The Irish playwright Martin McDonagh has some challenging (and satisfying) work to his credit, including the stage plays "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" and "The Lieutenant of Inishmaan," and the movies "In Bruges" and "Seven Psychopaths." But his most profoundly disturbing work may be "The Pillowman." Life imitates art imitating life in McDonagh's twisty study of a writer living in a totalitarian state, who is under interrogation as a suspect in a series of gruesome murders that reflect his own, grimmer-than-Grimm short stories about child abandonment, dismemberment, and death. "The Pillowman" is a challenging play, but it has been an international success. The Basement Players' last production was "Clue: The Musical," but "The Pillowman" is definitely more intense: in fact it's explicitly presented as "not for children." But it may be a very thought-provoking evening for adults.
The Basement Players present "The Pillowman," on Thursday, September 11, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, September 13, at 3 and 8 p.m. MuCCC, 142 Atlantic Ave. $8 in advance, $10 at the door. MuCCC.org.