“The Lieutenant of Inishmore” Opens at The Mark Taper Forum

Chris Pine & Zoe Perry in The Lieutenant of Inishmore. Photo: Craig Schwartz

Last night I attended the opening of a strikingly original black comedy, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, a blistering graphic satire with a moral message about violence, which closed with a standing ovation followed by a private party honoring the actors.  The play is set on a rocky Irish island where a hard-boiled terrorist considered too angry for the IRA has been away in Northern Ireland with his busy schedule of torture and assorted Nationalist mayhem. He is lured home to Inishmore by the news that his beloved cat is doing poorly. When he discovers his cat has been murdered, he initiates a cycle of revenge-killing that threatens everyone in his path, but perhaps not a 16 year old terrorist groupie. Jul 11-Aug 8

Mark Taper Forum: Los Angeles Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave., Downtown Los Angeles (213/628-2772). www.taperahmanson.com