A Fascinating Fulfillment

Catch As Catch Can

Trying to do the best you can with whatever resources, opportunities or methods are available to you can be challenging. Often this will result in a kind of improvised or disorganized process. Another way of putting it is attempting to do as much as you’re able while trying to get everything else finished. That’s the gist of the idiom, “Catch as catch can.” And the phrase seems to be Mia Chung’s inspiration for or theme of her comic drama, now having its Chicago premiere. The play concludes Steppenwolf’s 50th Anniversary Season. The result is certainly a fascinating fulfillment of that idea, but an often confusing evening of theatre.

At an hour and 45 minutes, CATCH AS CATCH CAN feels a little long for one continuous sitting. But there’s no denying that Ms. Chung has written a truly clever and extremely creative one-act play. It takes a little while for the audience to figure out that the two male actors who open the play aren’t portraying a pair of gay adults who are friends, but two middle-age women. You must understand that casting this play demands that three gifted actors, in this case a trio of Steppenwolf ensemble members, must portray six different, but related, characters. 

Each actor plays one parent and one grownup child, hailing from two different working-class families, all of whom have been friends for a long time. Four of the characters are from the Italian-American Lavecchia family. Actor Gary Cole doubles as Roberta, the mother, and also her grown son, Robbie; Audrey Francis plays Lon, the father, as well as his adult daughter, Daniela. Tim Hopper portrays two members of the Irish-American Phelan clan. He plays both Theresa, the mother, and also her adult son, Tim. In this challenging production, the actors switch characters, sometimes within a scene, even line by line, and then back again. Watching this process play out can either be confusing or some breathtaking, awe-inspiring performances.

Mia Chung has obviously listened and noted the way people talk to each other. She’s written super realistic dialogue that often strays from subject to subject. Sometimes, as in real life, it seems like characters haven’t really listened to each other, and then interrupt the other person’s flow of thought with their own ideas. Quite often, those discussions provide the play’s comedy. Conversations are fast-paced, and the lines frequently overlap. And in scenes where each actor must play both of his assigned characters, it challenges both the performers and the audience.

The theatergoer may be confused by several other points. The play begins in the weeks leading up to Christmas. It then flows chronologically, eventually stopping for a while at Easter and continuing on toward the months that follow. Then, when trying to follow the dialogue between more than two characters in one scene, when the characters are portrayed by the same actor, it might be an overwhelming challenge. Often a scene will begin with comedy that feels like we’re watching a play like NOISES OFF. Then suddenly, and without warning, the scene with turn dramatic. The transitions can be especially jarring for an audience member trying to follow this fragmented plot. The way Mia Chung has constructed her play sometimes leaves theatergoers dumbfounded rather than delighted.

One of the best elements of Steppenwolf’s production of CATCH AS CATCH CAN is the detailed, empathetic direction provided by talented ensemble member, director Amy Morton. She’s staged Mia Chung’s one-act firmly grounded in realism, despite the abstract, fluid quality of the play. Ms. Morton has also drawn the very best performances from her trio of gifted actors, which is the other exceptional element of this production. Gary Cole, Tim Hopper and Audrey Francis are absolutely phenomenal. Slightly changing their voices and posture, the three actors morph easily from character to character. There’s no attempt at costume or makeup changes, with the exception of a Santa hat or an apron. Other than that, costume designer Izumi Inaba’s generic wardrobe for her three actors works well for each character. The same is true for Andrew Boyce’s simple scenic design. It provides a house-like structure, with a variety of playing areas and entrances for the characters. He’s also given them a series of wooden steps leading down from the stage, that look like bleachers. The cast is able to leave the enclosure of the house, as if they’re on the front porch.

CATCH AS CATCH CAN is long one-act drama, generously laced with lots of comic moments. It’s populated with interesting characters of different ages, all of them related, either through blood or friendship. It’s a play about how we all exist day-to-day, trying to get through our lives while doing the best we can with what we have available. Sometimes things work out perfectly but, more often than not, they become more complicated and provide further challenges. After all, that’s what life is: sometimes confusing, sometimes crystal clear, but always a fascinating fulfillment.      

Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented June 4-July 12 by Steppenwolf Theatre in the Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago.

Tickets are available in person at the box office, by calling Audience Services at 312-335-1650 or by going to www.steppenwolf.org.

Additional information about this and other fine area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com

Photos by Michael Brosilow