Review: CLEANSED at CATASTROPHIC THEATRE

In everything I have read and heard about Sarah Kane’s CLEANSED, everyone repeats this mantra continuously, saying that it is “about love.” I am not sure audiences will agree with that statement wholeheartedly, given how bleak the play is, but I know this production is about worshiping theatre with a furor. Sarah Kane was a talented writer but one who suffered greatly from crippling depression. She is considered a pioneer of “in yer face” theater, a sort of re-emergence of the Grand Guignol. She writes audaciously vulnerable and painful plays that ask a lot of anyone producing them. Ultimately, she took her own life at a very young age, and she is one of those “love/hate” figures in playwrights. No question where this company lands. 

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Catastropic’s cast adores what they are doing passionately, and you can tell they are married to this script. Because of terrible tragedy (the death of a former cast member), they have worked on this production for over a year, and even this run’s opening night was paused to work out some tech. Arguments could be made that CLEANSED is cursed and, at the very least, haunted. Sarah Kane’s plays are a literary dare for any company to produce because her writing asks for the impossible. The extremely grim text of CLEANSED suggests we witness murder, rape, torture, mutilation, incest, and drug overdose. And those are just the bits I can tell you about. It argues these atrocities lead to love or at least make us feel it more. It is extremely sexual, hopeless, and over-the-top violent. To put it bluntly, it’s weird. It deals with body terror, queer identity, and extreme angst. The company answers the call in its own unique way. I may not agree with all the choices, but I will never forget them either. Even if CLEANSED is far from your cup of tea, I promise you will talk about it, you will argue about it, and you will be challenged. Nobody else in the city would touch this script because it is a spiritual jump-scare of a show. This review will contain no spoilers. Another well-respected critic I admire drew ire for revealing plot points. So, I will strip it all down to let audiences discover this for themselves and out of respect for the artists. 

Know that CLEANSED takes place at what could be a treatment facility attached to a university, a rehab place, or some sort of reprogramming counseling space. It could be now, or it could be the future. The characters are all being “treated” by a cruel master of torture named Tinker. They are all looking for love. They are all violated in many ways. They are all somehow on the queer spectrum. They are all harmed in some way, form, or fashion. They all fall in love with devastating results. 

Let me tell you what I love about CLEANSED from the Catastrophic Theatre. 

First up, what an incredibly diverse and remarkable cast is up here. Many pundits think that Sarah Kane was wholly meditating on gender fluidity, but yet other productions of CLEANSED have not expressed that very well. But co-directors T Lavois Thiebaud, Jason Nodler, and their troop blur the lines ferociously and admirably. This feels like the future of theater. A show where pronouns are left at the door, and souls are bared without binary judgment. I hope this continues in all of Houston Theater. There is a blender of identities up here, as it should be. I tip my hat to the casting and for finally making the connection between gender dysphoria and Sarah Kane’s work feel tangible and towering. This gives a prescient new life to the play that debuted before the millennial clock turned over to 2000 back in 1998. It feels vital, raw, and alive in the Texas of 2024. Was Sarah Kane messing with the future? 

 

Secondly, the cast is impeccable and deserves any accolades I can muster. These are fearless actors not afraid to turn the volume up to eleven. Bryan Kaplun gives an amazingly brave, sexy, and wonderfully realized performance. Walt Zipprian turns into a sardonic yet somehow vulnerable sadist who goes to the extreme with zero hesitation and without ever raising his voice. This is the best work I have seen him do and some of the most solid I have seen in Houston. T Lavois Thiebaud is a force of nature, a storm brewing on stage in front of our eyes. Their bravery as an artist knows no bounds, and they are the most beautiful soul of this production. They are also its muse. Raymond Compton is a revelation as the Woman and makes a stunning debut on the Catastrophic stage. The character is as real and raw as it gets. Rubin Ramires gives a stark and honest beauty to his character. His final scene is heartbreaking on every level. Chuck Vaughn and Abraham Zapata create a beautiful couple who are literally ripped apart. Their performances lend a lot of credibility to Kane's view of love. Everyone is vulnerable, everyone is brave, and it is one of the best ensembles in Houston. 

Finally, the design is jaw-dropping. A multi-story, multi-level set from Afsaneh Aayani is appropriately dizzying and dirty. James Templeton's video collages are over-the-moon ingenious and darkly gorgeous, and Tim Thomsom makes sure they run perfectly timed with the show.. Hudson Davis provides carnal-quality lighting. Sarah Moessner and James Templeton provide sonic bombast through live music mixed with pre-recorded tracks to make us feel as if we are inside a rock show. They are far too loud, but the accompaniment seems appropriate and ingenious. This is another technically dazzling show that has eye candy to spare. Catastrophic knows how to merge these elements like no other theater in town. 

 

Now, let me be critical for a moment… 

First, a prior production of CLEANSED in the UK leaned into realism. Actors got naked, and acts of brutality were explicitly executed. T Lavois Thiebaud and Jason Nodler do a 180-degree turn from that, take this work, and adapt it to their more surrealist painterly style. It shares some DNA from recent CATASTROPHIC shows. It has a high sense of theatricality that files down some teeth. The nudity is abstracted and changed to dance belts that look like wads of fabric, microphone transmitters that look like fanny packs, and puppet versions of genitalia that are silly at best. They are so fake it’s sometimes funny. They castrate the cast and remove much of their sexual power. 

The violence is wholly stylized and obviously played broadly, often behind screens or obstructed. Torture sessions are often performed as monologues, with actors miming punches solo. Where’s the brutality of some well-timed blood or adept fight choreography? It’s not as sexy or dangerous as it could be and speaks to the timidity or gentleness of the creators. You are quite safe if you worry about sex and violence; both are broad and unbelievable. The actors make it more real than it should feel, but they are betrayed by the seams literally showing on breasts and genitals. It’s an artistic choice, and it is very valid. I get it. It keeps the horrific in the abstract. It is, in some respects, the anime version of CLEANSED. For once in my life, I am going to accuse the Catastrophic Theatre of playing it a touch-safe and avoiding making us more uncomfortable. Adding puppet-like appendages makes me think you borrowed underwear from the local high school’s Lysistrata. It is an artistic choice to soften some blows, and perhaps it is for the audience and the performers to be more comfortable. But is that what the show is hoping to do? They put gloves on it. 

Secondly, technically, I am not a fan of microphones in the MATCH space. It's too small to need this. CLEANSED uses them to get above the loud machine gun-like drumming of the musicians and allow actors to speak more naturally, but it sometimes took me out of the show. We hear when clothes rustle up against a microphone, we gag a little when they kiss, and we hear slurping and spit sliding. I say, turn down the volume, let the actors speak, and ditch the mics, which require we see the black boxes and a belt anytime anyone disrobes. Screams do not need amplification, nor does seduction. And the brilliant score and sound design are delivered at punishing panic-attack-inducing levels already. They could do with some dialing down so I could appreciate the immaculate job the musicians do. Maybe I am misinterpreting; perhaps the sex is not sexy on purpose, and the sound levels are loud to make the show feel “too big” for the space. But it comes across as a clumsy excuse to play things safe and way loud. 

Now, let me kiss and make up. 

And yet, CLEANSED is somehow moving in its own way. It has a very satisfying emotional arc, and it pays off. The actors rise above any problems and give honest performances even if they are mired in surreal and artificial tropes. If you can handle the suggested body horror and the implied sex, you will see a little deeper into Sarah Kane’s own fractured psyche, which is both beautiful and horrifying. This cast asks you to fall in love with them, and you do. This doesn’t feel like acting as much as it does exhibitionism of a soul. Each performer reaches an emotional climax that is cathartic. That is my theory of why they love this show so damned much. Their demons are fully on display. And in the end, that may be far more disturbing than any amount of sex or violence. We are witnessing their own pain. 

You can probably tell I love CLEANSED as much as I want to give it a side eye, yet is that not what Sarah Kane is gunning for? I have seen the show more than once, and a handful of folks have indeed walked out at times for varying reasons. This is a hard show to sit through, and many will see this as a step too far. Too bleak, too violent, not enough hope. Or also a little too surreal and almost absurdly silly. But then I also know some who have said it was transformative, and they loved every second. There are magical moments that reverberate and echo, yet equally baffling choices made me want to fling my program in protest at the author and the company.  

Should you avoid seeing the show? For God’s sake, no. You will miss what is surely going to be one of the most talked about pieces of work in Houston’s theatrical history. Go see it, and make your own call whether you love or hate it. But don’t let them brainwash you into thinking this is only about love because it is also about repulsion, and that is okay. It is very much as if David Cronenberg and David Lynch made a movie, and Jim Henson designed the sex scenes. But it says something, and it is brave. I guarantee it will make you think and you will never forget it. Plus, I want to discuss CLEANSED with you in person the next time we bump into each other at another theater… a party… or when we share a room in an institution where we fall for each other and face torture. At least, that is the plan if things turn catastrophic. 

“Love me or kill me,” the poster and program say. “Why not both?” I reply.    

CLEANSED runs at the MATCH through April 27th. This is not a 90-minute show, as the MATCH ticket page says; it is a full hour and forty-five minutes. There is no intermission, but thankfully, the company has removed its NO MERCY draconian policy about getting you in and out in case of a biological emergency. I almost wet myself the first time because I drank water beforehand. But in retrospect, pissing myself might have made me more invested and simply part of the show. Sarah Kane would have approved. I would have been part of CLEANSED.

Photo provided by Anthony Rathbun. Featured are T Lavois Thiebaud and Bryan Kaplun

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