The Lieutenant of Inishmore , a dark comedy written by Martin McDonagh, opened on Broadway on May 3 at the Lyceum Theatre. The play was nominated for five Tony Awards including: Best Play, Best Actor, Best Direction, Best Featured Actor and Best Featured Actress, and received a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play.
Union City resident Randall L. Wreghitt, who has a knack for picking fantastic material, produced this award-winning play.
The play
Set on Aran Island off the coast of Ireland, the curtain opens with Davey (played by Domhnall Gleeson) and Donny (played by Peter Gerety) staring at a dead cat named Wee Thomas, who just happens to belong to a crazy officer of the Irish Liberation Army. Donny decides to put off telling his son Padraic (played by David Wilmot) that his beloved cat is dead.
When Padraic is told that Wee Thomas is dying, he rushes home to see the feline. Then Donny and Davey conspire to keep the truth from Padraic by finding a look-a-like cat.
What happens next keeps the audience laughing even as the bodies pile up.
A contemporary audience will appreciate the dark humor of the play, which has astonishing amounts of violence, yet manages to be both shockingly funny and terribly sad. And much like a film, the bloodshed is on display for the audience to see.
The talented cast all has perfect comic timing, which makes the mounting horror of the situation bearable.
The producer
Randall L. Wreghitt has been producing shows since 1994. Yet Wreghitt first moved to Union City in 1990 initially out of a desire to act.
“I wanted to act,” said Wreghitt. “I was an actor and I would look to see who was getting picked for work. I became a producer because I mistakenly thought I would be in charge.”
His first job in production was as an associate producer in 1994 for Three Tall Women. “I still feel as a producer you have a chance to really start something,” said Wreghitt. “I was the one who first saw Martin [McDonagh]. It’s like discovering Tennessee Williams.”
The pair initially worked together in 1998 on McDonagh’s play The Beauty Queen of Leenane, which won the Drama Desk award for “Outstanding New Play.”
It was during that run that McDonagh and Wreghitt became friends.
According to Wreghitt, McDonagh talked to him in 1998 about producing The Lieutenant of Inishmore, even though it was controversial.
Wreghitt saw the play in England in 2001, but thought that the material was too controversial on the heels of the terror attacks. “I said I would do it in five years,” said Wreghitt. “I thought we needed a little more time between it.”
According to Wreghitt, people should be made to see the show.
“It’s so wise. It’s interesting when it hits people that they can be educated,” said Wreghitt. “I love that it can mean so many things to so many different people.”
The Wreghitt touch
Wreghitt attributes his success at picking hit shows to trusting his instincts. According to Wreghitt there were a few shows that he chose to produce (Beauty Queen of Leenane and Electra ) that were turned down by many other producers.
“There is always going to be someone who disagrees with you, but you have to trust your instincts,” said Wreghitt.
The Lieutenant of Inishmore is his sixth Tony nomination for “Best Play.”
“I think it is a great show. I think we are extraordinarily lucky to see Martin’s work,” said Wreghitt.
According to Wreghitt, he hopes to continue working with McDonagh, but in the meantime, he is busy with two other shows including: The Grey Gardens, which opens in Oct. and a historical drama, which is slated for 2007. In addition to the nominations, Wreghitt was awarded a Tony Award in 2001 for “Best Revival” for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and a Drama Desk Award in 2002 for “Outstanding New Play” for Metamorphoses.
Another credo Wreghitt lives by is only picking material he really likes.
“You really must love it,” said Wreghitt, “because you work your tail off.”
“The Lieutenant of Inishmore” is at the Lyceum Theatre, 149 West 45th St., in Manhattan. Tickets can be bought online, at the box office, or by phone: (212) 239-6200. For more information, visit: www.InishmoreOnBroadway.com.