|
“The Pillowman” is a bizarre gothic horror story.Riveting but far-fetched tale an unlikely literary metaphor.By Lucy KomisarThis gothic morality horror tale by Irish playwright Martin McDonagh is both more and less than it pretends to be. The “more” depends on the symbolism you attribute to it. The “less” is that the symbolism is rather far-fetched. It makes the play fascinating, even riveting, but on another level strangely unsatisfying.
The interrogation room of soft gray walls, brick floor, and hanging lamps and the cell enclosed by pealing brownish paint (designed by Scott Pask) evoke every dungeon there’s ever been. The police have also detained Katurian’s brother Michal (Michael Stuhlbarg), who is mentally retarded, and Katurian is distraught about the ill treatment he is suffering. Stuhlbarg plays Michal as eerily soft voiced, not bright, but surprisingly sharp. What does this childlike man have to do with the plot?
Maybe, in revenge, or because people write about what they know, his stories show how awful life is so that people will kill themselves to avoid the pain. His literary device: the Pillowman gets kids to kill themselves so they won’t grow up and experience horrors. In a trick literary device, the Pillowman can foresee and change stories’ endings. Director John Crowley presents the interrogation and the stories in vivid gothic fashion, a kind of magical realism.
Or maybe it’s about people using childhood to justify their behavior. In this case, the police and their victims are all criminals.
McDonough can’t resist a final mordant joke. The tough interrogator Tupolski (Goldblum) orders Katurian, “When the hood goes on, you’ve got about ten seconds. So keep the Latin chants to a minimum.” “The Pillowman.” Written by Martin McDonagh. Directed by John Crowley. Sets and costumes by Scott Pask. Music by Paddy Cunneen. Starrubg Billy Crudup, Jeff Goldblum, Zeljko Ivanek, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Shane Bronstein, Ted Koch, Madeleine Martin, Virginia Louise Smith. BoothTheatre, 222 W. 45th St. Mon, Wed - Sat at 8pm; Tue at
7pm; Wed & Sat at 2pm. Added Performances: Sunday - July 10 at 3pm, Sunday -
September 11 at 3pm |
|
TM
Katurian (Billy Crudup), a writer in a totalitarian state,
is interrogated about child murders similar to his bizarre stories of awful
brutality. The police (Jeff Goldblum and Zeljko Ivanek), who think of themselves
as good men, threaten to beat him up, execute him. In fact, they want to execute
a writer. Goldblum is businesslike, direct, like an efficient, murderous CEO.
The viewer, confronted with searing brutality, tries to
find some meaning. Why is this man writing such terrible things? Do we blame a
problem childhood? His weird parents made him dream horrors and committed
dreadful acts so that they could inspire him to write great stories: crimes
committed in the name of art.
There’s still the mystery of who is committing terrible
crimes that copycat the gruesome stories. Supposedly, this is a commentary about
the impact of art. On the other hand, this is less original than claimed:
disturbed people committed copycat crimes based on tacky movies all the time.
On the other hand, maybe this is just a writer with a
bizarre bent. Katurian tries to make a deal with the interrogators to save his
manuscripts. He explains, “It isn’t about being dead, it’s what you leave
behind.” Maybe all he really needed was a good agent.
