6/25/08
Dark matter
Wednesday, 25 June 2008
The Pillowman has been garnering rave reviews upstairs at Belvoir Street Theatre for over three weeks now. Star Marton Csokas sat down with Garrett Bithell.



One of the blackest of black comedies ever written for the stage, Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman has been taking Sydney’s theatre community by the throat upstairs at Belvoir Street since June 4. Hot on the heels of his sensational Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the play marks Craig Illot’s directorial debut for Company B.

Set in an unnamed totalitarian state, the play follows the brutal interrogation of a largely unpublished writer called Katurian after a series of child murders in his town mimic the plots of his short stories.

“It’s not a very pleasant world,” Marton Csokas, who plays Tupolski, one of the sardonic policemen who interrogate Katurian, tells SX. “It’s an absurd world and a severe place to inhabit and yet, because of that, an immense amount of humour comes out."

“Katurian has a sense of humour and rebellious attitude in order to counter the misplaced crimes and the misplaced guilt that are put on him.”

The Pillowman is a challenging text. McDonagh has confronted the theme of artistic legacy – the importance of what we leave behind and whether it should be more important than what we do here and now, and ultimately the issue of literature’s ability to outlast tyranny.

“For some people it’s confronting and of course we’re all different, so I’m not keen to hype that up,” Marton says. “My personal opinion is that the more frightening, the more ludicrous, the more repressive the totalitarian regime is, the more liberating the laughter will be."

“The absurdity, the hollowness, the futility, eventually becomes so despairing and so unbearable that you laugh. And that’s where humour is our saviour."

“It’s imperative that we embrace the things we don’t like about ourselves – the overwhelming fear that can envelop us, the despair, the meaninglessness – not fight them, or look for the sunny side all the time, or run away from them. Embrace it – and from there comes the joy as opposed to escapism.”

The Pillowman had its world premiere in 2003 at the Royal National Theatre, and subsequently received the 2004 Olivier Ward and an Evening Standard Award nomination for Best New Play. McDonagh’s other plays include The Lonesome West and The Lieutenant of Inishmore, and his short film Six Shooter won an Academy Award in 2006.

Marton received wide acclaim upstairs at Belvoir Street last year for his role as George in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf? He is also an accomplished film actor, recently starring in Aeon Flux, The Lord of the Rings and The Bourne Supremacy.

“In film, some people go out of their way to fuck you up,” he says. “It’s an interesting exploration of human behaviour. You get egos at work and they’re like viruses and it’s not pleasant. But having said that, when you’re on good film it’s hard to beat."

“What I like about the theatre is that usually the writer has toiled and laboured, and the ideas are oftentimes of greater substance and it has levels and layers. Coupled with that you have the live experience, which is very enjoyable – well, sometimes it’s more enjoyable than others!”

6/5/08 - The Pillowman | Company B
Written by Ashley Walker
Thursday, 05 June 2008

A wonderful review for "The Pillowman", along with a slideshow from Heidrun Lohr.

"McDonagh once again shows us his unique blend of black comedy and sheer terror. The banter of the detectives is reminiscent of Tom Stoppard, jumbled and slightly absurd. McDonagh knows how to use a running gag as a tension breaker and the gags never outstay their welcome. All performances are outstanding. Wyllie adds roughness and a touch of sarcasm to Ariel. Herriman is warm and genuine as Katurian. While Steve Rodgers shows just the right amount of naivety as Michal. At approximately 2 hours 40 minutes it is worth the late night. The blend of comedy and horror makes this playwriting at its best. Members of the Sydney constabulary should see this play before raiding any more art galleries. "

Full Inteview

5/22/08 - Not NEW news, but new pictures, or at least, pictures we haven't seen before. So harken back to the days of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" in August of 2007 (Company B, Sydney, Australia) with Marton Csokas as George and Catherine McClements as Martha. Three pictures during rehearsals, one onstage, click to enlarge, and enjoy.

5/11/08 - Another stage production for Marton

The Pillowman
Written by Martin McDonagh
Directed by Craig Ilott
with Marton Csokas, Lauren Elton, Damon Herriman, Dan Wyllie, Steve Rodgers, Amanda Bishop and David Terry

Martin McDonagh's blindfolded fairytale The Pillowman has been a gleeful, award-winning triumph in London and New York. ... Now Company B's playing host to his gruesomely funny celebration of our irrepressible urge to tell tales.

Katurian is in an interrogation cell and he's not sure why, but he thinks it might have something to do with what he's written. Enter a pair of nasty cops and a wide-eyed brother, and McDonagh's deer-in-the-headlights storytelling unfolds with all the suspense and horror of a fabulous thriller.

The Pillowman is as black as comedy gets: hair-raising and blow-by-blow funny. Secretly it might be about the power of tenderness and thoughtfulness. Or it might be about the deadly responsibilities of artists. Either way, it's a captivating and perversely entertaining experiment with the dangerous power of those ageless words, 'Once upon a time…'

Craig Ilott created a sensation with his production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and now he makes his much-anticipated Company B debut with The Pillowman. And the marvellous Damon Herriman is ready and eager to take the plunge. This is the kind of horrible fun we know we shouldn't really have (but do).

The Belvoir St. Theatre