Brandon Gill and Brandon Micheal Hall. [Jeff Lorch / The Pasadena Playhouse]
On a very cold night just outside of Times Square, I also once thought that I was smarter than the Monte men out on Eighth Avenue. I’d seen them so often, I was lulled into thinking I could actually tell where that elusive red ace was hiding.
Yes, I fell for the shill, the Monte hustler’s partner, as he gleefully won several hands in a row.
But everything in the game is a deception.
I watched carefully as the card hustler moved, his hands swooping swiftly through the air, quickly rearranging the cards, in a blur, keeping up the rapid and distracting chatter.
It was all over in a hurry, leaving me to walk the 20 blocks home with empty pockets, and likely a tear beginning to well up. That scene probably happened 50 times a day on that corner, and hundreds of times every day in that city.
In “Topdog/Underdog,” the three-card Monte scam is, of course, a metaphor for life’s illusions—where the game is rigged and the players are set up to fail.
Pasadena Playhouse’s production of Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play takes that notion, and delivers a stunning theatrical experience, led by powerful performances from Brandon Micheal Hall and Brandon Gill.
The two-man show unfolds in a run-down New York City basement apartment, where two brothers—Lincoln (Hall) and Booth (Gill)—grapple with their past, their present, and their ever-uncertain future.
Abandoned by their parents as teenagers, the brothers cling to survival through skill, deception, and one hustle or another. Booth, determined to become the best three-card Monte hustler in the city, practices tirelessly, convinced he can outplay fate.
Lincoln, ironically, has stepped away from the street hustle and now makes a living impersonating Abraham Lincoln in a tourist attraction—yes, a black man playing the former president, wearing a costume, complete with a fake beard, and reenacting his assassination daily.
Lincoln lives with the irony of it all every day.
Under the seasoned direction of Gregg T. Daniel, the production moves with the rhythm of its own high-stakes card game where the winner and loser shift every moment. Hall and Gill’s chemistry is electric, propelling the nearly three-hour performance with sharp exchanges, raw vulnerability, and gloriously painful humor.
Hall is mesmerizing as Lincoln, carrying the weight of responsibility with a quiet, resigned sorrow, yet still capable of playful charm. Gill’s Booth, on the other hand, is a live wire—restless, explosive, and desperate for validation.
Their performances are so finely tuned that even in the silences, their presence fills the stage.
The set, designed by Tesshi Nakagawa, is a perfect reflection of the brothers’ world—worn-down, confining, yet filled with remnants of a past they can’t escape. The minimalism of the staging works to the production’s advantage, keeping the focus on the performances and the relentless psychological chess match between the two brothers.
Jared Sayeg’s lighting design and Jeff Gardner’s sound design subtly enhance the shifts in mood, while DJ Tru’s compositions and Maritri’s guitar work add an evocative layer of atmosphere.
Much of the electricity of “Topdog/Underdog” lies in Parks’ sharp, poetic dialogue—every word, every pause, every repeated phrase carries weight. The play is, naturally personal and universal, tackling themes of brotherhood, survival, systemic oppression, and the illusions we hold onto to keep moving forward.
Pasadena Playhouse, fresh off its 2023 Regional Theatre Tony Award win, has once again delivered a production that demands attention. In addition, the theater’s “Pay It Forward” ticket initiative allows community members affected by the recent Los Angeles fires to experience the show free of charge—a testament to the Playhouse’s commitment to accessibility and impact.
“Topdog/Underdog” is really not to be missed. It’s a production that lays bare the human experience in all its pain, humor, and complexity.
Just keep your eye on the red card.
Topdog/Underdog” runs through March 23, 2025. Tickets are available at pasadenaplayhouse.org, or by phone at (626)356-7529.
