Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania
Pasadena Playhouse’s production of Inherit the Wind, unfortunately, disappoints despite the electric chemistry of its two stars, Alfred Molina and John Douglas Thompson. Director Michael Michetti has chosen to give the play a contemporary feel — with a cast that looks and sounds like modern-day Americans — but in so doing, the play loses the intensity that comes from seeing the present through a lens of the past. Read more…
Terry Morgan – ArtsBeatLA
One of the great pleasures of theater is seeing a revival of a classic play not only succeed on its own merits but also be relevant to modern times. Certain works such as The Crucible or Enemy of the People never stop being relevant, because the themes of neighbor turning upon neighbor or the lone voice of reason being suppressed by the powerful unfortunately reflect a constant of human behavior. Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee’s Inherit the Wind is another such show, with its contest between religious hysteria and science, which if anything reflects our current time more than when it was written in 1955. The new production at the Pasadena Playhouse is superb on all levels and is a must-see. Read more…