My opinion of 'A Skull in Connemara,' and CenterStage can be summed up by the conversation I had with a friend of mine on the way home from the play.

“Did you know how much it costs to see a show at CenterStage?” – Me

“A lot.” – My friend

“$15 bucks.” – Me

“Yeah, but I bet (the show) was boring.” – My Friend

“Actually, it was awesome…really dark and funny” – Me

“So what you’re saying is that I should take my girlfriend.” – My Friend

“Or just go with friends.  This show doesn’t need to be a date…even though you can always impress the girlfriend by taking her to a play.” – Me

I’ll be very honest with you, I’m not the biggest fan of plays, probably because I grew up in an ADHD America where I want things to happen quickly and with lots of music and flashiness, but last night at CenterStage, ‘A Skull in Connemara,’ changed my mind.

The play, written by Martin McDonagh, is a psychological dramedy based in Ireland where the lead, Mick Dowd (Si Osborne) has the fun job of exhuming bodies from graves to make room for the recently deceased.  This year, Mick is tasked with digging up his wife who may or may not have died in a drunk driving accident.  As the story unfolds, you find yourself laughing at the morbidity of the situation and the banter between the characters, including the elder bingo addict, Maryjohnny Rafferty (Barbara Kingsley),  Mairtin the not-so-bright teenager (Jordan Brown) and Thomas the cop (Richard Thieriot).

I found myself laughing for nearly half of the show, trying to figure out the mystery of Mick’s wife’s death, and most importantly clamoring to catch a piece of smashed bone when it flew off stage… What do you think happens when they exhume the bodies? 

Overall the acting was incredible, the set was just plain cool (at one point you ask yourself how many pounds of mulch/soil is being shoveled onto the stage and where in the hell do they store it all), the show was fun, and did I mention that tickets start at a mere $15 dollars?

I would recommend this play to everyone, but especially a guy who thinks theater is lame.  It’ll change your mind.  

‘A Skull in Connemara’ runs at CenterStage until March 4.  For more information go to www.CenterStage.org