The Lonesome West

In a Godforsaken corner of an Irish village, two brothers constantly argue, hate each other and fight to the death over even the most trivial things. Although neither remembers what started their feud, as soon as they open their eyes each day, they set off to argue as if it were a job. The Lonesome West (1997), by Irish-born British playwright and screenwriter Martin McDonagh, frequently staged in Latvia, is the final work in the author’s Leenane Trilogy. “I was drawn to the subject of how the closest family members—brothers—live off and feed on their hatred for one another. The play is so wonderful because McDonagh is able to turn the heat up to the extreme. When it seems there is no way out, a mysteriously mad solution suddenly appears. McDonagh’s writing is characterised by very direct language—it is dark, but at the same time very witty and funny, and in fact says quite a lot about how we in Latvia often treat one another, too. You don’t have to look far: when driving, God forbid I inconvenience another driver slightly—their surge of hatred will be no less than in this play; they may even wonder why I was born at all!” the director draws parallels.