TGIF's Pillowman Reivew 4.27.05

[TGIF]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 3:19pm

I am fairly new to reviewing straight plays, having seen only one other straight play on Broadway (Twelve Angry Men). So please be patient with me, I am still new at this and testing the waters. There has been so much buzz around this show and I had no idea what to expect going into the Booth Theatre accept for the fact that I haven’t seen anything like this before. It also didn’t help that people told me they had nightmares after seeing it. (You know who you are ).

The Pillowman starts off with a fairly bare stage, with a short story writer, Katurian Katurian (Billy Crudup) sitting blindfolded and fairly shaken up in an interrogation room. Apparently the audience know as much as he does as to why he is there. Taking place in a totalitarian country who’s name goes unmentioned, even the self proclaimed good cop in the good cop/bad cop duo (Jeff Goldblum) is not so good. It is clear from the beginning, that things are done much differently than what we see on episodes of Law & Order.

Detective Tupolski and police officer Ariel (Goldblum and Zeljko Ivanek respectively) employ all methods, including physical torture and mind games, to get a confession out of the confused author, which eventually brings Michal, Katurian’s mentally challenged older brother (Michael Stuhlbarg), into the story. Both of whom are now suspects in the murders of children that are frighteningly similar to Katurian’s gruesome short stories. During the course of the interrogation several of his stories are read by both the detectives and the author himself. These stories are not the fairy tales you have grown up hearing at bed time and after hearing/viewing they are not something easily forgotten.

While a good amount of shows have plot twists at the end of the show that surprise the audience (a general example would be the ending of WICKED), The Pillowman goes in directions you don’t think it will and once you regain your footing something else happens that throws you off yet again.

I may not know much about reviewing plays, but what I do know is how the play hit me, and how I felt leaving the theatre. I have never experienced such extreme emotions so quickly in succession before. As tragic and horrifying as the plot may be, black humor is seamlessly inserted throughout. The humor is necessary though for the tension is built so high, it serves as a way to ease it.

While the stories did not sit well with me, it was what happened between the characters that affected me the most. I will not give away any of the plot and spoilers (I do apologize but this show just left me so speechless).

All actors are stand outs in the cast in their own rights. Crudup’s striking good looks serve as a nice and ironic contrast to the ugliness of his stories. He shines best when in the scene between the brothers with Stuhlbarg. Stuhlbarg’s portrayal of Michal is honest, endearing, and believable and is often the cause of the audience’s laughter. Goldblum seems like he wants to be on that stage and gives it his all; that is what I could tell from the back of his head. Sitting against the wall, in the $25 rush seats, I had the disadvantage of only seeing his back for a large portion of his time on stage. Ivanek adds all the necessary layers to his character and results in giving a stellar performance. It is very easy to be “the bad guy” and have it end up being flat; however, Ivanek avoids that hole and succeeds.

I will not attempt to guess any Tony nods let alone wins. I haven’t seen enough to make a valid hypothesis. However I will say this, if The Pillowman is not one of the top plays on Broadway at the moment I need to get myself to the theatre ASAP to see what I have been missing.

Updated On: 4/29/05 at 03:19 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 3:20pm

Thanks!

I wanna go, but I'm too scared.

[kangaroo]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 3:25pm

Thanks for your review TGIF!

I'm not a big play person... but it sounded like you had an interesting time

~kangaroo :)

[TGIF]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 5:12pm

I wouldn't say I am a "musical" person or a "play" person, I just enjoy good theatre.

Emcee, you have to go!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 10:56pm

Nooooooo!!! *hides*

[Thenardier]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 11:13pm

I can't wait to see this!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 11:14pm

::still hiding::

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 11:14pm

argh, double post.

Updated On: 4/29/05 at 11:14 PM

[QueenMuppet]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 11:35pm

Great review, TGIF. And I'm so happy you liked it. I just have to see it again.

QM

[AttendTheTale]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 10:50pm

I'm dying to see this show. Any idea if there are student rush tix for it?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 10:55pm

Yes, there are. Not sure of the exact policy, but there is definitely rush.

[Matt_G]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 10:57pm

There are 12 or 14 tickets that go on sale 3 hours before each show. People get to the theatre hours beforehand some days.

[Liz_Bennet]

Posted: 5/8/05 at 10:50am

I'm thinking about rushing this show on a Tuesday...how are the lines then? And if it's on TKTS, are the seats there better enough to make up for the higher price? I'm not expecting the student rush tickets to be good (back row, I assume). But where do you think the TKTS tickets are?

[#1Elphie]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 10:13pm

Does anyone have any more info on the student rush? Such as how early we would have to get there for a Wednesday matinee? And where the seats are? Thanks!