Peter Sampieri directs The Gamm's current production of Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman, which won the 2005 Olivier Award for 'Best New Play'.
Gamm's
Artistic Director Tony Estella plays Katurian, a writer in an un-named
totalitarian state. Actually, Katurian is a janitor, who writes,
but a writer certainly. Katurian's writing talent was encouraged,
fed, and engineered by his parents until their untimely death when he
was a young teenager.
From the moment of their death Katurian
had responsibility for his older, retarded brother, Michael
(Christopher Francis Byrnes).
The play opens as Katurian is
being interrogated by two policeman Tupolski (David Catanzaro) and
Ariel (Steve Kidd). It seems that two children have been killed,
and one is missing. The murdered children have been killed a manner
similar to the twisted plots in some of Katurian's short stories.
The police are intent on finding out if there is a link between the
killings and Katurian's gruesome fairy tales.
After tiring of
playing good cop / bad cop with Tupolski, Ariel leaves the room to
interrogate Katurian's brother Michael. Within moments, we hear
the sound of Michael screaming. Unnerved, Katurian is nevertheless
forced by Tupolski to read and re-tell some of his favorite stories as
the police try to place clues in their correct order.
McDonagh's
story, within a story, within a story is, on each level, for each
story, completely horrifying while remaining a beautifully told
story. The graphic description, and real-time re-enactment, of
children brutalized and murdered is at once chilling and compelling.
In
the lead, Estrella convincingly plays frantic man who understands that
he is nearing his own untimely death. It is a plum role and
Estrella plays it to the edge.
As Michael, Chistopher Francis
Bynes plays it slow, rarely raising his heart rate or suspicions.
Steve Kidd's Ariel is an over-eager, avenger of justice. Kidd,
once again, beautifully plays anger with an undercurrent of hurt.
David
Catanzarro appears as if he just walked out of 'police detective'
central casting. He is a perfect fit for this role. His
acting style is smaller, tighter, more everyman, than the other actors
in this production, which makes him convincing in the role. I
would not like to be in an interrogation room alone with him.
Karen
Carpenter and Andrew Morissette play the Mother and Father of the
tortured and murdered children. It seems strange to write it, but they
add some temporary, and needed, humor to the story.
Ben
Haffner and Elizabeth Dufresene play the children that are tortured and
killed. Each of their performances is notable, as these young
actors bring a professional quality to their first performances at The
Gamm.
In
The Pillowman, nothing is as it appears. This theme is carried through Eric Reynolds' clever set design.
Director
Peter Sampieri never loses focus on McDonough's imaginative writing.
The Gamm's haunting production of
The Pillowman stands as another
high-water mark for this theater.
The Pillowman runs at the Gamm Theater in Pawtucket, RI through February 24th. Tickets range from $20 -$34 and can be purchased at www.arttixri.com or by calling 401-723-4266.
Photo #1: Steve Kidd as Ariel, David Catanzaro as Tupolski & Tony Estrella as Katurian
Photo #2: Tony Estrella as Katurian & David Catanzaro as Tupolski
Photos Courtesy of The Gamm Theatre
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