Never was so much blood spilled on account of one
cat until “The Lieutenant of Inishmore,” penned by Irish playwright Martin
McDonagh and presented by San Jose Stage Company.
Set on the Irish island of Inishmore in 1993, this
absurdist drama begins when young Davey (Trevor March) finds a dead black cat
in the road and takes it to Donny’s (Randall King) home.
The cat, named Wee Thomas, is the only friend of
Donny’s son, Mad Padraic (Rob August), who has been kicked out of the IRA
because he’s too violent.
Donny calls his son and says the cat is doing
poorly, so Padraic heads for home. In the meantime, Davey finds a light-colored
cat and covers it with black shoe polish in hopes of passing it off as Wee
Thomas.
Padraic discovers the deception and plans to kill
both Davey and Donny, but he’s interrupted when three men involved with an IRA
splinter group arrive with plans to kill him. They’re foiled by Davey’s
16-year-old sister, Mairead (Carley Herlihy), who wants to join up with
Padraic.
There are few survivors by the end, which follows
some ironic twists and one of the most gruesome scenes ever staged.
As directed by Joshua Marx, the eight-member cast
does well, especially the principals.
The set is by Christopher Fitzer with costumes by Abra
Berman, lighting by John Bernard and sound by Steve Schoenbeck. Tunuviel Luv
deserves credit for the props and blood designs.
The play is billed as “satirical comedy (that) jabs
at the absurdity of terrorist mentality,” according to press materials. While
that may be, it’s not for the squeamish.
Running about 95 minutes without intermission, “The
Lieutenant of Inishmore” will continue through Oct. 21 at San Jose Stage
Company, 490 S. First St., San Jose.
