The Conical Glass: Prodigies

Monday, March 12, 2007

Prodigies

Theater brings out a lot of emotions in me, ranging from awe to boredom to amusement to anger (why does Hedda Gabler have to be such a bitch?). "The Pillowman," which just closed at Berkeley Rep, brought out something a little rarer: envy. As in, how could playwright Martin McDonagh be blessed with such an amazing imagination? Then there's the fact that McDonagh wrote all of his plays while in his mid-20s, and subsequently decided to retire from playwriting (he's currently directing his first full-length film). No doubt about it, this guy is a friggin' genius.

I had my doubts about seeing "The Pillowman," since it deals with unpleasant topics like torture and child murder, but it got such rave reviews, plus it starred Erik Lochtefeld, whom I'd enjoyed so much in the role of Tom in last year's Rep production of "The Glass Menagerie." "The Pillowman" is a little rough going, but it's also a brilliant play. Lochtefeld plays Katurian Katurian, a writer who has been taken into custody to be questioned by the police. Since he lives in a totalitarian regime, lawyering up is not an option. Turns out two children have been killed, and the methods are identical to those used in a couple of Katurian's grisly stories. Also under suspicion is Katurian's mentally challenged brother, Michal (Matthew Maher, in a pitch-perfect performance). One of the obvious questions at the outset is, why does Katurian write about such horrible things? That is thoroughly explained in one of the many stories-within-a-story that help make this play so incredibly captivating.

Another theatrical wunderkind, though on a more local scale (for now, at least), is Mark Jackson, whose "American $uicide" just finished a successful run at the Thick House in San Francisco. Jackson, in his mid-30s, is practically becoming a brand name in the Bay Area, thanks to his acclaimed plays, like "The Death of Meyerhold" and "The Forest War," both performed by Shotgun Players. After taking on serious topics, maybe Jackson, in the footsteps of dramatist Michael Frayn (whose "Noises Off" is bar none the funniest play ever), wanted to show he could do comedy & satire, too. "American $uicide" not only takes on the reality show/celebrity culture of today's U.S. -- it's so up to the minute, one of the characters referred to "Wild Hogs" as the #1 grossing movie in America, which it was at the time -- but also skewers what one character constantly refers to in a grandiose manner as "the American theatuh." A lot of people, Chronicle critic Robert Hurwitt foremost among them, loved "$uicide," but I found it about two miles above "over the top," especially since the Thick House is a fairly small theater. Having characters playing such broad caricatures about three feet in front of you is a slightly jarring experience, and the ending strikes a very odd note. However, it was worth seeing the play just for Marty Pistone's role as Albert, a guy who who aspires to be a big-time porn producer (he's making videos with his girlfriend Margaret to post on their web site, nicely demonstrating how anyone with a URL can gain a bit of fame, or at least infamy, these days). Pistone is absolutely fearless. You've got to admire a guy who doesn't mind showing off his flabby behind in a thong, especially when the audience is close enough to see every pimple.

posted by 125records @ 12:11 PM

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