I love this play. And people seem to get offended by how gruesome its stories are, but I just don't see their point. The Pillowman is funny, engrossing, thought-provoking, and kind of optimistic. Maybe my sensibilities have been numbed by over-exposure to Hollywood gore and/or Clive Barker, but I just can't see this as being *offensive.* It's art, goshdarnit. Disturbing, haunting, endearing, bewildering art.

EDITED TO ADD:
14 years later my sensibilities have shifted I guess, because the shocking, gruesome, and brutal tapestry of the storytelling no longer quite seems to be made up for by the artistic way these threads are woven together with glimmers of humor.