The Pillowman…

The Pillowman…

How does one even begin to describe a play, a story, an idea such as The Pillowman?

This postmodernist piece, written by one Martin McDonaugh… well, I simply had no words for it when I was done. I’m not sure what I expected from it, but definitely not what I had found in it.

Well, what had spurred me to pick it up at first? I think it was largely due to the fact that the collaborative horror story I was participating in online collapsed on itself and I still longed for a fun little scare. I assumed that the story of this play would be straightforward, violent but tolerable when distanced with words and without visuals, would be simple and have jump scares sprinkled here and there throughout the plot.

… Thinking back, I severely underestimated not only the author, but postmodernism, theatre, and the power of words as a whole, didn’t I? ^^”

The Pillowman is something most would consider a ‘black comedy’. There is humor, yes, the funny bits, but there is a darkness etched into every word of the script that enshrouds the mind and wraps around the reader (or audience, I suppose, when performed), and I confess that every chuckle that left my lips was the unwilling company of a cringe. That, of course, doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy it – this play was astounding, amazing, and I simply couldn’t put it down…

… but it definitely didn’t leave me happy.

The darkness lingered long after I finished the play. There was no happy ending for any of the characters. There were no perfect characters, no – every character was flawed to the point of being almost pitiful yet I could muster no pity because each man (for there were ‘real’ women) was too strong in personality. I don’t want to spoil this play for anyone, because there are twists and turns in the plot, even within a limited time frame, that I want those interested to discover for themselves.

However, I believe that any fan of a good postmodernist work (who can stomach the gore, violence, and heavy atmosphere) will be able to appreciate and perhaps even enjoy this play, for there are so many different methods incorporated in the most fascinating of ways into the play.

l  Nonlinear – oh, this play is anything but linear as the reader/audience is forced to delve into the past, the future, and the imagination of the characters, back and forth, into a place where time and reality are nothing but a distortion of what it should be. Fascinating.

l  Narrator Plays a Role – the main protagonist is a writer, and in between acts he often slips into a void of reality where his stories come to life.

I have no more time for now, but I will be adding to this post later.