A Storyteller's Job

Last night I had the pleasure, if you can call it that, of seeing "The Pillowman" by Martin McDonagh, produced by Cadence Theater Company. Occasionally, one has the great fortune of seeing a play that moves them, or provokes thought, or even changes them in some way. This play does all 3. I did not know what to expect. I had never read the play, but I knew from Facebook status updates that it was dark. The play was in a small stadium seat theater, very intimate, which I believe aided in drawing the audience member into the playwright's world totally. Most of the play takes place in two interrogation rooms. Last night's set was dark and dank as you would expect rooms like this to be. A writer, Katurian, is being questioned by two detectives about the macabre nature of his short stories, most of which end with the harming, and even murder of children. From Katurian's reactions to the interrogation, he obviously has no idea why he has been brought to the station. He has no inkling of any crime that the detectives obviously think he has committed. As Katurian discovers just why he has been brought in for questioning and how soon his world will become as dark as his stories, so do we. The first act was almost 2 hours long, and I was riveted every second. The detectives, played by David Bridgewater and Tony Foley, had the good cop/bad cop routine down perfectly. I have only seen Tony in one other role as Paul in "Barefoot in the Park". Last night's turn was quite a departure, and it was nice to see him in such a serious role. I have seen David Bridgewater in many things. I have always had great respect and admiration for him as an actor. What I love about David is that he is so natural on stage, and I believe every word he is saying as if I have been invited to watch his life. This role was no exception. I had never seen Jonathan Conyers, the actor who played Katurian, in anything before. All I can say is after seeing last night's performance, I hope I get to see him in many more roles! There were some small roles to portray some of Katurian's stories for a mother, father, and children, and I was especially impressed by the performance of the younger members of the cast with the way they handled such heavy material. But the performance that really blew me away was David Janeski's portrayal of Michal, Katurian's older, but brain-damaged childlike brother. I was mesmerized by David's consistency and commitment to the role emotionally and physically. What made this performance so wonderful was the fact that even though the words that were coming out the character's mouth would have made most people almost ill, I found myself feeling great empathy for him, and at times wanting to rush the stage and cradle him in my arms and say, "Everything's going to be all right!" The chemistry between David Janeski and Jonathan Conyers is sweet and very real. I wiped away tears more than once. The play is masterfully directed by Steve Perigard using the small stage to every advantage, sometimes bringing the actors to the very edge and almost into the audience to draw us in. I left the theater almost numb with what I had just seen, but also, strangely uplifted at the way all was wrapped up. I felt as if I watched an evolution of all these characters over the course of the last 3 hours, and as the characters gained insight into themselves and their lives, so I did as well into my own life, and isn't that the storyteller's job? Only two more performances. Go see it! You will not be disappointed!