Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"...Pulitzer-Prize finalist Stew by Zora Howard, and directed by Tyler Thomas, opened last Sunday at the Pasadena Playhouse. This play invites audiences into the intimate and transformative space of a kitchen, where Mama and her daughters prepare a special stew while confronting their past and present. With a seamless narrative, Howard delves into the complexities of growing up in a Black household and the challenges faced by blended families."
LA Splash - Highly Recommended
"...Kudos to Tyler Thomas' skilled direction and her ability to keep things moving, yet casual, in this typical middle class home. Chopping vegetables at the kitchen table will do that. The talented cast manages to remove that invisible wall between audience and stage. The actors breathe life into Mama and her brood for the fly-on-the-wall audience. Initially, the play is very funny as these clever ladies engage in hilarious repartee which is clearly lock, stock, and barrel of their usual way of relating."
Stage Scene LA - Highly Recommended
"...Pasadena Playhouse concludes its monumentally successful Tony-winning 2022-2023 season on a sky-high note with Zora Howard's gripping, thought-provoking, thoroughly entertaining "kitchen sink" dramedy Stew."
Showmag - Highly Recommended
"..
Howard’s play was a Pulitzer prize finalist in 2021 and its inscrutability surely was part of its appeal. Unanswered questions abound. The time period, purposely, is not specified, but Samantha Jones’ costuming hints at earlier times. Another interesting take on the play comes from its asymmetrical setting (designed by Tanya Orellana), outlined in vivid neon. Although it is possible to play to the audience in a traditional fashion, the angle itself sets our perceptions askew. In addition, Elizabeth Harper and Yajayra Franco’s lighting goes from too low to blinding in ways that augment the meaning, if not our understanding. Sound and composition by Elton Bradman augments all."
Stage Raw - Highly Recommended
"...Throughout all this action, witty one-liners ("you know who else was tired? JESUS!") and teasing banter pass between the Tucker women in the blink of an eye. The play almost has the air of a classic sit-com, with laughs erupting from the theater audience on a regular basis. Tyler Thomas's direction feels both intricate and seamless, especially as the tone of the play shifts and the façade of cheerful normalcy begins to fall away."
Its Not About Me - Highly Recommended
"...I rarely talk about the playwrights, but this time I feel compelled to. Ms. Howard was in attendance on opening night, but didn't stand when introduced before the show, which means I didn't see her. So, watching the play, with her brilliant and wise writing, I pictured her as a senior citizen, looking somewhat along the lines of Della Reese. And then when I researched her afterwards, I discovered that she's an absolutely adorable very young lady! I have no idea how she was able to depict these generations of women so perfectly. And I believe that Stew is actually her first play! It boggles the mind."
The Hollywood Times - Highly Recommended
"...After being designated the State Theater of California and receiving a Regional Theatre Tony Award, the Pasadena Playhouse is on a roll. Led by Danny Feldman, Producing Artistic Director, the Pasadena Playhouse has had a remarkable 2023 artistic season, highlighted by the recent Sondheim Festival. Taking a turn in a new direction with a production of "Stew" by playwright Zora Howard, the respected venue shows the ongoing versatility of its artistic offerings. As a dramatic story of three generations of African American women interacting as they cook Mama's legendary stew for a church outing, the concoction in the kitchen becomes the ultimate metaphor for these women's lives."
