The Lieutenant of Inishmore
The Lieutenant of Inishmore
By Martin McDonagh
Theater Emory
Directed by Donald McManus
The Lieutenant of Inishmore is a dark comedy that takes place in the terrorist-plagued landscape of Northern Ireland in the early nineteen-nineties. Padraic must return home from his duties with the INLA upon news that his cat, Wee Thomas, is not doing well. His father, Donny, and neighbor, Davey, go to great lengths to cover the fact that Wee Thomas is dead. The plot twists and turns as Padraic falls in love and seeks revenge for his cat’s death, ultimately ending in substantial loss of human life, including his own.
This eerie effect underscored a warehouse scene where Padraic is cutting off the drug-dealer, James’, toenails while James hangs upside down. Additionally, a shotgun microphone was placed above the platform to pick up the actor’s voices.
This effect begins with the recorded sound of the scream that the actor makes. This was mixed onstage with his live scream before it becomes distorted and fades into music. The director wanted a variety of music styles and songs that would clash into each other, rather than transition smoothly to cover this long scene change.
This cue underscored a tableau that depicted violence, love and triumph. It should sound like running water, but also changes to imply that it is actually blood running, rather than water. The drum beat that is mixed in, along with the other music, is reminiscent of a heart beat.
This cue played over the previous watery-blood effect. It plays as three members of the INLA who have followed Padraic to Inishmore are shot in the eyes with arrows, causing them to go blind. The screams of the actors were recorded and mixed with effects. The sounds of the arrows were represented figuratively, in contrast to the realistic gun shots that are heard throughout the play.