No longer booking
  • Venue Duke of York's Theatre, London
  • Performance dates Booking to 2 September 2023
  • Running time 2 hours 25 minutes (including interval)
  • Age guidelines 14+

★★★★ “Lily Allen is compulsively watchable in this wickedly funny work” – Evening Standard

Martin McDonagh’s Tony and Olivier Award-winning play The Pillowman gets its first major West End revival at the Duke of York’s Theatre.

Lily Allen (2:22 A Ghost Story) and Steve Pemberton (The League of Gentlemen, Inside Number 9) star in this electrifying dark comedy, directed by Matthew Dunster (Shirley Valentine).

Examining the role of the artist in society and the price of freedom of expression, The Pillowman is considered to be one of the greatest plays of the past 25 years.

The Pillowman is playing at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London until 2 September 2023.

While living in a police state, a writer named Katurian is interrogated about a spate of murders that bear many similarities to their short stories. What has made Katurian write like she does? Is this simply life imitating art or something more sinister?

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Performance Information

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Stars and Creatives

Lily Allen
Lily Allen

Who is in the cast of The Pillowman?

The cast of The Pillowman is led by Lily Allen (2:22 A Ghost Story) as Katurian and Steve Pemberton (The League of Gentlemen, Killing Eve, Inside Number 9) as Tupolski. 

Also starring are Paul Kaye (Game of Thrones, Afterlife) as Ariel, and Matthew Tennyson (Benediction, Pride) as Michal.

The cast is completed by Rebecca Lee (Mother and understudy Katurian), Daniel Millar (Father and understudy Ariel and Tupolski) Carlotta Di Gregori (understudy Mother) and David Angland (Blind Man and understudy Michal and Father). The role of Child 1 is shared by Ruby Siddle, Madelynne Mills and Sophia Cullingford, and the role of Child 2 is shared by Lexi Anna Scott, Darcy Crosby and Lillie Stocker.

Who are the creative team of The Pillowman?

The Pillowman is written by Martin McDonough and directed by Matthew Dunster.

The Production Designer is Anna Fleischle, with Lighting Designer Neil Austin, Sound Designer Ian Dickinson for Autograph, Video Designer Dick Straker, Casting Director Amy Ball CDG, Fight Director RC Annie, Movement Director Chi-San Howard, Associate Director Isabel Marr, and Associate Designer Liam Bunster.

Venue Information

Duke of York's Theatre , 45 St Martin's Lane, London, WC2N 4BG

Nearest Tube or Train: Leicester Square (Northern line, Piccadilly line), Charing Cross (Northern line, Bakerloo line), Embankment (Northern line, Bakerloo line, District line, Circle line)

Nearest Buses: 14, 19, 22, 24, 29, 38, 40, 176

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Critics' reviews of The Pillowman

★★★★ "An extraordinary play" - The Independent

★★★★ "Lily Allen is compulsively watchable in this wickedly funny work" - The Evening Standard

Also see: The Pillowman Reviews Round-up

Frequently Asked Questions

The Pillowman is playing at the Duke of York's Theatre in London
The running time of The Pillowman is 2 hours 25 minutes (including interval)
The age recommendations for The Pillowman are: 14+
Yes, The Pillowman has matinee performances on the following days: Wednesday, Saturday
No, sorry, The Pillowman has now completed its run and is no longer on sale.

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