By BRUCE DENNILL
The Pillowman / Directed by Ildi Kungl / Theatre On The Square, Sandton
Martin McDonagh is a singular playwright and screenwriter (The Beauty Queen Of Leenane, In Bruges, The Banshees of Inisherin), known for both the profound darkness of many of his themes and the scenes that unpack them and for the density and flow of his written dialogue. The Pillowman, even by McDonagh’s standards is pretty out there, with a higher body count and more fake blood than probably the combination of every other production at the Theatre On The Square for the whole of 2025. It’s much more Saw than Shakespeare, but McDonagh’s delight in language does add some of the layers for which the latter is known, even as the weirdness mounts ever further up and up.
Pretoria company Paprika Productions bravely bring this script to the stage, incorporating rich (and freaky) visuals as part of the action. Those visuals, while striking, are, however, only there to support the storytelling, and it is storytelling that is the core of the piece. The individual on whom the action pivots, Katurian (Hugh Becker) is a writer for whom stories (those he writes) are more important than just about anything. His brother Michal (Wentzel Lombard) relies on Katurian’s story for entertainment and inspiration. Investigators Tupolski (Ildi Kungl) and Ariel (Teboho Tladi) spend their time seeking the true story behind a number of events that have happened, while also shaping – knowingly or otherwise – the story to fit the scenario they need to encourage the outcome they want. The power of stories – to change lives, to stir the imagination, to excite and terrify – and the way they affect people, including their creators, become the focus of the narrative, even as the characters go through some violent, often sick, experiences.
The premise is fascinating, if twisted, and the possibilities of having McDonagh’s dark vision illuminated are initially exciting. But the cast’s performances are not sharp enough to make their characters truly believable, which makes their interactions difficult to invest in – and in a very long play (two-and-a-half hours plus), that does not make for easy viewing.
Ultimately, and tellingly, the shortfalls of the production come back to the storytelling. Using strong imagery, both projected on a screen onstage and in prints scattered around the theatre foyer and bar area, is creative and interesting. But the words of the script and they way it appears they have been designed to interlock and relate to each other have not, in some ways, been respected enough. Dialogue is too often a little stilted or stumbling where the sentences uttered are brutal and pithy, and the disconnect is noticeable.
Taking on such a project remains a bold and intriguing scheme and there is certainly an audience for tales of murder and psychotic behaviour. With precision and attention to detail – and some judicious editing – the force of this piece could be more acutely felt.
