"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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"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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"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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"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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