OUTSIDE MULLINGAR is a new American play by John Patrick Shanley (Doubt, Moonstruck) about a cattle farmer, Anthony (Brian F. O’Byrne) in rural Ireland and his neighbor, Rosemary (Debra Messing).
The story revolves around the two lead characters, their desire for love, and struggles of family and fortune. As conflicts brew between the two families, the two fight to rise above and succeed, each in their own way, and attempt to find some common ground on which to move forward. Rosemary is convinced she is in love with Anthony. The only problem is, she must get him to love her. You get the idea.
The first act began somewhat slowly; however, it picked up some steam as it progressed. The second act pulls the audience in and builds on the desire to know how this thing will work out.
Debra Messing is aggressively charming in her role, and pulls off Rosemary’s Irish accent with very few glitches (as far as I could tell). You might feel differently if Ireland is your homestead, but that shouldn’t keep you from enjoying her performance.
OUTSIDE MULLINGAR opened on January 23rd at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Grab tickets now as the show will have a limited run. It is scheduled to close on March 16th. It was wonderful to see Ms. Messing on stage, and I for one hope to see her on Broadway again in the very near future.
