The Gamm's 'The Pillowman'

Peter Sampieri directs The Gamm's current production of Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman, which won the 2005 Olivier Award for 'Best New Play'.

Gamm's Artistic Director Tony Estella plays Katurian, a writer in an un-named totalitarian state.  Actually, Katurian is a janitor, who writes, but a writer certainly.  Katurian's writing talent was encouraged, fed, and engineered by his parents until their untimely death when he was a young teenager.

From the moment of their death Katurian had responsibility for his older, retarded brother, Michael (Christopher Francis Byrnes).

The play opens as Katurian is being interrogated by two policeman Tupolski (David Catanzaro) and Ariel (Steve Kidd).  It seems that two children have been killed, and one is missing. The murdered children have been killed a manner similar to the twisted plots in some of Katurian's short stories.  The police are intent on finding out if there is a link between the killings and Katurian's gruesome fairy tales.

After tiring of playing good cop / bad cop with Tupolski, Ariel leaves the room to interrogate Katurian's brother Michael.  Within moments, we hear the sound of Michael screaming. Unnerved, Katurian is nevertheless forced by Tupolski to read and re-tell some of his favorite stories as the police try to place clues in their correct order.

McDonagh's story, within a story, within a story is, on each level, for each story, completely horrifying while remaining a beautifully told story.  The graphic description, and real-time re-enactment, of children brutalized and murdered is at once chilling and compelling.

In the lead, Estrella convincingly plays frantic man who understands that he is nearing his own untimely death.  It is a plum role and Estrella plays it to the edge.

As Michael, Chistopher Francis Bynes plays it slow, rarely raising his heart rate or suspicions.  Steve Kidd's Ariel is an over-eager, avenger of justice.  Kidd, once again, beautifully plays anger with an undercurrent of hurt.

David Catanzarro appears as if he just walked out of 'police detective' central casting.  He is a perfect fit for this role.  His acting style is smaller, tighter, more everyman, than the other actors in this production, which makes him convincing in the role.  I would not like to be in an interrogation room alone with him.

Karen Carpenter and Andrew Morissette play the Mother and Father of the tortured and murdered children. It seems strange to write it, but they add some temporary, and needed, humor to the story.  

Ben Haffner and Elizabeth Dufresene play the children that are tortured and killed.  Each of their performances is notable, as these young actors bring a professional quality to their first performances at The Gamm.

In The Pillowman, nothing is as it appears.  This theme is carried through Eric Reynolds' clever set design.

Director Peter Sampieri never loses focus on McDonough's imaginative writing. The Gamm's haunting production of The Pillowman stands as another high-water mark for this theater.

The Pillowman runs at the Gamm Theater in Pawtucket, RI through February 24th.  

Tickets range from $20 -$34 and can be purchased at www.arttixri.com or by calling 401-723-4266.

Photo #1:  Steve Kidd as Ariel, David Catanzaro as Tupolski & Tony Estrella as Katurian

Photo #2: Tony Estrella as Katurian & David Catanzaro as Tupolski

Photos Courtesy of The Gamm Theatre

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