CYCLOPS: A ROCK OPERA: 100% – SWEET

"Cyclops: A Rock Opera" now at the Carrie Hamilton Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, presented by Psittacus Productions. Photo by Wenona Cole-McLaughlin.

SWEET
One of them mentions that cruelty in life brings a legacy of contempt, whereas kindness brings a legacy of enduring love. This beautiful idea doesn’t sound particularly Greek, given their rigid codes of honor and revenge. Whether or not Homer or Euripides gave it lip service, that Shakespearean notion anchors and gives this ancient comic-book update its humanity, a moral hall pass for the hedonism it wallows in so gleefully, and with such style and skill.
Steven Leigh Morris – LA Weekly

SWEET
Clearly, Cyclops: A Rock Opera isn’t for everybody. If a little — okay a lot — of risqué humor makes you squeamish or the idea of a love song titled “Sodomy” isn’t up your alley, you might want to pass. If you’re up for raunchy rock about a Greek myth, head on over, and while it’s not essential to worship Dionysus before, it might not hurt.
Anthony Byrnes – KCRW

SWEET
Producing shows from the classical canon is no easy task. Making them fun, vibrant and accessible to modern audiences can be virtually impossible. Psittacus Productions is up to the task and somehow makes it all look so easy.
Patrick Varon – Patrick Varon

SWEET
But I overanalyze. At the end of the day, the excesses of Cyclops: A Rock Opera saturate the audience in infinite pleasures of sight and sound. This rock concert delights in playful ambiguity, excess, and performativity. Drink it in while you have the chance. I’ll be indulging another weekend soon.
Sarah Taylor Ellis – Compositions on Theatre

SWEET
During the evening, wine flows freely—the audience isn’t left out, thank you very much—and the band plays on, loudly and skillfully. The staging is way smart, and the choreography is varied and loose enough to be spot-on. Though not always successful in moving forward any sort of narrative, a few of the songs stand out. A Dionysian drinking song that rallies spirits, LiBretto’s simple lament to Penelope, and the rousing “Sodomy” are tops. And Marcus’ driving ballad “I Am the Cyclops” is a fitting ending to a blood-pumping, full-volume, free-for-all paean to dead Greeks.
Jennie Webb – Backstage

SWEET
There is nothing more liberating than going to the theater in complete ignorance of what one is going to see. If context is everything, then it is no accident that this is exactly what this reviewer experienced just last weekend on two consecutive nights. The results couldn’t be more joyous. There are serious artists at work. And they are as playful as otters.
Harvey Perr – Stage and Cinema

SWEET
The end result is a recommended and inspired evening of unadulterated fun – that is, if you are so enthralled by the 1980s East Village joie de vivre – and some killer tunes – that you are willing to endure a rocky narrative and some indecipherable lyrics. Plus, the adroit band is awfully loud. I will never for-the-life-of-me understand why some folk will excuse unintelligibility for concept (Hedwig and the Angry Inch comes to mind). The quality of innovation on display is unsurpassed; those who are starved for intelligent invention, including yours truly, will not only embrace Psittacus Productions, but thrust them on top of the tallest pillar. However, to reach a wider audience, the plot and lyrics simply have to be more accessible.
Tony Frankel – Stage and Cinema

SWEET
Fortunately, “Cyclops” is such a thrilling freak show that you just give into its luscious chaos. The band, pumping out delectably unique jams while Maenads cavort like flirtatious moths, communicates directly with our irrational side. This is a musical for people who are too cool for musicals yet still yearn for the old Dionysian revelry.
Charles McNulty – LA Times

“Cyclops: A Rock Opera”
Presented by Psittacus Productions
Now at the Carrie Hamilton Theatre
Pasadena Playhouse
39 S. El Molino Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101
April 7 – May 8, 2011; Thursdays @ 9pm, Saturdays @ 11:00pm, Sundays @ 9pm (check for extensions)

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