Theater review: Complex play leaves you thinking

Valley Performing Arts' latest production, Catsplay, is an interesting play that hangs with you long after you have left the theater. The complex storyline examines the lives of two women whose lives have gone in very different directions as they move into their elder years.

On the way home from Saturday night's performance, I began examining the way we look at those older than ourselves, and the perceptions and realities of growing older in our society.

The play tackles those weighty issues in the tragedy/comedy, which was written by Hungarian Istvan Orkeny.

I personally do not prefer tragedies, but the complexity of Catsplay kept me interested, as well as the comedic parts that are intertwined in the story. I can't imagine director Dick Dossett choosing a harder production to make his directorial debut with.

Catsplay is wildly different from recent VPA productions such as Murder After Hours and Scrooge! You have to come into the theater on production night and be ready to have your mind challenged.

Because it is essentially a complex look at relationships, some people may leave questioning if they enjoyed the production or not. It certainly isn't a "fun" performance, but that alone does not make VPA's production bad. It makes it different, and appeals to a much different audience.

Janet Girard, who plays Ursi, is a VPA regular and her performance was what you would expect from her -- very good. Patty Taylor plays Giza, Ursi's sister. She does a very capable job in Catsplay.

Catsplay presents a lot of challenges for a community theater group like VPA, and while it wasn't the best production of their lineup, VPA doesn't do a bad job meeting those challenges with this production.

Justin Walls is a Wasilla resident and frequent theater-goer. He last reviewed VPA's production of Murder After Hours last October.

Catsplay takes the stage at the Fred and Sara Machetanz Theatre on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. The show runs through Feb. 2.