The Pillowman (Mar 17-Apr 3)

Out Front on Main, Inc. presents Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman directed for the stage by George W. Manus, Jr. in it’s final week-end March 31-April 3 with shows at 7:30pm. Out Front on Main, Inc. is located at 1511 E. Main Street beside MTSU in historic downtown Murfreesboro. Tickets are $10 general admission and $5. students and seniors. Tickets and Info at (615) 713-1757 or www.outfrontonmain.com
Don’t miss the final chance to see the show that celebrates one year of excellence at Out Front on Main, Inc. Audiences are calling The Pillowman “brilliant”, “compelling”, and “one of the best shows from Out Front on Main”.
The relationship between Katurian (Buddy Jones) and his brother, the childlike Michal (Jared Pickett), is mostly rooted in a more amiable storytelling, as befits a fraternal relationship in which one sibling assumes the parental role. (What happened to Katurian’s and Michal’s Mom and Dad is, well, another story, and it is divulged in several versions.) Pickett boldly and expertly captures both the innocence and ugliness of Michal.
Buddy Jones finely chiseled features turn out to be ideal for registering the seductiveness, defensiveness and pure vanity of an artist for whom writing means even more than the brother he has protected for many years. Katurian’s self-enchanted satisfaction when he tells a story is that of a young magician, pulling off a tricky sleight of hand. And Jones makes it clear that the flame of anger burns brightest in Katurian when his stories are criticized or threatened with extinction.
Asked by Tupolski (Justin Hand) to explain symbols and subtext in one of his stories, Katurian answers, “It’s a puzzle without a solution.” Which is pretty much Mr. McDonagh’s credo. But, oh, how he enjoys his puzzles. In this season’s most exciting and original new play, he makes sure that we do, too.
Under the carefully measured direction of Manus – with brilliant production work – the cast members act out different degrees of relationships, as the characters tantalize one another in ways friendly, consoling, manipulative and vicious.