Staging Theatrical Child-Centric Violence: Aesthetic Ownership in The Pillowman

Introduction

Highly acclaimed Irish playwright Martin McDonagh is well-known for his controversial black comedy narratives consisting of irreverent humor, disturbing content, and aggressive shock values. His plays have been described by theater critics as “grotesque,” “unsettling,” “intense,” “provocative,” “overwhelming,” “brutal,” “uncomfortable,” “harsh,” “nauseating,” “disturbing,” “draining,” and “challenging,” even within praise-filled reviews (Moore, 2007; Wolf, 2003; Crawley, 2015; Clarke, 2019; Newmark, 2015; Bochicchio, 2016; Schkloven, 2015; Kenah, 2007; Stuhlbarg, 2006). Considered “one of the most distinguished living playwrights,” McDonagh’s writing frequently tells narratives involving amoral characters, sharp naturalistic dialogue, and cruel acts (Mohammed, 2014: p. 22; Hodges, 2003). The playwright’s meteoric rise began in 1996 with the premiere of his provocative play The Beauty Queen of Leenane, a black comedy depicting a toxic co-dependent relationship between a mother and daughter that ends with the daughter torturing her mother with hot oil before aggressively bashing in her head with a fire poker. McDonagh rejects the notion that he attempts pure shock for its own sake, instead crediting his writing style with a refusal to censor his imagination, stating, “I’m more worried about boring people than offending them” (Pacheco, 2005). The black comedy playwright also puts equal importance on the humor in his violent stories, explaining, “The jokes are as important to me as the violence and the sadness” (Crawley, 2016).

McDonagh’s award-winning black comedy play The Pillowman, which premiered in 2003 at London’s renowned National Theatre before transferring to New York City’s Broadway in 2005, is considered a peak example of the playwright’s irreverent sensibilities. During its initial tenures in New York City and London, the divisive play earned both high praise and deep criticism—even outrage—from critics and audiences, including walkouts during its Broadway run (Pacheco, 2005; Shalom, 2015: p. 1). The play’s reputation successfully survived the controversy, earning financial profits and esteemed recognition from theatre’s highest awarding institutions, including winning the 2004 ‘Best New Play’ Olivier Award and the 2005 ‘Best Foreign Play’ New York Drama Critic’s Circle Award, and being nominated for the 2005 ‘Best Play’ Tony Award and the 2005 ‘Outstanding Play’ Drama Desk Award (Gans and Simonson, 2005; Brantley, 2005; Olivier Awards, n.d.; Tony Awards, n.d.). Additionally, the play won specific awards for its actors and technical designs, including the 2005 ‘Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play’ and ‘Outstanding Sound Design’ Drama Desk Awards, the 2005 ‘Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play’ Outer Critics Circle Award, and the 2005 ‘Best Scenic Design of a Play’ and ‘Best Lighting Design of a Play’ Tony Awards (Olivier Awards, n.d.; Tony Awards, n.d.). The successful London and Broadway runs of the play placed McDonagh’s controversial work at a foreground of theatre conversations, earning him descriptors ranging from “prestigiously talented” and “brilliant” to “upsetting” and “a sick mind” (Rooney, 2005; Stuhlbarg, 2006; Pacheco, 2005).

The organization and methodology of this chapter explore the evolution of violence in aesthetic on-stage performance, summarizes The Pillowman and its specific controversies, explores McDonagh’s inspiration in historical fairy tales, and discusses interviews between this chapter’s author and three directors of recent productions of The Pillowman who detail their aesthetic visions and ownerships for the violent piece of theatre. These explorations further necessary discussions of the perceived merits of violence in modern theatre by navigating McDonagh’s The Pillowman—one of the most controversial and violent plays offered to modern audiences in 21^st-century commercial theatre.