San Antonio, Texas. ART Magazine.
By Carolina Betancourt.
Woodlawn Theatre’s new creative space is made for its audience. It puts us right there, front and center of the action. It’s make the whole experience of storytelling more intimate. The space is exactly what its name depicts, a black box that could turn into just about anything. In this occasion, it becomes the background to a dark, yet inappropriately, funny story.
Kevin Murray directs Martin McDonaugh’s The Pillowman, a play that follows the story of Katurian (Michael Burger), a writer that seems to have a knack for stories that involve disconcerting deaths of children. The stories are fiction but they are the reason that Katurian finds himself sitting in a police station being questioned by two officers, Tupolski (Roger Alvarez) and Ariel (Tyler Keyes). The officers have their good cop/bad cop routine down, but as the story unfolds, the lines between them begin to blur and some of their personal darkness begins to spill out.
With the help of a young ensemble, Madeline Chancey, Spencer Hellyer and Marcos Ramirez; We are allowed to see into the darkest corners of the writer’s life. We get to meet Michal (Bryce Jeter), Katurian’s mentally challenged brother, and get to witness their unbelievably strong and unhealthy brotherly bond.
The Pillowman wraps up disturbing events and dark thoughts in a blanket of comedy. It puts a spotlight on its audience by making us laugh when deep down we know that what we just saw and heard was completely out of line. It reminds us that being normal has no true definition and it shows how even a little bit of darkness can cast an overwhelming and long-lasting shadow throughout life.
The Pillowman will run at the Black Box Theatre from June 14-July 7. For information on tickets or shows go to www.woodlawntheatre.com or call 210-267-8388
