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Milton man stars in Charleston play, "The Pillowman," that opens tonight

February 21, 2008 @ 03:05 PM

Herald-Dispatch.com

CHARLESTON  — Does art imitate life or life imitate art?

The mystery behind a trail of brutal murders is the subject of Martin McDonagh's viciously funny and disturbingly gruesome thriller, "The Pillowman." 

The Charleston Stage Company presents the award-winning play (for mature audiences only) at 8 p.m. today through Saturday, Feb. 21-23 as well as Feb. 28 through March 1 at the WVSU Capitol Center Theatre, 123 Summers Street in Charleston.

Tim Mace directs the play.  The cast includes:  Joe Wallace, Ryan Hardiman, K.C. Bragg, Dan Heyman, Ronn Smith, and Frieda Forsley.

From McDonaugh, a four-time Tony Award nominee, "The Pillowman," is a shocking play about a writer brought in for questioning when his stories begin to bear an uncanny similarity to real-life crimes being committed in the community.  Black comedy gets boiled up with mystery until a whodunit is the least of your concerns.

Milton resident Ryan Hardiman, who just won  the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra's Symphony Idol contest last weekend, plays the role of  the author Katurian K. Katurian .  Hardiman, who has played a diverse  list of characters in 10 years on  local stages from  Jesus, ("Jesus Christ Superstar", CYAC) The Beast ("Disney's Beauty and the Beast", Huntington Outdoor Theatre), Jekyll/Hyde in "Jekyll & Hyde- The Musical", ACTC) to Hedwig ("Hedwig and the Angry Inch", CSC), said he was immediately drawn into the play.

" 'The Pillowman' is so different from what we usually expect from a play," Hardiman said. "It delivers endless twists and turns and even though the playwright Martin McDonagh leaves many bread crumbs along the way, the play constantly surprises you. You'll find that even though the play deals with some horrible things, it is also very funny. You're horrified one second and laughing the next, so the black comedy offers temporary relief from the tension that is constantly building.  I've heard 'The Pillowman" described as the grimmest of Grimm's Fairy Tales as written by Stephen King and directed by Quentin Tarantino. That is pretty accurate. If I weren't already in this production, this is a play that I would definitely not miss ...

This is a play you'll find yourself thinking about and talking about for days."  For reservations and information, call (304) 343-5272 or log onto www.charlestonstagecompany.com.

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