Kevin Cheng is establishing a name for himself in the ‘theater of engagement’ 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’s Voice, which had its global premiere at New York’s Chain Theatre as part of its Time Capsule project. At that time, I wrote in my review for CinemaDailyUS how Voice provided audiences with “a raw and insightful glimpse into human frailty as well as endurance.”
The promotional poster for that play featured an empty park bench, which called to my mind Edward Albee’s celebrated play Zoo Story, 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, which premiered this month as part of the Chain Theatre’s 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’s bio describes him as someone who is “deeply 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 “a one-act play that explores childhood memories, loneliness, and how unexpected encounters can reopen a past wound with an opportunity to mend it.”
It takes a special talent to portray all of this in such a brief interlude—Dear Diary 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’s ramblings. Though it would be a stretch to say that they “fall in love,” it is clear that they “fall in step” 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 is discovering that Pablo and Josie are real people—not 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
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