Family resentment, long-held love, and the reckoning that comes with age unfold in The 6th Act’s production of Outside Mullingar at the Sierra Madre Playhouse. There is a sweetness in John Patrick Shanley’s play that never feels forced. The Reilly family and the Muldoons, with all their stubbornness and vulnerability, feel very real.
Set on neighboring farms in rural Ireland, the play moves from winter 2008 through summer 2013. But the emotional history of the Reilly and Muldoon families reaches much further back. A grievance more than thirty years old continues to shape their relationships, reminding us how easily an old injury can become a lifelong habit. At the center are Rosemary Muldoon (Liza Seneca) and Anthony Reilly (Michael Kirby), two neighbors whose proximity has not made it any easier to acknowledge what lies between them. Rosemary has loved Anthony for years, but affection must find its way through accumulated resentment and fear. Their story asks a deceptively simple question: How much life can we spend waiting to say what’s important?
Kirby and Seneca give beautifully realized performances. Rosemary’s eventual confession of love carries the weight of all those unspoken years, not only in the words themselves but in the way Seneca allows her body to soften. Kirby’s performance is awkward, funny, tentative and eloquent. Together, the actors make the possibility of intimacy consequential.
Armin Shimerman gives an outstanding performance as Tony Reilly, Anthony’s father. He blusters about—threatening to give the farm to his nephew in America when he dies, because his son Anthony “doesn’t love the land.” But he and Anthony reconcile before he dies and he gives the farm to Anthony. Through his swagger and threats, Shimerman lets Tony’s vulnerability and weariness show through.
Kitty Swink as Aoife Muldoon, Rosemary’s mother, is equally accomplished as she brings her sharp, watchful energy to the role. The presence of Aoife Muldoon and Tony Reilly give emotional depth to the story, bringing the older generation’s grievances to frame the younger generation and their dreams.
Under Matthew Leavitt’s direction, the four actors work as a cohesive ensemble. The staging makes good use of proximity: the characters sit near one another while remaining emotionally unreachable. His direction brings the story to life with grace and rhythm. The Irish brogue is almost perfect, and the language of the play is punctuated under Leavitt’s skillful direction. He brings out both the humor and the sadness of Shanley’s brilliant play without turning it into a sentimental story.
Outside Mullingar speaks to universal experiences: the burdens families pass down, the fears that keep us apart, and the courage required to accept love. And old resentment may endure for decades, but it need not have the final word.
Outside Mullingar can be seen at The Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 West Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 91024, Fridays at 8:00 pm, Saturdays at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm, and Sundays at 4:00 pm. October 2 through October 25, 2026. Tickets are $12-$45 and can be purchased here.