I liked Dan Caffrey’s Kaiju even better the second time around, and not just because of its absolutely fabulous alternate cast. Seeing it again made me appreciate how this mishmash of a play somehow manages to work despite being essentially two very different one-acts that only coalesce (sort of) in its final minutes.

Danny Bernardo and Rafi R. Perez prove themselves bona fide heart-stealers in the Japanese Giant Monster Movie takeoff that serves as Kaiju’s first one-act, Bernardo investing the furry Goliath with a gentle heart that contrasts perfectly with Perez’s reptilian Apex, who somehow manages to be cold-blooded and sweet and tempered with an accent that’s a cross between London East Ender and posh all at the same time.

And don’t let me forget Shaun Tuazon’s fresh-faced charmer of a Shinji, who gets to facilitate an all-out attack on two gigantic beasts with miniature helicopters, fighter jets, and remote control tanks like a grown-up kid having the time of his life.

It’s also during the first segment that I came to fully appreciate the brilliance of Lacey Anzelc’s scenic design with its miniatures of such Hollywood/NoHo landmarks as the Capitol Record Building, the Warner Brothers Studio Water Tower, the Universal Studios Globe Sign, and the Road Theatre on Magnolia.

I also loved how Ryan McRee’s sound design integrated not only scare-riffic effects but bits of Bernard Herrmann’s Hitchcockian themes with some quirky surf-rock thrown in for good measure.

As to what the Kaiju’s “Post-Show Discussion” has to do with what has just unfolded between Goliath and Apex, well the jury is still out on that. (To go from a playlet about Godzilla-style movies to a heated discussion about, among other topics, Roman Polanski and Yasmina Reza is rather a bit of a head-scratcher.)

But that hardly matters given how brilliantly Krista Conti, Troy Guthrie, Ethan Haslam, Victoria Hoffman, Kate Huffman, and Ivy Khan make “audience members” Sondra, Roy, Kyle, Maggie, Lee, and Rani entirely their own creations. (I refuse to play favorites but Guthrie and Huffman do do some standout scene-stealing as a couple with decidedly different attitudes towards the theater.)

And don’t let me forget to single out the radiant Perez’s on-fire Amelia, who is not about to let audience members take control of the post-show discussion in any way, shape, or form.

 Finally, associate director McRee deserves major snaps for whipping the alternate cast into tiptop shape and delivering a midweek Road show that had me enjoying the wacky hodgepodge that is Kaiju even more than I did the first time.

The Road Theatre, NoHo Senior Arts Colony, 10747 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood. The alternate cast complete their three-performance run tonight, Thursday October 15 at 8:00.
www.RoadTheatre.org

–Steven Stanley
October 14, 2026