The Pride Reviews
Los Angeles Times- Somewhat Recommended
"...But to leave would be to miss these otherwise fine performances, including that of Matthew Wilkas in a series of mostly comic roles, such as a jumpy, straight magazine editor whose efforts to seem open-minded are so filled with stereotypical assumptions that they prove just the opposite."
Broadway World- Recommended
"...While the play could use a few snips here and there dialogue-wise and, perhaps, a less abrupt ending, THE PRIDE, overall, is an engrossing, cleverly devised drama that shies away from easy stereotypes or the usual gay-tragedy tropes but instead offers fresh perspectives on gay-centric love stories via parallels in the past and present. Under Arden's direction, the play takes on an enthralling, poetic quality that made watching it feel like a special theatrical experience. With the added bonus of some winning performances from its cast, the production currently at the Wallis definitely deserves your rapt attention, even more so now as we wind down a month-long celebration of what it means to have pride."
Edge- Highly Recommended
"..."The Pride," by Alexi Kaye Campbell, solidly directed by Michael Arden, is an extraordinarily intelligent and entertaining play about LGBT progress in the United Kingdom. Set in both 1958 and 2008, we meet three main characters, Philip (Neil Bledsoe), Sylvia (Jessica Collins), and Oliver (Augustus Prew), also three characters played by Matthew Wilkas."
Stage and Cinema- Highly Recommended
"...The Lovelace is a small black box theater, configured here in the round, but director Michael Arden almost magically makes the space feel expansive, with his own set design created mainly from plexiglass and fractured light. His staging of the four actors is masterful; elegant and restrained where needed, yet he is unafraid to cut loose when the moment arises. The flow he builds is rhythmic, musical, and intense."
Stage Scene LA- Highly Recommended
"...The Pride, Alexi Kaye Campbell's provocative, daringly constructed look at the changes wrought over five decades of Contemporary Gay History, has at long last arrived in L.A., masterfully directed at the Wallis Annenberg Center For The Performing Arts by its brilliant Artist-In-Residence Michael Arden."