"In the work of John Patrick Shanley, the truth is as charming as it is painful, reality as touched with magic as it is factual, and existence as absolute as it is illusory."—
BOMB
magazine
Outside Mullingar
is about the romance of Anthony and Rosemary, neighbors in rural Ireland, who are nearing their middle years. It is by turns poetic, uplifting, dark and funny as hell. Anthony is an introverted farmer and Rosemary is the woman who vows to have him at all costs. When Anthony's father threatens to disinherit his son, Rosemary steps into the middle of a land feud and family eccentricities beyond what one might imagine. On the brink of romantic catastrophe, this one-of-a-kind Irish heroine fights against time and mortality in hopes of securing her dream of love.
"
is a charmer of a play... In [Shanley's] first work set in Ireland, he lovingly tends the roots and tills the soil of his ancestry, spinning a tale suffused with melancholy humor and a deep yearning for heart, home, land, faith and a sense of belonging.... Shanley has a poet’s ear for the lyrical music and twinkly humor of their dialogue." -
Hollywood Reporter
Mullingar
is Shanley’s best play since
Doubt
, and like that hit from a decade ago, it’s lean, dialectical and packed with wise saws and aphoristic gems." -
Time Out New York
"Shanley once again reveals both a touch of the poet and a fine gift of gab." -
NY1
"Wholly diverting... Mr. Shanley's finest work since
... a softhearted comedy freckled with dark reflections on the unsatisfactory nature of life and the thorns of love." -
New York Times
John Patrick Shanley
is the author of
Doubt: A Parable
(Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best Play),
Danny and the Deep Blue Sea
,
Four Dogs and a Bone
Dirty Story
Defiance
and
Storefront Church
, among many others. He wrote the teleplay for
Live from Baghdad
(Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special), and the screenplays for
(Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay),
Five Corners
(Special Jury Prize, Barcelona Film Festival),
Alive
Joe Versus the Volcano
, and
Moonstruck
(Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay).