Pillowman

The newly built Curve theatre in Leicester staged it's first in-house production in the Studio portion of the auditorium utilising far more theatrical tricks than are usual in a Studio.
Written in 2003, The Pillowman is a tour de force of adult language, blood and violence as the two main characters, here played by Russell Dixon and Marc Warren, unravel the nightmare of Warren's writer being interrogated over the accuracy of his fictional writings.
Atmospherically staged against a brick wall which splits to become bedrooms, the cage dropped from the ceiling graphically captures the claustrophobic prison cell used for interrogation. Is it a writer's paranoia or the realisation of the Thought Police? The tale twists and turns to its unexpected and violent conclusion leaving the audience emotionally drained, never mind the actors!
This is theatre for the strong stomached; for those that relish something to get their teeth into. All praise to Dixon and Warren for their mastery of a script that rollercoasters at a speed that leaves the audience breathless at times.

© Paul Towers 25/2/2009