(L-R) Robert Pearson, Rebecca Robinson, and Norman Tran at Hyde Park Theater Caught (Photo by Pearson Kaslak)
This review will be brief, not because there’s little to say, but because there’s so little to say that it won’t be a spoiler CaughtChristopher Chen’s 2017 Obie Award winners.
Chen’s stories tend to explore the art of finesse in the creative enterprise, with a particular focus on the immorality and dishonesty found in the worlds of art, publicity, and journalism. His story combines naturalism with metatheatrics, exposing the deception behind what appears to be authentic. So in describing his work, there is a real risk of ruining the experience of viewing it.
suffice it to say, Caught This is not a pleasant evening of slutty escapism. Instead, it is a thought-provoking, mind-bending drama where we are offered an exploration of the labyrinth of truth, social justice and cultural appropriation in contemporary art. And nothing is as it seems at first glance.
The play begins at the Hyde Park Theatre, which serves as a pop-up gallery, displaying a handful of conceptual artworks by Lin Bo, a dissident Chinese street artist who created a memorial to the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. He spent two grueling years in prison after organizing a subversive protest. Bo’s program was virtual and, like NFT-based artwork, had no physical presence and no trace to verify its existence. Nevertheless, he was arrested and thanked new yorker The artist’s profile quickly became the poster child of cancel culture in China.
Once seated, we are introduced to Bo (Norman Tran), who gives a long, well-rehearsed TED talk about his art, the situation in China, and his imprisonment. An honest and soft-spoken performer, struggling between broken English, easily evokes sympathy and admiration. That is, until we learn in the next scene – an interrogation by Bob, the unlikable editor. the new Yorker (Robert Pearson), and Joyce, the thin-skinned freelance journalist who wrote Bo’s story (Rebecca Robinson) – that Bo and his companions may not be as they seem.
Nor is there anything else in this drama. This includes Bob and Joyce, and contemporary Chinese artist Wang Min (Esther Park), whose thoughtful reflections about commodifying the other’s pain and oppression in her art come to the fore next. Nor does the discussion between two friends of a dead dissident artist (Tran and Park) reinforce the notion that there is no such thing as absolute truth in art or life, only personal truth based on perception, interpretation and vantage point. The absence of absolute truth is a unifying theme in the play.
Wang Min’s highly opinionated interpretation of truth in art is delivered with profound confidence and unwavering authority, but his intelligent mockery is mere nonsensical chatter, cleverly crafted to mislead and confuse the audience. And then these realities fall apart, the rug is pulled from under our feet, and it becomes clear that we’ve been messed with. for a purpose.
The entire plot is orchestrated with a precise and unmistakable sleight of hand by director Ken Webster, though designers Mark Pickel (sets), Amy Lewis (lighting), Robert S. Fischer (sound), and Leroy Sakowitz (costume) have minimal contributions. , Walking the gallery housed in the theatre’s small performance space is nothing like the immersive, multimedia experience offered by Off-Broadway and L.A. productions. Caught, and the production values in this presentation aren’t particularly attractive. Luckily, Webster’s cast certainly are, and they have their collective finger on the pulse of this complex one-act drama.
Hmmm, looks like this review isn’t so short after all. Sorry for the cheat, but if you take part in the production of this infuriating and interesting drama from HPT, you better get used to it. And you should.
Hyde Park Theater Caught
511 W 43rd, 512/479-7529
www.hydeparktheatre.org
till 23 september
Running Time: Approx. 1 hour, 30 minutes.
Source: www.austinchronicle.com
