TEHRAN- British-Irish playwright Martin McDonagh’s black comedy play “The Lieutenant of Inishmore” is currently on stage at Tehran’s Divar Art Center. 

Hasti Hosseini is the director of the play, which will remain on stage until October 6. 

Pouya Ansari, Hamid Ashuri, Atefeh Kushki, Amir Babashahabi and Ali Dalvand are the main members of the cast for the play. 

"The Lieutenant of Inishmore" happens in Ireland in 1993 when the Northern Ireland peace process is taking its faltering first steps. Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) man Padraic, a ruthless and fanatical Irish republican terrorist who is on a mission to find the killer of his beloved cat, Mr. Whiskers. Padraic's obsession with avenging his cat's death leads him to cancel his plans to carry out a bombing in a London pub.

Padraic, a man considered too mad for the Irish Republican Army and sorely trying the patience of his INLA comrades, is intent on revenge. He kills four people and two other cats before his cat is found alive and well; the first cat was mistaken for him.

The play has been produced twice in the West End and on Broadway, where it received a Tony Award nomination for Best Play. In 2014, “The Lieutenant of Inishmore” was ranked in The Daily Telegraph as one of the 15 greatest plays ever written.

The play explores themes of violence, morality, and the absurdity of terrorism through a series of shocking and darkly comedic events.

Through the character of Padraic, McDonagh critiques the senseless violence and extremism that can be perpetuated in the name of politics or ideology. At the same time, the play also pokes fun at the ridiculousness of some political movements and the moral hypocrisies that can exist within them.

"The Lieutenant of Inishmore" is a wickedly funny and thought-provoking play that challenges audiences to confront the darker aspects of human nature.

Martin McDonagh is a British-Irish playwright and screenwriter, known for his darkly comedic and often provocative works. Born in 1970 in London, England, McDonagh began his career in the 1990s as a playwright, gaining recognition for his early works such as "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" and "The Pillowman". His plays often explore themes of violence, morality, and the absurdity of human nature, frequently using humor and satire to critique societal norms and conventions.

McDonagh's breakthrough play, "The Lieutenant of Inishmore", premiered in 2001 and went on to win several awards, including the Olivier Award for Best New Play. He has since written several successful plays, including "Hangmen" and "A Very Very Very Dark Forest", as well as screenplays for films such as "In Bruges" and "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri", for which he won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. McDonagh's work is characterized by its dark humor, complex characters, and unflinching exploration of difficult topics, making him one of the most distinctive and critically acclaimed playwrights of his generation.

SAB/