Bobby & Matt is a Critics Pick in Back Stage (NY)
Critic Erik Haagensen writes: "With "Bobby & Matt," his epistolary comedy-drama about two very different men who have been best friends since childhood, writer Kevin Cochran has given us a gay "Love Letters." And here's hoping that it gets produced just as often and as widely as A.R. Gurney's classic two-hander. As moving as it is funny, complex yet truthful in its simplicity, and directed with keen insight by Cochran, the show is an absolute gem.
Stephen Hope (L) and Gary Marachek as Bobby & Matt. (photo: Dallas Ocean)
(Press Resource: to download this image low res (216K), click here. to download this image high res (1.7M), click here).
And Erik continues: "Hope and Marachek couldn't be better, working hand in hand with grace and ease to invoke a deep intimacy between the men. Ultimately, they give us two representative journeys to self-acceptance and personal happiness that virtually any gay man will recognize. But thanks to Cochran's specificity and sharp eye for detail, "Bobby & Matt" has an appeal that goes much wider than the gay community. This vibrant portrait of a changing America may be about two gay men, but audience members are bound to recognize themselves in the rich history and humanity of this wonderful tale." To read the entire review, click here.
Stephen Hope (L) and Gary Marachek as Bobby & Matt. (photo: Dallas Ocean)
(Press Resource: to download this image low res (204K), click here. to download this image high res (1.2M), click here).
"If ever there were a time for this play it is now ...affecting...fascinating...a lovely story"
- Kevin Taft, FRONTIERS
We don't think we can put it any better, so here's more from the Frontiers Review:
"Bobby & Matt is the story of two boys growing up in Ohio whose friendship spans decades and all the tumultuous times in between: the ‘60s, the Vietnam War, Kent State and the birth of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Told through notes and letters they wrote to each other, the actors playing the two boys sit on stools reading from those pieces of their memory. As a result, they make Bobby and Matt’s friendship come alive so beautifully and so well-rendered, your imagination fills in every piece of their story as if it was visually unfolding in front of you.
It’s hard to say much about the show as the experience of seeing them grow up is what is so affecting. And while the show consists of two wonderfully expressive actors reading out of two notebooks, the ending of the show—when the men finally stand up from their stools and express their connection together—is a well-deserved tearjerker.
If ever there were a time for this play it is now. What with the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” being questioned and the battle for gay marriage still raging, Bobby & Matt uses those issues to show two men who fought through their own prejudices and ignorance to find a love they could call their own."
Stephen Hope (L) and Gary Marachek as Bobby & Matt. (photo: Dallas Ocean)
(Press Resource: to download this image low res (248K), click here. to download this image high res (2.1M), click here).
Other Praise from the Media:
"There are several gay-themed shows in FringeNYC, as usual, and the one I enjoyed so far is Kevin Cochran's Bobby and Matt . . . the earnestness and
importance of the issues presented here makes it worth our attention."
- Martin Denton (of nytheatre.com) in Downtown Express
"A Great Play...Bobby and Matt is not only the story of gay history from the 1950's onward, but it's also a love story and a story about perseverance and commitment engagingly written and strongly acted."
- KPFK 90.7 FM
(click here to hear the entire piece)
"Kevin Cochran's exciting new play about two friends who endure war, personal hardship and love over the course of a lifetime...is a complex, and at times sobering story, about two men from different upbringings, the challenges they face and their undying commitment to one another...a rich and heartwarming story."
- James Famera, Burbank Leader
---------------------
Bobby & Matt is a Special Event of the GTC New Play Initiative.
Past New Play Initiative productions include:
Blake...da Musical!
(Four LA Ovation Award nominations including
Best Musical in an Intimate Theater
Best Director of a Musical
and WINNER of the LA Ovation
for BEST NEW MUSICAL!)
R.R.R.E.D.
(4 LA Weekly Award nominations including Best Director
and presented as a Special Event at the New York Musical Theatre Festival)
Straight Up With a Twist
(LA Ovation nomination for Best Solo Show and
five month run in NYC at The Players Theatre)
Eternal Equinox
(LA Ovation nomination for Best Set)
Film Chinois
(Three LA Ovation Award nominations and
WINNER of the LA Ovation for BEST NEW PLAY!
selected for the TRU Series in NYC and now published by Samuel French)