Disturbing books: The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh - this is the real thing
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- čas přidán 13. 06. 2023
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VIDEO SPECIFIC...
Buy The Pillowman from my bookshop to support the channel and indie bookstores
UK: uk.bookshop.org/a/10539/97805...
US: unavailable :(
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Book details/Content warnings:
Title: The Pillowman | Author: Martin McDonagh | Publisher: Faber | Pages: 112 | Publication date: 20th November 2003 | ISBN: 9780571220328 | Source: Purchased
Content Warnings: Child abuse, torture, suicide
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Music: Who's Afraid of Halloween by Alfred Grupstra from Pixabay - Zábava
If you’re interested in disturbing plays, check out Sarah Kane. She was a young British writer who sadly committed suicide in the late ‘90s and left behind a slim (about the size of a paperback novel) but incredibly disturbing and powerful body of work. Her debut, Blasted, was about an abusive tabloid journo in a British hotel room whose life is turned upside down by a sudden outbreak of civil war. The play depicts cannibalism and male rape and so was incredibly controversial on the theatre scene at the time.
I was fortunate enough to see The Pillowman at the theatre. Starring Jim Broadbent and David (Dr Who) Tennant. Great stuff.
WOW!
I bet this was astounding!
This would of been incredible to see
I’m so jealous!O bet that was amazing.I thought I was fortunate seeing it with Benedict Wong and Marc Warren
This sounds incredible! And only reassures me we need to get Sarah Kane on your shelf. Blasted is definitely one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever read, theater or otherwise. Artaud would be proud.
I absolutely second that vote for Blasted! Have read it countless times and seen it live twice, and it's never lost its impact. Have you read any other Kane plays, Juan?
@@alex_unabridged I also read 4:48 Psychosis! Incredible as well. :)
I do definitely need to read Kane
I just read this play today because of your video and I really enjoyed it! Disturbing in such an interesting way, I've never read anything quite like this. So glad I read it. Thanks for the video!
Ah fantastic! Glad you enjoyed it
Three Billboards and Banshees of Inisherin are both absolutely fantastic.
We appreciate the amount of dedication and hard work you have. We always praise you for that.
I’ve seen this show live 5 times and every time has been *stunning*. I wrote my final exam paper for college on “The Pillowman”. Its kind of been a weird obsession of mine. 😂 Would love to see it again.
That is dedication!
It's coming to the Lyric theater in Belfast soon
The Banshees movie last year was one of my favourites. It's not for everyone but I think it's great. I'll definitely have to read this now
Imagine if you were watching it live! Disturbing content in the theatre can be incredibly effective because there's a greater sense (in comparison to films) that THIS IS HAPPENING NOW.
Sorry but you have the pic of Sting mistakenly labeled as him and vice versa.
that's on purpose, it's an old joke.
I have a copy of the play because I've always meant to read it as a follow-up to seeing it performed. I saw the Broadway production in 2005. I still recall one moment in particular that almost had me jumping from my seat, I was so startled. Yes, if you have a chance to see the revival in London, I would recommend that you go. (In the meantime... I will read the play. ;) )
I majored in theatre in college and often heard whispers about this play but have never had the opportunity to read it. I'm going to have to seek it out.
Do you know if it has ever been produced on stage .?
As I've written earlier I've seen many McDonough plays and try to get to any of them that are produced near me. He is my favorite playwright. Might I suggest 'The Beauty Queen of Leenane and The Lt. of Inishmore.' While far more 'typical' of a play they are dark and funny, though not nearly as dark as Pillowman.
You should totally go see this on stage, Olly. Fantastic play and lots of interesting production possibilities. I've seen it a couple of times, both productions good and very different.
I am tempted. Will be interesting to see if it tours after it’s been on in London
I loved this play. I would love to have seen the original performance. I liked this so much that I picked up a copy of Hangmen - awful things happen, but not as bleek (and definitely more darkly comic) as The Pillowman.
I’ll definitely be checking out more of his work
Three Billboards is fantastic Olly … Before the pandemic , we would very often go to NTL’s Olly ( national theatre live ) i can highly recommend them ..Its basically watching theatre recorded live at the cinema ..its great for plays … The Crucible is superb , and Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf ..An Inspector calls are all excellent reads …This was a really interesting video really different :)
Yeah I’ve heard good things about those, need to check one out!
I just watched the play online. It was really great and quite darkly comic at times. Is that how it read to you?
You’ve got to go see the play and report back. That would be so amazing!
I was so taken with this play when I read it a few months ago, and I think about it all the time. Sarah Kane comes highly recommended for those who like this one, as does Bert V Royal’s Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead. I’ve yet to read those though.
I love McDonagh's plays. He is one of my favorite playwrights. Try The Lieutenant of Inishmore. I just saw an excellent production of The Pillowman.
This is my favourite play of all time! I read this 12 years ago and this play has stuck with me the most out of every other play I've read/seen ❤ although seeing the reviews from the London one, ugh, it breaks my heart to think they mightve ruined my favourite play 😭 did you ever go to see it?
No; I still haven’t managed to see it. I’d really like to though. It really is a powerful play.
I'll need to pick this up then. The movies you mentioned are top quality
Agree
It is really amazing tome the power of live theater. I saw the play in a small local theater. It was pretty intense sometimes. I felt like I was in the interrogation room, I could see the sweat on the actors fore heads. great throw you for a loop disturbing stuff.
I can imagine in a small venue it would be really something
I can imagine in a small venue it would be really something
Great little play this, did this show for an assessment! (lovely soothing voice btw)
Thank you!
I've recently returned from the UK. I was really fortunate to see The Pillowman on stage in London. Lily Allen played Katurian and the two cops were played by Steve Pemberton and Paul Kaye. Absolutely loved it.
Fantastic - I'm jealous!
My son is 13 and is very keen on theatre he’s fairly grown up but I’m unsure on if i should take him to see this what would you suggest having seen it. Thanks
@jamieparrish4799 not seen the production, but the script itself is pretty strong stuff
@@jamieparrish4799 13 is too young for this material, 16 is even a little young.
Ah thank you! I’ll check it out!
From what you say about the book it reminds me of The Room by Hubert Selby. Is it like this? I did not like The Room whatsoever
No, it’s not like The Room at all
@@CriminOllyBlog thank goodness 😅
In 2006, I was sure I had seen Sting in a bookshop in Salisbury and on the train back to London. Now I'm wondering if it was McDonagh. They look like twins who share a barber and tailor. Uncanny.
Sounds a bit like Orwell's 1984. I haven't read a play since high school!
So happy to hear you enjoyed this one, Olly! I would love to see this live - my sister saw the original production with David Tennant, and she said it was an experience she'll never forget! There are loads more great disturbing plays out there if you ever fancy more. Give me a nudge if you ever want any recommendations ;-)
I don’t know about Olly, but I’d love some recs!
@@shereadsatmidnight Okay, here are few to start with! The top of the list would have to be 'Blasted' by Sarah Kane, but most of Kane's works are pretty unsettling for various reasons. 'Cleansed' is another of hers which is very provocative but is much stranger than 'Blasted'. Then I'd go to Anthony Neilson - 'Normal' or 'Penetrator'. Philip Ridley's 'The Pitchfork Disney' is worth a read too, though I'd say that's unsettling more than disturbing. You can grab collections from all of these playwrights pretty cheap second-hand - Methuen Drama does a good series of collected works. But I'd definitely recommend starting with Kane if you've not already read her stuff - she wrote some really challenging work!
Thank you!!
@@shereadsatmidnight You’re welcome! Hope you enjoy any that you read! Well, ‘enjoy’ might be the wrong word, but you know what I mean! :-)
That sounds amazing. I love theatre, and this sounds right up my alley.
I really enjoyed Three Billboards and The Banshees of Inisherin. Phenomenal character work.
I really need to watch both of those
Banshees was exactly the kind of film I needed post pandemic. It's ok to be done with everyone's bullshit but don't cut off the nose to spite the face. Literally. And everyone is dealing with the "small community isolated together" darkness that is inevitably brought out to the light, and you hope and hope that they will take the opportunity to improve but...no spoilers 🤣
Three Billboards was really, really enjoyable. As an Irishman, he didn't really quite have a handle on race relations, especially in present day America so there are a couple of parts that are...off? If you watch Three Billboards and then Banshees, you will see that he has a much more deft touch with critiquing the Garda then US police. They are both colonial constructed organizations to control certain populations, just with different histories. I appreciate police analysis in any form. #PoliceReformNOW ✊
@@SheilaTheGrate I do intend to watch the both, so I'll bear those thoughts in mind
You almost fooled me with the Sting images. Nice.
😁
This sounds awesome! This is definitely going on the Tbr.
Hope you enjoy it!
If your thumbnail states: "Dark - this is the real thing" then I'm already scared to read it :).
Mike Lindell is a much more disturbing pillowman
Was trying to think where I recognised the name from!
Two writers that are provocative and disturbing are Dennis Cooper and playwright and YA novelist Adam Rapp.
Cheers. I’ve been meaning to check Cooper out for ages
2:21 Actually, Sting is on the left. But yes, they look very much alike!
Ha! Yeah that reversal was a (bad!) joke
@@CriminOllyBlog Hahaha...I thought it might be!
Good to know plays can work, Clive Barker has a few you might be interested in? My guess
Equus?
Ooh good suggestion
Disturbing
I learned a couple of bits out of this play (Katurian's Pillowman story and Ariel's "hate" monologue) for drama class. It sticks with you. Something primal in all of it.
Three Billboards is fantastic and highly entertaining. Takes risks that you rarely ever see in mainstream movies.
This seems like an incredible play. I'd like to see it more than read it, but I doubt it will play in Israel anytime soon.
There's no way that that's not Sting!😂 Banshees and 3 Billboards are both very good movies.
😂 the likeness is quite striking!
Am I going to give up whatever m reading nd follow olly's choice ? Yes.totally
Thank you! Hope you like it
Three Billboards is fantastic !!!!!!!
Jave you read _transcript,_ by Heimrad Bäcker? Nazi Concrete poetry. Frightening!
I haven’t! That does sound interesting
Hey, you got a haircut?
I think I may have not long before I filmed that one
Hang on a second, an author that plays football ? Nah, no way. Book people don't even follow sport let alone play it. It deserves top 5 billing for that fact alone 😉
Not Aussie rules I’m afraid
@@CriminOllyBlog I'll take whatever I can get. 🏈🏉⚽