REVIEW: Powerful Staging of THE PILLOWMAN by Washington University Performing Arts Department

Playwright Martin McDonagh has a knack for crafting pitch black comedies that find humor in the darkest of subjects. In his play, The Pillowman, he gives us a horror fiction writer trapped in a totalitarian state, who's being interrogated because the content of his gruesome work happens to coincide with a recent string of child murders. This is heavy stuff, but McDonagh mines his material for the unexpected, producing comic genius amidst the madness. Washington University's Department of Theatre and Dance has mounted an exceptional production that fully captures the idiosyncrasies inherent in this thought provoking play.

Katurian is a prolific writer of twisted fiction, but so far he's only managed to publish a single short story. While he toils at his craft, he's also charged with the responsibility of raising his simple minded brother, Michal. If we're to believe Katurian's own version of his upbringing, his parents apparently conducted a cruel experiment in human behavior on him at the expense of his brother's mental stability. It seems that after seven years of normal upbringing, they shut him in his room and forced him to listen to the sounds of his sibling being tortured with drills. A predictably bad outcome resulted in Katurian smothering them in their sleep after he discovered the body of his nearly dead brother. Katurian raised his brother himself after that ordeal, and his habit of reading his stories aloud has made a disturbingly vivid impression on his challenged mind; one that may have led Michal to commit murder.

John Ganiard is very good as Katurian, projecting the right image of an everyman trapped in an Orwellian nightmare. You can sense his mounting frustration as he realizes that his past transgressions have caught up with him. Katurian, more than anything, wants his work to survive, and Ganiard gives passion to those feelings. Dan Tobin is believable as Katurian's brother, Michal. He brings a lightness to the part that makes the character seem more rooted in reality. Their powerful scene together deftly illustrates how McDonagh can pull laughs from the most dire of circumstance.

Max Rissman is strong as Tupolski, the "good cop" that interviews Katurian. Throughout the process, Rissman maintains the proper sense of detachment, leavened only by his smug charm. His counterpart, Ariel, well played by Ben Walsh, takes on the part of the "bad cop" in the scenario, and never hides his disdain at Katurian's body of work, even though he may be its savior from destruction in the end.

Also solid in support are: Ginny Page and Jonathan Emden as the various Mother and Father figures portrayed in the dramatizations of Katurian's stories, and Melissa Freilich as a little girl who's crucified for delusions by the pair.

Annamaria Pellegi does a fine job directing this production, carefully balancing the humor and drama, and keeping the actors and action focused and clear. Sean Savoie's scenic design is a grungy masterpiece of changeable urban decay, complete with grimy window fragments and a rusty veneer. Jonathan Lebovic contributes a moody lighting scheme that works well with Adina Talve-Goodman's spooky sound. Mark Rubenstein's special effects add to the grim atmosphere.

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