“A FULL-THROTTLE THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE”
“Never underestimate the power of stagecraft. Case in point: ‘Carrie: The Musical,’ now receiving a mind-blowing immersive production at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.
What a spectacular show. Brady Schwind oversees a massive environmental staging, the space reconceived as gymnasium, complete with bleachers that move at key moments into new arrangements, taking us with them. A full-throttle theatrical experience -- Cirque du Soleil meets Disneyland, with pig’s blood ”
David C. Nichols – LOS ANGELES TIMES
“POWERFUL, COMPELLING THEATER AT ITS BEST”
“Powerful, compelling theater at its best, ‘Carrie the Musical,’ in its local premiere at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, is a sensational production.
Director Brady Schwind’s immersive production... is at once gripping, horrifying and beautifully moving. It’s also one of the best shows you’ll ever see anywhere – one not to be missed.”
Eric Marchese – ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
“FINALLY SOMEONE GOT IT RIGHT”
“Quite simply, La Mirada Theater’s high-voltage, present-day re-imagining of CARRIE – THE MUSICAL is one of the most thrilling, most riveting theater pieces I have ever seen. Period.
Seriously, folks--this is the revival this musical has been waiting for and its rabid fans deserve. Yes, finally, someone got it right. That someone is director Brady Schwind.
Michael L. Quintos – OnStage
“SIZZLING 'CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF'..."
* * * *
The Neighborhood Playhouse may not be a household name, but that's likely to change if Artistic Director, Brady Schwind keeps staging top-flight productions on par with Southern California's top regional theaters. Schwind's deft direction of a remarkably talented cast ignites- delivering a taut, nearly flawless revival of Tennessee Williams' instant classic "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."
Jeff Favre, The Los Angeles Daily Breeze
“ONE OF THE MAJOR THEATER COUPS OF THE YEAR..."
In one of the major theater coups of the year, Covina Center For The Performing Arts obtained the rights to stage the L.A. Regional Premiere of Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas’s extraordinary THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, winner of a deserved six Tony awards in 2005.
Now, in one of the biggest theatrical triumphs of this or any year, CCPA’s production, superbly directed by New York / L.A. based Brady Schwind, and starring three of Broadway’s most talented performers, recreates the magic of the Lincoln Center original on a warmer and more intimate scale. With Schwind (whose brilliant direction of PARADE earned him a spot on StageSceneLA’s Best of lists), PIAZZA gets the inspired director it deserves.
Steven Stanley, StageScene Los Angeles
“CRITICS PICK..."
Astoundingly, it has taken a decade for this compelling musical drama, PARADE — a Tony winner for Alfred Uhry's book and Jason Robert Brown's score — to receive a full L.A. staging. Director Brady Schwind's imaginatively scaled-down rendition beautifully captures the poetry and power of this extraordinary piece...We thank our lucky stars this long-neglected gem has arrived in such expert hands.
Les Spindle, Backstage
“A TRIUMPHANT PARADE."
There are two remarkable things about the Neighborhood Playhouse's production of the 1998 musical "Parade" by playwright Alfred Uhry and composer/lyricist Jason Robert Brown. One: that a small fledgling company would take on the Los Angeles-area premiere of this complex and controversial musical about anti-Semitism in America in the early years of the 20 th century - and succeed so brilliantly.
Two: that this all but unknown organization, led by director Brady Schwind is willing to go where major presenters such as the Center Theatre Group, Pasadena Playhouse and South Coast Repertory have feared to tread.
For that adventurous spirit alone, Schwind and company deserve a mighty "Bravo!" But what makes their achievement even more impressive is the degree to which this production triumphs as a searing piece of musical theater.
Jim Farber, The Los Angeles Daily Breeze
“JOYOUS."
The demanding, widely underappreciated 1994 tuner "Parade" may be coming into its own. The L.A. professional premiere from the South Bay's Neighborhood Playhouse demonstrates the material's suitability for a chamber ensemble approach. Helmer Brady Schwind refuses to reduce the tragedy of Leo Frank to a mere anti-Southern screed... Schwind takes advantage of the facility's low-ceilinged room with wood paneling and spinning fans to seat us in three-quarter thrust inside a courtroom thriller.
Bob Verini, Variety
“Never underestimate the power of stagecraft. Case in point: ‘Carrie: The Musical,’ now receiving a mind-blowing immersive production at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.
What a spectacular show. Brady Schwind oversees a massive environmental staging, the space reconceived as gymnasium, complete with bleachers that move at key moments into new arrangements, taking us with them. A full-throttle theatrical experience -- Cirque du Soleil meets Disneyland, with pig’s blood ”
David C. Nichols – LOS ANGELES TIMES
“POWERFUL, COMPELLING THEATER AT ITS BEST”
“Powerful, compelling theater at its best, ‘Carrie the Musical,’ in its local premiere at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, is a sensational production.
Director Brady Schwind’s immersive production... is at once gripping, horrifying and beautifully moving. It’s also one of the best shows you’ll ever see anywhere – one not to be missed.”
Eric Marchese – ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
“FINALLY SOMEONE GOT IT RIGHT”
“Quite simply, La Mirada Theater’s high-voltage, present-day re-imagining of CARRIE – THE MUSICAL is one of the most thrilling, most riveting theater pieces I have ever seen. Period.
Seriously, folks--this is the revival this musical has been waiting for and its rabid fans deserve. Yes, finally, someone got it right. That someone is director Brady Schwind.
Michael L. Quintos – OnStage
“SIZZLING 'CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF'..."
* * * *
The Neighborhood Playhouse may not be a household name, but that's likely to change if Artistic Director, Brady Schwind keeps staging top-flight productions on par with Southern California's top regional theaters. Schwind's deft direction of a remarkably talented cast ignites- delivering a taut, nearly flawless revival of Tennessee Williams' instant classic "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."
Jeff Favre, The Los Angeles Daily Breeze
“ONE OF THE MAJOR THEATER COUPS OF THE YEAR..."
In one of the major theater coups of the year, Covina Center For The Performing Arts obtained the rights to stage the L.A. Regional Premiere of Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas’s extraordinary THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, winner of a deserved six Tony awards in 2005.
Now, in one of the biggest theatrical triumphs of this or any year, CCPA’s production, superbly directed by New York / L.A. based Brady Schwind, and starring three of Broadway’s most talented performers, recreates the magic of the Lincoln Center original on a warmer and more intimate scale. With Schwind (whose brilliant direction of PARADE earned him a spot on StageSceneLA’s Best of lists), PIAZZA gets the inspired director it deserves.
Steven Stanley, StageScene Los Angeles
“CRITICS PICK..."
Astoundingly, it has taken a decade for this compelling musical drama, PARADE — a Tony winner for Alfred Uhry's book and Jason Robert Brown's score — to receive a full L.A. staging. Director Brady Schwind's imaginatively scaled-down rendition beautifully captures the poetry and power of this extraordinary piece...We thank our lucky stars this long-neglected gem has arrived in such expert hands.
Les Spindle, Backstage
“A TRIUMPHANT PARADE."
There are two remarkable things about the Neighborhood Playhouse's production of the 1998 musical "Parade" by playwright Alfred Uhry and composer/lyricist Jason Robert Brown. One: that a small fledgling company would take on the Los Angeles-area premiere of this complex and controversial musical about anti-Semitism in America in the early years of the 20 th century - and succeed so brilliantly.
Two: that this all but unknown organization, led by director Brady Schwind is willing to go where major presenters such as the Center Theatre Group, Pasadena Playhouse and South Coast Repertory have feared to tread.
For that adventurous spirit alone, Schwind and company deserve a mighty "Bravo!" But what makes their achievement even more impressive is the degree to which this production triumphs as a searing piece of musical theater.
Jim Farber, The Los Angeles Daily Breeze
“JOYOUS."
The demanding, widely underappreciated 1994 tuner "Parade" may be coming into its own. The L.A. professional premiere from the South Bay's Neighborhood Playhouse demonstrates the material's suitability for a chamber ensemble approach. Helmer Brady Schwind refuses to reduce the tragedy of Leo Frank to a mere anti-Southern screed... Schwind takes advantage of the facility's low-ceilinged room with wood paneling and spinning fans to seat us in three-quarter thrust inside a courtroom thriller.
Bob Verini, Variety