Lonesome West
                 
REVIEW by Willard Manus

LONESOME WEST by Martin McDonagh may be set in a provincial cottage in County Galway, but it still manages to offer a microcosm of the human race. Coleman (Timothy V. Murphy) and Valene Connor (Kevin Kearns) are brothers who, like most people, (whether siblings or not) do not get along with each other. When they are not bickering, bitching and fighting, they swill moonshine, read movie magazines and boast about fictional sexual exploits. Representing the voice of reason and goodness are Father Welsh (John O'Callaghan) and Girleen Kelleher), who try their best to persuade the battling boyos to live in peace and harmony. Trouble is, both the Father and the lovely lassie are quite flawed themselves. They are barely able to keep the brothers from killing each other--which is about as good as we can expect from mankind, suggests the playwright, who is held to be one of Ireland's finest.
       
       

      
Jack Rowe's direction and the actors' splendid work combine to make this production at the Odyssey succeed on all counts.

Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd. thru Oct. 24 Call (310) 477-2055 or visit odysseytheatre.com