Reviewed by Alice Clayton
Tickets were gifted in return for an honest review.
My knowledge of The Pillowman was minimal, (having missed the recent London version starring Lily Allen, Paul Kaye and Steve Pemberton), but how often a plays reputation can precede it, and how often that reputation is wrong.
A play about a child killer and it's a black comedy? Surely this isn't possible? Well, let me tell you, it is, and it's genius.
Although my knowledge of The Pillowman was lacking my knowledge of Martin McDonagh wasn't. Having seen and loved some of his more recent works, such as, In Bruges, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri and The Banshees Of Inisherin. In each case, his storytelling is just so real and on point. I've already said genius, but I'll say it again, genius. With a play such as The Pillowman it takes real courage to choose to do this, and with Early Doors Productions, you clearly have a very brave and talented group to pull this is off.
So, let me start with the venue, All Saints Church.
It’s an old disused church. No heating except for a few heaters doing not much. Lucky blankets were to hand. The lighting was minimal but already set for when the audience entered.
Sitting waiting for the show to start I'll admit I was nervous the cold would spoil my enjoyment, but in truth it never got too cold and that little bite of a chill added to the production.
That slight uncomfortabilty for us, the audience, helped us engage more with the actors.
The set was simple. Two flats painted to look like brick walls which for scene two was able to be turned into a prison. Nice touch and affective. The Pillowman is more a play of props. A chair is set. It looks more like an old school chair from the 1930s which has a desk attached to it.
The chair looked uncomfortable, this again adding to the whole ambience of uncomfortabilty of the piece.
Throughout the play little bits of set are used. Electric cables for torture, folders, over sized pencils and crayons. The biggest change was an old hospital bed for scene two. Really clever and very good.
Costumes were simple and effective. All dull colours to signify in this world there is no colour. The brightest colour used here is red when our lead, Katurian, is covered in blood.
The cast of The Pillowman are seven.
Three actors play The Silents, who oddly weren't always silent! They were Richard Orchard-Rowe, Emily Catlin and Lidia Catlin. These three play key parts for when Katurian is telling her stories throughout the play. Be it creepy parents, a hooded faceless man, a child who believes she is Jesus. Every one used their face and body to show each different character. Finding the comedy with an over the top smile, the bruteness of two people happy to harm a child, or two loving parents. Very hard to achieve but these three made it look easy. Very well done.
Neil Gray played Michal (and no, this isn't a spelling mistake, it's how Michal is spelt in The Pillowman, yet another way the writer shows things are just a little different). Michal is Katurian's brother and a survivor of abuse at the hands of his parents. He is also disabled in some way, autism perhaps, as well as brain damage through his parents abuse.
The play is in three acts and act two is all Michal and Katurian. It's brilliant, and Neil Gray finds the humanity in a character that doesn't naturally show this. Michal is somewhat self-centred and detached, but in Neil's performance he makes Michal likeable. In this scene there is quite an arc for both Michal and Katurian which, when you are playing a role which is almost monotone isn't easy to do. But this is a superb cast and Neil Gray is a wonderful Michal.
The next supporting role is that of Ariel played by Justin Cartledge. Ariel is at first seen as a pure psychopath. A policemen who enjoys his job as he can torture and torment without consequence. But like so much of this play, not all is what is seems. Justin Cartledge brings to Ariel a true menace and unpredictability and by the end you weirdly feel for him and almost like Ariel. The actor here is constantly twitching, rubbing his head, flexing fingers and using an overly small tissue to wipe his mouth with is uncomfortable to watch. It's an all consuming performance.
Darren Matthews is Tupolski. A detective who 'sometimes like to detect'. As with everything this play has to offer, characters are very real but also somehow caricatures. Tupolski jumps from brute to confused and also completely crest fallen when he mentions the loss of his own (spoiler alert) son. His monologue about the train was a real highlight of the evening. Pitch perfect for every ounce of comedy and then becoming enraged again by the end of the scene. We see here where Ariel and Tupolski meet by tragedy and are almost kindred spirits. Brothers through rage and damage.
Jen Bell plays Katurian. Starting off with confusion of why the police in this totalitarian state have taken her in for interrogation. Jen exquisitely moves Katurian between fear, the protective sister, and ending with the resignation of her fate. Jen Bell is exceptional as Katurian. Thoroughly engaging throughout. Snaps of comedy, quiet grief and then a total emotional collapse. A stella performance.
It was a cast that knew when to push their performance and knew when to hold back.
Amy Clayton is the director of this masterpiece. Pulling every drop of comedy from the script, crafting the silent actors to move abnormally, the movement of Katurian's chair on this small stage to somehow open this limit space up and make it feel bigger. The choreography, staging and most importantly the casting from Amy was spot on. A tremendous job.
It feels very much that Early Doors Productions are a quasi drama group. Moving from amateur into semi professional. This version of The Pillowman shows to me very much that this group are moving onwards and I very much look forward to seeing what else they produce in the future.
The Pillowman at All Saints Church is by no means to everyone's taste, but for those who choose to take a chance on it, they will not be disappointed. A unique setting, brilliantly directed and note perfect performances.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
You can find out more about Early Doors Productions work from their website https://www.earlydoors.org.uk/
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