Review: CATCH AS CATCH CAN at Steppenwolf Theatre Company

I left Catch as Catch Can at Steppenwolf Theatre Company on Sunday night wondering exactly what I had just seen, and what, if anything, I was meant to take from it. In part, playwright Mia Chung’s play presents as an acting exercise:  It centers on two families —  the working class Lavecchias and Phelans of New England — but only three actors play all the roles. In Amy Morton’s production, ensemble members Gary Cole, Audrey Francis, and Tim Hopper bridge age and gender to play various combinations of parents and children among the two. But to what end? It’s not clear. I thought perhaps Catch As Catch Can would offer some sort of meditation on the parent-child relationship. Perhaps it was meant to explore how children become their parents? It doesn’t.

Likewise, the beginning of Chung’s script offers a few potential narrative threads and themes, but the play doesn’t see them through. Namely, Chung paints matriarchs Roberta Lavecchia (Cole) and Theresa Phelan (Hopper) as blatantly racist. In the play’s first scene, the two indulge in an openly anti-Asian conversation — Roberta ratters off a number of Asian stereotypes. Yes, the script exposes anti-Asian sentiment, but the characters don’t experience any sort of reckoning — besides an estrangement of sorts between Roberta and her son Robbie (also Cole), who’s married to a Korean woman.

The play’s most action-packed scene comes at Christmas-time as the families prepare to host their extended relatives. Morton’s production is most enjoyable here, as Hopper, Cole, and Francis must scramble to switch between their characters at breakneck pace. It’s enjoyable to watch the acting, but again, I didn’t understand the point.

The actors have varying degrees of success switching between their parts. Cole’s affect seemed almost entirely similar throughout, whether he was playing 70-something Robert or her son Robbie in his mid-40s.Though Cole really plays Robbie as a 60-something chill dude must like himself — I didn’t really get the younger reading. Hopper finds more of a distinction between Theresa and her son Tim. I was befuddled, however, during a monologue in which Hopper switches on a dime between both of his roles. That moment felt schizophrenic, which is ironic considering Tim has a psychotic breakdown at the play’s climax. 

That’s not really a spoiler: The play then deals with the aftermath of that incident. Though it also doesn’t seem to be a thematic lens: The play doesn’t offer much new on the experience of mental illness, aside from reminding us that mental institutions seem like deeply unpleasant places.

Francis is the undisputed star of this production. She provides distinct physicalities for patriarch Lon Lavecchia and his daughter Daniela. Francis fully transforms into both characters. It’s entirely clear when she switches, and she shows off her formidable ability to emote in a late monologue for Daniela.

Francis’s ability to nail the acting challenge that Catch as Catch Can presents is not enough to justify the production. All told, this is an incredibly bizarre, underbaked programming choice for Steppenwolf. Catch as Catch Can doesn’t feel ready for prime-time — no themes emerge, and I can’tt come up with any real takeaways from the one-hour and 45-minute play. 

Catch as Catch Can plays the Downstairs Theater at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, 1650 North Halsted, through July 12. Tickets are $20-$173.50. 

More on Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Upcoming Shows

Catch as Catch Can

6/4 - 7/12/2026

Catch as Catch Can

6/4 - 7/12/2026

Recent Articles

Video: CATCH AS CATCH CAN at Steppenwolf Theatre Is On Stage Now

6/12/2026

Photos: Gary Cole and More in CATCH AS CATCH CAN at Steppenwolf Theatre Company

6/11/2026