Catch as Catch Can (Playwrights Horizons) NYC Reviews and Tickets

68%

(40 Reviews)

Positive

55%

Mixed

30%

Negative

15%

Members say

Confusing, Ambitious, Clever, Great acting, Disappointing

About the Show

A new play by Mia Chung about two families opening their homes up to change.

Up in working class New England, the Phelans and the Lavecchias opemn their home to a prodigal son, beginning a chaotic chain of events that reshapes their lives… as well as the whole play.

In Mia Chung’s whirlwind of a play, three actors perform across race, gender, and generation — a family drama that is also an awe inducing theatrical tour de force.

Member Reviews (40)

Quirky, Ambitious, Clever, Dizzying, Great acting

See it if you like a play that requires full attention with a lot of dialogue and actors playing multiple characters by changing mannerisms and speech

Don't see it if if you have trouble concentrating in depth on a lot of fast dialogue for 1 3/4 hours without an intermission. Read more

Absorbing, Great writing, Great acting, Confusing

See it if well acted three-person show who play multiple characters with just a voice or inflection change. really like to pay attention to the story

Don't see it if get easily confused. want to just be entertained instead of having to pay attention.

Each actor plays parent & child, Mental health issues are a focus, Family dramedy, Talented and hard-working cast, Very ambitious script and production

See it if Like plays that make you think and pay close attention. Have interest in family dynamics and in issues of mental health.

Don't see it if Want easy laughs and simplicity. Read more

Thought-provoking, Slow, Overrated, Confusing, Disappointing

See it if you do not want to miss anything on or off Broadway. Nothing here worth spending the time. Sad to see effort wasted on mediocre material

Don't see it if you want your theatrical experience to be worthwhile. This ends up feeling like you should have been elsewhere

Smart, Ambitious, Clever, Absorbing

See it if you like challenging, well-acted plays that will keep you on your toes!!

Don't see it if you're not up for a challenging, interesting, absorbing play...but you have to think. Read more

Dizzying, Great acting, Clever, Ambitious, Absorbing

See it if clever well acted drama about families with a cool twist.

Don't see it if need to pay attention or the point will slip by.

There may be play somewhere in here

See it if The actors were game and not bad for what they were asked to do, although the "mothers" (played by men) came off often as silly stereotypes.

Don't see it if you're tired of the current trend toward gimmicks and other overly clever add-ons to plays that would probably be better told straight. Read more

100

Inspired writing, Remarkable acting, Entertaining, Enchanting, Clever

See it if you like to think when you go see a play and are interested in original work

Don't see it if you get easily distracted and do not understand plays (or narrative in general) that does not explain every single detail like a soap opera Read more

Critic Reviews (11)

"Though the actors imbue their performances with humor and great emotional strength, they do not, under Gigi Buffington’s vocal coaching, pull these accents off; my date and I left believing we had seen a play about older Jewish ladies from Long Island."
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"You may marvel at how finely Chung has woven her thematic threads (about family, heredity, nationality, genetics) into the tapestry that unravels in the play’s second half."
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"Watching actors instantly become other people without any physical change or costume shift reminds that theatre allows us to tell stories in a way that can’t be done elsewhere."
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"If 'Catch as Catch Can' does its job, you'll walk away wondering how often the words that come out of your mouth are actually spoken by another voice."
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"Viewing 'Catch as Catch Can,' trying to keep up with who's playing whom at this particular moment and where we are and why, you won't find the answer here."
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" 'Catch as Catch Can' transitions into a drama that concludes far more dramatically than comically. What Chung hasn’t achieved is an overarching blend that leaves patrons satisfied rather than mildly perplexed."
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Chung has the six characters played by three actors, each playing a parent/child duo switching from one to the other in confusing frequency. In addition, each actor plays a parent of the opposite gender. To muddy things even further, all the characters are played by Asian-Americans who make honest, but failing, attempts to adopt working class Italian and Irish Catholic accents and attitudes. Lon/Daniela are played by Cindy Cheung; Roberta/Robbie by Jon Norman Schneider; and Theresa/Tim by Rob Yang.
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"I’m disappointed to admit that the same issues rung true and that even upon a second viewing with a different interpretation, I found myself confused by the play’s core message and purpose – walking away with more questions than answers, and not in a good way."
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Trailer

Creative team