PROGRESS Theatre continues its slate of 2022 shows, this time with Joseph Heller’s Catch 22, directed by Guy Nicholls.
The play follows the fortunes of John Yossarian, a fighter pilot at an outpost of the US Army, as he navigates the maze of misdirections and mistruths created by his superiors, his doctors, and his fellow soldiers.
As his friends and colleagues die around him, he quickly loses sense of something he doesn’t understand to begin with.
Firstly, the cast works hard to spin the plates of the play’s characters, with nearly 40 of them played by the production’s nine actors.
The principal cast switches between the characters with dizzying speed and ease during the first half of the play.
During the second half, however, the characters start to merge, deliberately mirroring the constantly building confusion the play invokes as well as Yossarian’s own reaction to the events.
Incidentally, Adrian Tang’s portrayal of Yossarian holds the production together, as his embodiment of one of the few seemingly sane characters is believable.
His directorial experience shows too, as he acts with a considered technicality.
Paul Haigh’s portrayal as the chaplain is similarly commendable in its pathos, especially as it is his theatre debut.
Elsewhere in the cast, Jose Tornadijo’s portrayal as both the psychiatrist and Wintergreen gives the roles fresh, confident humour which shines through.
Katie Moreton and Emilia Sammons also bring a comical vibrance to their roles which jumps from the stage, especially when the two finally share a protracted scene together towards the close of the play.
This is particularly true of the Texan, played by Moreton, and Captain Black, played by Sammons, who steal the show in many of their scenes.
The production’s set design does a good job of evoking the mid-1940s aesthetic without being over-dressed or getting in the way.
It also hits the practical beats that the play needs, including the all-important window for Major Major.
Overall, this production encapsulates the pure paradoxes at the heart of the source material.
In fact, it embraces them and knowingly pits them against one another to create a cacophony of contradictions.
Catch 22 runs at Progress Theatre, The Mount, from Tuesday to Saturday, May 2 to May 7.
Tickets are £12, available from www.ticketsource.co.uk.
