Martin McDonagh’s, A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE (2010) stands as a sharp exemplar of black comedy, a genre that thrives on turning the grotesque and painful into moments of biting wit and uneasy laughter. Set in the fictional town of Tarlington, Ohio, McDonagh’s first play set in the United States channels the chaotic energy of a modern day Wild West, where civility barely masks the lurking violence and absurdity beneath.
This production at the cleverly repurposed Flow Studios 88, brought to life by BearTiger Productions and The Americas Theatre Company, embraces the play’s darkly comic spirit with confidence. The plot is deceptively simple: Carmichael, a one-handed man, has spent 27 years obsessively searching for his severed left hand. When Toby and Marilyn, a somewhat hapless young couple, claim to possess the hand and attempt to sell it to him, their plan quickly unravels into a tense, darkly humorous hostage situation complicated by the quirky hotel clerk, Mervyn.
James Yeargain is a find, new to the Australian theatre scene from the US he brings an impressive bio, and he delivers a commanding performance as Carmichael, brilliantly capturing the character’s cold obsession and deadpan menace. Alexander W. Hunter brings a believable, unpredictable and nervous energy to Toby, while Cynthia Taylu’s Marilyn is engaging and vivacious. There is humour in their relationship too, as they fail to read the obvious cues planted for each other, ultimately causing their own downfall, classic black comedy. Christopher Northall’s Mervyn is priceless. He is whimsical and provides a wonderfully unsettling blend of comic relief and eccentricity, his well timed ironic musings on peace and love adding an extra layer to the satire.
Director Kai Paynter guides the cast through McDonagh’s complex black comedy masterpiece, maintaining a strong balance between menace and humour. She cleverly navigated some interesting blocking choices to work in this interesting space. Holly Nesbitt’s sound and lighting design generally supported the mood, although the lamps facing the audience proved a little distracting. The hotel setting, in my opinion, was too clean and could have benefitted from a slightly grittier aesthetic to fully echo the play’s undercurrent of decay and moral ambiguity.
McDonagh’s dialogue crackles with a rapid-fire sharpness akin to stichomythia, particularly between Toby and Marilyn, with their classic exchanges of quick, witty retorts, that keeps the tension taut and the profanity front and centre. And about that well, the play’s use of blatant racism, sexism and profanity is deliberately provocative, (and is not for the faint hearted); yet, it does not endorse but instead it satirises and exposes societal ugliness. Paynter’s approach invites the audience to confront discomfort and find laughter in the bleakness, creating a catharsis that’s both unsettling and deeply resonant.
The severed hand (or should I say hands? Spoiler alert), itself operates as a potent metaphor for obsession and futility, a relic that drives the characters’ desperate actions yet ultimately symbolises emptiness and meaninglessness. The play’s lawless world echoes the Wild West, where words can be as dangerous as guns and survival depends on quick wits and sharper tongues.
While no production can capture every nuance of McDonagh’s complex writing, this staging offers a compelling and thoughtful interpretation. The cast delivers strong performances overall, and the creative team’s choice to tackle such challenging material is commendable.
A BearTiger and The Americas Theatre Company production, Martin McDongah’s A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE is not a conventional night at the theatre, it’s a daring, darkly comic exploration of violence, prejudice and human folly. For those open to being provoked and entertained in equal measure, it’s an experience well worth supporting. This prduction is playing Flow Studios 88, 57 Denison Street, Camperdown until the 12th October 2025.
Virtual Programme here: A Behanding in Spokane
Tickets Humanitix
