The Pain and The Itch

Synopsis

An upscale suburban home during a tense Thanksgiving dinner

As Clay and Kelly host their relatives – including brother Cash, mother Carol, and the enigmatic Kalina – their veneer of progressive values crumbles, exposing the hypocrisy and prejudice lurking beneath.

Norris’s razor-sharp dialogue and dark humour create a pressure cooker atmosphere, where a mysterious rash afflicting the couple’s child becomes a potent metaphor for the family’s moral decay. Through a series of increasingly uncomfortable revelations, The Pain and the Itch savagely dissects themes of privilege, liberal guilt, and the gap between ideals and actions. The play serves as a mirror to the audience, forcing a confrontation with the contradictions of modern, upper-middle-class life.