“Hangmen”: Lesser McDonagh, imperfectly staged — but still fun

You can rely on Martin McDonagh. Black humor. Sardonicism. Impending menace. Clever twists. Simple phrases reworked ‘til they rise above their simplicity. 

But a potential downside to that reliability is that McDonagh’s lesser works inevitably put you in mind of his best. Hangmen — which Long Beach Playhouse delivers solidly if a tad too rigidly — falls in the former category. It’s a good play (with the exception of Seven Psychopaths, everything he’s penned ranges from good to transcendent) — it just doesn’t do itself any favors by being so identifiable as by the author of The Pillowman and The Banshees of Inisherin and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

It’s 1965, and England has just outlawed capital punishment. But Harry (Noah Wagner), the second-most famous hangman in the land, still has his pub, his long-suffering wife (Amanda Karr), and Shirley (Dina Hagler), their 15-year-old daughter. Then a vaguely menacing young man (Trevor Hart) comes around stirring up trouble for Harry and his family. Needless to say, things are about to go bad for someone. 

The primary flaw in the Playhouse’s production is that there isn’t enough overlap in the cast’s energy. Because McDonagh’s language is so precise — even apparently throwaway lines are often picked up later — the instinct never to let one character’s dialog to bleed over into another’s is understandable. But allowing a few rough edges, a little more conversational free-flow, might better serve the overall vibe. There’s also too much stiffness in the play’s most physical moments — simulating rather than doing. 

With the collective energy not always hitting the mark, it’s no surprise that the standout scene is the set piece when English’s #1 hangman, Albert Pierrepoint (James Matthis), turns up. Because we knew he was coming (the title is plural, not to mention all that shit-talking Harry did earlier), he damn well better bring it — and Matthis properly dominates the room from the moment he darkens Harry’s door. And it’s not just him: everyone on stage plays the moment just right. 

The other cast standout is James Rice as Arthur, a half-deaf barfly. To be sure, it’s a lucky bloke who lands this role, which McDonagh has bestowed with a particular series of gags that get funnier with each iteration. Rice makes the most of his bounty with spot-on timing and deadpan delivery. 

Hangmen’s action takes place almost exclusively in Harry’s pub. Because Mitchell Dambrowski has done such a fine job fabricating the establishment, it’s all the more noticeable that the liquid the Playhouse has chosen as a stand-in for beer has no head whatsoever. Pints are ever-present in Hangmen, and so watching Harry constantly pull glasses of apple juice (?) undercuts our sense of place. Along the same lines: if a character comes out of the pouring rain without an umbrella and its commented upon that she’s “drenched,” it’s a problem when the audience is looking at someone who’s dry as a bone. Suspension of disbelief is one thing, but….

Although Hangmen is not Martin McDonagh’s best and the staging isn’t perfect, the bottom line is that this is a fun show. 

Hangmen at Long Beach Playhouse
Times: Fri–Sat 8pm, Sun 2pm
The show runs through September 26.
Cost: $36
Details: (562) 494-1014; LBplayhouse.org
Venue: Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach