by Timothy Ruppert
The creative team at R-ACT Theatre Productions has certainly given themselves a challenge with their latest show. Martin McDonagh’s 2003 play The Pillowman takes place in the chambers of a police facility located in an unspecified totalitarian state where a fiction writer named Katurian (Josh Plowman) faces a brutal interrogation at the hands of a self-satisfied detective named Tupolski (Gavin Colgaro) and his partner, Ariel (Jack Lefebvre), a fellow with all the charm of a famished saber-toothed tiger. The officers have isolated Katurian’s brother, Michal (Kamran Mian), a room away; the occasional offstage scream intensifies the consequences of what Katurian says and does during an interview in which Tupolski and Ariel accuse the artist of horrific crimes. McDonagh further steepens The Pillowman’s complexity through a calculated use of his protagonist’s stories, very few of which (save, perhaps, “The Little Green Pig”) feature benign plotlines. As the investigation carries forward, Katurian’s dark folkloric tales interweave with real-world nightmares. Narratives enfold into narratives as Kafkaesque ambiguities emerge in a milieu of Stasi-like sadism. Oh, and did I mention the laugh-out-loud comedic moments? Or the shadow puppetry?
Despite the daunting intricacies of McDonagh’s contemporary classic, R-ACT succeeds admirably. Much of the credit for this powerful and provocative evening of drama belongs to director Barbara Burgess-Lefebvre, whose vision of McDonagh’s masterpiece strikes me as nothing less than brilliant. Burgess-Lefebvre guides a gifted cast and a committed crew with a style that reflects significant directorial experience and a humaneness that indicates profound artistic insight. I have seen much of her work over the years, and this staging of The Pillowman stands among her very best shows (note, too, that I watched the final dress rehearsal, rendering the achievement all the more remarkable).
Burgess-Lefebvre’s superb direction profits from a treasure trove of on- and offstage talent. Plowman brings Katurian to life with decisive nuance, introducing consistent psychological subtlety to his portrayal of the terrified fiction maker. On stage for almost every moment of the show, Plowman has a considerable list of duties and excels in all that the role asks of him. Calgaro and Lefebvre create a perfect symmetry together: if the latter hurtles forward like a tsunami, the former seethes like a volcano on the way to mega-colossal status. Make no mistake, though: these two actors find true dimensionality in their characters, representing faceless political power without losing sight of the complicated personal motivations driving Tupolski and Ariel on. Mian plays Michal ideally, rejecting cliched choices in fashioning his depiction of Katurian’s long-suffering brother. Jenn Rian and Zachary Holderbaum dexterously operate the puppets whose shadows provide visual referents for the often-gruesome stories we hear.
The accomplished artistic staff includes Phillip Collin (stage manager), Maxfield Boffo (lights), and David Holderbaum (sound curator), among many fine contributors. Bennett Drake and Lefebvre achieve a properly unnerving effect through their scenic work. Tim Piper works wonders as producer.
A word of forewarning: The Pillowman is an adult show, a wickedly intelligent drama designed to challenge rather than to comfort. That said, I urge you to visit 134 Brighton Avenue in Rochester to experience the unsettling magic of R-ACT’s latest triumph.
—TR
“The Pillowman” runs through Sunday, October 18. For more information, please see here.
