Party Face
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''Party Face'' (also known as ''Boom?'') is a play by
Isobel Mahon ''Glenroe'' is an Irish television soap opera broadcast on RTÉ One for 18 years between September 1983 and May 2001. ''Glenroe was'' centred on the lives of the people living in the fictional rural village of the same name in County Wicklow. T ...
. Originally premiering in
Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
at the Town Hall Theatre in November 2017. The play went on to have an
Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
production at
New York City Center New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama, and the New York City Center 55th Street Theater) is a performing arts center at 131 West 55th Street (Manhattan), 55th Street between Sixth Avenue, Six ...
, starring
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
winner
Hayley Mills Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills (born 18 April 1946) is an English actress. The daughter of Sir John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell and younger sister of actress Juliet Mills, she began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promisi ...
. Set in Dublin, the story follows a woman named Mollie Mae as she hosts a party in her newly renovated kitchen. However, what starts as a friendly gathering quickly spirals into chaos as deep-seated issues, secrets, and personal struggles come to the surface.


Plot

The play follows Mollie Mae, a woman who has recently been discharged from a mental health facility. She hosts a party in her newly renovated kitchen, hoping for a fun and lighthearted evening. However, as the guests arrive—including her perfectionist mother, her anxious sister, and an unexpected outsider—the event quickly descends into chaos. As the night progresses, secrets are revealed, tensions flare, and the characters’ carefully constructed facades begin to crack. Beneath the witty banter and comedic exchanges, ''Party Face'' delves into serious themes such as depression, self-worth, and the unrealistic expectations society places on women. The play balances humor with heartfelt moments, ultimately delivering a message about authenticity, self-acceptance, and the importance of support systems in overcoming personal struggles.


Cast and characters

; Mollie Mae : The host of the party and the central character. She is wife and mother, whose husband is an architect and who lives in a beautiful home. She has recently been discharged from a mental health facility and is attempting to present a perfect front, despite inner turmoil. ; Carmel : Mollie Mae’s overbearing and perfectionist mother. She is obsessed with appearances and maintaining a bourgeois image of family and success. ; Maeve : Mollie Mae’s confident and straight-talking sister, who harbors unexpressed insecurities of her own. ; Chloe : Mollie Mae’s posh friend and neighbor who serves as an outsider perspective, sometimes providing comic relief but also blunt honesty. ; Bernie : A friend of Carmel's that possesses a more alternative and free-spirited approach to life, contrasting with the other characters.


Production history

The play premiered under the title ''Boom?'' at the Town Hall Theatre in
Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
on November 2, 2017. The production was produced by Jan Warner Productions and directed by Caroline FitzGerald. The original cast included
Isobel Mahon ''Glenroe'' is an Irish television soap opera broadcast on RTÉ One for 18 years between September 1983 and May 2001. ''Glenroe was'' centred on the lives of the people living in the fictional rural village of the same name in County Wicklow. T ...
as Mollie Mae,
Maria McDermottroe Maria McDermottroe () is an Irish people, Irish actress, known for her work across screen and stage. She portrayed Molly Ivors in John Huston's 1987 film ''The Dead (1987 film), The Dead'', based on the James Joyce novella The Dead (Joyce short ...
as Carmel, Karen Egan as Maeve,
Claudia Carroll Claudia Carroll (born c. 1969) is an Irish author and actress. She has been a regular on the RTÉ One soap opera Fair City. Life and work Born in Dublin where she still lives, Carroll was educated in University College Dublin, the College of M ...
as Chloe, and Rosemary Henderson as Bernie. The play debuted
Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
at New York City Center Stage II the following year, under the title ''Party Face''. The production was directed by
Amanda Bearse Amanda Bearse (born August 9, 1958) is an American actress, comedian and director. She starred in the 1985 supernatural horror film ''Fright Night'', and later starred as Marcy Rhoades D'Arcy in the Fox sitcom ''Married... with Children'' (1987 ...
, and ran from January 11 to April 8, 2018. The cast included
Gina Costigan Gina Costigan is an Irish actress of stage and screen. She appeared in the original Broadway companies of Jez Butterworth's '' The Ferryman'' and Martin McDonagh's '' Hangmen''. In 2023 she starred as Grace in the UK National Tour of Brian Friel ...
as Mollie Mae,
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
winner
Hayley Mills Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills (born 18 April 1946) is an English actress. The daughter of Sir John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell and younger sister of actress Juliet Mills, she began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promisi ...
as Carmel, Brenda Meaney as Maeve, Allison Jean White as Chloe, and
Klea Blackhurst Klea Blackhurst is an American actress. She is best known for ''Everything the Traffic Will Allow'', her tribute to Ethel Merman that debuted in New York in 2001. Among many accolades, this production earned her the inaugural Special Achievement A ...
as Bernie. The design team included Jeff Ridenour (scenic), Lara Dawn de Bruijn (costumes), Joyce Liao (lighting), and Damien Figueras (sound). Producers included Robert Driemeyer, Morgan Sills and Jane Warner. The production competed as part of Origin Theatre's 1st Irish Festival, winning awards for Best Production and Best Actress, for Mills.Clement, Olivia. “Party Face Named Best Production at 10th Annual Origin’s 1st Irish Awards.” Playbill, January 31, 2018. https://playbill.com/article/off-broadways-party-face-named-best-production-at-10th-annual-origins-1st-irish-awards. The original Town Hall Theatre production later transferred to The Gaiety Theatre in Dublin, under the title joint ''Boom?'' or ''Party Face''. The production had a sold-out run from March 26–31, featuring the original cast.


Reception

The play received mixed reviews from critics and audiences in both Ireland and the United States. The Off-Broadway production currently holds a score of 73% on the review aggregator Show-Score, based on 220 reviews. Tim Teeman of ''
The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...
'' wrote In a more negative review, Alexis Soloksi of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' observed "An unlikely comedy...What's strange about the play, which is written in a realistic style, is how implausible it all seems...Each character is made to move and speak in ways that contradict even a passing knowledge of human behavior and reap only sporadic laughs...There are glimmers of a state-of-the-nation play here, in which shiny surfaces mask the dissatisfaction underneath...The actresses appear to be enjoying themselves...At least someone is having a good time." Similarly, David Gordon of '' TheaterMania'' wrote "Despite taking place in present-day Dublin, 'Party Face' feels out of touch with contemporary sensibilities and seems to be on the wrong side the ongoing conversation about women's rights. Mahon traffics in stereotypes...That Bearse has directed television is very apparent throughout. The character work is broad and unnatural, and perhaps a director with more stage experience could have coaxed performances that were more multifaceted out of this company."Gordon, David. “Hayley Mills Stars in Party Face Off-Broadway.” TheaterMania, January 11, 2018. https://www.theatermania.com/off-broadway/news/party-face_83768.html.


Awards


References

{{Reflist Off-Broadway plays Irish comedy plays 2018 plays