A Kid Like Jake at Pasadena Playhouse

A Kid Like Jake

Pasadena Playhouse
39 S. El Molino Ave. Pasadena

On the eve of the admissions cycle for New York City kindergartens, Alex and Greg have high hopes for their son Jake, a precocious four-year-old who happens to prefer Cinderella to G.I. Joe. But as the process continues, Jake's behavior becomes erratic and perplexing, and other adults in his life start to wonder whether his fondness for dress-up might be cause for concern. The story of a husband and wife struggling to do right by their son, A Kid Like Jake is a study of intimacy and parenthood and the fantasies that accompany both.

Thru - Nov 3, 2019

Wednesdays: 8:00pm

Thursdays: 8:00pm

Fridays: 8:00pm

Saturdays: 8:00pm

Sundays: 7:00pm

Price: $20-$35

Show Type: Drama

Box Office: 626-356-7529

www.pasadenaplayhouse.org

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A Kid Like Jake Reviews

Average Rating based on 7 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Broadway World - Recommended

"...All A KID LIKE JAKE's technical elements efficient and spot-on by: scenic designer DeAnne Millais, lighting designer Ginevra Lombardo, composer and sound designer Peter Bayne, and costume designer Melissa Trn."

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- Gil Kaan

Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended

"...The play is not only topical but timeless; the core issue is never seen but changes and provokes the characters, just as Arthur Miller's All My Sons vividly evokes images of munitions factories and war from scenes in a suburban home. Yes, we never meet Jake. With this grippingly unimprovable cast, however, we certainly feel his presence."

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- Tony Frankel

Stage Scene LA - Highly Recommended

"...What would you do if your four-year-old son's love for all things Cinderella represented not just an affection for the fairytale heroine but something considerably more profound? This is the dilemma facing a 30something husband and wife in Daniel Pearle's engrossing family dramedy A Kid Like Jake, a hot-button-issue IAMA Theatre Company West Coast Premiere."

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- Steven Stanley

Pasadena Weekly - Recommended

"...The fights between Peper's Greg and Utterback's Alex are horrible and heartrending and ever so believable. It helps that we can only imagine how Jake looks and sounds. Chambers' instincts as director keep the emotion raw, but manageable, giving us space to think by not demonizing either parent or their friend and adviser, Lawrence's well-meaning Judy."

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- Jana J. Monji

Stage Raw - Highly Recommended

"...Much of the publicity for A Kid Like Jake has focused on the LGBTQ aspect of the subject matter, but there is not really much exploration of this issue beyond how Jake's transgender status should be "pitched" to prospective schools and how the mom and dad themselves are struggling to accept this. For some people, this might be disappointing, but it wasn't for me. The strength of the play lies in its insistence on regarding this couple with a steady and unflinching gaze, refusing to make them more "likable." This is especially true for the mom, Alex. Sarah Utterback burrows deeply into her pain, furnishing a searing portrait of motherhood that will live on in my mind for quite a while, as I suspect it will for most people who see this heartrending production."

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- Stephen Fife

Colorado Boulevard - Recommended

"...A few moments do feel a bit rushed - Haruki and Grace's meet cute is followed by several seemingly truncated moments that would benefit from a little stretching - but each plotline does support the others, and the emotional pay-offs work each time: "It's harder to be without when you have had." Each character craves connection, regardless of how much they each push it away. And ultimately, their journeys push them toward it, rewarding bravery versus perfection."

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- Melanie Hooks

On Stage and Screen - Somewhat Recommended

"...For the most part, the structure works well and Pearle's writing is often quite subtle, organically revealing information in a way that never feels forced. One dream sequence towards the end of the play does not entirely work, perhaps because it is such a stylistic departure from the rest of the piece and its ultimate intention is unclear. While the scenes are enjoyable to watch, thanks to smart dialogue and keen performances, by the end you wonder if this series of conversations actually led anywhere. All of the issues raised are compelling and important ones, but without a clear conclusion the character arcs feel incomplete and a bit unsatisfying."

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- Erin Conley