OEDIPUS EL REY: 100% Sweet – UPDATED

Photo by Ed Krieger.

SWEET
Alfaro spins much of this in a colloquial lexicon that makes it all the more forceful. Some of his passages — Tiresias’ musings on what a father really is, after Oedipus has beaten and reviled him (beautifully played by Rocha) — are memorable and moving. Huen is charismatic, the ensemble is strong and the production design — lighting (Jeremy Pivnick), scenic design (John H. Binkley) and sound and music composition (Robert Oriol) — is impeccable.
Deborah Klugman – LA Weekly

SWEET
This work might remind us why the Greeks developed and supported theater. Today, as film becomes more technologically advanced and less interested in storytelling, it’s even more important that theater tell stories for our times and for always, being direct yet asking us to use our imaginations. To this production, we say thank you. Y gracias.
Dany Margolies – Backstage

SWEET
Disclaimer: This review is a bit scary for me, because I’m afraid that nothing I write will adequately do this show justice. Please allow me be blunt on the outset: This show is fantastic!
Keisha7 – LASplash

SWEET
This production is a bold retelling of the myth, with stark and effective staging (set by John H. Binkley) and a driving urgent rhythm under Rivera. Because this production includes adult situations and nudity, it is not recommended for children.
Jana J. Monji – LA Examiner

SWEET
Director Jon Lawrence Rivera works seamlessly with his team of designers to achieve a stark elegance: John H. Binkley’s striking set — a red stage sliced in two by a set of prison bars — pops under Jeremy Pivnick’s superb lighting, while Robert Oriol’s electric guitar riffs capture the story’s vibe of sex, aggression and unease. It’s an immersive experience, even when Alfaro’s thematic focus strays. Beyond the love story, it’s not quite clear what larger truth this modern Oedipus reveals; the production’s sense of tragedy feels rhetorical rather than visceral. Still, the final image chills. Alfaro may not conjure epic catharsis, but his “Oedipus” makes the point that we all have our blind side.
Charlotte Stoudt – LA Times

SWEET
Where so-called “edgy” or “experimental” theater is concerned, the line between brilliant and pretentious is a fine one indeed, and in this reviewer’s experience at least, the latter is more often the case than the former. That’s why it’s such a pleasure to report that Theatre @ Boston Court’s production of Luis Alfaro’s Oedipus El Rey is out-and-out brilliant theater, even for playgoers whose tastes run, as mine do, more toward the traditional.
Steven Stanley – StageSceneLA

SWEET
It is always exciting to see a new treatment of a classic. Oedipus El Rey is a retelling of the Oedipus legend placed in a Hispanic context. Culture Clash does this but this approach can be beset with troubles and you often ask yourself “why?” Not in this case because Oedipus El Rey as conceived by Luis Alfaro and directed by Jon Lawrence Rivera is a great success thanks to the fine writing, great and imaginative direction, and strong casting.
Robert Machray – Stagehappenings

SWEET
Of course, in an ideal world, Oedipus El Rey itself would be at the Taper or at least the Taper’s sister CTG theater, the Kirk Douglas. That way, everyone would get wages commensurate for their talent and skills and hard work, and the larger CTG audience would be able to track Alfaro’s work from 2005 until now. However, as I’ve noted here, CTG appears to have lost interest in producing locally-set plays by local playwrights. CTG’s loss is the Boston Court’s gain.
Don Shirley – LA Stage Watch

SWEET
If this play were to be done in true Greek fashion – sans sets, lights, and sound – the story would still be just as memorable. That is due to the tremendous abilities of the ensemble and the delicate staging by Rivera. The finals moments are frightfully stunning as we witness the blind leading the blind, thus leaving us to question our own beliefs in fate and destiny and whether or not we have the power to change it.
Ashley Steed – LA Theatre Review

SWEET
Still, the true star of this presentation is Luis Alfaro, whose ability to translate historical epics into gloriously irreverent masterpieces of contemporary poetry is staggering. His Oedipus El Rey is a major theatrical event for El Lay and this intensely tight ensemble cast, Rivera’s brilliant staging, the fight choreography by Edgar Landa, as well as the starkly beautiful design contributions of John H. Binkley (set), Jeremy Pivnik (lighting), Robert Oriel (sound and original music), and Dori Quan (costuming), are all absolutely flawless components of this production’s uniqueness and success.
Travis Michael Holder – Entertainment Today

Oedipus El Rey is extended through Apr. 11 at Theatre @ Boston Court, 70 N. Mentor Av., Pasadena; for tickets, call 626.683.6883. Or visit www.bostoncourt.com