Los Angeles Times - Recommended
"...In past productions, "El Grande" ran a leisurely two acts - a daunting amount of time to sustain such silliness. The updated, one-act Ruskin production, which features a raft of new comic material, runs a breezy 75 minutes - and the comic momentum never flags."
LA Weekly - Recommended
"...It's a tribute to the inventiveness of the ensemble (House, Nina Brissey, David Lago, Lila Dupree, Aaron Jackson and Paul Denk) that the variations on this one joke never grow stale or repetitious. They are all skilled and exuberant comedians, but a special word must be said for Jackson, who brings a devil-may-care physical recklessness and a wistful, eager-beaver charm even to his slapstick."
Santa Monica Mirror - Recommended
"...In addition to the broad and ribald humor, these are physically challenging roles, calling for great athleticism, superb comic timing, coordination and tight choreography, and this production has all that in spades. It's always funny to see professionals play amateurs, especially when done well and convincingly, which it is here."
Broadway World - Recommended
"...EL GRANDE DE COCA-COLA is an extravaganza of timeless humor, in five languages you never knew you could speak. And trust me, even though most of this musical is performed in Spanish (more like Spanglish, really), it won't matter a bit given the brilliance of each member of the cast to act out what is being said. You will laugh yourself silly just as I did through the entire 70 minute show.
LA Splash - Recommended
"....The fun-loving, silly part of you that you had when you were a child. If it's dormant, this could wake it up."
StageHappenings.com - Somewhat Recommended
"...It's a fun evening, although it didn't excite this critic. However, the audience had a great time with it, so it will not be a wasted evening for anyone."
ReviewPlays.com - Recommended
"...Want to see a mad-cap, hilarious comedy? Then trek on down to the Ruskin Group Theatre in Santa Monica and catch the uproarious antics of El Grande de Coca Cola."
Examiner - Recommended
"...The play is a hit, no matter what language it's in, receiving rave reviews at every stop, and after seeing 'El Grande de Coca-Cola' at the Ruskin Theatre in Santa Monica, I understand why."
ArtsInLA - Recommended
"...There is a simple ethic to executing a spoof: find very talented performers to play performers with no talent, and have them do it with utter commitment. El Grande's ensemble is certainly up to the task. Within a 70-minute running time, master of ceremonies Don Pepe oversees a plethora of groan-inducing novelty acts, including often hilariously inept attempts at acrobatics, magic, marksmanship, Shakespearean monologues, dancing that ranges from tango to hip-hop, and vocals that bombard such styles as pop, heavy metal, and even opera."
On Stage Los Angeles - Recommended
"...This tireless cast of five performs every act to the hilt with quick changes and accents and seldom is heard a true English word and yet it's all clear as a bell. The action never stops and it really doesn't matter when some of the dialogue gets lost in major laughter through out."
Culver City News - Recommended
"...What results is the worst variety show ever assembled filled with slapstick mishaps and acts that are so bad they're funny. Ruskin Group Theatre presents this madcap in a speedy 70 minutes that is ridiculous in the extreme and hysterical to boot."
LifeInLA - Not Recommended
"...The entire show is peppered classically funny moments like this, making the seventy-minute show just fly by."
The Los Angeles Post - Recommended
"...If you're a lover of the ridiculous I highly recommend El Grande De Coca Cola."
