The Pillowman
The Pillowman is a
play by
Martin McDonagh. A
drama, it tells the tale of
Katurian, a
fiction writer living in a
police state who is interrogated about the gruesome content of his
short stories, and their similarities to a number of bizarre incidents occurring in his town.
The play had its world premiere on
November 13,
2003 at the
Royal National Theatre, starring
David Tennant and
Jim Broadbent. It received the
2004 Olivier Award and an
Evening Standard Award nomination for Best New Play.
The Pillowman opened on
Broadway on
April 10,
2005 at the
Booth Theatre to rave reviews. Starring
Jeff Goldblum and
Billy Crudup with
Ċ½eljko Ivanek and Michael Stuhlbarg, the production won the Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play (Foreign),
Tony Awards for Best Lighting of a play, (Brian MacDevitt), and Best Scenic Design of a Play,
Scott Pask, and 2 Drama desk awards: Outstanding Featured Actor, (Michael Stuhlbarg), and Outstanding Sound Design, (Paul Arditti). Jeff Goldblum also received the
Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play. The play concluded its Broadway run on
September 18,
2005.
It also ran a critically acclaimed run at the ACT Theatre in
Seattle, Washington, from
March 17 -
April 16,
2006. It starred Matthew Floyd Miller. Misha Berson of the
Seattle Times said it was "more stimulating work here than in its star-studded but garishly morbid and glib 2005 Broadway staging." Its remarkable set piece was also praised.[
1]
