Outside Mullingar Review – An Irish Fable

Green is the color of the day as four people ponder life in Killucan, Ireland. Set in a quaint farming area, OUTSIDE MULLINGAR explores love in its many forms in the poetic and rollicking manner so familiar to the citizens of shamrock fame. Is a Reilly truly better than a Kelly? Can a feud begun in childhood carry on for almost 50 years? Where do important ideas begin? Do “cracked” people ever get sick? Is love worth waiting for?

Liza Seneca and Michael Kirby – Photo by Karianne Flaathen

Best known for “Doubt” and “Moonstruck,” playwright John Patrick Shanley has crafted a gentle tale drawn from his Irish background and spiked with fond – and sometimes very funny – memories of relatives still living on the Emerald Isle. Recently, Shanley remarked that he never wanted to write about the Irish – but when he went to Ireland in 1993 to take his elderly father home, he saw Ireland as the lost poetic world that he never knew he missed. In 2025, THE 6^th ACT proudly presents OUTSIDE MULLINGAR at the Matrix Theatre.

Kitty Swink and Liza Seneca – Photo by Karianne Flaathen

Elderly Tony Reilly (Armin Shimerman) is having second thoughts about leaving the 120-year-old family farm to his son Anthony (Michael Kirby) – even though Anthony has been running the show single-handedly for years – because his son is unmarried and doesn’t “love the land.” Tony is thinking of selling the farm – but runs into a problem because he has no direct way to get from the road to his house since neighbors own a small strip of land between the two points “so we have to go through two gates to get to the front door.” Enter the neighboring farmers – who also happen to own the controversial strip – recently widowed Aoife Muldoon (Kitty Swink) and her spinster daughter Rosemary (Liza Seneca). The proverbial fur will soon fly!

Armin Shimerman – Photo by Karianne Flaathen

Packed with laughs and sly comments on life, OUTSIDE MULLINGAR is graced with four talented actors, each with a firm grasp on his character, a droll sense of humor, and a real knack for Irish brogue. Kudos to a quartet whose extraordinary talents make the play a must-see: many thanks to Armin Shimerman, Kitty Swink, Liza Seneca, and Michael Kirby. Cleverly helmed by director Matthew Leavitt, the production rapidly leaves Los Angeles and travels effortlessly to Ireland. Excellent and memorable staging is provided by Mark Mendelson, who almost miraculously transforms the stage into one farmhouse – and then another – and even to a barn on a rainy evening – while shuffling sets on the darkened stage with the deft hand of a magician. Costumes (Caitlin Cisek), lighting (W. Alejandro Melendez), and sound (Chris Moscatiello) enhance the highly entertaining show; and congratulations are in order to the entire production crew for their creative work.

Kitty Swink – Photo by Karianne Flaathen

OUTSIDE MULLINGAR runs through June 22, 2025, with performances at 8 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. on Sundays (no show on Sunday, 6/15). THE 6^th ACT is performing at the Matrix Theatre, 7657 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90046. Tickets are $35. For information and reservations, go online.