Say Something Bunny!
UnionDocs presents Alison S.M. Kobayashi's multi-media solo piece inspired by an amateur audio recording made over 60 years ago.
... Read moreThe origin of this audio was a mystery. Two spools of thin steel wire were found tucked inside an obsolete sound device purchased by a collector at an estate sale. There were no labels; no dates, no names, and no context. Through her obsessive research and active imagination, Kobayashi decodes the rich dialogue in the recording and discovers the detailed history of a Jewish family from New York that bursts with humor, surprise, and drama. The one-woman show annotates, illustrates, and reconstructs the scenes of the recording, while revealing the stranger-than-fiction biography of the eldest son, David, who made the wire recordings. Using video, installation, performance and plentiful archival material, Kobayashi leads the audience through a close listening of this multigenerational tale.
- Official Site
- 2 hours and 20 minutes
- Ends on October 29th, 2017
- UNDO Project Space (Chelsea)
Cast & Creatives (5)
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Reviews (18)
6 Critics' Reviews
“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.” Full Review
"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." Full Review
“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.” Full Review
"'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." Full Review
for a previous production “‘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.” Full Review
for a previous production “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." Full Review
12 Members' Reviews
See it if Delving into two old recordings transports us to the past and celebrates the richness of life. Unique take on family, time and mortality.
Don't see it if You aren't interested in multimedia nonfiction performance art. You don't have the patience for a 2 1/2 hour experience.
Also Altered my perspective on life. I still don't understand how the ordin... Read more Read less
See it if you’re into museum studies and how historians/researchers investigate historical accounts through primary sources; you like nonfiction
Don't see it if you aren’t interested in eavesdropping on 1950’s NY Jewish families; you don’t glean inferences from overheard conversations
Also SSB is like a cleverly edited presentation or seminar told with theatr... Read more Read less
See it if You delight in watching mysteries unfold right before your eyes. What a fascinating journey! Don't miss this - utterly original, delightful!
Don't see it if You want a traditional theater experience. Having said that, go see this show anyway! You'll be glad you did!
See it if you're open to a completely unique, painstakingly researched, funny and humanizing performance, up close and personal.
Don't see it if you're not interested in complicated New York-centric family histories.
Also I have never seen anything like this, and I truly loved it. Only 24 pe... Read more Read less
See it if You want a completely original performance piece. Like being a part of a live unfolding documentary. So good. So original.
Don't see it if You are looking for a play or musical. This is not that. If you don't like performance shows.
See it if you want to have a unique experience in the theatre. Kobayashi investigates a Jewish family in the 1950's, and slowly reveals their history
Don't see it if you don't like intelligent or unusual theatre.
Also "Say Something Bunny" is one of the very best plays of this season. Do... Read more Read less
See it if the process of obsession evolving into theater allows you move beyond your comfort zone into this unique experience. A world made from sound
Don't see it if you are expecting a well made play on a proscenium stage.
See it if You are up for something very non-playlike. The creator has been fixated on peculiar evidence, spent years researching, and presented it.
Don't see it if You are not open to work out of the normal parameters. But, hey, loosen up. You may not love it, but it is fascinating in its own way.
See it if You are interested in families, nostalgia, history, genealogical research, detective work, etc.
Don't see it if You want big Broadway production values. This is an intimate show (only 24 people in the audience!).
Also It's not exactly a play or a traditional one woman show. It is hard to... Read more Read less
See it if you're interested in documentary theatre; in the ways in which personal and cultural detritus both define and obscure our identities
Don't see it if you want a traditional play or even typical documentary theatre; this is a sui generis piece that owes more to performance art than theatre
Also Beautifully designed and performed; this is unexpectedly engaging and ... Read more Read less
See it if If you want a totally different fun theater experience and enjoy meeting the writer
Don't see it if You don't like being part of a family
See it if You'd sign up for a scavenger hunt of real and imagined relics of a 1950's Jewish family. You are interested in the lives of strangers.
Don't see it if You wouldn't want to listen to "banal" conversations from real family gatherings in the 1950's. The show is based on an old audio recording.