The Pillowman
Created | Updated Feb 5, 2004
Introduction
The latest play by Martin McDonagh premiered at The National Theatre in November 2003. Like most of his previous work it is disturbing but at the same time darkly comic. Simple yet at the same time extreamly complex. Once again McDonagh has writen a play that is amazingly open to interpretation. This article explores the various interpretations of the play through the key elements that constitute the power of this theatrical experiance.
The Story
A writer in a totalitarian state is arrested by the police. Initialy he thinks they have interpreted some knid of political slant to them but it is soon revealed that his grim stories bear an uncanny resemblence to a number of child murders.