Though only in his early 30s, Martin McDonagh already has a 1998 Tony Award under his belt for his worldwide hit, "The Beauty Queen of Leenane." What's more, his works have been staged in 38 countries -- Japan among them.
His latest, "The Lieutenant of Inishmore," has just landed on these shores following its hugely acclaimed premiere last year by the Royal Shakespeare Company, a West End transfer that had the critics scrabbling for superlatives -- though "ferociously funny black comedy" featured in most notices -- and his triumph in the Best New Comedy category of this year's Olivier Awards.
Playing at the imposing Parco Theater in Shibuya, this funky exploration of the terrorist mind, directed by rising talent Keishi Nagatsuka (a contemporary of McDonagh and founder of the Asagaya Paradise theater company), is undoubtedly a summer standout.