The Cabaret Theatre is putting on “The Pillowman,” a play published in 2003 by Irish playwright Martin Mcdonagh, this weekend.
“The Pillowman” is a dark story about a writer named Kuterian (played by senior Isaiah Colon), who has penned several twisted stories about the murder of children. When two children turn up dead by similar circumstances as those in the stories, policemen Ariel (played by senior Lauren Murphy) and Tupolski (played by senior Collin Moore) question Kuterian about his involvement.
The most interesting part of the play is the insertion of Kuterian’s grisly stories directly into the play, which Colon narrates.
The play was chosen by Colon, Murphy and Moore as their senior capstone project. They said they chose “The Pillowman” to bring to the Cabaret stage because it was so different than any plays they had read before, and that there are so many levels to each character.
Dan Heaton, the director, said that he enjoys the play because it points out a lot of fears we have and uses storytelling to get these ideas out. He also said this play is different because the audience doesn’t really feel sympathy for any of the characters in particular.
While it seems that this story would be a sad one, it employs a lot of dark comedy. There are many funny lines and situations that make the audience laugh, even in times they wouldn’t expect. The dark humor is one of the things that the seniors really liked about this play in particular.
“I love how this is about artists and storytellers, making art and creative responsibility,” said Moore.
He thinks that this is a really important play, especially for artists.
“I want them to feel bad for my character,” said sophomore theatre/electronic media and film major, Jack Warner. He plays the character of Michal, the brother of Kuterian, who is mentally disabled.
Warner says that this play and character is different than anything he’s been involved with before, and he warns that it’s “not a typical play; it’s dark.”
Theatre-goers should be aware that there is a lot of graphic and violent content in this play, and that it definitely isn’t for children, but that the darkness adds layers to the characters and themes in the play.
Also, the play gives the actors something different to work with. Murphy says it’s really fun to be a “bad” character, and she gets to play with emotions that she “doesn’t normally feel.”
Murphy also enjoyed the layers that appear in the language of the play, because every line “has so many different meanings.”
“The Pillowman” runs this Thursday through Sunday in the Cabaret Theatre, with the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday showings starting at 8 p.m., and the Sunday showing starting at 2 p.m. Students can get into the show free with their Capital ID.
