By JOHN BONAZZO
COPY EDITOR
Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman delves into some dark places in its depiction of artistic freedom and morality. To its immense credit, Fordham Experimental Theater’s (FET) production acknowledges and explores these themes with help from a great creative team and cast.
The play tells the story of Katrian, a writer living in a totalitarian state who is arrested after a string of child murders that resemble the plots of his stories. He is interrogated by detectives Ariel and Tupolski, then thrown into jail with his mentally impaired sister Michaela, who is suspected of helping commit the murders. Their tense exchange ends with Katurian acting on his aggression. After the detectives read his graphic stories (which are relayed to the audience as well), they bring Katurian in for a final confession. He makes Ariel confront her demons, but Tupolski outsmarts him. Despite some final revelations, Katurian is killed, but not before leaving his mark on the world.
The play confronts big topics, such as artistic freedom and the ethics of torture in a clever way. The exploration is not limited to what is shown onstage, however; the second act begins with a disturbing child crucifixion scene that makes sense in context but will most likely bother some viewers.
Directors Tim Bridge, FCRH ’14, and Assistant Director Shannon Morrall, FCRH ’15 make sure the show’s intensity never fades, pacing each scene perfectly. The minimalist set of only a few tables, chairs and props complements the small space on which the action takes place. The stage is lit by one solitary light bulb, which suits the prison-like setting and perfectly modulates the mood.
The show has been cast with some gender-blind roles, which works really well. Mike Dahlgren, FCRH ’14, brilliantly shows Katurian’s tortured psyche as he deals with the real world implications of his work. Jonathan O’Neill, FCRH ’15, provides much-needed comic relief as Tupolski, and his second act monologue is a show highlight. Ariel is normally played by a male, but Vanessa Agovida, FCRH ’16, gives her brittle-edged character some much-needed dimension, especially after a revelation in the second act. The character of Michaela, also originally male, runs the risk of being cutesy, but to her credit Hallie Bowen, FCRH ’13, largely avoids these trappings and makes the audience care about Michaela despite her actions.
FET’s The Pillowman makes for a thought-provoking evening, in which a tense atmosphere and some great acting augment a larger theme. It will keep the crowds talking when they leave the theatre, an impressive achievement indeed.
The show’s cast and crew set out to make the show a deep production that tackled far-reaching themes.
The show “blends together some really dark themes with a lot of really funny material in a way that is tasteful and thought-provoking” O’Neill said. I hope that it caused a lot of audience members to question what they think about the power of art, storytelling and censorship.”
Assistant director Morrall agrees. The show “is able to evoke such a wide range of emotion… The content is so dark, even disturbing at times, but it is portrayed in such a way that audience members will find themselves laughing,” she said.
