Say Something Bunny! NYC Reviews and Tickets

“A suburban family invites the neighbors to dinner...It sounds punishingly ordinary. It is. It is also an out-and-out thrill...Ms. Kobayashi’s tender obsession is as catching as the chickenpox, and if the piece is forthrightly funny and briefly pornographic, it is also sneakily moving...'Say Something Bunny!' is about more than the particulars. It’s a low-key ontological thriller about how we live and what we leave and how we account for ourselves when some kid comes at us with a microphone.”
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“The play unspools unhurriedly, leaving space for Kobayashi to make jokes, play short films and highlight points of historical interest. It takes a while for it to sink in that—of course—many of these vibrant people must be long dead. The experience of ‘Say Something Bunny!’ is light, sweet, funny and dear. But Kobayashi’s deep humanism has a way of moving you, even days later. She sifts through the details of strangers’ lives, a prospector who knows that the sand itself is precious.”
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"The personalization of the experience caused the line between performer and spectator to blur to such an extreme degree that I almost forgot where I was. I've never experienced a feeling quite like that before, and it's all thanks to Kobayashi's gentle demeanor and dedication to finding the truth...While you might not have seen theater like this before, once you start listening, you can't get enough of the story that unfolds."
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"One of the oddest and most captivating entertainments of the new season...Kobayashi's warm, sympathetic presence draws the audience in...Working together, she and her team have conjured -- almost out of thin air -- a one-of-a-kind performance piece that speaks volumes about families, changing times, and middle-class life in America in its post-World War II heyday."
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"Hands down the best theatre experience of the 2017-2018 season...You should just buy a ticket now—any serious theatre-goer needs to see this show. 'Say Something Bunny!' is unlike anything I’ve seen—both daringly experimental and incredibly accessible, it is one of the only times I’ve ever left a show vowing to return...At its core, one of the most enjoyable mysteries I’ve encountered in a very long time...The amount you learn by the end of the evening is astounding."
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"Kobayashi marshals an ethnographer’s appreciation for cultural and historical context, a genealogist’s relish for placing relations on a family tree, a private investigator’s instincts to follow any lead and connect all the dots, and a storyteller’s flair for filling in the empty spaces. But it also says something about her capacity for empathy. This isn’t just a project to her; it’s a family’s lives she is holding in her hands."
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"The piece is pure genius, unfurling with the the utmost grace, wit, and intelligence (I loved the show’s endless parade of visual and audio gags!). Indeed, the performance I attended exuded whimsical good humor and was a joy to partake in. Technically and aesthetically, the show is a marvel. The amount of detail that went into creating this out-of-the-box experience is nothing short of astonishing...I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it."
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“I was particularly taken by ‘Say Something Bunny!’…Not only visually appealing, but it's also gentle, smart, and warm. It simultaneously paints a vivid portrait of a family and brilliantly reflects the artist's obsession with—even love for—said family, which she has partly and painstakingly documented, and partly invented…It is an impressive, extraordinarily well-researched and executed piece, that manages as well to be deeply touching and quite funny…An amazing accomplishment.”
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"The everyday becomes enthralling in 'Say Something Bunny!,' a surprising new show that discovers compelling mysteries where the most intrepid sleuths wouldn’t expect to find them...A highly entertaining performance that takes the audience on her journey. It provides the thrill of storytelling with all the excitement of a mystery...The audience slowly feels the emotional force of Kobayashi’s work and inevitably begins to care about the Newburges."
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"The execution of the production’s numerous projections and sound cues is almost flawless. It is a real wonder to see technology work so seamlessly to enhance a theatrical experience rather than take center stage as a gimmick. Overall, 'Say Something Bunny!' is a wildly engaging experience unlike any other."
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"The captivating Kobayashi happens also to be a time traveler and shapeshifter, who literally plays the part of every person who touches the Newburge family’s narrative, however briefly...The experience is surreal and feels completely original...These typical, ordinary lives of the Newburge family feel extraordinarily real. Because it’s 1952 again and we are all piled inside in a cozy little house in Windmere, a place brightly lit and filled with love and warmth and music and cake."
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“Kobayashi’s achievement is beyond monumental...You should see this show. Not just for the brilliance of Kobayashi, but also for a beautifully crafted story...However, there are times when creativity needs to be used economically, so as not to overwhelm an audience...to fully appreciate such an ambitious undertaking...It truly is something to be seen and heard...Filled with a bombardment of the senses, but one with worthwhile payoff.”
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"'Say Something Bunny!' sits comfortably at the juncture of historical research, fiction, documentary, and performance art...Kobayashi’s success turns on both her extensive, iterative approach to her research as well as her charismatic ability to commit herself completely to reenactments of dozens of characters from the audio...Her performance infuses new life into what otherwise might be an easily overlooked piece of personal ephemera that gets thrown out in the trash."
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“Genre-bending performance...Kobayashi’s work is illustrative of its trailblazing singularity, and its inability to dwell within the confines of any pre-existing art form...The result is an enthralling performance...She breathes vitality into an object that could easily have been tossed aside...She gives a second life to a family who unwittingly preserved themselves for posterity, and gives posterity the gift of encountering this family in a moving and animated way.”
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“‘Say Something Bunny!’ digs deep into the early 1950s through recordings of a Jewish family from Long Island that a friend unearthed at a New York City estate sale…The project is a work of profound empathy, lending meaning and drama to ordinary lives and inviting us to join the artist in inhabiting people from another time and culture.”
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“A multigenerational yarn of Rothian heights…Throughout the installation, Kobayashi renders the facts that define the lives of these idiosyncratic cast of characters, who are deeply felt and most remarkably, close and real...Even without the content, the presentation alone would be compelling...She herself describes the project as being informed by 'amateur historical research.' But with those imperfections she brings humanity and life to her subjects."
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