A Billion-Dollar Bargain in Pasadena, Jefferson Mays Stars in The Visit
The Tony winner reunites with director Darko Tresnjak for Dürrenmatt’s grotesque comedy at Pasadena Playhouse, running through October 4.
Jefferson Mays is in his final weekend as Anton Schill in The Visit at Pasadena Playhouse, where Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s play, in Maurice Valency’s adaptation, began its run September 9 and closes Sunday, October 4.
The premise is cold. The richest woman in the world returns to her struggling hometown, ready and willing to rescue it from ruin on one condition, and an entire community has to decide how far it will go for a billion dollars. Melinda Page Hamilton plays Claire Zachanassian, and the company includes Christian Barillas as the Teacher, Jennifer Chang as the Shopkeeper and Frau Schill, Ricardo Chavira as the Policeman and Danny Cron as Max.
The production reunites two Tony winners. Following their run of Amadeus at the Playhouse, Mays and director Darko Tresnjak are back for what the theater calls a haunting, twisted and truly grotesque comedy. It runs 1 hour and 45 minutes with no intermission, and the staging uses light haze, flashing lights and prop guns. The Playhouse’s own pitch quotes The New York Herald Tribune, which found the play “Stinging with astonishing power.”
The Visit is one of five productions in the 2026-2027 mainstage season at the Playhouse, California’s official State Theater. “This season is all about bold, thrilling stories that make for unforgettable nights in the theater,” producing artistic director Danny Feldman said when the lineup was announced.
Final performances run through Sunday. Tickets are available through the Playhouse website and its box office at 626-356-7529.
