By David Gordon
“It’s a story about a writer.” That turn-of-phrase could be used to describe “The Pillowman,” Martin McDonagh’s play which, after massive success at London’s National Theatre in 2003, took Broadway by storm two years later. But to simply say, “It’s a story about a writer,” is a bit, well, simple. And McDonagh’s play, about a writer in a totalitarian police state being interrogated about a series of child-murders which seem to stem from his short stories, is anything but simple.
Directed by drama department senior Jeremy Benson, “The Pillowman” is the newest production of Hofstra University’s Spectrum Players, the student-run dramatic theater club founded in the late 1950s by then-student Francis Ford Coppola. Benson read the play prior to seeing it on Broadway and felt that “there was no way they’d be able to pull it off.”
It’s easy to see why he felt this way. There are four players in McDonagh’s haunting tale: Katurian (Keith Pinault), the writer, Tupolski (Lauren Cook), the lead police officer, Ariel (Ian Cramer), the secondary officer, and Michal (Richie Pepio), Katurian’s mentally handicapped older brother. Much of the play is fairly straight-forward, that is until Katurian begins to tell his stories.
The gruesome anti-fairy tales acted out by four actors-Matt LeClair, Michael Quattrone, Emily Meithner and Chelsea Frati-who mime about abusive parents and a larger-than-life man made of pillows, have been known to shock and scare audiences so much that one person reportedly had a heart attack during a performance on Broadway.
That is why Benson thought there was no way anyone would be able to pull it off. But he was pleasantly surprised. He fell in love with the work, which he says “interestingly questions the nature of art and human relationships.” The members of Spectrum were fairly enthusiastic, though worried about casting opportunities.
The four leads are all men. This was the precise reason why Benson made the conscious choice about turning Tupolski, the role played on Broadway with a brilliantly dry ferocity by Jeff Goldblum, into a woman. Lauren Cook, a sophomore drama major, won the role and soon after discovered that it was no easy feat. The show is what she calls simply “an emotional rollercoaster.”
Cook also feels that making Tupolski a female adds “a ton of subtext” to the material. Benson and Pinault concur.
“It adds a different element to an already rich show,” says Benson. Pinault is particularly excited because it “changes the dynamic quite a bit, but doesn’t detract from the meaning of the show.” ‘Pillowman’ groupies (the show does have quite a following) need not be afraid. They’re sure to enjoy what Pinault calls the “new perspective.”
“The Pillowman” promises to be a most-thrilling production. However it is definitely not for the faint of heart. Benson gives his “thrilling, controversial, and shocking” show an R rating.
“The Pillowman” runs Dec. 6, 7, 8 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 9 at 2 p.m. at the Spiegel Theater.
Lauren Cook, Keith Pinault and Ian Cramer in a scene from “The Pillowman.” The Spectrum Players will perform the experimental play, written by Michael McDonagh, next weekend. Please visit the Spiegel Theater for tickets and information. (Matt Landis)