Caught NYC Reviews and Tickets

86%
(39 Ratings)
Positive
92%
Mixed
8%
Negative
0%
Members say
Clever, Absorbing, Thought-provoking, Intelligent, Ambitious

About the Show

The Play Company presents an irreverent, genre-bending piece about a Chinese dissident artist. Part of the Summer Shares season at La MaMa.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (39)

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Al
127 Reviews | 888 Followers
95
Clever, Original, Refreshing, Intelligent

See it if you appreciate plays that defy categorization. This one fits into no standard genre.

Don't see it if you dislike plays with unconventional structure.

WH
448 Reviews | 88 Followers
93
Absorbing, Clever, Confusing, Great writing, Quirky

See it if You are up for being challenged and a bit confused along the way.

Don't see it if Require clarity and linearity.

299 Reviews | 41 Followers
93
Absorbing, Clever, Thought-provoking, Original, Funny

See it if you want to see a funny, thought provoking, unusual, show with surprises.

Don't see it if You like conventional plays.

414 Reviews | 70 Followers
90
Absorbing, Clever, Great acting, Original, Thought-provoking

See it if you want a play that is intelligent and funny, with a non-linear plot that constantly makes you question what is truth & what is illusion

Don't see it if you don't want one that's intentionally confusing & that takes you out of your comfort zone by overturning your expectations & assumptions

267 Reviews | 52 Followers
90
Convoluted, Clever, Absorbing, Original, Thought-provoking

See it if You like unpredictable plays that draw you in through multiple levels and challenge you to think.

Don't see it if You prefer straightforward shows with easy-to-follow plots.

536 Reviews | 279 Followers
90
Absorbing, Ambitious, Clever, Edgy, Highly original

See it if you enjoy plays that take you on a journey—with a number of bumps along the way. Good ensemble acting.

Don't see it if you enjoy linear plays. Or if you don't want to be played with by this production.

290 Reviews | 92 Followers
90
Absorbing, Clever, Intelligent, Riveting, Thought-provoking

See it if You want a night of great theatre. It's mind bending.

Don't see it if If you enjoy more traditional show

152 Reviews | 34 Followers
90
Intelligent, Profound, Funny, Ambitious, Masterful

See it if you enjoy intellectually challenging theatre. Portrays lines between perception & reality; truth & fiction; art & activism & it's very funny

Don't see it if you don't want to be "caught" being entrapped in the very issues the play is exploring.

Critic Reviews (11)

The New York Times
August 29th, 2016

"An intricately constructed, unrelentingly destabilizing puzzle of a play about the anatomy of truth and the provocative power of illusion…The story that the sympathetic Lin Bo tells is not what it appears to be. Neither is much else in this ever-shifting play, directed with exquisite precision by Evans, and slyly designed every step of the way…The one thing spectators can be sure of is that they are inside a production that is also a kind of art installation, and that it is messing with them."
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Time Out New York
August 29th, 2016

"The physical production is beautifully realized…The execution couldn't be better: Evans and her team clearly found the 'Inception'-esque challenge of the text exciting. Performances are strong throughout…Where the piece can sometimes feel thin is in the text itself. Chen broaches ideas, but he's too quick; since each scene is barely 20 minutes long, it has only time to contribute to one really clever thought. Still, it turns out to be a useful thought."
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Theatermania
August 28th, 2016

"'Caught' is filled with so many unreliable narrators and shifting stories, it is hard to know what is what...The feeling is akin to waking up from a dream, only to find oneself in another dream. Yet thanks to committed performances from the cast, we keep re-suspending our disbelief...Even if you get lost along the way, Evans' sure-footed production will keep you from drowning in confusion...Chen gleefully pokes fun at the myriad fallacies that presently reign over American art and media."
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Lighting & Sound America
August 30th, 2016

"Chen, who as a playwright is the smoothest of con artists, has neatly constructed a series of scenes that fit into each other like Chinese boxes...The director, Lee Sunday Evans, stages this flimflammery with the surest of hands, aided by a cast who are skilled at playing straight even in preposterous circumstances...Altogether, 'Caught' is a funny, stimulating evening that urges us all to think twice before spouting the received ideas that make us feel comfortable with ourselves."
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CurtainUp
September 7th, 2016

"A lively rumination on the truth claims of various intellectual pursuits…Chen finds both humor and pathos in the position of artists in an age of science and technology. ‘Caught,’ which is satiric without being didactic, gets at the folly of imposing scientific standards on discourse that isn't meant to be scientific…The Play Company has assembled a resourceful production that, though frugal, appeals to spectators' eyes and ears."
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TheaterScene.net
August 31st, 2016

“Upon entering the space at La Mama that is part art exhibit, part performance site, it is clear that this won’t be your typical piece of entertainment. Even before taking your seat, so many questions come to mind about the goal of the experiment that is explained as a variation on human imprisonment and its effect on the psyche. The concept instantly grabs your attention and sets the stage for a powerful and moving personal story – or so one would think.”
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Theatre is Easy
August 31st, 2016

"Each scene unfolds itself like a mysterious Chinese box, directed craftily and ingeniously by Lee Sunday Evans…The cast is outstanding, and especially memorable are Leslie Fray, who plays both Joyce and the curator, and Jennifer Lim…This play is definitely an adventurous departure from the traditional structure of most theatre, and especially with the inclusion of an art-installation into a theatrical piece, 'Caught' is worth checking out. "
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New York Theater
September 9th, 2016

"Messes with your head in the most exquisite of ways...The show is in places very funny, but it also has some thought-provoking things to say about truth and lies and perception...By the end of the fourth scene, which swerves into the unexpected, the audience is unsure of everything, including whether to applaud. All this might sound frustrating, but it’s actually fun to experience, helped along by the credible acting and fine work in a small space by the design team."
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