Watch out, Chicago, there’s a giant pillowman out there somewhere! Let’s just say director Ricardo Gamboa, a longtime activist and artist, has brought him to life in Chicago with Concrete Content’s rendition of Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman. The show draws strong parallels between the play’s themes and the city’s history of police violence. Gamboa went deep with their research, interviewing two local brothers tortured into false confessions by Chicago police (and wrongly imprisoned for decades), and embedding McDonagh’s original story (first produced in 2003) about child murder in a totalitarian state in the local context of the deeply entrenched institutionalized racism many in the U.S. experience today.
The Pillowman
Through 4/12: Fri–Sat 7 PM; AfriCaribe Cultural Center, 2547 W. Division, tickettailor.com/events/thepillowman/1549791, sliding scale donation $10-$60
The cast features Omari Ferrell as Katurian, delivering a truly visceral performance, and Tyran Freeman as his brother, Michal, whose devotion reveals a tragic, disturbing backstory. With gritty, brilliant acting by Sean James William Parris as Tupolski (who thinks he’s the good cop) and Roy Gonzalez as Ariel, the interrogating officers add hair-raising realism to the narrative. EG Canzano’s set and Amina Gilbert’s lighting design reflect Chicago’s no-nonsense and graffitied aesthetic (graffiti art by Chris Silva, Roman Caballero, and Evan Phillips), while surprising interludes with animation and puppets by Agnotti Cowie, Jordan Paine, and Rocio “Chio” Cabrera enhance the storytelling.
Set against Chicago’s backdrop of systemic oppression, The Pillowman becomes a powerful critique of current societal woes, all while exploring the story’s nuances of fear, flaws, and (mercifully) humor. The show program, a zine-like resource, includes interviews and a director’s note, offering context and a call to action. This production is a must-see for its emotional depth and social relevance—a moving gut punch of a show.
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