| "Hangman"
By Martin McDonagh
"Hangman" by Martin
McDonagh, directed by Matthew Dunster
Atlantic Theater, 330 W 20th St., NYC
January 18 - March 7, 2018
Tuesdays at 7pm, Wednesdays - Saturdays at 8pm, Wednesdays, Saturdays,
and Sundays at 2pm
Tickets $39-$129, (866) 811-4111
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| (L-R)
Mark Addy and Johnny Flynn in Martin McDonagh's "Hangman."
Photo by Ahron R. Foster. |
There are plays you want to remember:
something about a scene or a character haunts you. And there are plays
that keep returning at odd moments, when you're walking down the subway
stairs or preparing dinner. Martin McDonagh's "Hangman"
at the Atlantic Theatre hits an unexpected double run. This dark comedy
is so intriguing that people exiting the theatre were wondering if
"Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri," his Oscar nominated
film, is still running in theatres and what other McDonagh play they
might have seen. It’s a treat for this critic to watch his talent
mature. But if you don't know McDonagh plays, be prepared for violence.
It's his signature.
The first scene introduces Harry Wade (Mark Addy), the second best
hangman in England, in action, at an execution. (This comic rapidity
would make Moliere smile.) The condemned man (Gilles Geary) clings
to the bedpost, protests his innocence, but is summarily – indifferently
-- hanged stage left. The next scene takes us to Harry's family pub
-- after hanging has been abolished. The hangman hasn't changed. He
pontificates to a comic chorus of alcoholics, who plainly worship
him, an attitude he takes for granted. He dominates wife and daughter
as well. His pub is his castle, and he never seems to doubt his significance,
his judgment, or his professions. He is a marvelous creation and McDonagh
keeps us continually engaged as subsequent scenes unveil more about
him: his code of ethics, the inflated size of his ego, his competitive
drive, and, curiously, his hesitation as a young man to become a hangman.
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| (L-R)
Reece Shearsmith (sitting) and Johhny Flynn in Martin McDonaugh's
"Hangman." Photo by Ahron R. Foster. |
Into this predictable world enters a
character we've met before in Pinter plays, the menacing stranger
(Johnny Flynn). In one scene, he rises, leans over both chair back
and table, to confront his suddenly reluctant co-conspirator. He is
a pure, unpredictable threat, a deliberate antagonist. But he is also
young and attractive and the hangman's 15 year old daughter (Gaby
French) has been told by her gin-guzzling mother (Sally Rogers) that
no boy will want her because she is moody. The daughter and the stranger
agree to meet and then the girl goes missing – on the second
anniversary of the death of the man we saw hanged. The year before,
on that date, another girl was murdered.
Although so much more unfolds, this is probably all you need to know
because the play expands from this base into larger questions about
men who are paid to kill, about righteous murder, about guilt and
innocence, questions that add depth without slowing the comedy. It
is totally engaging theatre although none of the characters are likeable,
another McDonagh signature. Director Matthew Dunster was very attentive
to details and keeping up the pace. He and the playwright struck a
perfect but shifting balance of fear, revelation and comedy, weaving
them seamlessly until the outrageous close. Excellent ensemble and
excellent use of the theatre space by designer Anna Fleischle, whose
fluid staging and opaque windows (for shadows and menace) were part
of the dramatic action. (Fleischle received the Olivier, Critics'
Circle and Evening Standard awards for best design.)
" Hangman," which is enjoying a sold-out run at the Atlantic
as it did in London's Royal Court Theatre, is scheduled to move to
the Cort Theatre on Broadway in April. "Hangman" may be
the best production I have seen at the Atlantic Theatre Company.
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