THE MAD PLAYWRIGHT: If you’re into slightly twisted movie plots, you’re familiar with Martin McDonagh’s work. He’s the writer of In Bruges and this year’s Seven Psychopaths (the title of that one ought to tell you all you need to know). But he’s also a prolific playwright, and one of his shows – The Beauty Queen of Leenane – is currently on stage at Kitchen Dog. It involves an older woman, Mag, who never passes up a chance to mentally torture her daughter, Maureen. And Karen Parish’s portrayal of the daughter is earning applause. “Maureen is a great role for Parish, who simmers with desperation and frustration, and rightfully so,” Mark Lowry writes on theaterjones.com. “Here, despite a bit of an uneven keel, the strong ensemble cast, led by a deep, creeping performance from Karen Parish as the put-upon daughter Maureen, makes the waiting more pleasure than pain,” Liz Johnstone writes on Front Row. “It’s a good production of a demanding play with roles that are tough to cast.” Catch it through Dec. 8.

COMINGS AND GOINGS: Second Thought Theatre has announced that Kelsey Head will join Steven Walters as co-artistic director. Head began working with the company last season. … And NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman has announced he’s retiring at the end of the year.

QUOTABLE: “We have the land available here to grow, easily to triple or quadruple the size of this building. As long as the community loves it and is behind it, [the museum] will continue to grow and be a great addition.”

– Ross Perot Jr., on the future of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, in an interview with dmagazine.com.