BWW Reviews: THE PILLOWMAN at The Bug Theatre

Razorblade-stuffed apples, body mutilation, and being buried alive: all the stuff of nightmares, right? Such are the elements of the twisted short stories that are a key element in The Pillowman. And how does one combine these gruesome elements into a story that is still palatable enough to sit through with rapt attention? That is the challenge that 11minutes Theatre Company has taken on.

The story revolves around a writer, Katurian, and his mentally-challenged brother, Michal, who are being held by authorities for questioning about a series of horrific child murders. The twist of the matter is that the serial murders all closely resemble disturbing short stories that Katurian has written. As the detectives unravel the crimes, the deeper, darker secrets and stories of the two brothers unfold, and the unsettling stories seem like nursery rhymes in comparison.

The cast of 4 leads this dark show with bright, deep character choices. The two detectives, Tupolski (Patrick Brownson) and Ariel (Andrew Neary) play the bad-cop/good-cop routine, but twist their stances throughout the show. Brownson delivers a cold, introspective portrayal of the role, which plays nicely with Neary's boisterous, rough take on Ariel. Kevin Leonard plays the writer role timidly at first, but with growing angst and defiance as the story unravels. Christian Munck does a wonderful job at the tragic character Michal, and convincingly and playfully works the audience into sympathy for his situation.

The direction, by Janine Ann Kehlenbach, is stunning, and it is clear that lots of work went into the characters and their full stories. The staging was hit and miss, and there were several instances where scenes completely upstaged themselves because of the awkwardness of the set. The show used multimedia elements projected on a large back screen, also used for silhouetted scenes, but because of the set and staging, half the audience missed large portions of this effect, which is a shame, because the video elements and shadow effects really enhance the production. My recommendation is to sit on the right side of the audience to enjoy these elements best. The sound design and lighting design were completely lacking. Long, silent blackout changes and unusual lighting cues improperly aimed at the playing spaces distracted from the wonderful work that the actors were doing. In all, the show needed more technical help, but the actors carried us through even that downfall.

As much as one can "enjoy" a play about child abuse and murder, you will. You will enjoy the marvelous characters and story being told, albeit tragic and hard to watch. You will feel the pain and the anger of every perspective in the story, and will sympathize with even the seemingly unsympathetic characters. It's a show that is tough to watch, but should NOT be missed.

The Pillowman plays the Bug Theatre April 3rd through May 2nd. For tickets and information go to www.11minutestheatre.com or call 720-230-3340.