{"id":28855,"date":"2025-02-25T23:00:08","date_gmt":"2025-02-26T04:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=28855"},"modified":"2025-02-25T23:00:08","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T04:00:08","slug":"in-kevin-chengs-dear-diary-two-strangers-discover-commonality-on-a-park-bench","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=28855","title":{"rendered":"In Kevin Cheng’s ‘Dear Diary’, Two Strangers Discover Commonality on a Park Bench"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Kevin Cheng is establishing a name for himself in the \u2018theater of engagement\u2019 sphere: those unfrivolous and existential dramas that train their spotlight on humans at their most vulnerable. In the summer of 2024, Cheng directed Momo Akashi\u2019s Voice<\/strong><\/em>, which had its global premiere at New York\u2019s Chain Theatre as part of its Time Capsule project. At that time, I wrote in my review for CinemaDailyUS how Voice<\/strong> <\/em><\/a>provided audiences with \u201ca raw and insightful glimpse into human frailty as well as endurance.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

The promotional poster for that play featured an empty park bench, which called to my mind Edward Albee<\/a>\u2019s celebrated play Zoo Story,\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>in which two strangers confront their inner demons when they meet by chance on a bench in an urban park.

In his new play, Dear Diary<\/strong><\/em>, which premiered this month as part of the Chain Theatre\u2019s Winter One-Act Festival, Cheng returns to the bench, this time as both playwright and actor. In the brief production, the New York-based Taiwanese dramatist portrays one of two characters who also meet on a bench in Central Park. Cheng\u2019s bio describes him as someone who is \u201cdeeply interested in telling stories that highlight human connections and explore how people grope their way toward a sense of equanimity in face of unexpected life events. And the official synopsis for this charming vignette describes the drama as \u201ca one-act play that explores childhood memories, loneliness, and how unexpected encounters can reopen a past wound with an opportunity to mend it.\u201d

It takes a special talent to portray all of this in such a brief interlude\u2014Dear Diary<\/strong> <\/em>is scarcely a quarter hour long, but Cheng rises to the challenge in both script and interpretation. In this engaging one-act vignette, directed by Emily M. White, Cheng plays the role of Pablo, a nerdy but lovable young man who interrupts Josie, played by Elizabeth McBryde, a serious young woman who comes to the bench regularly to write in her journal. Although she is at first irritated by the interruption, she quickly comes to appreciate Pablo\u2019s ramblings. Though it would be a stretch to say that they “fall in love,” it is clear that they “fall in step\u201d with one another as they discover uncommon commonality and connectedness.

Cheng clearly has a knack for character development, which is quite challenging in as brief a play as this one. One of the pleasures of Dear Diary<\/strong><\/em> is discovering that Pablo and Josie are real people\u2014not stereotypical, cardboard characters. Kudos to the playwright for providing his audience with such an enjoyable glimpse into two lives rescued from quiet desperation as they move out of their comfort zones.

Rating: A
\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

If you like the review, share your thoughts below!<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

Check out more of Edward’s articles.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\r\n<\/ins>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kevin Cheng is establishing a name for himself in the \u2018theater of engagement\u2019 sphere: those unfrivolous and existential dramas that train their spotlight on humans at their most vulnerable. In the summer of 2024, Cheng directed Momo Akashi\u2019s Voice, which had its global premiere at New York\u2019s Chain Theatre as part of its Time Capsule…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":28928,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20471,19],"tags":[16127,25845,26300,25847,26299,22950,16128,26301],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nKevin Chang's 'Dear Diary' Explores the Commonality of Strangers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Kevin Cheng is establishing a name for himself in the \u2018theater of engagement\u2019 sphere: those unfrivolous and existential dramas that train their spotlight on humans at their most vulnerable.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=28855\" \/>\n<meta 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