Review: Seattle Public Theater's CAUGHT Examines Twisting Truth

Absolute truth is an elusive thing. In our daily lives we lie to get what we want. We lie to be polite and spare someone's feelings. We lie by not telling all the facts. And sometimes we lie by manipulating the facts so they're true to us. Seattle Public Theater's current production "Caught" by Christopher Chen walks a treacherous tightrope between truth and lies on multiple levels with a thoughtful and humorous show. And even as engaging as it was, ultimately it felt a little long winded and I question what its own truth really was.

Now, Dear Readers, I always try and tell you the truth (at least my truth) but I'm going to have to lie to you a bit in order to not give away the myriad twists and turns in the show. In that vein, I'm just going to say about the show what SPT's own press release says. "SPT has partnered with Xiong Gallery to present the retrospective work of legendary Chinese dissident artist, Lin Bo, who was imprisoned in a Chinese detention center for a single work of art. Bo shares with patrons the details of an ordeal that defies belief in this immersive, labyrinthine exploration of truth, art, and cultural appropriation where nothing is as it first appears." I can tell you that they have indeed partnered with the Xiong Gallery and have transformed the lobby of the theater into an art gallery showing off the works of three different Asian artists. Any more than that I'm going to have to keep mum about lest I give anything away.

Director Jon Kretzu has done a fine job with keeping the audience on a slightly uneven footing. He preys upon our familiarity with theater tropes as well as our willing suspension of disbelief any theatergoer needs to continually pull the rug out from underneath us. A rug we didn't even know what there. And while the pacing was well done I question some aspects of Chen's script which at times felt like they went on too long and ultimately didn't resolve much of anything.

Kretzu has assembled a top notch cast whose performances I can't go into too much to avoid those spoilers. But here's what I can say. Kevin Lin manages the jumping off point of the piece wonderfully and sets the tone and premise so well that you don't even expect ... oh, no, can't say that. Rebecca Olsen is warm and likable as the ... nope, shouldn't tell you that either. Daniel Wood turns in some hilarious moments as the ... um ... person also in the play. And Keiko Green is deliciously over confident and brash as the woman who was occupying space on the stage with the other actors. OK, I don't think I gave anything away. Whew!

What I can tell you is that even with its few downfalls it's still an interesting and fun show that will keep you guessing on what the truth really is. And with that in mind I give "Caught" a truthful YAY with my three letter rating system. You'll have a good time and that's no lie.

"Caught" from Seattle Public Theater and Xiong Gallery performs at The Bathhouse through June 12th. For tickets or information visit them online at www.seattlepublictheater.org.

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