Reviews of PETE's Productions
PCS presents PETE's a seagull June 29-July 13,2024, in the Ellyn Bye Studio. Read what critics have said about a seagull and PETE's previous productions.
What critics are saying about a seagull
Oregon ArtsWatch's preview of a seagull: PETE gets down to the Chekhov nitty-gritty
"Rejecting the playwright's doom and gloom, "a seagull" swings audaciously between faithfully exploring Chekhovian themes of art and life and blowing the questions up." — Oregon ArtsWatch
Praise for The Cherry Orchard (2022)
“This play is filled with so many moments of love and laughter, it is remarkable.” —Oregon ArtsWatch
“…positively stuffed with meaning, movement, and energy” —Portland Mercury
"I’ve never seen a production perform as wild a balancing act as this one" —Oregon ArtsWatch
"PETE pushes situations to the boundaries of absurdity (and often beyond) to reveal deeper truths about human nature" —Broadway World
Praise for Uncle Vanya (2018)
“PETE brings their [Vanya] to life with live music and imaginative staging… Instead of treating Uncle Vanya with either too much or too little reverence, PETE’s production simply attacks Chekhov’s text with gleeful enthusiasm.” —Willamette Week
“…this new adaptation of Uncle Vanya from PETE is much better, more visually interesting, and funnier than the agèd workhorse of Sad Russian Plays has any right to be, thanks to a new translation, wise casting, inventive staging that includes almost-continuous live music […] and an ambitious set design.” —Portland Mercury
“PETE makes the case for the comic version [of Vanya] in the best possible way, which is to say on stage, with real actors taking real chances in front of a live audience. World weariness is easy; comedy is hard… It’s easier when you have a solidly updated script, a sharp jazzy trio […], and a cast in tune to the inner logic of the farce inside Uncle Vanya…” —Oregon ArtsWatch
“Surpassed my very high expectations… Coleman’s performance as Vanya is remarkable. Director Cristi Miles has crafted a punishing role that brings Vanya’s inner torture into the physical realm… Ultimately, it’s funny and gut-wrenching, and it perfectly captures the anxiety of boredom, the irresistible allure of shiny things, and the hopelessness of realizing that this is it.” —Broadway World
Praise for Three Sisters (2014)
“The acting company functions as a wonderfully wrought symphony. Each actor gives us a uniquely envisioned character but they are all skillfully blended within the whole.” —The Oregonian
“These elements—a new translation, an excellent cast, and unique staging—present a vibrantly blooded, breathing portrait of House Prozorov and its three sisters. The production is so fully in its world, and so obviously respects its characters, that the actual plot seems incidental, by which I mean inevitable. It can't help but happen, and you can't help but watch.” —Portland Mercury
“This production might do for you what it did for me: Turn my thinking about The Three Sisters upside down in the most unexpected, telling, clever, and hilarious ways. Maybe that’s not how you think you want your Chekhov?” —Oregon ArtsWatch
“Masterful. A living, breathing theater for the ages. Another knockout from PETE… Outstanding ensemble and fresh translation give Chekhov’s characters clear trajectories. Immersive staging utterly transforms new Reed studio. Unmissable.” —Portland Theatre Scene
“The show has the company’s visceral, iconoclastic stamp all over it, from the inventive staging to the tension between stillness and motion… this production is immediate and alive.” —Willamette Week
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