Druid's THE BEAUTY OF QUEEN OF LEENANE Opens in May at Town Hall Theatre, Galway

Druid announced today that booking will open Thursday 5th May at the Town Hall Theatre, Galway, for their must see new production of the brilliantly subversive The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh, on the twentieth anniversary of its debut.

Druid return with this explosive production for a limited 10 day run followed by a 3 city national tour to Cork, Limerick and Dublin before embarking on a coast-to-coast tour of the U.S. Galway audiences will again be the first to see this powerful new revival, which will undoubtedly be another stand out theatrical tour-de-force from Ireland's premier independent theatre company.

Multi-award winning Garry Hynes will direct the production with the stellar cast of Marie Mullen, Aisling O'Sullivan, Marty Rea and Aaron Monaghan.

'It's thrilling to bring The Beauty Queen to life again, two decades on, here in Galway. The first outing of the production in 1996 took the world by storm and was a real whirlwind for Druid. Our audiences still speak about that experience. We're really looking forward to revisiting it with them and having a new generation experience the production for the first time' says Artistic Director Garry Hynes.

The Beauty Queen of Leenane is set in the mountains of Connemara and tells the story of Maureen Folan, a plain and lonely woman in her early 40s, and Mag, her manipulative, aging mother. Mag's interference in Maureen's first and potentially last romantic relationship sets in motion a chain of events that are as tragically funny as they are horrific.

Druid's production of The Beauty Queen of Leenane debuted in Galway in 1996 in a co-production with the Royal Court Theatre. It then went on to play in London and transferred to the West End and Broadway to critical acclaim. The production won four Tony Awards in 1998 including Best Direction for Garry Hynes, the first woman to ever win a Tony Award for Direction. In this special 20th anniversary production, Marie Mullen plays the role of Mag, having won a Tony Award for her portrayal of Maureen in the original production.

Tickets go on sale from Thursday 5th of May from Town Hall Theatre, with priority booking for Druid Supporters from Tuesday 3rd May. Tickets are limited, so early booking is advised to avoid disappointment.

Full tour details to be announced on druid.ie in the coming weeks.