Susan Granger’s review of “Out of Time” (Public Theater-Martinson Theater/Off-Broadway)
Serving the recent quest for diversity and inclusion, “Out of Time,” a presentation of the National Asian American Theater Company (NAATCO), consists of five staged monologues reflecting how older Asian-Americans continue to feel unaccepted by the general public.
Playwright Anna Ouyang Moench’s “My Documentary” is a powerful beginning. Dressed in black, actress Paige Leong reveals: “I remember the last time I touched someone.” As her narrative evolves, she relates how her parents fled China in 1949, how she became a documentary filmmaker, how she met her husband and other turning points in her life.
She reflects on the pleasure she derives in knitting: “I make one sweater every three years. I don’t make them for other people. I don’t do homemade gifts. Nobody wants your handmade gift. They say they do. They think they do. But, in reality, you pour your spare hours into this beautiful collection of tiny knots…(only to discover) your daughter-in-law wants to look like that model she saw in the Gap ad.”
Mia Chung’s somewhat confusing “Ball in the Air,” performed by NAATCO co-founder Mia Katigbak, who enters playing with a paddleball, reflects on betrayal and crumbling relationships.
Then there’s Jaclyn Backhaus’ “Black Market Caviar,” performed by actress Rita Wolf, that delves into eggs and her family’s genetic predisposition for cancer: “Don’t succumb to the fear.”
Following the intermission, there’s Naomi Iizuka’s “Japanese Folk Song,” a ghost story performed by Glenn Kubota, who introduces himself as Taki but then admits he’s only an imitation – like zirconium, or margarine, or pleather. Nevertheless, he’s an admirable raconteur, confessing to hating jazz but loving good whiskey and a good cigar.
Then there’s Sam Chanse’s “Disturbance Specialist” with Natsuko Ohama as a once-popular but now ‘problematic’ novelist delivering a speech at her alma mater. She refers to those who endured painful setbacks – like the Pinatubo volcanic mouse, the only species that survived the aftermath of a volcanic eruption at Mount Pinatubo. Scientists dub this animal a ‘disturbance specialist.”
Conceived and directed by Les Waters, it’s a moving, yet uneven, emotional experience revolving around global anxiety. Kudos to scenic designer dots, costumer Mariko Ohigashi, lighting by Rza Behjat, and sound by Fabian Obispo.
“Out of Time” is performed through March 13 at the Martinson Theater, part of The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street at Astor Place.