Review by Neal Newman
October 17, 2022
THE PILLOWMAN at Hedgerow Theatre is an overwhelming experience. Co-directed by Megan Bellwoar and Marcie Bramucci, the best words to describe it are “horrifying” and “hilarious.” But since Martin McDonagh wrote THE PILLOWMAN, this was to be expected. With plays such as HANGMAN and THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE, the mixture of violence and black comedy is iconic to this playwright’s fantastic output. Each of his works has a few unexpected discoveries to make the audience gasp. But this is not the cheap trickery of the Halloween horror movies shown at the local mall. There are no screams of violins or hands grabbing the teenager from behind. Each of these revelations is earned by the complexity of the characters, who manage to amuse and terrify at once. THE PILLOWMAN is a horror show for adults.
I have no desire to spoil the surprises, so I will merely give the outline of the plot. A young man is arrested in a totalitarian country (probably Eastern Europe) for writing stories about violence to young children. These stories seem to have led to a series of copycat murders.
Here’s an example of one story: THE PILLOWMAN, a cute cartoon character made of pillows, visits young children and urges them to commit suicide. He is from the future and knows they will live tragic lives and hopes suicide will shorten their lifelong suffering. That’s only the beginning of the story.
These tales open a Pandora’s Box of themes including, but not limited to, child abuse, torture of an autistic child, abused becoming abusers themselves, and the concept that a work of art can be dangerous and should possibly be destroyed.
However, the power of stories is most important to the author. Stories are the breath of our lives. Human beings cannot live without them. Some may be harmful. Some may cause gullible people to commit crimes. But do even the most terrifying stories make a valuable contribution to society or history? McDonagh wrote the play in 1998 before the series of tragic shootings and other appalling events that now burden our daily news. Was McDonagh presaging the current gang of young men huddled over computers being inspired by various websites that seek to move them to violence?
Since McDonough is a prolific writer, we must assume he believes that all stories should be saved.
How you may ask, is this “hilarious?” Credit veteran actor Pete Pryor as Detective Tupolski, who manages to mine every possible laugh in his interrogation of the young man. As the “good cop” of the team, he tends to drift from kindly to menacing in an instant. His comic timing is impeccable. His partner, Detective Ariel, played by Stephen Patrick Smith, is the “bad cop” who initiates much of the violence. But even this character manages a few moments of excellent comedy.
Daniel Romano handles the more touching scenes. He plays Michal, the intellectually disabled brother, with a combination of sweetness and accurate honesty that is disarming, particularly as the two brothers express their evident and deep love for each other. Bravos to Mr. Romano.
The most extended role is Katurian, the young story writer, played by James Kern. He is powerful as he tries to plead with the skilled tactics of the police and convince them of his total innocence. The lengthy scene with his brother is a standout, as is his handling of the play’s final moments. His performance is, however, the production’s weakness, as he is not a skilled storyteller. His renderings of the many tales are sincere but repetitive and prevent the audience from hanging on to every grotesque image.
Since I will not reveal surprises, I can only say that the fight direction of Terri J. McIntyre is strikingly believable, and the set (Shannon Zura), a brutal police interrogation room, is never what you think is. These moments are skillfully abetted by the dramatic lighting of Lily Fossner, the costumes and make-up by Robin Shane, and the creepy sound effects and music of sound designer Garrett Adams.
Directors Bellwoar and Bramucci are to be congratulated especially for their extraordinary balance of horror and comedy. It’s demanding on the audience at 2 hours and 30 minutes, but if you want to experience McDonagh at his best, don’t miss it.
THE PILLOWMAN runs through October 30, 2022, at Hedgerow Theatre, 64 Rose Valley Road, Media, PA. For tickets: hedgerowtheatre.org or 610-565-4211.
Running Time: 2 hours 30 minutes with one intermission.