Big Death and Little Death

A shell-shocked Gulf War vet returns to discover that his home is an emotional combat zone in the dark comedy Big Death and Little Death, presented by the UH School of Theatre & Dance and the newly created Catastrophic Theatre. His wife is having an affair, his daughter has anorexia and his son is not only smoking dope, he’s in a relationship with his school guidance counselor. Oh, yeah, and the family dog just ate all her puppies. (Don’t you hate when that -happens?)

Jason Nodler — you know him from the now-defunct Infernal Bridegroom Productions as well as Catastrophic — is Big Death and Little Death’s director. “It’s a very wild production and, in some cases, extremely dark,” he says. “It’s an accessible piece, but it is told through an extreme narrative.” 8 p.m. today. Through April 17. Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts, University of Houston, 4800 Calhoun Road. For tickets and a schedule, call 713-743-2929 or visit www.mitchellcenterforarts.org. $10 to $15.
Fri., April 4, 8 p.m.; Sat., April 5; April 10-20; Oct. 17-April 20, 2008