The first wave of reviews have come in, and critics agree The Pain and the Itch is a wildly funny black comedy!
“A mega-black comedy. Norris unhurriedly peels the skin off the family’s smugness as adroitly as if he were wielding a paring knife and onion…. I’ve never been to the Gough St. Playhouse before, but I’ve obviously missed out on a lot if “The Pain and the Itch” is a typical example of what the CustomMade Theatre Company produces there.” –Woody Weingarten, Marin Scope
“A complex, entertaining, thoughtful and wildly funny play, well-written, well-staged, well-acted and well worth attending.” –Charles Kruger, TheatreStorm
“Acute, astute, wickedly funny” – Robert Hurwitt, SFChronicle
4/5 stars! “a hilarious, thoughtful …. fascinating production” – Kedar Adour, ForAllEvents
“(A) knife-twisting social satire…. I thought Eugene O’Neil had written the most dysfunctional family drama of all time but playwright Bruce Norris has him beat with this self-righteously liberal family getting ready for a Thanksgiving Dinner.” –Richard Connema, ForAllEvents
