The Pillowman
The Pillowman
By Martin McDonagh
Directed by Kevin G. Becker
Hubris Theatre Company
Lowndes Shakespeare Center, Orlando, FL
Totalitarianism isn’t for the squeamish. Katurian (Josh Geoghagen) writes creepy children’s stories and get hauled in for a thorough beating by good cop Tupolski (Tommy Keeling) and bad cop Ariel (Stephen Lima). The charge is unclear, and while his macabre stories might hold some subtle political message this arrest appears as a standard “Shake Down the Intellectual Troublemakers” exercise. Katurian’s retarded brother Michal (John Bateman) is in the next cell, and when it looks like Michal might get even worse treatment, Katurian stand up for his rights and get the crap hammered out of him. Thrown in the same cell, they revisit their past and we discover the terrible reason they are both in the jail house.
In this violent and deeply disturbing drama, no one is really innocent, but everyone acts to within an inch of their live. Stephen Lima intimidates the audience as well as Katurian with an angry edge that never wavered. Tommy Keeling, who mostly plays nice guys on stage, became nearly as frightening, although his brand of torture tended to the intellectual. Mr. Geoghagen seemed almost too nice to be in trouble, but as Katurian he seemed to sense trouble and did his best to talk his way out. Most impressive, however, was John Bateman’s portray of weak minded Michal. He captured the innocence and misplaced humor of his character, and the chemistry between the two brothers almost made up for the horror of the Ariel/Tupolski method of interrogation.
The extravagantly expressionistic set by Tommy Mangieri recalls the nightmarish claustrophobia of “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”. While the violence on stage made half the already meager audience flee at intermission, those who remained saw the story step back from physical abuse to emphasize the high stakes mind games brought on by life times of hiding the truth from oneself. Hubris Theatre opens with a strong, gripping drama, and I look for this company to give Empty Spaces some serious artistic competition. Bring a strong stomach and a closed mind, you’ll need them.
Please visit http://www.myspace.com/hubristheatrecompanyfor more information on Hubris Theatre
November 12th, 2008 at 1:54 am
No competition! Just pure collaboration man! Many of the people in Empty Spaces are also sharing in the success of this. CONGRATS GUYS!
November 12th, 2008 at 1:57 am
And I might add – I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE IT! Woo Hoo Becker and Bateman and Josh and ALL. As soon as I get out of the weeds of HAIR I will be there!
All my best.
November 12th, 2008 at 10:33 am
It’s funny you should mention the audience members who left at intermission because they thought that the show was over and didn’t realize we had an intermission. So, I have invited them to come back and see the second half of the show. McDonagh has the intermission placed during the middle of Act 2 between the 1st and 2nd scene which leaves off with a feeling that it could be the end.
November 12th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Wow! Thank you so much for coming to see our show! An the reason the link won’t work is because there’s actually a “p” missing from from the URL address. It’s http://www.myspace.com/hubristheatrecomPany
Thank once again and were glad you enjoyed it!
November 12th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
And before that intermission it builds to a climax, so it can indeed be misconstrued as an “ending” of sorts!
Catching it SUNDAY!
November 14th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Dear Orlando Theater Critics,
Allow me to intoduce myself, I’m the man who made you gasp during “Killer Joe”. I stripped a young handmaid to the waist, then cut her femoral artery. I killed little frail Tommy by beating him in the chest. I slammed a writer’s head into a table. I’m Bill Warriner, fight director.
The role of the fight director is frequently overlooked, but those moments would have never happened without one. Violence is an art, it needs to fit seamlessly into a scene. It must keep the audience on the edge of their seat, worried for the character, never for the actor.
I ask , now, for a little recognition for that art. A small nod if the work moved you, fair criticism if it pulled you out of the moment. I ask this not only for myself, but for other fight directors in the area. A word or two about the fight director would do much to raise awareness of both the art and the artists.
Thank you for your time,
Bill Warriner
November 15th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Thanks for the overall good review towards Pillowman — much of the tech/design crew on this show worked for months to create the look and tone — fight director Bill is correct; many in his division are overlooked in reviews even though the audience feels the presence of their work. As the set designer on Pillowman I certainly appreciate the nod and the comparison to the famous Cabinet of . . . a review of any kind is important to tech/design people because it is one of the few ways we can document our work. Thanks again, but double check the spelling of my last name.
All the best — Tom Mangieri
November 17th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Finally saw this last night.
I know I am biased since these are all my collaborators and friends, but – - -
Job. Well. Done. Everyone.
The humanity and comedy shown through all the dark edges. And in the end of this hellish journey – Hope.
Thank you.
November 18th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
I thank you for your kind and positive review. My part in all of it as costume designer seems minor compared to Tommy’s amazing set, but I thought I might say something since I’m feeling a little ignored. Many people don’t think much about what goes into a production in terms of what people are wearing.
The color palette for this production as well as the unplaceable look of the costumes was deliberate. Kevin wanted something simple and evocative of WWII Germany, but also with a washed out and muted feeling similar to the one created in Alan Moore’s V for Vendetta. A specific design was created for the arm bands worn by both officers that was evocative of the hard angles of the swastika, but decidedly different. Michal was specifically given a broken pocket watch in order to provide him with an autistic comfort object to fiddle with and his color palette was kept green, the most notable feature being the green socks.
You may not ever be aware of it, but how the characters look is something that affects the experience of the play. So please don’t leave us Costume Designers out in the cold, even if we are just starting our careers.
Thank you,
Mo Phelan.