Review: The Catastrophic Theatre Delivers an Iconic "Rhinoceros"

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Ionesco's nightmare is still going at a full stampede!

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CATASTROPHIC THEATRE has decided to launch its new season with a revival of Eugene Ionesco ’s absurdist masterpiece Rhinoceros . It’s a classic from 1959, and inspired by the fascism and nazism of World War II Europe. In the three-act script, a small French town slowly sees its inhabitants turn into rhinoceroses until only one man remains, horrified by the transformations. It asks what you do when everyone around you chucks out their morality to become something else? Are the monsters still monstrous when they are in the majority? And do we have to follow the herd when there seems to be only the inevitable choice to adapt or die at the end of a spiky fascist horn? For most of this company, this is the 3rd time around with the rhinos. Catastrophic produced the play in 2017 (around the time of a specific election), and Infernal Bridegroom Productions originated it in 2003 (around the time of an earlier war in Iraq). Director Tamarie Cooper assembles some returning cast members to stampede once again through the world of Rhinoceros, because apparently, the third time is just as alarming and charming as the last two.

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Actor George Parker emerges from the shadows of theatrical retirement to play anti-hero hero Bérenger again, the man who holds tightly to humanity. His last show was actually the 2017 version, so he is literally picking up the torch exactly where he left off. He is wonderfully expressive in this role, and it's fun to watch him get more and more horrified as the play lingers on. Kyle Sturdivant returns for his third stab at Jean, Bérenger’s BFF, who is a pretentious fop who wildly succumbs to the rhino plague all too easily. Watching Kyle handle Jean’s transformation is nothing short of heart-stopping, and he is a master of physical transformation, remarkably without any help from makeup or a mask. He plays pre-transformation Jean so well, and it’s a total shock to see him go from gentleman to beast so easily. Jovan Jackson does a similar feat later in the show with his slow-to-turn and burn Dudard, and he is quite wonderful as well. His vocal delivery is to die for. But nobody is going to be able to get even in the same league as Kyle. He makes you believe in this whole concept. Jenna Morris Miller makes a sweet and uncomplicated Daisy, and she also delivers a strong emotional transformation in the final scenes. The rest of the ensemble is filled out with Catastrophic regulars such as Noel Bowers, Sara Jo Dunstan, Mara McGhee , Karina Pal Montano-Bowers (in a startlingly bushy mustache), Rebecca Randall, and Abraham Zapata. They all do fine chorus work here, filling out the French who are going feral. It’s probably just another day onstage for this company when you consider the material they routinely handle.

Tamarie Cooper ’s direction is wonderful. She leans into the comedy where it needs to be, and keeps the pace admirably up for a piece that runs for two hours and forty-five minutes. It’s a lot of talking, but she has injected enough zaniness to keep you going. Ryan McGettigan’s set still works wonders in creating the world Ionesco has written. Paintings on flats do a lot of heavy lifting, and his work is remarkable. Macy Lyne’s costumes create a French provincial late 50s look quite well. Ian Evans and Shawn St. John provide a one-two punch with lights and sound. They team up to make the rhino stampede feel all the more real, and it's impressive work. I have a feeling that after three rounds, Catastrophic has Rhinoceros in its DNA.

The real problem is that America seems to have Rhinoceros in its DNA as well, and that is the scariest part of this entire play. It is so timely to bring this one up again that it almost seems painful, but completely prescient. Note how these villagers speak in clichés, such as the repeated phrase “Well, of all things!” They are simple and not into deep thought or analysis. But they also get bogged down with trivial details like how many horns these rhino-people have. Handy answer for you when you go in, an Asian rhino has one horn, and an African species has two. I also find it odd that Republicans call each other RINOS when they are at odds with each other (Republican in name only). Why does this play work so well? You will see so much of the world today painted by Ionesco, who wrote this entire script sixty-seven years ago. That is baffling, frustrating, and telling. So thank goodness companies like the CATASTROPHIC THEATRE resurrect these pieces when we need a good reminder. It’s what they do best! They revel in the silly, the sacred, and the profane. And they make art out of it. Definitely catch Rhinoceros again if you have already, and move it to your “must see” if you have never witnessed it. This company is at the top of its game, and the performances of George Parker and Kyle Sturdivant are iconic. But please, let’s progress in our politics and not make them do it again!

Rhinoceros runs through October 10th at the MATCH. It lasts three hours, including the intermission. But it doesn’t feel as long as it sounds. There is a great coffee shop called DOUBLE TROUBLE if you need cocktails or caffeine before you head in! And the MATCH concession has some strong stuff too.

Photo provided by the impossibly cool T Lavois Thiebaud

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/houston/article/Review-RHINOCEROS-at-THE-CATASTROPHIC-THEATRE-20260922)._