PRESS
On the world premiere of The Formula, by Kathryn Chetkovich, directed by Ellen Maguire
“An ambitious blend of comedy and philosophy . . . A perfect play . . . Ingenious . . . A captivating work of performance art . . . The scramble to examine, reverse or accept the fallout of the chemical manipulation forms the heart of this brilliant, sophisticated play . . . In league with her co-conspirator and director Ellen Maguire, Kathryn Chetkovich has devised a challenge to our socially conditioned fantasies.”
Christina Waters, Good Times (July 2022 review)
“Very funny . . . Wonderfully witty dialogue . . . Lively staging.”
Sam Hurwitt, The Mercury News (July 2022 review)
“A landmark moment for the company . . . ‘Ellen is a terrific leader, just a really open and nurturing collaborator.’”
Steve Palopoli, Good Times (July 2022 feature article)
“With The Formula, I wanted to both honor and question the wish for one true love. We live in a time when marriages routinely end in divorce. Are all those marriages mistakes, or could it be that the mistake lies in our notion of the one perfect mate? What might a happy ending, and a happy life, look like if we took that question seriously?”
Chetkovich, Q&A with David John Chavez, Bay Area Plays & Chair of the American Theater Critics Association (August 2022)
“A wonderful new play . . . a sci-fi reimagining of 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream,' that, through the device of a love-inducing chemical spray, was able to say some new and lovely things about the nature of passion.”
George Saunders, NewYorker.com (2019 interview)
“A fresh new take on romantic attraction . . . the play’s smart, contemporary vibe, relatable characters and vivacious humor completely seduced me . . . The script cracks with funny lines . . . 'The Formula' is also asking anew, in the context of our more neuroscience-savvy age: What is exactly going on when we feel the attraction of crush-y love? . . . funny and brightly entertaining . . . Bring someone you love, or want to love you back, or used to love, or want to love again.”
Wallace Baine, Lookout Santa Cruz (July 2022 column)
“Treats abound in Santa Cruz Shakespeare's summer . . . Kathy Chetkovich's 'The Formula' reimagines the love nectar from 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' as the experimental substance of a current-day scientist who studies attraction. The elixir, of course, won't be contained by its lab, and the site of its escape is the researcher's own wedding.”
Lily Janiak, Datebook Pick, The San Francisco Chronicle (August 2022)