THE STORY: Anthony and Rosemary are two introverted misfits straddling 40. Anthony has spent his entire life on a cattle farm in rural Ireland, a state of affairs that—due to his painful shyness—suits him well. Rosemary lives right next door, determined to have him, watching the years slip away. With Anthony’s father threatening to disinherit him and a land feud simmering between their families, Rosemary has every reason to fear romantic catastrophe. But then, in this very Irish story with a surprising depth of poetic passion, these yearning, eccentric souls fight their way towards solid ground and some kind of happiness. Their journey is heartbreaking, funny as hell, and ultimately deeply moving. OUTSIDE MULLINGAR is a compassionate, delightful work about how it’s never too late to take a chance on love.
“Mr. Shanley’s finest work since
Doubt…a softhearted comedy freckled with dark reflections on the unsatisfactory nature of life and the thorns of love.” —The New York Times.
“John Patrick Shanley has not written a more beautiful or loving play than OUTSIDE MULLINGAR.” —Variety.
“Here as in
Moonstruck, Mr. Shanley is telling a tale of inhibition overcome by love, but he’s translated it (so to speak) from Italian to Gaelic, and the results are both charming and dramatically persuasive.” —Wall Street Journal.
“OUTSIDE MULLINGAR is a valentine to the wonder and weirdness of love.” —New York Daily News.
