The Pillowman
By Martin McDonagh
Directed by Becca Johnson-Spinos
Stage Manager Elizabeth Cantrell
Fight Choreography Bobby Garcia
Scenic Design Cory Garrett
Lighting Design Mia Lindemann
Costume Design Benjamin McElroy
Sound Design Jason Johnson-Spinos
Prop Design Elizabeth Cantrell
Blood Special Effects Isa Flores
Cast
Bryce Lederer
Ryan Maffei
Connor McMurray
Will Frederick
Haley Peters
Cary Bazan
Harper Caroline Lee
OUTCRY THEATRE
The Pillowman
by
Martin Mc Donagh
My thoughts on The Pillowman or …ring around the rosie, a box that’s full of toesies.
Going to see The Pillowman is like getting on a thrill ride in total darkness. You never know where you’re going or when the twists, turns, or drops will occur and the sense of dread builds relentlessly. If you are turned off by profanity, graphic brutality (great fight choreography by Bobby Garcia), the sight of blood (cringe inducingly realistic blood effects by Isa Flores), or constant descriptions of heinous child murders, this is probably not the play for you. However, if you hold on tightly, you are going to have one heck of a ride at McDonagh’s very dark comedy that is impeccably acted and excitingly staged and perfectly paced by Director Becca Johnson-Spinos. Johnson-Spinos brings so much intensity to The Pillowman, that you will welcome the two intermissions to step outside and catch your breath.
The play is set in an interrogation room in an unnamed totalitarian state where Katurian (Bryce Lederer) is being questioned by the detective Tupolski (Ryan Maffei) and the policeman Ariel (Connor McMurray). Katurian is a writer whose short stories contain detailed and gruesome descriptions of child murders and three murders have occurred that seem to have been inspired by his stories. As the investigation continues, a few of Katurian’s stories are staged and his parents’ horrendous treatment of his older brother Michal (Will Frederick) is revealed. The intellectually disabled Michal is also being detained in a room nearby. And, yes, the Pillowman himself appears. Hmm, should that be Pillowmen?
Cory Garrett’s scenic design consists of dozens of cardboard file and evidence boxes that surround the wooden table and chairs where the interrogation is taking place. The boxes give the set a basic beige dullness, a sort of ordinary from which the extraordinary emerges. The boxes also cleverly transform to other locations when Katurian’s stories are being told.
Elizabeth Cantrell has designed a massive and impressive Pillowman puppet that fills the stage of the Stone Cottage and also some pink and green piglet puppets that are also a part of this twisted tale. There’s excellent lighting from Mia Lindemann and sound from Jason Johnson-Spinos.
The acting in The Pillowman is phenomenal across the board. Haley Peters and Cary Bazan, although not on stage for long, are horrifying as the parents of Katurian and Michal. Harper Caroline Lee is so convincing playing a girl and so perfect with her delivery that I was surprised to learn that this “child prodigy” holds a BA in Acting/Directing! And my best supporting actor award goes to Lee for her portrayal of the little girl who wanted to be Jesus.
Will Frederick is simply amazing as Michal. In a role that could so easily have fallen into stereotype or awkward portrayal, Frederick gives the mentally challenged brother humor and dignity. He is simple and unaware of the implications of his actions but loves his brother fiercely. I was fascinated by Frederick’s hands in his scenes, holding them as if he did not know what to do with them like a glimmer of the horrors they have perpetrated has somehow entered his psyche.
In a bit of perfect casting, recent US Army vet, Connor McMurray is Ariel. McMurray has the stance and intimidating personality of a drill sergeant here and you feel as if violence is never far from the surface. There is a reason for that violence as we learn near the end of the play. Tupolski never misses a chance to remind Ariel that he is second in command and therefore inferior. Ariel is a character who is easy to dislike and to witness McMurray bring some humanity to him is one of the most satisfying elements of the play.
Ryan Maffei’s lead detective Tupolski is smug and self-important. He’s out to save society from the likes of Katurian, but he has a grudging respect for Katurian’s literary abilities. Maffei, with slicked back hair and a menacing smile makes Tupolski a scary, manipulative, and a bit smarmy investigator. He’s a detached, unempathetic pro.
Bryce Lederer as the intellectual, imaginative Katurian gives a performance that is breathtaking in its complexity. Katurian is compelled to write, and his lack of readership does not deter him. He is unwaveringly loyal and loving to his brother, yet at odds with his deeds. The almost constantly on stage Lederer is never less than fascinating to watch and he is a master storyteller, bringing life to Katurian’s disturbing tales.
The Pillowman is all about storytelling and in Johnson-Spinos’s hands those stories unfold perfectly. Just when you think The Pillowman could not possibly get any darker, it does, and the intimacy of the Stone Cottage amplifies all those visceral tales. Be forewarned. You’re going to laugh. You’re going to shudder. You’re going to see a brilliant play presented brilliantly.
