THE ONES WE LEAVE BEHIND - THE CULTCH & VANCOUVER ASIAN CANADIAN THEATRE

Photo by Ray Shum

This isn’t the first time writer, Loretta Seto, has had her work featured at The Cultch. In 2016 her play Dirty Old Woman took the stage. As I talked to Seto after opening night, she said The Ones We Leave Behind has a much different tone than the comedic wit of her previous work. She was glad to hear that although it was a more serious story, the comedy of the play (Abby’s mother - played by Alannah Ong - in particular) still landed. The crowd seemed thoroughly entertained.

This was a great technical show, but I feel like it lacked heart in some areas. I had a hard time believing the relationship conflict between Abby and her boyfriend Kyle, (maybe it was surreal to play ‘dating’ when the couple is married in real life!) but the relationship between Abby and her mother had depth and was very convincing. Shoutout to Gerald King and Dorothy Dittrich for excellent lighting and sound design.

For a full list of cast, crew and show times, check out https://thecultch.com/events/the-ones-we-leave-behind/ and plan to catch the Artist Talkback after the performances on the 28th and 30th. For more Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre, check out http://www.vact.ca. 

The Ones We Leave Behind is playing at the Cultch Historic until 3 November 2018.
Tickets at: https://thecultch.com/events/the-ones-we-leave-behind/

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~ reviewed by Chantal M. Marie