Photo Flash: Early John Patrick Shanley Play Returns to The Stage

John Patrick Shanley is the author of more than 23 plays, appearing on broadway, of broad way and all over the country. His early works are acting school staples, with many a young actor cutting their teeth on meaty scenes from Danny and the Deep Blue Sea and Dreamer Examines his Pillow, yet these plays do not often get produced in their entirety.

This production of Dreamer Examines his Pillow, stripped it down to the bare bones to find a depth to the text and subtly of language so prominent in all Shanley's works.

Wonderful performances were given all three actors. Nicholas Thomas gave a powerful performance as Tommy, finding a complexity and fragility which beautifully contrasted this tormented and powerful character.

The dreamer examines his pillow examines one couple's attempt to find their way through the maze of love, lust, and art. A striking, surreal study of the often bizarre byways that love between men and women can follow. Told in three related scenes, the play uses indirection and richly evocative language to make its unsettling but ultimately illuminating points.

Photos by Giancarlo Osaben