BWW Reviews: Bare Bones' THE PILLOWMAN Leaves Audience Breathless

On February 19th, I braved the cold and ventured to Main Street in Northport to witness the opening night of Bare Bones Theater Company's production of "The Pillowman," by Martin McDonagh. "With echoes of Stoppard, Kafka, and the Brothers Grimm, THE PILLOWMAN centers on a writer in an unnamed totalitarian state who is being interrogated about the gruesome content of his short stories and their similarities to a series of child murders. The result is an urgent work of theatrical bravura and an unflinching examination of the very nature and purpose of art."

Upon my arrival to the company's HQ (Posey School), I immediately knew that it was going to be an intimate experience. The first staircase of the building led to a small, comfy playroom where the audience was able to buy tickets, wait around, etc.: typical pre-show things. After a while, we were brought into the theater: a dance recital space cleverly converted into an interrogation room. The walls were covered with some white, plastic material, and there were very minimal set pieces: a simple desk, two chairs, a file cabinet, and other miscellaneous props. A man, blindfolded and bound, was sitting at the desk yelling, "Hello?! HELLO?! Is anyone there?! Someone please help me!!" as we took our seats. He was a good distance from the audience, but with the whole, too-close-for-comfort aesthetic of the space, I felt scared...yet excited. I was absolutely thrilled to be scared: that let me know that this show was going to be a wild ride. Believe me...it was.

The man, Katurian (played to perfection by Scott McIntyre), halted his pleas for escape while the house lights came down, and the audience was sent off to the John Dorsic-directed world of McDonagh's black comedy. At the top of the show, the good cop/bad cop duo of Topolski and Ariel (impressively brought to life by Jason Kirsch and Jason Moreland, respectively) entered the room with such authoritative gust that even I felt inclined to sit up straight. Right away, the cast's superb acting chops, and overall fantastic chemistry, were apparent. Moreland and Kirsch offer a much more stark contrast of the good cop/bad cop technique than anything I've seen (and I'm one of those people that likes those slapstick buddy-cop movies...).

Oftentimes, Moreland's portrayal of "bad cop" Ariel appears borderline slapstick & farcical on its surface, but it is in his facial expressions, particularly in Act 2, that I really noticed the thoughts running through Ariel's mind as he questioned and tortured Katurian. Kirsch, on that same tangent, offered a fresh take on the "good cop" part of the dynamic: the character was full of sarcasm and wit, yet had such a vindictive presence painted with a winning smile. Perhaps the most interesting part of the twosome's chemistry was that they were able to incorporate characteristics associated with each side of the good cop/bad cop equation, on each side. Kirsch was able to give Topolski a logical mind that was not muddled with inhibition; Moreland was able to give Ariel a careless mind muddled with inhibition. Though most of the credit can be given to McDonagh's script, it is Dorsic that should be commended for making sure that Topolski and Ariel never fell too far to one side, even when it seemed like they might.

Topolski and Ariel's characters wouldn't have stood out as much if Scott McIntyre's Katurian hadn't been such an amazing foil for their personalities. McIntyre was able to give his character such amazing levels: from the reaction to the truth about the child murders based on his stories, to the complete loss of self-control when provoked. He was able to accentuate all that Katurian had been through in his past, while also logically approaching what he was going through in his present. With the aid of a glassy, haunting stare and impressive tellings of Katurian's even more haunting short stories, Mr. McIntyre took the audience on an emotional (yet, at times, seemingly melodramatic) journey through this black comedy.

Other acting worthy of particular note was that of Eric Clavell, who brought impressive dimension to the character of Michal, Katurian's mentally handicapped brother. There wasn't as much of a childlike innocence as is normally portrayed in Michal, but there was an astonishing, warped sense of reality (in the already warped, totalitarian reality of the show, in general) and an overall lack of moral awareness. Not only was it impressive, but it was so perfectly twisted and off-putting that the discomfort of the entire audience was palpable. As much as we wanted to feel bad for the doe-eyed, seemingly angelic character, the reality of his misdeeds truly haunted the audience.

Bare Bones Theater Company's "The Pillowman" runs thru March 8th. For tickets & more info, please visit barebonestheater.com