Our Late Night

"Well ... uh.  The, uh, ordinary way the we modern Western people tend to think of ourselves, um ... uh, doesn't really ... um, uhh ... take account of, uh, sex.  That makes sex very interesting as a subject." -- Wallace Shawn

Jason Nodler directs Wallace Shawn’s Our Late Night, a cocktail party at which no topic, thought or action is taboo.  The result is a Jungian pornography; a wickedly funny, often troubling look at what we feel and think but dare not say.

The production of this rarely produced play continues Catastrophic’s tradition of presenting work unlike anything else being produced in Houston.  Though its premiere in 1975, under Andre Gregory’s direction, netted an Obie award, the Catastrophic production will be just the fourth professional production of the play in 35 years.

Of the London production, directed by Caryl Churchill, The Guardian wrote, “It is a short play but a savage one… Neurosis, panic and sexual surreality underlie Shawn’s startling vision of New Yorkers at play.”

According to Nodler, “Only Wallace Shawn could write a play like Our Late Night.  It is the most subversive play I know. It is also the most truthful.  There is no subtext in this play; the characters express the worst of what they feel – as though their bowels and genitals had a direct line to their tongues – and the effect is brutal.”

Wallace Shawn is best for his memorable appearances in popular films like The Princess Bride and Clueless.  But he is also one of the most important playwrights of his generation.  His other plays include The Designated Mourner, Aunt Dan and Lemon, Marie and Bruce and The Fever.  He is also the writer and star of the films My Dinner With Andre and Vanya on 42^nd Street.

Our Late Night features Catastrophic company members Greg Dean, Mikelle Johnson, Jeff Miller, Karina Pal Montano-Bowers, Troy Schulze and Kyle Sturdivant, with special guest artist Carolyn Houston Boone.

Our Late Night premieres Friday, March 19, and runs Wednesdays through Saturdays until April 3.  All performances are at 8 p.m. at DiverseWorks ArtSpace, 1117 E. Freeway.

Opening night tickets $50.  All other performances are Pay-What-You-Can. 

Recommended for brave audiences with strong constitutions.