'The Pillowman' is now booking to the 30 Oct 2005

Sun 24 Jul 2005 'The Pillowman' is now booking to the 30 Oct 2005 Martin McDonagh's startling dark comedy The Pillowman, which received rave reviews, is now booking to the 30 Oct 2005 at the Booth Theatre. The show began previews on the 21 March 2005 and opened on the 10 Apr 2005. A writer in a totalitarian state is interrogated about the gruesome content of his short stories and their similarities to a number of child-murders that are happening in his town. The Pillowman, directed by John Crowley, stars Jeff Goldblum (Tupolski), Billy Crudup (Katurian), Zeljko Ivanek (Ariel), Michael Stuhlbarg (Michal), Ted Koch (Father), Virginia Louise Smith (Mother), Jesse Shane Bronstein (Boy) and Madeleine Martin (Girl). The Pillowman, which premiered the Royal National Theatre, where it won the 2003 Olivier Award for Best New Play, opened on Broadway to excellent notices. Ben Brentley of the New York Times said "...for all its darkness of plot and imagery, 'The Pillowman' dazzles with a brightness now largely absent from Broadway." Clive Barnes of the New York Post wrote "With Pillowman McDonagh stakes his claim to being the best English-speaking playwright of his generation." and Elysa Gardner of the USA Today praised the show saying that "Those who skip it will miss the best play of the season � a season that has included stellar efforts from the likes of August Wilson, John Patrick Shanley and Michael Frayn." Our own reviewer Polly Wittenberg said of the show "McDonagh puts us through the emotional wringer with this great evening in the theatre." You can read the rest of Polly's review and more of what the critics said here. Martin McDonagh's has developed a reputation for writing dark comedies that explore violence and despair, in surprising and humouous way. In an interview he was once asked whether his plays would always be dark, to which he replied "One day I'll write a romantic comedy where hardly anyone gets murdered at all." McDonagh's previous plays include 'The Beauty Queen of Leenane' 'A Skull in Connemara', 'The Lonesome West,' 'The Cripple of Inishmaan,' and 'The Lieutenant of Inishmore'. (For tickets and more information click here)