Review: THOM PAIN Disturbs at Catastrophic Theatre

The Catastrophic Theatre is presenting THOM PAIN (based on nothing) by Will Eno at the 14 Pews space in the Heights through April 24th. It's an interesting experimental piece, but it falls short in many ways.

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The script itself is a one man diatribe of abstract ramblings that center on stories about pain and, other than that, promised raffles which never happen and how much the man hates magic. Nothing ever seems relatable, and some stretches are simply downright distasteful. There's the bit early on about the death of a dog by electrocution, which is meant to be the moment "childhood ends," but it seems too gruesome to even work as an allegory to make the audience think of much else other than horrible imagery. Playwright Will Eno states that he hates when theatre does not let the audience use their imagination, but in this case mine ran wild with things I couldn't shake no matter how much I wanted to. Yet still, perhaps that is the point of this piece.

George Parker is the actor who delivers this work, and he's handsome and likeable enough on his own terms. He stands before us in the very small space wearing an ill-fitting black suit and nerd glasses. He speaks into a microphone which seems pointless given that the theater is only 7 rows of pews at most. The sound system crackled, popped, and finally sputtered out during the Sunday matinee that I witnessed. Parker soldiered on without the mic, and actually that worked far better than when he had it. He has a vocal tic where he goes down on every single line that he delivers. It's hypnotic, and I am not entirely certain it is purposeful. But then with a script this abstract, who really knows? If you're attending THOM PAIN I will give you fair warning some of the bits are interactive. The actor flirts with members in the seats, and he drags up at least one person onstage for the finale. You're safe, but you may become part of all of this, willingly or not.

I always turn to Catastrophic Theatre for the best in edgy experimental work in Houston. The thing about experiments though is sometimes they fail, and in this case I am afraid it does. The script is tough to penetrate and offers little else outside of painful moments and musings on what they mean. I never connected with this, and it just seemed like an exercise in trying my patience. Again, perhaps that is the intention. Parker is a talented actor, but here he's caught in a messy script and tenuous technical execution. If you're game, come in with an open mind and perhaps you'll be moved by the images of dying dogs, relationships going nowhere, and lying in the grass covered in your own sick. Maybe you'll be lucky enough to be stuck holding a glass of water or inspecting a handkerchief that has just been blown into. The question is, will you find it a revelation or simply tiresome? THOM PAIN (based on nothing) is one of those titles that unfortunately is entirely too self-descriptive and self-fulfilling.

If you're curious and brave, tickets can be acquired through the website at www.catastrophictheatre.com or by calling (713) 522-2723. 14 Pews is located in the Heights, and is one of the coolest spaces you will ever see. The play closes on April 24th.

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