In the work of John Patrick Shanley, the truth is as charming as it is painful, reality as touched with magic as it is factual, and existence as absolute as it is illusory. BOMB magazine
Outside Mullingar is about the romance of Anthony and Rosemary, neighbors in rural Ireland, who are nearing their middle years. It is by turns poetic, uplifting, dark and funny as hell. Anthony is an introverted farmer and Rosemary is the woman who vows to have him at all costs. When Anthony's father threatens to disinherit his son, Rosemary steps into the middle of a land feud and family eccentricities beyond what one might imagine. On the brink of romantic catastrophe, this one-of-a-kind Irish heroine fights against time and mortality in hopes of securing her dream of love.
Outside Mullingar is a charmer of a play... In [Shanley's] first work set in Ireland, he lovingly tends the roots and tills the soil of his ancestry, spinning a tale suffused with melancholy humor and a deep yearning for heart, home, land, faith and a sense of belonging.... Shanley has a poets ear for the lyrical music and twinkly humor of their dialogue. - Hollywood Reporter
Mullingar is Shanleys best play since Doubt, and like that hit from a decade ago, its lean, dialectical and packed with wise saws and aphoristic gems. - Time Out New York
Shanley once again reveals both a touch of the poet and a fine gift of gab. - NY1
Wholly diverting... Mr. Shanley's finest work since Doubt... a softhearted comedy freckled with dark reflections on the unsatisfactory nature of life and the thorns of love. - New York Times
John Patrick Shanley is the author of Doubt: A Parable (Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best Play), Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, Four Dogs and a Bone, Dirty Story, Defiance and Storefront Church, among many others. He wrote the teleplay for Live from Baghdad (Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special), and the screenplays for Doubt (Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay), Five Corners (Special Jury Prize, Barcelona Film Festival), Alive, Joe Versus the Volcano, and Moonstruck (Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay).
