able to find the honest and real people within these characters, which was just magical to watch.

The intricate attention to detail with the set was outstanding; from the mould-stained walls to the era appropriate appliances, trinkets, and furnishings. The set was really a fifth character of its own. The more you looked, the more detail you would see. The fireplace cracking away so realistically really was the icing on the cake for the magnificent stage design.

With smooth and efficient set changes from the stage managers, and seamless sound and lighting, there was nothing to fault with this play. The team at STAG have pulled together a beautiful production.

This really is one special play, and if you enjoy somewhat dark dramatic plays that also injects a lot of humour, you will not want to miss this production.

‘The Beaty Queen of Leenane,’ is running at STAG from the 13th to the 22nd of November 2025. Keep an eye on STAGs website and social media accounts for their upcoming 2026 season.

To book tickets to The Beauty Queen of Leenane, please visit https://www.stagtheatre.org/.

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