Review: BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS DISORDER at CATASTROPHIC THEATRE

BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS DISORDER by Kathy Ng is many things, including beautiful, weird, funny, sad, touching, and completely random. It is extremely well-acted by a trio of actors, and the design is next-level impressive. Director Jason Nodler unleashes an amazing world premiere from Catastrophic Theatre, continuing their legacy as one of the nation’s most important producers of experimental theatre. You walk away believing in this setting and wanting to live a little longer in Kathy Ng’s head. And damn it, I want a doll of Triangle Person to take with me whenever I need a “thought baby in a sensible swimsuit” to make me smile. Or a stuffed whale with a droopy fin. Or a prayer candle with the face of Mother Teresa. Or the phone number of Kathy Ng, so I can text them to send me whatever they are thinking.

We start off the evening being welcomed to a place “somewhere in the clouds” or “the parking lot of heaven” by a Triangle Person. They are a non-binary princess with a pyramid-shaped head. Actor, poet, and muse T Lavois Thiebaud stands there and delivers one of their best personas to date onstage. Nobody in this town could play this part other than T, and they are a miracle of goofy charm and grace. It reminds me of Pee-Wee Herman in the best possible way, a gender-neutral laugh riot that we actually care for. They have a wide-eyed childish charm throughout the whole show, and made me believe in the power of a geometric princess in a navy Olympic-approved swimsuit. Move over, Snow White, and ‘eff you, Fiyero! Triangle Person is the new jam!

Joining Triangle Person in the parking lot of heaven is the infamous killer whale, Tilikum, who took out two trainers and a bystander at Sea World. It doesn’t sound very funny, but with Kyle Sturdivant beaming in his orca costume, it is a gigglefest. Kyle has somehow turned playing killer animals into a master class in sweet and funny characters that you just want to hug. He carries many moments in the show, and his monologue to the angels is a play all by itself. Amy Bruce rounds out the acting trio as a pious and petty Mother Teresa. She gives the sainted martyr a wonderfully cranky sense of humor and a hilariously choreographed “resting b—-h face.” You will probably look at Mother Teresa in a different light from now on. She’s insanely good.

All of this madness is orchestrated by director Jason Nodler. He’s such a pro at these things, and his concept of this script is amazingly well-realized. Matt Fries created a celestially gorgeous cloud set, and Moon Papas Art constructed it to immerse us in. Macy Lyne’s costume design is spot on, right down to the droopy fin for Tilikum. Roma Flowers lights heaven as it should be, and uses all of her tricks to add drama when needed. James Templeton’s music, video, and sound are outstanding. NOBODY in town does the integration of projected visuals as well as Catastrophic. I would put them up against the titans of theater in this town, and they would win every time.

But the real find here is the sweet voice of playwright Kathy Ng. BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS DISORDER is a very well-realized script that captures the author’s essence in so many ways. Rarely do you see a young artist who can convey themselves so effectively in their work. You can hear their voice in all of the characters, and they even insert their actual speech to great effect late in the back stretch of the show. It’s weird, it’s funny, it touches your heart, and it makes you ache for hoping that humanity could reach this level of empathy and joy. There are dark turns to be sure, but overall I smiled so hard that the corners of my mouth ached by curtain call. BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS DISORDER is smart and surreal, but it’s also a ton of FUN! I am so excited about Kathy Ng, and I hope the company decides to do more of their work. A special thanks to Lisa DAmour, who mentored the artist and brought them to Jason Nodler’s attention. They follow capably in her footsteps.

We probably need this kind of happy experimental theater more than ever right now. Watching BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS DISORDER, I believed I was on the edge of heaven, and I believed in a geometric person who debated Mother Teresa and a killer whale. And at the end of the ninety minutes, I believed in Kathy Ng. This is a wonderfully joyous world premiere, and Catastrophic Theatre is doing what they do best. Funny enough, it is their holiday show. And I probably learned more from watching it than revisiting a Dickens or Hallmark holiday offering. All I want for Christmas now are action figures from this play, so I can relive the adventure of Triangle Person over and over.

BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS DISORDER runs at the MATCH through December 13th. It is a world premiere, and tickets are “pay what you can.” The show runs approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes without an intermission. But thankfully, CATASTROPHIC has added a monitor in their lobby to accommodate anyone who has an emergency. There are several places to grab dinner before or after, but I can tell you, thanks to Tilikum, I had a strong craving for sushi. But then Triangle Person made me want pizza. And Mother Teresa made me guilty enough to want to fast.