GenQ - For the not so straight individual

The Pillowman, written by Martin McDonagh, is an amazing and confronting black comedy All set in the almost parallel worlds of a totalitarian dictatorship and of fairytales.
"Story writer Katurian (Joel Edgerton) finds himself held in a police cell for reasons he is unaware of, all he does know though, is that it has something to do with the short stories he writes. These are short stories which feature an apparently disturbing theme, and just may be somehow linked to a series of brutal child murders. The writer and his brother Michal (Dan Wyllie) are interrogated by police (Kim Gyngell and Greg Stone)."

This production is under the direction of the amazing Simon Phillips. Here, Simon has tightened the screws on the dialogue delivery to make it rhythmic and sharp. The dreamy world of Katurian's stories starkly contrasts that of the interrogation room, and the audience is quickly jerked from dream to reality and back again, the line between becoming less and less clear as the story unravels itself.
The performances here are outstanding. Joel Edgerton as the somewhat naive writer, Katurian Katurian Katurian (Yes, his parents were weird!), is a master storyteller. Joels ability to deliver his large portions of story are greatly attributed to his portrayal and having the audience eat out of his hand. Greg Stone and Kim Gyngell shatter the ideals of "good cop, bad cop" with their performances. They both show great comic timing and also the ability to add in their sinister traits. Standout of the lead ensemble is Dan Wyllie as Katurian's retarded brother, Michal. Dan's performance actually had me feeling for the character as he displayed the fine line between child-like innocence and wickedness. The ensemble cast (Richard Bligh, Natasha Herbert and Rima Hadchiti) seemlessly fitted into the equation of this stunning piece of theatre.
The Pillowman questions the veracity of fairytales and queries our capacity to be brutal and kind simultaneously, and allows us to enter fully into the world and be swept away with the story.
If you get the chance, and a spare 3 hours, this is totally worth the trip to the intimate space of the Malthouse Theatre.

Check www.mtc.com.au for more info

 

PICTURED: (L-R) Joel Edgerton, Kim Gyngell and Greg Stone. Photo Credit: Jeff Busby.