![]() ![]() ![]() Yes, there were comic lines, yet I didn’t really laugh at them, overcome by the grimness of the overall subject and, as you’d expect from the creator of In Bruges, there was a large amount of swearing! Pemberton and Kaye were both excellent – the latter in particular. ![]() This was a hard play to get any enjoyment from. All the stories have that horror element that goes back to the Brothers Grimm, but is twisted yet further into torture. ‘The Pillowman’ of the title is another of Katurian’s stories, which she tells to Michal in the cells, and it’s premise, which I won’t spoil, is equally disturbing and thought-provoking. If the autobiographical story of young Katurian and Michal was profoundly disturbing, Katurian’s story of ‘Little Jesus’ was particularly affecting, the eleven-year-old child actor playing the girl who believed she was Jesus was amazing, even as she was crucified and then buried alive. When she discovers her mentally disabled brother Michal has confessed to the murders, she knows she’ll be executed, but is desperate to preserve her stories.Īs the play progresses, we not only hear some of the stories, which are enacted in mime, as Katurian narrates from the side of the stage, by actors playing mother, father and child, but we also discover the root of the stories in Katurian and MIchal’s own childhood as their parents carred out a gruesome experiment on them when they were little. She is brought in for questioning by the two detectives, Tupolski (Pemberton) and Ariel (Paul Kaye) as good and bad cops respectively, although their positions rather reverse later. She (in Allen’s case) is arrested as two children have been murdered by methods detailed in her stories. Katurian is a writer of short stories, almost all of which involve violence being done to children. There are four main characters in the play which is, natch, set in a totalitarian state. Also slight Spoiler warning following *** But back to The Pillowman – I was surprised not to see trigger warnings posted about this play. I have not walked out of a play ever, (although I came close with The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus by Tony Harrison which, despite an excellent cast, had too many satyr phalluses for comfort!). Had I known it’s themes, I might have given it a miss – and it was notable that there were some empty seats after the interval. I deliberately didn’t read up on the play before I went, just drawn by the star casting of Lily Allen as Katurian, and Steve Pemberton as Tupolski. Before he turned to the big screen, McDonagh wrote a handful of plays and The Pillowman is regarded by many as his best, first being performed in 2003 at the National Theatre, with David Tennant in the role of Katurian, a writer. And the breadth and variety of legal issues I deal with create a constant challenge, which I feel exhilarating.My third West End theatre trip in a month, was to see the West End revival of this play by McDonagh – he of wonderful movies: In Bruges, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Banshees of Inisherin (which I loved, but forgot to review) and also partner of Phoebe Waller-Bridge – and I had high expectations. It gives me a sense of accomplishment to help people with their problems. And Rebecca became a teacher and obtained her Ed.D. Josh became an automotive racing engine designer and builder, and owns and operates High Horse Performance Racing in Smyrna, DE. Ben became a lawyer, and now he is the managing partner of our law firm. I had three kids - Ben, Josh, and Rebecca. I have been in practice in Dover, Delaware continuously since 1974. I worked at a local Dover law firm called Schmittinger & Rodriguez for a year and then started my own practice. I attended Rutgers University School of Law in Camden, NJ and took and passed the Delaware bar in 1974. After several years, I went back to school. I obtained my undergraduate and masters degrees there, and then moved to Dover, Delaware to teach physics and calculus at Wesley College. I was raised in the Greater Philadelphia area, and attended school at Temple University. ![]()
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