I have a theory that most truly funny people have suffered. Laughter—particularly the self-deprecating kind—makes a great mechanism for hiding pain. Charlie Rhindress as the titular character in Boo doesn’t pull his punches when it comes to either pain or humour. For 55 minutes, he stands on stage and bares his soul inch by inch, through jokes and fables until the shameful pain that he feels he has inflicted on others is laid out before the audience. What makes this show infinitely watchable is that although Boo’s pain is in some way unique, it speaks to all the everyday pain people suffer and inflict. And heck, Rhindress is charming and personable and his hysterical riff on why film is better than theatre is alone worth the price of admission.
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