Relevance Productions "Thom Pain" review by withoutnumbers

He really is like me, only worse.

Rating: 5

Thom Pain (based on nothing)

Relevance Productions

Trevor Belt and Scott Cox are back for a revamp of their hit show "Thom Pain (Based on Nothing)" at the She&Her Production space in the West Bottoms. This time, they mean business, because it's a fundraiser for Relevance Productions.

I had the pleasure of seeing this show opening night. The crowd was small but lively. My only impression of the show was from reading the script (which I did not, unfortunately, enjoy very much). But if there's one thing I can say about me, it's that I love being pleasantly surprised.

Thom Pain is a man just like you and me, only worse. He's wracked with painful (and joyful) memories that he simply can't keep inside anymore. The observance of his life stretches into the observance of human nature, and although perhaps not all of us have experienced all the pain there is to endure in life, Thom has gotten pretty close.

As he recounts the loves and losses of his life, the audience is thrown backwards and forwards and side to side from laughing, frowning, and sitting in painful silence. I've personally never experienced so many emotions in such rapid succession while watching a show. Scott Cox and Trevor Belt have created a production that focuses in -- painfully, so -- on one man and one man alone. One man who feels sorry for himself as many times as he counts himself as blessed. One man a lot like you and me.

His reminiscences can become warnings, and it all wraps up into one bleak yet somehow hopeful package. Is life worth living in the end? The constant struggle? The incessant pain? To quote the man, "Big things going wrong, but a million little things going right"? By the end of the show, I couldn't help but smile, the smile was *forced* upon my face, and I liked it. A lot.

This show might not be for everyone, but I encourage everyone to see it. See it with an open mind, don't expect or anticipate anything. I promise, if you do, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the impact it can have on you.

read the review at KC Stage