How far would you go if someone offered you an outrageous sum of money on one condition, and if you were willing to go that far, how would you rationalize your decision to do the unthinkable? These are the questions at the heart of Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s The Visit, now being revived at the Pasadena Playhouse in a production so spectacular, you’d think you were seeing it on Broadway.

The individuals forced to ask themselves these questions are the citizens of Güllen, a Central European town that has, over the course of the past few decades, gone from prosperity to poverty with no hope whatsoever of returning to past riches, that is its wealthiest and most celebrated former inhabitant, gazillionairess Claire Zachanassian (Melinda Page Hamilton), pays it a visit.

As to why Claire left Güllen as a teenager, well that has something to do with popular local shopkeeper Anton Schill (Jefferson Mays), who despite being married with children, still cherishes the memories of his teen romance with Claire, though perhaps a good deal more fondly than she does all these years (and seven husbands) later.

What has motivated Claire’s return to Güllen all these decades later, soon-to-be-husband-number-eight in tow? Who is the elegant elderly gentleman accompanying her on her mission? Why are two blind eunuchs and a black panther part of her entourage? And most importantly, what is it that she wants from the Güllen citizenry in exchange for the cool billion she’s willing to bestow on them?

In case you aren’t familiar with Dürrenmatt’s play, or its 1956 Broadway adaptation by Maurice Valency that’s being presented here, I won’t reveal what Claire has in mind for Anton.

Suffice it to say that despite initial reservations, and without committing themselves to anything specific, the people of Güllen begin showing up at Anton’s shop to buy premium foreign cigarettes, imported chocolates, and expensive meats, all of the above to be added to their tab and paid for at some later date.

And what’s with the bright yellow shoes the townsfolk have all begun sporting? Have they already started counting on a coming windfall, tacitly acknowledging that it’s only a matter of time before they accede to the devilish deal Claire has made with them?

All of this adds up to a play that asks each audience member to ponder the question, “How far would I go to convince myself that something I know to be morally wrong is morally right?”

And if Dürrenmatt wrote his play as an indictment of the moral compromises that went into Switzerland’s neutrality during World War II, it’s every bit as relevant in today’s United States as its Pasadena Playhouse revival makes abundantly clear.

Reuniting Tony-winning actor Mays and Tony-winning director Darko Tresnjak from last season’s Amadeus, Pasadena Playhouse once again delivers a Broadway-caliber revival that doesn’t stint an iota where production values or cast size is concerned.

Not that the Playhouse’s seventeen-member ensemble is anywhere near as humongous as the original Broadway production’s thirty-three, but it’s downright monumental in 2026, and by trimming the play of its original two intermissions, Tresnjak’s The Visit hurtles like the Flying Dutchman Express towards its inexorable climax as a pair of stunning star turns hold the audience’s rapt attention from start to finish.

The mesmerizing Mays takes Anton from blissful complacency to terrified paranoia to near saintly resignation as Hamilton’s absolutely riveting Claire remains unrelenting and unyielding in her desire to right past wrongs, though whether this is justice or vengeance I’ll leave it to you to decide.

John Lavelle’s pompous, self-justifying Burgomeister, Christian Barillas’s idealistic but weak Teacher, Matthew Patrick Davis’s compassionate but ultimately complicit Pastor, Ricardo Chavira’s initially genial but increasingly menacing Policeman, and Ryan W. Garcia’s compliant, morally compromised Bobby stand out among supporting players, with Jake Levy and Lauren Worsham doing the evening’s most remarkable shapeshifting in four to five roles each.

Indeed there’s not a weak link in the production’s sensational L.A.-based cast completed by Jennifer Chang (Shopkeeper, Frau Schill), Danny Cron (Max), Matthew Henerson (Doctor), Mark Jacobson (Station Master), Adrian LaTourelle (Painter), Ian Joseph Paget (Pedro, Truck Driver, Reporter), Will Pellegrini (Mike), and Hilary Ward (Innkeeper. Frau Bergomeister).

Scenic designer Alexander Dodge, costume designer Charlotte Devaux, and lighting designer Matthew Richards evoke Güllen’s desolation to striking effect before the town’s changing circumstances allow them to go from drab to dazzling, and Jonathan Burke’s standout sound design features a mix of ear-catching effects and Eurodisco beats.

Aaron Rhyne (projections) and Alberto “Albee” Alvardo (hair, wigs, and makeup) complete the design team. Rocio Mendez is fight coordinator. Miranda Johnson-Haddad is dramaturg. David Nevell is dialect coach. Paget is movement director. Davis S. Franklin is production stage manager and Alyssa Escalante and Sue Karutz are assistant stage managers. Davidson & Choy Publicity are press representatives.

Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s The Visit may be celebrating its seventieth birthday this year, but few plays first performed in the 1950s still feel as relevant and contemporary as this one, just one reason why Danny Feldman’s 10th year as Producing Artistic Director of the Pasadena Playhouse is off to a bang-up start.

Pasadena Playhouse, 39 South El Molino Ave., Pasadena. Through October 4 Wednesdays through Fridays at 8:00, Saturdays at 2:00 and 8:00, Sundays at 2:00 and 7:30.
www.pasadenaplayhouse.org

–Steven Stanley
September 13, 2026
Photos: Jeff Lorch

Visit www.theatreinla.com/nowplayingrs.php for a review roundup of what’s now playing in theaters around Los Angeles.

Tags: Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Los Angeles Theater Review, Maurice Valency, Pasadena Playhouse