The Pain and the Itch by Bruce Norris, directed by Damaso Rodriguez. Co-produced by Furious Theatre Company and Theatre @ Boston Court. Continues now through August 23rd at the Boston Court Performing Arts Center, 70 North Mentor Avenue, Pasadena, CA.

There’s nothing like having the family together for a lovely Thanksgiving meal. Unless you’re at the home of Kelly and Clay-two upper-middle-class Americans who are the epitome of liberal hypocrisy-whose family gathering at Thanksgiving goes horribly wrong. Family, politics, race and class are all poked and prodded in the West Coast premiere of the dark comedy The Pain and the Itch by Bruce Norris.

“It’s very funny in a very uncomfortable way,” says Scott Lowell who plays Clay’s brother Cash, a bitingly cynical plastic surgeon. The play is about “how we don’t listen to each other.” Taking place towards the middle of Bush’s second term when conservatives were the butt of everyone’s jokes, “it’s a rare play that skewers liberals as well,” affirms Lowell.

“The characters are constantly changing,” he adds. There’s too much political correctness out there. Norris really holds “a mirror to the faces of those who tend to go to theatre.” Lowell laughs, “We’re really making fun of ourselves.”

Lowell was drawn to Cash for his sense of humor. “He’s very dry and sarcastic. He’s a bit of a misanthrope and always speaks his mind. He also likes to tell the truth and has a problem with hypocrisy.”

Although Cash is very witty Lowell says there’s also a “great sadness” to him. “He’s a bit of an alcoholic and is always in bad relationships,” reveals Lowell. “He’s had professional success but there’s sadness there.”

Cash is what Lowell likes to call a “gray” character. “One minute you like him and the next he’s the biggest shit in the world,” he chuckles. “He’s very different to past characters I’ve played.”

You may recognize Lowell from the hit TV show Queer as Folk where he played Ted. “Queer as Folk was an amazing experience and continues to be one of the greatest blessings of my life,” he professes.

“I never thought I’d be part of such a ground breaking television program that, to this day, people actually thank me for doing … all over the world.  The impact of that show on the worldwide GLBT community (as well as newly educated straight allies) continues to amaze me.”

Of course, being a straight actor playing a gay role for so long has had its drawbacks. There’s “some attempts to pigeonhole me into more gay roles so I’ve had to be careful about which projects I choose.” But he says, “The benefits have far outweighed the detriments career-wise.”

Director Damaso Rodriguez asked Lowell to be in this production. “I had worked with him on Orson’s Shadow.” Rodriguez is best known for his ensemble-based Furious Theatre Company. Ensembles have their own ways of working together so “it’s nice that [Rodriquez] allowed me to sneak in.”

Cast of The Pain and the Itch

Lowell talks more about Rodriguez’s technique. “He has a vision but is brave enough to discover the play with the actors. He builds off of what the actors bring…he lets everyone have their own process.”

Lowell first read the script while he was in Chicago where he started his career doing theatre. “It’s nice to go back to my roots,” joking, “theatre’s my lady. I had friends in the original production [at Steppenwolf]. On the page there’s a mixture of laughter and disgust,” he quips, “but [Rodriguez] has masterfully decoded ‘the Bruce Norris code.’ ”

The first preview put the show on the right start. “It’s amazing to feel the audience… feel their loyalties to characters changing constantly.” Sometimes characters get so ugly you “can’t laugh at them anymore. There’s also a mystery in the middle of it,” reveals Lowell. The audience is asking, “What’s going on?” He says, “It’s nice to feel the audience working through it.”

Often times as rehearsals go on, the little things get subdued. “I had forgotten about the mystery,” admits Lowell. “So it’s wonderful to have the audience. This is a play where you learn from it every time you do it. I’m continuing to find something new.”

Lowell enjoys doing theatre in LA, however, he says, “I’m glad I started in Chicago. It’s so supportive and nurturing there. It’s different out here… it’s so spread out that it’s hard to know where to go.”

He adds, “We have some of the greatest actors in this city but because [theatre] doesn’t pay much, their priorities are elsewhere.”

So what’s next? “God, I don’t know! It’s a mystery,” he laughs. “I’m hoping to make some money doing theatre.” He adds, “I write as well. It’s nice to have other creative outlets while waiting for something to happen.”

For now, he’s excited about how audiences will respond to The Pain and the Itch. Lowell hopes after seeing this show people “learn how to listen to each other.” And to examine “what little lies they keep hidden and how they end up doing more harm than good.” He assures that this play is “more than a typical family dramedy.” It will make you laugh but it will also make you think and reflect but “it doesn’t hit you in the theatre.”

Feature image of Scott Lowell and Brad Price by Ed Krieger; story image of Jennifer Rhodes, Vonessa Martin, Kevin Vavasseur, Brad Price, Ava Feldman, and Scott Lowell by Ed Krieger