The Cultch in association with Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre and Zee Zee Theatre
My Little Tomato

When & Where March 9 - 19, 2023, 7.30pm, matinees at 2pm on March 12, 18 & 19 | Historic Theatre, 1895 Venables St., Vancouver. Tickets from $25. Single tickets on sale now through The Cultch’s Box Office: 604-251-1363 or thecultch.com/event/my-little-tomato

Cast and additional credits can be viewed here.

Playwright Rick Tae Director Cameron Mackenzie Assistant Director Jack Bumbala Dramaturg Joanna Garfinkel Producer Derek Chan Associate Producer Shanae Sodhi Set & Props Designer Sophie Tang Costume Designer Melicia Zaini Lighting Designer Jonathan Kim Sound Designer & Composition Mary Jane Coomber Assistant Sound Designer Mishelle Cuttler Production Manager Jamie Sweeney Associate Production Manager Brianna Bernard Technical Director Christian Ching Props Coordinator Monica Emme Stage Manager Yvonne Yip Apprentice Stage Manager Yuting Yue Movement Coordinator Ted Littlemore Intimacy Director Karyn Mott

Reviewer Jason Martin

My Little Tomato, playwright Rich Tae’s surreal romantic comedy, starring Shay Dior, Taylor Kare and Nelson Wong, gives us the juicy fruit we crave and the hearty vegetables we need in a performance that feels sometimes theatrical, sometimes therapeutic, but always endearing.

In an increasingly polarized society, that feels woke, yet still broke, My Little Tomato cuts through the relentless cacophonic hiss we call today’s modern life, to give us a charming, absurdist comedy that is at once quaint and profound, personal and universal.

Keaton Chu, a Chinese-Canadian kindergarten teacher, discovers an unexpected inheritance from his deceased parents in the form of a farm. In an effort to honour his family's legacy, he puts his all into every crop, believing that all life forms have a purpose, even when deformed. Unexpectedly, he finds himself in a romantic relationship with Joe McKinley, a Japanese-Irish-Canadian produce wholesaler and bar star. Through this relationship, Keaton and Joe must face the obstacles of cultural differences and longstanding historical issues, all the while proving to themselves and the world that love can be found in the most unlikely of places.

By the first scene, Wong and Kare win us over, with their comic timing and jovial jousting-as the lights dim on the play’s first scene you’re rooting for them, and ready to see their vulnerabilities collide. While a thoughtful exploration of queerness and race, age and identity, Tae is content for us to read into the subtleties and decipher the absurdity, in this seemingly nonsensical, but courageous script that makes his characters as unique as they are universal. Dior comes short of stealing the show, with just the right amount of sauce to dish out the sass in the roles of My Little Tomato (MLT) and My Little Potato (MLP).

A delightful live rom-com that will soften your heart like ripe tomatoes in the window sill, basking in the warmth of the glowing sun.

© Jason Martin
Photo credits: Sarah Race