Cameron Chyun

Coffee, Tea, and Gin

cameron chyun · June 29, 2023 certified reviewer
Coffee, Tea, and Gin is a fascinating thought experiment on the dissonance of values between authors and audiences on two major literature giants. (that coincidentally shares the initials H.P.) Most fiction is an interpretation of an author's deep-seated ramblings made with the hopes that those who engage with it will connect to that discussion in some way. Casey's script revels in his own rambling, making it 100% clear what stances, issues, and conclusions he has as a conflicted consumer of Love... full review

The Sad Life Of A Happy Man

cameron chyun · June 26, 2023 uncertified reviewer
A dour, yet compelling hour of diverse interpretations of self-doubt and artistic pain. Christion Ty Edwards's performance justifies the potentially dragging script into a series of set pieces that kept showing a new side to his talents and the character's personal issues. My only wish is that I really wanted the show to work on the specifics of the characters from their artistic passions, inspirations, experiences, and subsequent disappointments that led to this horribly self-destructive min... full review

YONIVERSE (formerly: YONI KI KAHANIYA)

cameron chyun · June 20, 2023 certified reviewer
Yoni Ki Kahaniya isn't just a deeply contemporary and educational experience that perfectly delivers everything I want from a Fringe play, it is essential viewing to artists and academics. As a writer who ponders deeply on overlooked sources behind societal issues, notably gender and the censorship of female sexual experiences, I felt a range of heavy emotions on the subject matter and the gall of these performers to unite and share these commercially unviable stories. I imagine for most audi... full review

Karma in a Fishbowl

cameron chyun · June 20, 2023 certified reviewer
A charming glimpse into a very specific subsection of the entertainment industry; parental managers titled Mom-agers within the play. The demographic isn't a topic I've seen discussed very often and I can tell that the writer/director gathered this from many personal experiences. As stated in my likes, the character work is impressively done and the situation, while mostly abridged for comedy, does feel strikingly plausible. The best I could say is that I personally felt as if I had really met an... full review

A Definitive Ranking of My Closest Friends

cameron chyun · June 20, 2023 certified reviewer
A hilarious and uncomfortable depiction of voyeurism within a realistically, withering friend group that unfortunately could not stick the landing. At least, within the version of the play I got to see. For 90% of the play, I found the dialogue, character dynamics, and performances super engrossing. The very well-thought-out title delivers the concept perfectly with the friend group feeling both "lived-in" as well as dangerously toxic at the same time. The ambiguity of each character's true th... full review

Nocturne

cameron chyun · June 11, 2023 certified reviewer
My thoughts are mixed. I admire the courage and uniqueness of Nocturne's script being presented as a play/novel hybrid where actions are both seen and verbally described. Especially with how well the main lead was able to confront such a challenge. The somber, longing tone was absolutely well-conveyed in its entire run as a result of the positives I mentioned. Unfortunately, I felt as if this resulted in the other actors having very little to do, and combined with the complaint I had about the... full review

Featuring Loretta

cameron chyun · June 11, 2023 certified reviewer
A very well-cast comedy with a tinge of profundity through its absurdist themes. As funny as the play can be, it maintains a very uncomfortable atmosphere, mostly centered around patriarchal control and the main character's inability to escape her connections and situations. This message, compounded with the ADHD, high-stress directing style through the constant slamming/ knocking doors and a phone ringing over streams of endless arguments and dialogue, contributed heavily to our understanding of... full review

INAPPROPRIATE!

cameron chyun · June 07, 2023 certified reviewer
There is nothing "subtle" about this play and that's what makes it immensely fun. Perhaps it's wrong to think this way too strictly, but the fact that so many of the actors were aged and elderly yet hold such progressive ideas and acting limitations was hugely uplifting. While this is mostly a sketch comedy for quick laughs, I appreciated how normalized sexual freedom, deviancy, and identity were in these shorts. Rather than being laughed at, we were laughing with the actors portraying these stra... full review

Infierno

cameron chyun · June 07, 2023 certified reviewer
A very fun ride turned absurdly entertaining by the creative team's unique touches. The concept of finding redemption far too late into someone's life is morbid and touching in it's itself yet not entirely unoriginal. However, the wackier elements of the performances (especially Alejandro Jimenez's multiple roles) and the striking direction made this play really stand out among the rest. I only worry of the play's accessibility to non-Hispanic audiences due to the dual languages the story is buil... full review

Eyshet F***ing Chayil (A Woman of F***ing Valor)

cameron chyun · June 07, 2023 certified reviewer
This story is a retrospection on culture and inheritance in its most honest form. Biographical plays always risk going too far in portraying mundane facts vs overly-fruitful fiction but this one retains a good balance of both. Tragedy strikes when it's most unexpected, personal growth is uncoordinated, and passions don't always stick. And in this story, it is genuinely unpredictable throughout on what extent Melanie is capable of retaining her Jewish heritage while balancing her separate artistic... full review