Spoilers follow, so either read the play (or summary) or continue with that warning.
I was equally horrified and amazed by the production we saw, because they really committed to the storyline. Every grisly detail was represented with impressive immediacy and artistry. For instance, in the scene where Katurian tells the story of his brother being abused, the actions play out behind a sheer curtain while Katurian narrates. The action behind the curtain certainly isn't explicit, but all the actors are doing just enough that you know you don't want to know any more. Additionally, in that same scene two actors in giant, plush animal heads came on and it illustrated the nightmare-scape in a way that I hadn't even thought to worry about.
Another aspect of this show that really impressed me was the two foley artists who would mimic and amplify certain sounds from the show like running water, creaking doors, and so on as well as making other background sounds like white noise or dissonant, ringing tones. Overall, their soundscape created a sense of dread because any time you started hearing extra sounds, something bad would almost always follow. Plus, the "live" sound effects tailored the sound to the show in a way that is very difficult to do with pre-recorded effects, which made the performance all the more immediate. For example, when Tupolski is dropping toes back into the tin, the foley artist would change the way she made the sound depending on how he dropped each toe.
I really think this might have been the best performance we've seen so far, but the whole time I was watching it I was wishing they'd be a little worse at their jobs because this company brought The Pillowman to life in a way I didn't think anyone would be willing to do.
Katurian's story (animal heads in the background)
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