The Pillowman is a play by Martin McDonagh that premiered in 2003, and went on to receive the Olivier Award for Best Play as well as two Tony Awards. It tells the story of a morbid writer facing charges of enacting the murders depicted in his children's stories. The premiere starred David Tennant and Jim Broadbent. The original Broadway production starred Billy Crudup and Jeff Goldblum.
Martin McDonagh originally conceived the idea for The Pillowman in part based on his experience writing fairy tales, which he noted were often quite dark. In an interview with The Irish Times, McDonagh said of the play, “I don’t usually want to try to say something in a play, but that one probably says as much, in a poetic way, as I’ll ever want to, or try to.”
The play opened on November 13, 2003 at the Cottesloe Theatre in London, England. It was acclaimed and received in 2004 the Olivier Award for Best Play, two Tony Awards, and won Best New Foreign Play from the New York Drama Critics' Circle. It has been revived around the world several times since.
