Kinetic Theatre’s ‘Hangmen’ Continues at Carnegie Stage (Thurs., 8/21/25)

One of the hottest tickets in town is Kinetic Theatre’s production of Hangmen, a modern classic by a master of very dark comedy. British-Irish playwright Martin McDonagh is perhaps best known in our country for his films. He wrote and directed Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri as well as the delirious tragicomedy In Bruges, a chart-topper on the list of weird movies to see before you die. But first act promptly to reserve seats for Hangmen, winner of the 2016 Laurence Olivier Award (England’s equivalent of a Tony Award) for Best New Play. Inspired by true events, it’s set in the 1960s, when the U.K. moved to abolish capital punishment. Which raises a question. What’s an executioner to do when his job is eliminated? In McDonagh’s play, hangman Harry Wade retires to a side gig as a small-town pub owner, only to find that fate won’t let him ride off placidly into the sunset. A strange young stranger arrives. Madcap mayhem ensues. Amid the rave reviews, a British critic punned that Hangmen invites us to re-think how we remember “the Swinging Sixties.” Kinetic presents Hangmen with a star-laden cast. 7:30 p.m. Through August 24 at Carnegie Stage, 25 W. Main St., Carnegie. (M.V.)

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