←Recommendations of Finger

DC Cathro "Finger" masterfully weaves a narrative around a severed finger. Vee's curiosity and protective attachment to this macabre discovery drive the tension. Themes of possession and human connection to body parts are explored with haunting precision.

FINGER is a suspenseful and immensely well-crafted play by DC Cathro. The characters each have unique voices and fully-fleshed out personalities. I had a chance to catch a reading of this with Aston Rep Theatre Company, but I would absolutely cut off a finger to see a live production performed!

I love that such a creepy idea for a play can be simultaneously wholesome, oddly life-affirming and uplifting. Favorite line: "There could be NINE OTHER BOXES OUT THERE." Bravo!

Wow, this play. Vee finds a finger in a box. I have SO MANY QUESTIONS. Luckily, so does Vee, and this whole play delves into the questions and answers surrounding this finger's discovery while jumping back and forth in time in a way that really works well, keeping you engaged and running to catch up. This is a weird one in the best way. It will stick with me.

I wish I could describe the bizarre sense of surrealness that Cathro creates, because he does it by being blatantly, unflinchingly real. An unusual situation? Yes, but one that is so genuinely felt and keening that it begins to break the brain. There's a magic in the ordinary and the different in this play, ultimately forming a tableau of loneliness, wonder, and connection that would be striking to see live. I want nothing more than to see this on its feet. It is a beautiful piece of writing.

Reading this play, I was as eager as Vee to find out the owner of the item in the small box. What really kept me hooked was her own journey and the way that her big discovery changed her. This is a witty and touching play that would be great to see live.

A funny and surprisingly touching story about making connections and caring about something that most people would be repulsed by. Cathro masterfully humanizes an aspect of trauma that is inherently grotesque. The characters are engaging, as well as Cathro's manipulation of time. I would love to see this produced.

There is no sure way to solve for human motivation in any equation, and DC Cathro sets up a great equation here, with a terrific and terrifically unhinged main character unsettling any expectations we might have. (Though who goes in with any expectations about a finger found in a box ?!)

Vee grabbed my attention from the get-go and I would love to see her and the finger's story realized on stage.

An offbeat and funny play that toys with time in an interesting fashion and is populated by dynamic characters. I love how you can take this both as a straightforward story, following the engaging arc of Vee's literal quest, and as a larger meditation on lots of other things--connection, obsession, alienation, and the sustaining of relationships. Lots of priceless imagery here as well, both visual and dialogic!