Susan Granger’s review of “The Pillow Man” (Booth Theater – 2004-2005 season)
Child abuse, murder, mutilation – it’s a veritable, verbal horror story. It’s the Brothers Grimm under the cold, creepy, macabre influence of Charles Addams, Charles Manson and Kafka. Intrigued and repelled? So is the audience.
The play opens in a jail cell. Police officers Tupolski (Jeff Goldblum) and Ariel (Zeljko Ivanek) are interrogating Katurian K. Katurian (Billy Crudup), a hapless writer, about his connection to several child-murders that have occurred in the area. Apparently, Katurian’s crime is having written grisly, gruesome short stories that have, seemingly, inspired copy-cat killings. Questioning turns to bullying and evolves into torture. In a nearby cell, Katurian’s mentally impaired brother Michal (Michael Stuhlbarg) is also being interrogated. His screams reverberate.
Weaving Katurian’s brutally descriptive, violent stories-within-stories, playwright Martin McDonough (“The Beauty Queen of Leenane”) toys with moral ambiguity, launching an emotional roller-coaster ride. His darkly sinister fantasy is imaginatively staged by director John Crowley, who cleverly builds on Scott Pask’s production design. But the static confinement of the claustrophobic sets becomes tedious and the routine dialogue is often trite, even boring.
What keeps the audience riveted are the mesmerizing performances. Billy Crudup is intense, bewildered and indignant, battered by his past, and heart-tugging Michael Stuhlberg evokes true pathos. Their scenes together are amazing. And the good cop/bad cop play effectively off each other: Jeff Goldblum’s sinister, droll stillness contrasts with Zeljko Ivanek’s explosive temper.
Eerily haunting and deeply disturbing, “The Pillowman” is tough, thought-provoking theater.