←Recommendations of The Two Kids That Blow Shit Up

I love this engrossing and wonderfully structured play exploring the constantly shifting relationship between two fascinating characters, Max and Diana, who meet as children when their parents sleep together, and whom we see at different moments in their complex and difficult lives up through their 30s. A moving and theatrical exploration of love and loss.

Max and Diana were united when their parents began sleeping together, and over the next thirty years they manage their folks and themselves, two souls entwined in a need for trust, for having one person that they can entirely count on. And that’s hard. It’s a very touching, soul-bearing work that jumps back and forth in time, from childhood to middle years, and all points in between, creating a tapestry of love and dependence. It’s worth it to have someone.

A fantastic exploration of the unbreakable love that comes from a relationship that transcends friendship. Heartbreakingly beautiful, exquisite work!

What an amazingly observed and rendered portrait of two compelling characters. Ching's refracted chronology is expertly pieced together so as to always keep one wanting to know what happens next but never frustrated by what they don't know. In fact, I was delighted that we were provided a solid foundation for Diana and Max's relationship before we learn some of the central tensions and traumatic events within it. It was a humbling treat to read such well-crafted, natural, and hilarious dialogue. Its humanness made the sad bits hurt more, while also feel strangely healing--much like real and messy friendship.

Reminiscent of non-linear relationship plays such as "Gruesome Playground Injuries" and "Bright Half Life," this play explores the complex relationship between two broken people over the course of nearly three decades. Ching jumps back and forth in time to examine the people Max and Diana were so that by the end of the play, the audience has a full, complete picture of who they are as people. Ching also imbues these characters with warmth and humor--they are both the best and the worst each other, but we still root for them to find happiness. Check it out!

I saw the Kitchen Theatre's production of this play in Ithaca, NY, and was struck by the deeply human, sometimes painful, consistently touching way that it moves through two lives that coexist with one another. Max and Diana's relationship was one that felt so specifically and uniquely defined, and yet one that I recognized too, and appreciated for both of those qualities.

I had the opportunity of seeing a production in Minneapolis in 2016. A non-linear wild ride through the relationship of Max and Di, who start out as childhood friends and end up inevitably as soul mates. Fraught with intensity, with a lot of drinking, this friendship is so fully realized, it's unlike any other friendship I've seen on stage because so much is covered in a span of two decades. Not knowing what to expect from a new scene (chronologically out of order) would captivate any audience. It's the kind of the play that will certainly break your heart.

This play deftly dramatizes the complexities of friendship, family, and love. The fractured narrative structure echoes the the broken-repaired-broken again relationship between these two characters who look outside for the thing they need, which can actually be found right in front of them. This two-hander shines greatly in the hands of actors with the depth and finesse to portray a complete human experience.