The Chinese Massacre (Annotated) at Atwater Village Theatre

The Chinese Massacre (Annotated)

Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Ave Atwater Village

Based on historical incident, the play chronicles the first race riot in Los Angeles history: the 1871 lynching of 18 Chinese men by a mob of 500 "people from all nations." Jacobson's fiercely theatrical re-telling brings to light the remarkable, culturally diverse 19th-century Wild West town that exploded into the metropolis we know today.

Presented by Circle X Theatre Co.

Thru - May 28, 2011

Price: $15-$28

Show Type: Drama

Box Office: 323-644-1929

www.ensemblestudiotheatrela.org

The Chinese Massacre (Annotated) Reviews

Average Rating based on 5 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Los Angeles Times - Somewhat Recommended

"...Part of the problem lies with the play itself, a massively ambitious but stylistically pretentious piece based on an 1871 race riot in which 19 Chinese men and boys were lynched. Another problem lies with Jeff Liu's enterprising but only sporadically successful staging, which fails to rein in the sprawling dimensions of Jacobson's very busy text."

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- F. Kathleen Foley

Backstage - Somewhat Recommended

"...Director Jeff Liu's production becomes more involving when it moves past the choppy early sequences into brilliantly staged action scenes, moving toward an intriguing climax. Jacobson's storytelling isn't always as lucidly or cohesively structured as it should be. Yet compensations come via the intrinsic power of the true events and splendid performances from the versatile 14-member cast. Particularly strong are Mitchell as the possibly duplicitous reverend, Liang in two roles that harbor big surprises, Ho as the human chattel caught amid the gang rivalry, and Lisa Tharps as Biddy Mason, a black slave turned philanthropist."

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- Les Spindle

Edge - Somewhat Recommended

"...The main issue with the play is the cacophony that so many characters and plot lines create, especially as the play portrays cacophony to begin with. The limitations of theater itself come to stymie Jacobson, primarily because spoken dialogue has only a horizontal dimension."

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- Trevor Thomas

Stage Scene LA - Highly Recommended

"...The Chinese Massacre (Annotated) further cements Tom Jacobson's reputation as one of our finest and most fascinating contemporary playwrights. It is a play that will mesmerize you, make you think, set you to researching Los Angeles history, and most of all, keep you thoroughly entertained from start to finish."

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- Steven Stanley

ReviewPlays.com - Somewhat Recommended

"...The play is "annotated" with narrated parenthetical asides uttered by some of the actors from downstage right and downstage left. Most of these asides are rich with irony and humor, but while some comment on the action, they don't necessarily clarify it. What's lacking is a linear time line. Action jumps from the "present" of when the play begins, which is some 20 years after the 1871 lynching, to the events leading up to it."

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- Robert Axelrod

The Chinese Massacre (Annotated) at Atwater Village Theatre