MEF's Review of "The Pillowman" WITH POSSIBLE SPOILERS

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 1:34pm

Oh, my dear Lord. I have no words. To say that I was blown away would be an understatement. Simply put, "The Pillowman" is the best original play to hit the Broadway stage in a good five years.

"The Pillowman" opens in an interrogation room, in an unnamed totalitarian country. Katurian (Billy Crudup), a writer of short stories, sits blindfolded, waiting to be interrogated. He can hear the muffled screams of his mentally retarded brother, Michal (Michael Stuhlbarg) from the room next door. He doesn't know why he is there.

He is then joined by Detectives Tupolski and Ariel (Jeff Goldblum and Zeljko Ivanek, respectively), who inform him that they are disturbed that the content of his short stories closely resembles the murders of several children in his town. Such things are described as razor blade-filled apples, the severing of toes, and a crucifixion. Katurian is horrrified.

All of this is dealt with a tinge of black humor, courtesy of the brilliant playwright Martin McDonagh.

The lights fade mid-way, and Katurian turns to the audience to recite a haunting soliloquoy, the recitation of his story "The Tale of The Writer and The Writer's Brother". The chilling story is acted behind him, on a dais above the stage.

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT

After a while, and some electric shock therapy, Katurian is allowed to see the frightened Michal. To comfort his brother, Katurian tells him "The Tale of The Pillowman". The Pillowman is, as his named would suggest, made entirely of pillows. He goes to adults who have lived horrible lives and are about to commit suicide and comforts them by holding them close to his soft body. This takes them back to their youth, to when they were still happy. He convinces these children to kills themselves now, before their lives turn to endless misery, and to disguise their suicide as a tragic accident.

This is about all I can tell you of the plot without giving anything crucial away.

The performances are among the best on the New York stage. I am convinced that Mr. Crudup will win the Tony for his heart-wrenching, breathtaking performance. Mr. Goldblum is equally fantastic as the reserved but tough-as-nails "good cop," as he describes himself. Mr. Ivanek and Mr. Stuhlbarg were also excellent, and will both likely be nominated for Tonys. I would like to see Mr. Ivanek win. The rest of the ensemble is rounded out by Ted Koch, Virginia Louise Smith, Jesse Shane Bronstein, and Madeleine Martin, all in non-speaking roles.

This is certainly not everybody's cup of tea. About twenty people-mostly older people-left in a huff at intermission. Be prepared for an intense, no-holes-barred evening of theatre when you buy your tickets.

This is the finest production I have seen in a good year, and, as I mentioned before, the best new play in a good five years, probably since "Proof". I urge everybody to get to the Booth Theatre right now and see it. Updated On: 3/31/05 at 01:34 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 1:37pm

Wow. Thanks.

[Matt_G]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 1:37pm

I'm SO glad you liked it, MEF. At one point the other night we even saw people leaving DURING the show. But I think this is better than PROOF and better than anything I've seen probably since THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LENANE.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 1:39pm

I was speechless afterwards.

And yes, some old couple left two minutes into the second act, during the "Little Jesus" soliloquoy.

[Matt_G]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 1:41pm

I was very nervous during intermission because I knew that scene would be coming up. I wasn't sure if I would be able to watch that or not.

But the people we saw leaving all left after a certain "Jump out of your Seat, Scare the sh*t out you" moment.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 1:42pm

I want to see this, but I'm afraid of everything.

[Matt_G]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 1:43pm

Emcee, I'll go with you. I can't wait to see it again.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 1:44pm

Matt, I think I know what part you are talking about.

Emcee, there is nothing to be afraid of. Save for one or two instances, it's mostly the dialogue that is scary. Billy Crudup's incredible performance is worth the price of admission.

[joniray]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 2:20pm

MEF, I'm sad that you felt the need to give away most of the first act and some of the second. I think The Pillowman is best enjoyed by people who go in knowing as little about it as possible. I'm afraid your review may spoil a lot of it for a lot of people. Please consider editing it.

I hope you don't mind my suggestion. I just, like yourself, would like people to be able to have the same experience watching it as we did, and that would include discovering the play and it's individual stories as they are told instead of already knowing them beforehand.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 2:27pm

I have edited my original review and the thread title to reflect possible spoilers.

[joniray]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 2:36pm

Thanks, MEF, that title should do the trick

You might want to consider moving the "Possible Spoiler Alert" in the message to just before you give specifics of the murders in the various stories. I would consider those spoilers and am glad I didn't know them in advance (they would have made less impact on me when watching the show).

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 2:44pm

I want to go... I need someone to come with me and cuddle me.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 2:53pm

I didn't feel the need to include a "spoiler alert" prior to the descriptions because that information has been on the boards for a while now, before the show even started previews.

[apdarcey]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 3:31pm

i'm glad this transfered here better than democracy did. now here's praying for festen.

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 1:28am

Dear God.
Saw it tonight.
You were right, mef. There are no words.
F-ing INCREDIBLE.
GO SEE IT NOW!

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 1:48pm

BUMP.

It opens tomorrow night, and I can't wait to see what the reviews are like. There really are no words.

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 1:53pm

Ooh, press night is tomorrow? I will be VERY interested in seeing the reviews.

[Johnnytoc]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 1:55pm

Wow. Mef, I might have to go see it now. Your review really sounds good.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 1:56pm

See it immediately. It's soooooo brilliant.

[Justice]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 2:13pm

So wait...is it scary?

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 2:19pm

Most of the scary moments are dialogue-related. I really don't want to give any more away.

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 2:20pm

In a make you jump kind of a way? Yes. In a haunt you long after the curtain has fallen kind of a way? Yes. In a give you your fist nightmare in as long as you can remember kind of a way? Yes.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 2:22pm

Argh. I'm really torn. I want to see this, but I'm literally afraid of everything. I mean, insects give me nightmares and I can't watch scary movies.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 2:29pm

It didn't leave me with any nightmares.

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 2:34pm

I don't remember the dream itself, I just know that the night I saw Pillowman I woke up at 3am and was very very uneasy and took a long time to go back to sleep. That hasn't happened to me since I watched the original Texas Chain Saw movie.