BEYOND - Schachner Vs. Schachner

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

I LOVE this show!!! Abby Schachner is so damn funny, and so damn good at transforming her darkest life experiences into comic revelations. This is truly magical theater: heartbreaking, hilarious, brutally honest, transformative, absurd, sublime. I laughed, I cried, and I will most definitely come back and see it again. ... full review

If you see any show, see this one. Abby is poignant, hilarious, fearless, unselfconscious, moving, athletic, so watchable it's crazy. I went to a morning show and it was packed, over-packed! See Abby. ... full review

Loved it! I brought two people along with me who had never experienced an Abby show, and they were blown away. Abby gives it her all. The show is both funny and touching. Abby is just dynamic. I'm going again.... full review

Abby tells a fantastic story in a captivating, energetic way. The true crime tale was an incredible narrative straight out of classic Hollywood movies like Fargo. Abby's personal connection lent an intimate point of view that made the experience like none other. Go see her show and be amazed.... full review

Schachner vs. Schachner is totally insane, and I mean that as the highest compliment possible. Abby throws herself into the performance with gut-wrenching force. The real life story of her parents' divorce would be rejected as too over-the-top if it was turned in as a screenplay. Abby blends props, music, photos, silly voices, goofy dancing, and old newspaper clippings in a creative and a madcap manner shouldn't work, but somehow does due to her fierce commitment and manic genius. You'll never look at a plate of spaghetti the same way again. See this show and thank me later.... full review

When I left the theater last weekend after seeing the indelible one-woman show Schachner vs. Schachner, I wanted to share what I just saw with my best friends, my sister, my high school locker-mate, my pharmacist, and HBO comedy executives if I knew any. There were no beverages sold at this theater, and good thing because the audience would be drenched in each other's legitimate spit takes. Yes, it was that funny. But the reason I want everyone to see it is because Abby Schachner truly puts her actual self out there, and what is revealed--in her dysfunctional, poignant, horrifying, shameless, hysterical, surprising, artful and vivid story--is a tremendously courageous and gifted artist. The sense I got that she hasn't yet embraced her ow... full review

I recently drove six hours to Los Angeles to see my friend Abby Schachner’s latest one-woman show, "Schachner vs. Schachner," part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival. It was worth it. The “feel bad comedy of the summer,” as it’s billed, is about a doctor accused, tried and acquitted of hiring a hit man to kill his ex-wife – setting up a unique family dynamic that would play out for years to come. The twist? It’s true – and Abby, their daughter, has been saddled with a supporting role since childhood. DISCLOSURE: The artist and I share a home town. I don’t remember the events portrayed in "Schachner vs. Schachner," but my mother does. I also helped her with some Internet research, though I don’t know if – at the time – she was planning on... full review