“What’s done is done...”
We’re more than halfway into The Pillowman when playwright Martin McDonagh summons no less than Lady Macbeth to comment on the gruesome tales of child torture that glue this script together. It’s an aside made by lead character Katorian Katorian Katorian (Martel Manning), whom one presumes to be McDonagh’s alter ego. It’s also one of many asides McDonagh seems to have with himself, in his deep dive and unique exploration of the bromide suffering makes artists.
Katorian is a storyteller with a penchant for spinning scary sadistic childrens’ tales—a Maurice Sendlak retrained in the Black Paintings of Goya traditions—that happen to mirror a rash of murders nearby. A detective (Cyd Blakewell) and her policeman partner (Gregory Fenner) are holding Katorian in a jail in this unnamed authoritarian regime, trying to tease out the truth with sensory torture techniques, bludgeoning, electrodes and more. They aren’t strangers to sadism themselves. They are also keeping Katorian’s brother Michal prisoner (Jay Worthington), whom we first meet with his wails of pain from afar. We are told Michal is slow, which perhaps adds even more dazzle to the feral squirrel persona whom Worthington so memorably creates.
Uncomfortable Script Well-Suited for Gift Theater Seating
We continually need to lean in, and then lean back—constrained by Gift Theater’s unsurpassed uncomfortable seating that somehow feels perfectly matched with this story-- and wonder—hey, why are we laughing so hard?
Laugh we do! We all—except maybe the child abusers in the crowd-- are in our rights to be puzzled as to why. Is it the fast-flowing wit and intelligence of McDonagh’s multilayered script? Is it the enthralling performances by the cast who bring their offbeat one-off characters to life? Or is it the director’s touch that seamlessly sews these performances and script together in this long but fast clip performance?
This is the kind of production that you too may leave thinking you might want to see it again. True, it’s about child torture on one level, but somehow trigger warnings don’t seem to be required. If you too imbibed a lot of fairy tales as many of your first reads, you can summon that protective coating on your soul that those stories seem to afford so many children coming to terms with a cruel world. Bring that mindset to the theater, is this writer’s suggestion, but do make sure you don’t miss this one.
Not recommended for anyone seeking a light hearted night on the town, The Pillowman gives serious theatergoers a chance to marvel anew at what a playwright’s imagination and top tier acting talents can create.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
