ThomPain *** 1/2

ThomPain (all one word) is Will Eno’s play now showing at The Bakery ARTRAGE Complex, 233 James Street, Northbridge at 8.00 pm until Saturday the 26^th August.

This hour long one man play is more of a story-telling than a monologue, which often suggests more pompous overtones. Pomposity is one thing that is most definitely not present in this performance by Tomas Ford.

The tale of Thom – who many consider a ‘pain’ and so is known as ThomPain – has been presented twice this year by the director Rebekah Smith (herself a talented actor). The first version starring Kelvin Jay Hourquebie showed Thom as a bi-polar, likeable, confused and rambling almost larrikin type, who like the lonely kid at school wanted to be your friend. In this show Bek has made Tomas Ford portray Thom as a nervous, withdrawn shambles of a person. He is scruffily dressed, straggling hair and shows a much more insecure side to the character.

The play is basically of a lonely dropout trying to tell the audience about his experiences in life, using his excellent verbal poetic dexterity with the few social skills he possesses. The script is very tightly and cleverly written, and gives the impression that the actor is struggling to remember lines, but in fact this confusion is all part of the sad man’s character.

A friend and myself had preferences for the different versions, but there can be no doubting the hard work and skill in a show like this. Perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea, but admirable.