Martin McDonagh's play is funny, but it's is not for the faint of heart.

A black comedy, The Lieutenant of Inishmore features cold-blooded torture and widespread carnage. While it's satire, it's gruesome satire, and audience discretion is being strongly advised, so leave the kids at home.

Although dark, the play has been widely embraced by critics. It was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play in 2006, and won the Olivier Award in Great Britain.

First produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company in London in 2001, the play is being presented March 12-15 by the Armstrong Atlantic State University theater troupe, the Masquers. Cast members are Kevin Buttimer as Padraic, Sage Tipton as Mairead, Jonas Boyd as Donny, Jason Crews as Davey, Hai Dang as Christy, Jermaine Siler as James, Emmett Eason as Brendan and Timmy Vo as Joey.

The production is directed by John Martin. Connect Savannah recently spoke with Martin about the play.

Tell me about The Lieutenant of Inishmore. What happens in the play?

John Martin: The Lieutenant of Inishmore is the story of an Irish cat named Wee Thomas. Wee Thomas belongs to Padraic, who is in Northern Ireland for the year, torturing drug dealers and bombing chip-shops. Meanwhile, in Inishmore, Padraic's father Donny is left to care for Wee Thomas, whom Padraic loves more than life itself. The play opens with Davey, Donny's teenage neighbor, and Donny in Donny's living room, holding the dead body of Wee Thomas. I don't want to get into too much detail about what happens next, because a lot of the fun lies in the script itself and having the audience go along for the ride is what makes this play so much fun. (Editor's note: Readers may be relieved to know that Wee Thomas is 15 years old at his death, quite old for a cat. Martin promises no animals will be harmed in the course of the play - although humans are another matter entirely.)

Who is playwright Martin McDonagh?

John Martin: Martin McDonagh is a playwright who won an Oscar for his screenplay for In Bruges. He has also written The Pillowman, which Cardinal Rep just produced last year and is another outstanding play of his. He uses a lot of vulgar language and strong violence in his writing, which is what makes him different from most playwrights today, that willingness to push the envelope.

The subject matter seems a bit, well, grim. Is the play funny?

John Martin: The play is hysterically funny, as well as extremely grim. I can honestly say I've never read a play as funny as this, but it's also quite powerful because you start to feel connections to and sympathy for these characters as situations go from bad to worse, yet it's absolutely genius in how funny and dark it is.

Tell me about the characters.

John Martin: Well there's Padraic, who's definitely the most rash and insane. He wants nothing more than a free Ireland in which he can enjoy life with his cat, Wee Thomas. There's also Mairead, a sixteen-year-old girl from Inishmore who longs to be with Padraic and who is deadly accurate with her air rifle. There's Donny and Davey, who are the most normal of the cast, simply trying to survive the chaos that eventually and inevitably ensues. There's also Brendan, Christy, and Joey, three Irish terrorists who have long since grown tired of Padraic's idealism and "over-enthusiasm." And of course there's always James, a drug-dealer from Northern Ireland who made the mistake of selling marijuana to Protestants and Catholics.

Tell me about yourself.

John Martin: I'm a junior and a theatre major at AASU. I've done a number of shows here, but this is my first shot at directing. Most recently, I played Ethan, one of the six strippers in The Full Monty. I'm absolutely thrilled that this is the first show to have my name attached as a director.

I notice "audience discretion is strongly advised." Is that because of the subject matter?

John Martin: Definitely. There's heavy violence, heavy swearing, drinking, drug references and a lot of adult content. This is not a show for children, by any means.

What have been the challenges in directing this play?

John Martin: There's been a lot of time constraints. Myself and three of my actors were cast in The Full Monty as well, so we've been working on that a lot. For a while, I'd be at Monty rehearsals from 6-8 p.m. and then have my own rehearsals from 8-10 p.m. When push came to shove, we had to set Inishmore aside for a bit. But since Monty closed, we've all come back with vigor and I could not be more proud of my cast for taking their characters and doing so much with them in the amount of time that we were given. It's been immensely rewarding.

How was the play chosen?

John Martin: I first read it about a year ago, never having the slightest idea that I'd ever be involved in it. Last fall Dr. (Peter) Mellen had mentioned there was one spot left in the Spring 2009 season, and I jumped at the chance. The rest just sort of happened way too quickly and here we are, about to open. It's been nothing short of incredible.

AASU Masquers: The Lieutenant of Inishmore

A dark comedy by award-winning playwright Martin McDonagh.

When: March 12, 13, 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Armstrong Atlantic State University's Jenkins Hall Black Box Theater.

Cost: $10. Discounts available to military, seniors, alumni members, AASU faculty/staff, and students/children. AASU students presenting valid AASU I.D. will be admitted free of charge.

Info: 344.2801.