BEYOND - Schachner Vs. Schachner

For the first preview I saw, Abby Schachner was still getting down the sequences of her text, but it didn’t matter because she embraced every forgetful moment with such intensity that we were still with her as she battled herself. Schachner’s childhood story, where her father was charged for hiring a hit man to kill her mother, feels like it should be a Lifetime Original Movie. Thankfully Schachner forgoes the melodrama and jabs straight into absurd, manic comedy. A tremendous and inventive performer, she fuses random elements, absurd props and fragments of her relationship with her parents into a compelling, funny, and wrenching story. It’ll make you feel like you’ve been punched in the gut (mainly from laughter). ... full review

Abby Schachner is a revelation. Raw, high-energy, engaging, and strong, she held the audience in the palm of her hand. There is dance, spaghetti brains, and a murder mystery! Above all, there is a solid script performed by a truly gifted woman. GO!!... full review

This is a show you actually wish were longer b/c it's clear there's so much story in the Schachner family's vault. Abby is a great performer, and she carries the weight of her deeply loaded past with humor, energy & insight!... full review

This show was brilliant! Abby is engaging, vulnerable, intelligent and moves at lightning speed-don't blink, or you'll miss her hilarious right hook and be down for the count. One of the very best pieces at Fringe this year-had a great time!... full review

A wonderful and compelling story brilliantly told! Loved it.... full review

Oh Abby!! Now my admiration for her as a comedic genius has expanded to being awestruck at how she has been able to compile her own commentary on her own extreeeeemely heartbreaking drama-filled past into a concise 55-minute show! We're watching investigative journalism at its finest, people. And just when you want to take her in your lap and stroke her hair, she hits ya wit da 1-2 punch of hilarity and wit. Wowza!! So glad I got into this over-sold out performance. Arms like Linda Hamilton. -rasika mathur... full review

One of my fringe picks for sure- Abby's story is important and compelling and I have to say...good for this bold solo artist for stepping into the depths of what is not tidy or easy to talk about - Abby truly goes there for 55 minutes and invites the audience along with her - it was an honor to be able to witness this from the edge of the stage on account of the show deservedly selling out! Would love to see this show extended and am a definite Abby schachner fan - Abby's work is raw and unapologetic - she says what she really means and let's us see the triumph and the tragedy - plus a brain made of spaghetti - a true testament to finding light in the darkness- if you missed this show try a lot harder next time!! Bravo. ... full review

Holy Balls! Abby Schachner is the "Toledo Tornado" in this Tour de Divorce. Funny, dark, and confessional in the best possible way, this show comes alive thru masterful storytelling. Assisted by the spot-on 70s music cues, sound effects that nail the moment, & hilariously low rent props, Schachner fights a battle with her past that is thrilling, chilling, & spaghetti spilling. A+, mofos.... full review

Schachner vs. Schachner is tragic, hilarious, raw, unhinged... an exploration of one childhood's darkly defining moments and the scars they left behind. Trust me, Abby's story isn't one you've heard before. But it's a wonderfully human story, full of humor and sadness and anger. A story that anyone who ever wrestles with the past, and those nagging voices in the head, can relate to. Hopefully today's won't be the final performance, because more people need to experience Abby and her latest work.... full review

Riveting from beginning to end. Not to mention funny, shocking, poignant, suspenseful, and inventive as hell. With the simplest of props and conceits (in this case, the framing device of a boxing match), Schachner spins a tale of love, abandonment, personal identity, betrayal, truth-seeking, and so much more. A natural storyteller, comfortable in her own skin despite the discomfort of her subject matter, she draws in the audience so that we're hanging on her every word. Truly an impressive acheivement in all regards.... full review