Los Angeles Times
- Somewhat Recommended
"...As is typical with Red Dog productions, "Greedy" is crisply offbeat and well acted, but the best efforts of director James Roday and his talented cast fail to smooth out the rough edges of Gajdusek's fractured story line."
LA Weekly
- Somewhat Recommended
"...The bulk of the play shifts between the two homes (designer Kurt Boetcher's dual-view mock-up is well done) with much time and dialogue spent on what is negligible, instead of the ugly fraud that lies at the heart of the play or the psychological portraits of those involved, neither of which are artfully or convincingly constructed. The only surprise comes at the end, but it doesn't redeem the sputtering path toward it. That's not to fault the actors, who perform well under James Roday's direction."
Backstage
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Raising several thorny questions, Karl Gajdusek's quirky black comedy feels more diffuse than cryptic. The playwright touches upon myriad contemporary topics-Internet scams, avarice, baby-snatching, family dysfunction-without convincing us he had a coherent theme in mind, aside from a cynical view of contemporary mankind. Director James Roday, a solid ensemble cast, and a terrific design team lavish TLC on this endeavor, providing moments of sly humor and a stylish sheen. Unfortunately, the sum of their collaborative effort isn't as good as the disheveled parts."
LA Theatre Review
- Recommended
"...The production of greedy by Red Dog Squadron was excellent. The set by Kurt Boetcher was marvelous, using the tiny space very well, although the final moment was staged in such a way that most of the audience had to crane their necks to see what the front row was oooh-ing about. It separated the stage into two very distinct apartments, the seedy, overly cluttered apartment of Louis and Janet and the upper-middle class living room of Paul and Tatiana. The two rooms are separated by a screen that slides out and becomes, with the clever use of rear projection, what ever location is needed for intermediary settings."
LAist
- Recommended
"...Even if Gajdusek's intriguing plot twists portend a little bit more than they deliver at the end, director James Roday's journey through the motivations and machinations of these five emotionally desperate characters is always compelling and often chilling. The design team (Kurt Boetcher, Mike Durst, Gali Noy, John Zalewski, and Kerry Derzius) creates a lot of atmosphere on a relatively small stage. And the whole cast is great."
EyeSpyLA
- Somewhat Recommended
"...It's a shame that this play did not live up to the Red Dog Squadron's successful "EXTINCTION" production last year. The company seems to be following a rather bleak theme here about the murky underbelly of humanity and while the talents of this company lend well to these twisted psychological characters, "greedy" did not leave much to be desired."
Stage Scene LA
- Somewhat Recommended
"...While greedy lovers are likely to rave about a play which "makes the audience think," greedy haters will doubtless rant with equal volume about its deliberate, frustrating abstruseness. I find myself caught somewhat in the middle, enjoying the brain-teasing aspect of Gajdusek's script, but annoyed that so much vital information ends up missed in the effort to figure out just who is who and what is what."
StageHappenings.com
- Recommended
"...Fortunately, co-artistic director James Roday has an easy time bringing the best out of this fine ensemble of actors. However, his amorphous artistic vision cannot focus the uneasy stew of absurdist and realistic elements in Gajdusek's dense narrative. The set design (by Kurt Boetcher) tends toward ultra-realism for constantly changing, cinematic short scenes that might have played better with simpler staging. Lighting by Mike Durst works well with the design. Costuming by Gali Noy fills the bill, and the sound of rain (by John Zalewiski)….well done."
Examiner
- Recommended
"...As the run of greedy continues the cast members, which was fascinating on opening night, are bound to find more levels and edges in their well-written characters."
Culture Mob
- Highly Recommended
"...GREEDY is a fun ride with lots of strong performances and a plot that keeps you guessing. It's definitely worth seeing. Just remember to sit up straight and cock your head at the very end."
