Mystery, macabre in a mad mix
'Pillowman' is intense, hilarious, and always leaves us wondering
JULIE YORK COPPENS
Theater Writer
 

"You have a right to be nervous."

This is what Detective Tupolski, a self-described "high-ranking police officer in a totalitarian (expletive) dictatorship," tells Katurian, a short-story writer and suspected murderer, in the opening scene of "The Pillowman."

Tupolski says it again: "You have a right ... to be nervous."

And by this point in Martin McDonagh's acclaimed, hilarious and deeply disturbing play -- previewing this weekend at Actor's Theatre of Charlotte -- the audience, too, might be starting to sweat.

What's going on here? Are we watching an actual homicide investigation in an actual totalitarian (expletive) dictatorship -- or some other dramatic event? Is Katurian's life on the line? Could he be guilty of the gruesome crimes hinted at by Tupolski and that other detective, the "bad cop," the chain-smoker who keeps threatening to beat Katurian unconscious?

And if all this is for real, why are we laughing our heads off?

Director Dennis Delamar and his principal actors have some ideas about McDonagh's deliberate mix of intense psychodrama, macabre fantasy and absurdist comedy in "The Pillowman." They have fascinating theories about the characters' relationships, their hidden motives, the lies they tell and the truths they reveal.

None of which will be described here.

"Be very mysterious," actor Brian Robinson, cast as Tupolski, commands the Observer writer of this "Pillowman" preview. "Be vague."

The best way to experience "The Pillowman," director and actors insist, is to go in blind. To be like Katurian, tense in the interrogation chair, his eyes covered by a black cloth -- that is, until Tupolski walks in and pulls the blindfold off, saying "it just looks stupid."

"That's one of the great things about this play," says actor Billy Ensley, Katurian in the Actor's Theatre production. "Just when you think, as an audience member, `Oh yeah, I've got that figured out,' you learn something new about the characters ... A few words change everything. And he (McDonagh) does it until the last moment."

There are a few things theater patrons should know, Delamar says, before subjecting themselves to "The Pillowman's" exquisite torture.

It's a long play, by contemporary standards. Actors in the production appear to hurt one another, badly. They recite dialogue that seems to have more instances of the f-word than of the word "and." Two cast members are children, carefully screened and coached by Delamar and appearing with the support of their parents; but they are the only children who should be present when "The Pillowman" is performed.

Beyond these basic buyer-bewares, Delamar says, viewers need only prepare themselves for a masterfully spun tale with a few well-placed knots.

"We put the questions out there, as convincingly as we can and with as much clarity as we can, so audience members can walk away and have these questions in their minds," the director says. "You'll find yourself laughing one moment and shuddering the next. And when you leave, you'll think about it for days."

THE PILLOWMAN

Life imitates art, horrifically, in Martin McDonagh's acclaimed play. Mature.

WHEN: Previews 8 p.m. today and Saturday; opens 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and runs various times through Dec. 1. No show Thanksgiving Day.

WHERE: Actor's Theatre of Charlotte, 650 E. Stonewall St. ADMISSION:

$15 for previews; $23-$28 for regular performances. 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21 is pay-what-you-can.

DETAILS: 704-342-2251; or www.actorstheatrecharlotte.org..

MARTIN MCDONAGH

• Born in London of Irish parents, McDonagh, 37, ranks among the most successful living playwrights, winning awards on both sides of the Atlantic with "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" (staged by Charlotte Repertory Theatre in 2000), "The Lonesome West" and "The Lieutenant of Inishmore," among other hits. Ten years ago he was the first dramatist since Shakespeare to have four plays running simultaneously in London's West End.

• McDonagh cites films, especially those of Martin Scorsese, David Lynch and Quentin Tarantino, as his greatest influence, and lately he's been spending more time on movie sets than in the theater. Last year, his film "Six Shooter" won an Academy Award for best live-action short. His first feature, "In Bruges," with Ralph Fiennes, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, is due next year.

• "The Pillowman" is widely considered McDonagh's most accomplished work, though the New York production, with Billy Crudup as Katurian and Jeff Goldblum as Tupolski, lost the 2005 Best Play Tony Award to "Doubt."

• Actor's Theatre of Charlotte staged McDonagh's "The Cripple of Inishmaan" in 2001, and Catawba College produced "Pillowman" last season. Otherwise, this hot author hasn't been seen much on local stages.