''Dolly West's Kitchen'' is a dark Irish and deeply

Chekhovian Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as ...

play written by playwright

Frank McGuinness Professor Frank McGuinness (born 1953) is an Irish writer. As well as his own plays, which include ''The Factory Girls'', '' Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme'', '' Someone Who'll Watch Over Me'' and '' Dolly West's Kitchen ...

. ''Dolly West's Kitchen'' was first staged in the

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the pu ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

in 1999. Set during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

in the town of Buncrana,

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...

, the play tells the story of the West family and how they deal with the war in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

and the war that ensues in their very own kitchen.

Plot

The play is set in 1943 during the Second World War in the small town of Buncrana, on the border with

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. Th ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...

during the Emergency. Dolly West is home after fleeing

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

before the war. She runs the household for her elderly mother Rima, her elder sister Esther and her younger brother Justin. Also living in the house is Esther's husband Ned and the housemaid Anna. Justin, a junior Officer in the Irish army is deeply nationalistic and in favour of Irish

neutrality Neutral or neutrality may refer to: Mathematics and natural science Biology * Neutral organisms, in ecology, those that obey the unified neutral theory of biodiversity Chemistry and physics * Neutralization (chemistry), a chemical reaction ...

. But questions are asked of the neutrality of both Ireland and the house, when three foreigners are invited across the border into the house by Rima. The first is Alec, an English officer, and former lover of Dolly's. The other two are American soldiers, Marco and Jamie. Soon clashes over issues of loyalty, jealousy, sexual identity and love creep into Dolly West's Kitchen.

Characters

Dolly West - not a stereotypical 1940's Irish girl, she is educated, traveled and not married. She has returned home from Florence due to the war. Esther Horgan - Dolly's unhappily married sister, who is like her father. Justin West - Dolly's volatile nationalistic Irish officer brother. Rima West - The mother of the house, Rima is a very unconventional and wise woman. Ned Horgan - Esther's husband Marco Delavicario - A flamboyantly homosexual American soldier stationed in Derry. Jamie O'Brien - Marco's Irish-American cousin who is also an American soldier. Alec Redding - Dolly's former lover from college, and now British soldier stationed in Derry. Anna Owens - The young housemaid for the West family.

Original production

The premiere of ''Dolly West's Kitchen'', directed by Patrick Mason, took place on 6 October 1999 in the Abbey Theatre, Dublin. The original cast were: Dolly West - Donna Dent Esther Horgan - Catherine Byrne Justin West - Michael Colgan (actor) Rima West -

Pauline Flanagan Pauline Flanagan (29 June 1925 – 28 June 2003) was a Irish-born actress who had a long career on stage, she was best known in the United States for her role as Annie Colleary, on the television soap opera ''Ryan's Hope'' in 1979 and again in ...

Ned Horgan - Simon O'Gorman Marco Delavicario - Perry Laylon Ojeda Perry ojeda Jamie O'Brien - Harry Carnahan Alec Redding -

Anthony Calf Anthony Calf (born 4 May 1959) is an English actor. He studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He has recurring roles in the television medical drama ''Holby City'', as Michael Beauchamp, and '' New Tricks'' as ...

Anna Owens - Lucianne McEvoy

Awards

2001

Olivier Awards The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known ...

- Nomination - Best New Play 2001 Olivier Awards - Winner (Pauline Flanagan) - Best Supporting Actress

References

Irish Playography WebsiteOlivier Awards Website
{{Frank McGuinness 1999 plays Fiction set in 1943 Buncrana Plays by Frank McGuinness Plays set in Ireland