THE VISIT
A month or so ago, the Artistic Director of a different theatre asked me if I was going to review The Visit at the Pasadena Playhouse, declaring it to be a fascinating play. And, boy, was he correct!
Written by Swiss playwright Friedrich Dürrenmatt in 1956, this new production of it, directed by *Darko Tresnjak, seems modern. *(When I reviewed A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder at the Ahmanson Theatre a decade ago, which I loved and Darko also directed, I marveled of his name, “How’s that for an interesting moniker?” And now I agree with myself.) It’s pretty special, and sad, actually, that a play that was written seven decades ago still has so much relevance in today’s world.
(L-R) Ricardo Chavira, Adrian LaTourelle, Jefferson Mays, John Lavelle, and Matthew Henderson. Photo by Jeff Lorch.
There are many societal aspects of The Visit that can be discussed, but I don’t have the bandwidth for that deep analysis right now. So, for once, I’ll dispense with intellectual comparisons, and even personal anecdotes, (thank the lord, right?,) and I’ll just review what I saw.
The whole thing is way too hard to describe without ruining it for potential audiences. Just know that there’s surprise after surprise. And that it is a tad nutty. I’m still having nightmares over two of the characters! (You’ll know which duo the second you see them! Trust me on this.)
The best way to describe The Visit, I guess, is black comedy. I usually don’t like anything in that category, so I really want to call it something else. But “dramedy” doesn’t seem to fit the seriousness of the subject, either.
The quick scenario, to not give anything away, is this: The citizens of a down-on-its-luck town in Germany, (but it could literally be anywhere in the world—the story is universal,) eagerly await the visit, (hence the title,) of an incredibly wealthy woman who grew-up there. The people in charge plan to ask her to help them out financially, and they hope that seeing her former beau, Anton, (she was seventeen and he was almost twenty, so their love was most likely four decades prior,) will do the trick.
Melinda Page Hamilton and Jefferson Mays. Photo by Jeff Lorch.
I always think it’s better to see a show knowing nothing at all going in. If you’d like to know a bit more, here it is, (but if not, please skip to the following paragraph.) I know it’s a play about morality, but…it’s basically murder for hire! It’s like something out of Dateline! But it’s much worse because it involves an entire population! (I read that the Ingrid Bergman-Anthony Quinn film version of it has a less painful conclusion, which I would have preferred.) I guess in the end, it’s a statement about the power of money. And the desperation of the destitute. And most importantly, I view it as a lesson to men to not cross us women! (I hope that Mr. X is reading this!)
Okay, it’s safe for everyone to continue reading now. I guess the question the playwright was raising in The Visit is: how far would you go for a large sum of money? I’ve known my own answer for some time now. When I was doing my TV show back in the day, Playboy repeatedly offered me 50k to do a spread. My agent was not happy that I kept turning it down, especially because they promised it would be “tasteful.” (Yeah, right.) And then I was telling my business manager the other day how an older friend of mine had just done a part in a TV series where she had to be naked for some of it, and that I would not do that for even five billion dollars! He was appalled that I would turn down that staggering amount, of course, because money is his biz. (And you all thought I would keep my promise of no personal anecdotes! Silly fools.) This play should make people consider their own monetary boundaries, but then realize they might change as that sum gets real.
John Lavelle and Jefferson Mays. Photo by Jeff Lorch.
The story itself is one thing, but the execution is another. And the one at the Pasadena Playhouse is fabulous! It’s close to being a masterpiece. I can’t believe that a topic such as this has laugh after laugh. The Opening Night audience was guffawing at times!
The entire cast is spot-on. I kept thinking that they must be having the time of their lives doing this play!
Ever since I first learned about Jefferson Mays’ Tony Award-winning performance in I Am My Own Wife, I’ve wanted to see him work. And now we Angelenos are lucky enough to have this opportunity. (I had missed his acclaimed collaboration with this same director on Amadeus at this same venue in February. Can you guess why? I was obsessively watching the Olympics, of course.) He’s so excellent that I saw him as only his character, and not the Broadway star I was there to see!
(L-R) Ricardo Chavira, Lauren Worsham, and Jake Levy. Photo by Jeff Lorch.
And this show served as my introduction to Melinda Page Hamilton, who is chilling as the rich woman, Claire. I kept wondering how I had never heard of this first-rate actress before! And Jake Levy and Lauren Worsham are the wonderfully-creepy duo who gave me the aforementioned nightmares!
But John Lavelle’s performance as the Burgomeister, (mayor, basically,) pleased me the most. He consistently made me laugh out loud, which was hard to do that night when I was exhausted from my non-stop pre-Emmys weekend! (Oh wait—does that sentence count as a “personal anecdote,” too? Maybe I just can’t help myself.)
On technical notes, I especially appreciated the brilliant wardrobe by Charlotte DeVaux Shields! And the set by Alexander Dodge is also wonderful. A lot of the action takes place on a higher platform on the stage, which makes it a pleasure to see. His design, (in collaboration with the director,) of one early scene that reminded me of The Last Supper was especially powerful. (It’s the pic at the top of this review.)
The Visit runs an hour and forty-five minutes with no intermission. But it goes relatively fast.
This is not from the play, but I saw this story on-line the next day, and the last line struck me because of The Visit’s narrative.
I have to admit that this is actually one of the hardest reviews I’ve ever written. I’ve re-lived the show to everyone I know, so I spoke it, not wrote it. And if I transcribed my monologue into writing, I would ruin the whole show for you, and still not come up with the best way to describe it. On the way into the theatre that night, I bumped into a buddy who sort-of ruined the big surprise for me with just one word. I want to discover shows for myself, not see what other people told me about it beforehand. I want that for everyone, as well, so this one has been extremely difficult to review without spoiling anything. So, if you’re someone who also likes to be surprised, maybe don’t read any other reviews, which, though perhaps on higher planes than mine, might spoil it all by being akin to term papers.
Just visit The Visit for yourselves!!! You cannot possibly be disappointed.
The Visit running through October 4, 2026
Pasadena Playhouse 39 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena
626-356-7529 www.pasadenaplayhouse.org
