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REVIEW: Hangmen by Martin McDonagh

October 25, 2024

Review by Markus Hamence – Performance date: 24 October 2024, Holden Street Theatre, SA

Red Phoenix Theatre are total pros. Combine their work with Holden Street Theatres as the venue plus Nick Fagan as the Director and you have magic. I’ll prove it… Their next piece which sees out the year is Martin McDonagh’s Hangmen. It is a sharp, biting play that brilliantly blends dark humour with a thrilling moral quandary, set against the backdrop of a post-capital punishment England. Premiering in 2015 and subsequently enjoying successful runs in London and on Broadway, the play captures McDonagh’s signature style: a combination of grim, edgy storytelling laced with wit and unsettling tension. If you’re familiar with McDonagh’s works like In Bruges or The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Hangmen slots right in, offering a mix of hilarity and horror that only he can deliver.

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Setting the Scene: A Post-Execution World

The play begins in 1963, in a dingy prison cell, where Harry Wade (played with excelled conviction by Brant Eustice) – England’s second-best hangman – is presiding over the execution of a man who maintains his innocence. This chilling prologue serves as a precursor to the main action, set two years later, in Harry’s pub in Oldham, where he now resides as a publican with his wife (The brilliant & vivacious Rachel Dalton) and teenage daughter, Shirley (Outstandingly portraid with deary mopiness by Finty McBain). Capital punishment has been abolished, leaving Harry and his colleagues, all former hangmen or assistants, somewhat adrift in their new, execution-less lives. It’s here, amid the bravado of aging men reminiscing about their past, that the play truly finds its voice, confronting questions of justice, guilt, and legacy. This is where it now gets interesting. And juicy…

A Cast of Morally Murky (And Mopey) Figures

At the heart of Hangmen is Harry Wade, portrayed as a man clinging to his past glory. He is unapologetically proud of his former role, but there’s a sense of his deep insecurity simmering underneath. McDonagh paints Harry as complex – part blustering egotist, part vulnerable man grappling with the implications of his life’s work.

Then there’s Mooney, a mysterious and unnerving young stranger who appears in the pub, unsettling both Harry and his customers. Mooney’s arrival turns the play into a whodunit of sorts, though one with deeper philosophical undertones. His sly, ambiguous (creepy) nature contrasts beautifully with Harry’s macho bluster, and it’s in their interactions that McDonagh delivers some of his sharpest dialogue.

Supporting characters like Syd (Jack Robins), Harry’s former assistant, provide much of the comic relief, though even these lighter moments carry McDonagh’s usual sting. The women in the play – Harry’s long-suffering wife, Alice, and their brooding daughter, Shirley – are more than mere background figures; they’re crucial to the unfolding drama, especially as Shirley’s disappearance becomes a central plot point.

I actually feel very grateful to have experienced this serving of theatre. The cast we got were top-notch and only proves South Australia has got TALENT (Maybe that should be a TV show) in abundance, there was NOT a weak link. And to see them engage and story tell on the stage together made me smile and proudly nod my head in appreciation. Kudos to Nick Fagan.

Afore mentioned Brant Eustice is remarkable, what he can’t do with his verbal words he can express with his eye brows. And his characters wife Alice is Rachel Dalton – she is divine and immaculate with every uttered word right down to pull of the beer tap. The execution is flawless. Flinty McBain is freaking unbelievable and her talent needs to be seen further than Adelaide audiences. Trevor Anderson’s Hennessy is a champion – his suffering (and stuttering) character is perfection. Greg Janzow, Jack Robbins, Josh Coldwell (Remarkable acting that pushed you to have an instant opinion on the character, however wrongly assumed it was), Steve Marvanek, Tom Tassone, Russell Slater, Leighton Vogt & Gary George – I can’t even tell you the quality of these actors. Just outstanding in their art form and just wished there was a Part Two to this play so I can experience them all together again. Nick, let’s chat 😉

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Hangmen photography credit: Richard Parkhill

Justice, Power, and Moral Ambiguity

At its core, Hangmen is a meditation on justice and the morality of state-sanctioned killing. Harry’s past as an executioner haunts the narrative, with McDonagh probing whether men like him are truly heroes or merely instruments of a flawed system. The play also explores the theme of power – both the literal power Harry wielded as a hangman, and the more subtle power dynamics at play in his pub. As the plot thickens, McDonagh leaves the audience questioning who the real villains are, and whether justice is ever truly served.

The abolition of the death penalty looms over the play like a ghost, with the characters grappling with the void it leaves behind. McDonagh skillfully juxtaposes moments of absurd humor – like the hangmen boasting about their handiwork – with stark moments of reflection, making the audience laugh even as they feel the weight of the moral questions being posed.

It is a very good story. It makes you think. The opportunity to do a ‘Review’ only allows the feeling of the play to stay with you even longer and think MORE deeply. Grateful.

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A McDonagh Masterpiece?

In typical McDonagh fashion, Hangmen doesn’t provide easy answers. Directed by the sublimely talented Nick Fagan, this is GREAT theatre. It’s a darkly funny, often unsettling play (isn’t that the point of art though) that forces audiences to confront uncomfortable truths, all while keeping them entertained with razor-sharp dialogue and unexpected twists. The final act, in particular, is both shocking and inevitable, as McDonagh ties together his thematic threads with precision.

The production design, often in a dimly lit (Lighting by Richard Parkhill), almost claustrophobic pub, enhances the play’s tension, and the ensemble cast makes the most of McDonagh’s quickfire exchanges and biting humor.

Final Thoughts

Costuming by Viki Burrett? – Nailed it. Set Design by Nick Fagan? – I wanted to sit in there with a beer. Hangmen is a triumph for Martin McDonagh, another example of his ability to combine the comedic with the macabre in a way that leaves audiences both amused and deeply unsettled. It’s a play that asks hard questions about justice, punishment, and morality, but does so with McDonagh’s trademark wit and theatrical flair. If you’re a fan of his other works or enjoy plays that don’t shy away from the darker corners of human nature, Hangmen is a must-see. L.O.V.E.D!

‘Stars’ my friends? Oh, that’s easy, I wont leave you hanging…

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Hangmen
Oct 24 – Nov 2, 2024
Holden Street Theatres
Tickets

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