| The Pillowman | Company B |
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“There are no more barriers to cross. All I have in common with the uncontrollable and the insane, the vicious and the evil, all the mayhem I have caused and my utter indifference toward it I have now surpassed…even after admitting this there is no catharsis. This confession has meant nothing.” – Patrick Bateman, American Psycho
One of the blackest of black comedies ever written for the stage, Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman, opens at Belvoir St Theatre on 4 June. This award-winning play has taken the theatre world by the throat with acclaimed productions recently seen from London to New York. Hot on the heels of his sensational Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Pillowman will mark Craig Ilott’s directorial debut for Company B which previously presented McDonagh’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore in 2003.
Set in a totalitarian state, The Pillowman tells of Katurian, an arrogant yet largely unpublished fiction writer who is interrogated by the police about the brutal content of his short stories and their similarities to a series of strange child murders occurring in his town. When Katurian’s mentally impaired brother is called in for questioning, two sardonic policemen resort to absurd methods of interrogation to uncover the truth. What unfolds is a twisted tale of suspense and horror.
In his most recent play, McDonagh explores new territory with a unique blend of dark and comedy, offering a compelling world of story. In the words of Katurian, "The first duty of a storyteller is to tell a story”. Thrilling, tantalising, manipulative and vicious, The Pillowman, investigates the raw human desire for fantasy, the dangerous potential of truth and narrative, and the all-knowing power of the storyteller.
The Pillowman is challenging material that is thought-provoking, frightening, and hilarious. McDonagh has confronted the theme of artistic legacy; the importance of what we leave behind and whether it should be more important than what we do here and now, and, ultimately the issue of literature’s ability to outlast tyranny.
Director Craig Ilott (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Suitors), says, “The desire for a good story is timeless. Martin McDonagh is the contemporary master of suspense – a weaver of a great tale and it’s the tradition of storytelling that taps into the hearts of us all – to be told a great story and want to know what happens next.”
The sensational cast includes Marton Csokas, (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Riflemind, Romulus My Father), Damon Herriman (The Spook, The Underpants, Cloudstreet), Steve Rodgers (Riflemind, Cloudstreet, Twelfth Night), David Terry (All Saints, Edmond, The Impossible Dream), Dan Wyllie (Don Juan in Soho, The Pillowman (MTC), Love My Way, Cloudstreet), Amanda Bishop and Lauren Elton.
The Pillowman had its world premiere in 2003 at the Royal National Theatre, and subsequently received the 2004 Olivier Award and an Evening Standard Award nomination for Best New Play. Martin McDonagh’s other plays include The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Cripple of Inishmaan and Tony nominees The Lonesome West and The Lieutenant of Inishmore. His short film Six Shooter won a 2006 Academy Award.
“Comedies don't come any blacker than The Pillowman." – The New York Times
“Every now and then you encounter something you know you will never forget as long as you shall live.” – The Daily Mirror
“The darkest moments are as unsentimental as the best fairy tale, making jokes about the unthinkable.” – The Sunday Times
Company B presents
THE PILLOWMAN
by Martin McDonagh
Directed by Craig Ilott
Set Designer: Nicholas Dare
Costume Designer: Jo Briscoe
Lighting Designer: Niklas Pajanti
Composer & Sound Designer: Jethro Woodward
With: Amanda Bishop, Marton Csokas, Lauren Elton, Damon Herriman, Steve Rodgers, David Terry and Dan Wyllie
Venue: Belvoir St Theatre, 25 Belvoir St, Surry Hills
Previews: Saturday 31 May at 8pm and Sunday 1 June at 5pm. All preview tickets $33
Opening night: Wednesday 4 June, 2008
Times: Tuesday 6.30pm, Wednesday to Friday 8pm, Saturday 2pm & 8pm, Sunday 5pm
Tickets: Full $54. Seniors (excluding Fri/Sat evenings) and Groups 10+ $45. Concession $33.
Student Rush $25 for Tuesday 6.30pm and Saturday 2pm, available from 10am on the day (subject to availability)
Bookings: 9699 3444 or www.belvoir.com.au
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