Quacks and Whacks
Written by Amanda Miller & Terry Miller; Directed by Catt Filippov
Chain Theatre | 312 W 36th St. 4th floor, New York, NY 10018
April 4th, 6th, 15th & 20th
Photo Credit by Mike Chiodo
Theatre festivals are like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get.
The FRIGID Festival reflects approximately 65 shows will run in rep at 5 different venues. Shows will run a bit under an hour. There will be one-acts and bits of longer works in progress; dramas, comedies and musicals.
If there is anything more absurd than the American Healthcare System, I don't know what it is. So, why not a comedy about cancer!?! Well, maybe not so much about having cancer, as about being diagnosed, wildly expensive tests, and missed opportunities. Having navigated a cancer diagnosis with my own mother, much like the creative team of Terry (Mom) and Amanda Miller. I know the ridiculous course it takes. Turning your suffering into art may not be new, but it is the rare soul who turns it into comedy, with puppets.
Kate Kopajtic is our protagonist on this journey. After years of feeling like rubbish and negative biopsies, she is diagnosed with metastatic cancer. Bryan Fernandez plays a variety of doctors (and cells) who Kate encounters on her road to a diagnosis and eventual treatment. Amanda Miller introduces herself originally as singing cancer cells, and eventually receptionist and doctor. While the journey may seem implausible, I can guarantee its accuracy. Kate's fatigue becomes more and more palpable, as does her heartbreak each time she is ignored. Meanwhile, malignant (I hate to call them that given how cute they are) are replicating and moving throughout her body.
It's hard not to laugh at a situation so ridiculous, and there's no shame in laughing here. I would hear audience members gasps and guffaw as the shock washes over them. You could hear our collective minds churning “why is she being ignored?”, “how can these test cost more than a car?”, or simply “can it be that hard to find a doctor?”. Better to laugh than to cry.
As my last show of the festival, Quacks and Whacks does not disappoint. The direction is dynamic and keeps the pace moving. The puppets are delightful even if you spend the whole show wanting them to die. The performances were pointed and poignant. And you will even go home with a duckie!
Click HERE for tickets.
Review by Nicole Jesson.
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on April 17th, 2025. All rights reserved.