Reviewed by Chris Cassone
cc@chriscassone.com
Stepping off Vermont Avenue in bustling Los Feliz—hipsters everywhere—into Skylight Theater felt like cracking a riddle. The title, Achilles in Arcadia, hit me first, then the immersive setup where we waited: a full-on Chinese restaurant with paper lanterns, painted fans, bamboo panels wrapped in rice paper, and a massive arch. All it needed was a Mai Tai with a tiny umbrella and a steaming plate of Moo Goo Gai Pan. Clearly, the playwright and director were dropping hints about the drama ahead.
We all know Achilles from Homer’s Iliad: the ultimate Greek warrior, fierce and brave, doomed by his heel and his hunger for glory (kleos) at any cost. His tale screams conflict, pride, and shaky reconciliations. Arcadia? That’s the mythic utopia—pastoral bliss, free from urban grit. But modern Arcadia, California? Hardly idyllic (no shade, Arcadians), though Santa Anita’s racetrack nails that green vibe.
Enter a crew of Gen Z misfits rallying around George, our Achilles stand-in, as he directs a revenge-fueled short film. Lovers, friends, betrayal—the plot simmers with twists I won’t spoil.
I’d love to fast-forward to the gut-punch ending, but let’s talk cast: they gelled like pros, worming under my skin. At first, introductions dragged—I strained to hear muffled whispers and rapid-fire lines. Then Gloria Tsai swept in as Aunt Amy, her Eastern grace and charm locking eyes and stealing the show. She fought to unite the fractured family and save their home, and her magnetism spread: suddenly, I rooted for Lily (Devyn Kohl), Pat (Timothy Willard), and Rose (Yulia Belyaeva).
When Jeff LeBeau’s Chuck slinked onstage—limp and loathed as the deadbeat dad who bailed years ago (“The guy ditched us,” George spat)—LeBeau infused him with raw dignity amid burned bridges. Deep down, everyone onstage craved healing. But tragedies don’t mend; they avalanche, making our messes feel justified when they’re anything but.
George (Krit McClean) owned the spotlight: this biracial (Anglo-Chinese) ex-soldier-turned-filmmaker echoes Achilles’ scars—war wounds outside, identity clashes inside. Caught between cultures, like Achilles torn between God and man.
And kudos to scenic designer Joyce Hutter and lighting designer Matt Richter, who put us into this pastoral land of Chinese Arcady (General Tsao and his nymphs). It made more sense as the play developed. My head’s still reeling from that surprise finale—family rancor finally clicked. But standing ovation for the epilogue: Yulia Belyaeva’s poignant traditional Chinese dance, collapsing in tears over her late mother’s scarf. That’s when the matriarch’s loss hit home, raw and real.
Bravo, Chris Collins, for such a cleverly designed plot, characters with a touchstone to my mythology class. As Edith Hamilton put it, ‘When the world is storm-driven and bad things happen, then we need to know all the strong fortresses of the spirit which men have built through the ages.’ And to you too, Kiff Scholl, for bringing his words alive, words that defined the legacy, grief, cultural identity, and familial conflict that we saw take place.
You wove a game of love and revenge—and we solved the riddle: a biracial, war-wounded filmmaker whose creative ambitions and vengeful impulses clash with the idealized harmony of Arcadia, embodied in the Chinese restaurant setting, ultimately united his family through his downfall.
A visiting production, Achilles in Arcadia runs thru Sept. 21; Fri. & Sat. @ 8:00 PM; Sun. 2:00 PM. Skylight Theatre, 1816 ½ Vermont Avenue, Los Feliz
BOX OFFICE: (213) 761-7061; ONLINE at http://achillesinarcadia.com