‘Outside Mullingar’ perfect for dinner and a show

‘Outside Mullingar’ perfect for dinner and a show - A couple of people that are sitting on a stage - Musical theatre

Fast-paced Red Barn Theatre play sure to please

The chemistry between actors Amber McDonald Good and John Good onstage is undeniable, possibly because the duo are a real life married couple with daughter, Lilly, at home and one on the way. The show is a fast-paced, darker romantic com-dram set in the present day Irish countryside. Although there is an undertone of death at the beginning of the play, the show hits upbeat and funny notes along the way.

Two neighbors battle over a small piece of land while comforting each other with the inevitable loss of their parents. A glass of Guinness bring the two together on a rainy night in Ireland, her glass poured into his. The darker side includes an inner family drama in the Reilly home, and a dispute over a small sliver of land wedged between the two family farms. A deeper secret hints at a mental illness that both sides must overcome. (The comedic relief comes when it is discovered exactly what the illness entails.) The one liners in the show are a sure pleaser, especially the Reilly-Kelly jokes that continue throughout the play. On opening night, the chuckles kept rolling through the audience continuously.

Amber McDonald Good, who plays Rosemary Muldoon, is no novice to the stage. Her acting debut was at six months old in “A Streetcar Named Desire” at Red Barn Theater. She is paired perfectly with her husband and on-stage attraction John Good, as her neighbor Anthony Reilly. Her father, Gary, who is the set designer and technical director of the show, was also a founding member of the Red Barn Theater.

The four person cast is rounded out with Tom Murtha, as Tony Reilly, and Chris Stone, as Aoife Muldoon. They, too, are sure to please with their banter back and forth regarding the fate of their family farms. Between the two, they share more than 100 show credits in and out of Key West. Murtha, who has been on Key West stages since the ’80s, and Chris, who is happy to be working with one of her favorite “on-stage husbands” (Murtha) again.

The John Patrick Shanley play, directed by Red Barn veteran Carole MacCartee, runs Sundays through Tuesdays to April 14. Show time starts at 8 p.m. at 319 Duval St. Tickets can be purchased at redbarntheatre.com or by calling 305-296-9911.

Kristen Livengood is a Marathon High School and University of South Florida grad, mom of two beautiful little girls, and wife to some cute guy she met in a bar. She enjoys red wine, Tito's, Jameson, running (very, very slowly), and spearfishing.