While the cosy title of the Pillowman makes one think of comfort and love, a warming fairytale for family and friends alike, DO NOT BE FOOLED!
Bedlam’s latest ambitious output, directed by Rishi Bhardwaj & Scarlett Guang, and adapted from the original production by Martin McDonagh, presents the depraved tale of Katurian. Katurian himself is under suspicion for the murder of three children, which is replicated in the stories which he had been writing. Transitioning flawlessly between reality and fantasy, the staging uses Bedlam’s modest set options to their full potential as we move inside the mind and past of Katurian.
Nik Pivovarsky, playing this central protagonist, handles the emotional depth of the character with ease, never moving offstage, yet moving from a snarky writer which we all recognise to the damaged young man lying beneath. Pivovarksy unravels the character who was forced into the reality of what he wrote. Alongside him is his brother, Michal, adeptly portrayed by Ben Black, who has brilliant chemistry with Pivovarsky when portraying the relationship, and the struggle we see develop between the brothers over time.
The investigation sees dark humour injected into the show, with the caricature of police brutality and antagonization brilliantly created by Georgia Thomas and Tai Remus Elliot. The pair act with brilliant energy together, and while finding it difficult sometimes within the confines of the script to fully relay the depth of the characters, with Thomas as Tupolski struggling to be either simply opportunistic or fully sadistic, their chemistry with Pivovarsky and the savagery of their story leaves their roles being memorable.
The show handles the difficult task of integrating fairytales, if they can be named as such, as each one is more gruesome than the last, with ease, moving the set and utilising props to bring the gore of the show to life with Dora Revell, Oliver Mason and Sonia Ostrovsky being at the core of this, particularly in enacting the Little Jesus story. And amid this, the true stand out is the costuming of the titular Pillowman story, a child’s dream truly comes to life in nightmarish form.
There is some mixed messaging throughout, such as the mentions of a totalitarian state which don’t quite service the play, however, the overall efforts of the cast and the production team make this an impactful and potent watch.
Performance Images by Emily Harp(@Emilyrosesharp on Instagram)