One Night With Janis Joplin At Pasadena Playhouse

I love Janis! I have been wanting to see this performance since I heard about it and been putting it off. But I finally got off my butt and put it into action. Words cannot describe what I happen to see… I was left speechless. I have had my share of being a theater goer from big to small productions. The best of the best, WHY have you not gotten out to see this one is beyond me. No, wait I understand… life has gotten in the way. But if you love or even appreciate the voice of Janis, Do one thing for yourself and for this cast and go out and see them. You will not be disappointed!
Mary Bridget Davies your voice is magical. You left it out on that stage!
Not to say the rest of the cast didn’t., because they did too! Go out there and show them the love of the art!

A million exploding stars! A visceral time travel experience for me. Mary Bridget Davies channels the very essence of Janis Joplin. Sabrina Elayne Carten’s voice blows my mind as well. On my feet, clapping, stomping and weeping. Ball and Chain. Piece of My Heart. Wow! Kudos to the great band, the crew, the Pasadena Playhouse. The Pasadena Playhouse is a pearl. I shall stay tuned to Mary Bridget Davies. One of the greats. I am a fan. Thank you.

I am a huge Janis Joplin fan, and was prepared to be disappointed with any portrayal of her. I was wrong! The portrayal was amazing, the backup singers and support singer who portrayed Etta James and Aretha Franklin were phenomenal as were the musicians. Hearing Mary Bridget Davies sing Cry Baby gave me chills! It was an incredible experience!

Sadly, the teenage boy next to me looked as though he was being stretched on the rack during the entire performance, and his mother’s useless attempts to whisper information to him got tiresome. But the show is WONDERFUL. Excellent performances by Janis and «The Diva,» who influences the show so strongly it’s almost a co-​performance, and not just about Joplin. While there was definitely a predominance of *ahem* mature theatergoers, my seat neighbor aside, no reason kids with a reasonable appreciation for music wouldn’t enjoy. A great night out!

Okay, so why did I think I was signing up to watch a movie about Janis Joplin? When the Unilocal invite came around and I saw the «Playhouse» I thought this was happening across the street at the cinema.
My cousin is somewhere in his 50’s and the biggest Janis fan that I know. I thought it would be a neat treat so I swooped up two tickets as fast as I could. When I sent him a text asking if he would be interested in coming with me, he responded with an immediate «YES!» We didn’t speak until I went to pick him up. Upon getting into the car he says, «You know it’s not a movie, right? It’s a performance».
And holy cow was it a performance! The entire crew was phenomenal. The girl that plays Janis, Mary Bridget Davies, is extraordinary. And I don’t use that word lightly. This woman is the embodiment of Janis Joplin. Her way of speaking, her laugh, and my god, her pipes. Jeeesus.
If you’re at all a Janis fan, do not miss the chance to see this. Hit up
for discounted tickets. There is not a bad seat in the house!

If you are a fan of Janis Joplin, I highly recommend it that you go! :-) If you are not a fan of Janis Joplin, I still recommend you go to see the show. It’s highly entertaining and fun! A show with musical performances of an autobiography of the character, Janis Joplin telling her life through her and her influenced musician’s music, singing and performances.
Everyone was on their feet or moving in their seats to every beat of the songs. Mary Bridget Davies plays as Janis definitely did Janis justice! Her raspy voice was phenomenal!
The set was so beautiful, with all the lighting and props it made the show and all the musicians were all so talented. It was a sold out show the night we went.
You can’t go wrong with any seats because it’s a good view at any angle. The venue at Pasadena Playhouse was perfect. Not too big and intimate enough to feel you’re actually may be part of the show.
Thank you Katie B. and Pasadena Playhouse for giving me an opportunity to enjoy such a spectacular show!
I sure was Rocking my way to heaven!. It was like seeing her in person or maybe I had died and went to heaven already :-P

Tricia Kelly was energetic in her performance as Janis. I enjoyed the camaraderie between the cast members as well as the engaging of the audience. It felt as if it were a real concert. A lot of fun!
The Pasadena Playhouse is within walking distance from my home so, I have attended many performances there. I enjoy the quaint ambiance of this venue. They have great and well executed productions. Can’t wait to see what the 2012 – 2014 season brings.

It was phenomenal! Those free tickets from Katie B. Unilocal were a godsend!!! Parking was convenient, having dinner right next door at the Red White Blue Jazz was a plus; and the shows was incredible!

This is an amazing show! Foot stompin’, shoulder shakin’, head swayin’, hands clappin’ fun is what it is. Mary Bridget Davies exudes Janis Joplin in this biographical journey which is both a musical jouney in which you feel you are actually watching Janis Joplin perform and a kind of historical awareness of the incredibly talented ladies who influenced Joplin while she was growing up and throughout her career. Sabrina Elayne Carten plays the blues singer who represents all of these talents and let me tell you, she is magnificent! This lady’s voice is what bluesy dreams are made of… all at once deep, soulful and sultry and yet totally joyful… she can’t help but touch you way deep down inside and move you. The show is sometimes gritty, totally full of energy and just a rolicking good time. Get yourselves there fast!

The show was incredible and inspirational!!! My Wife, and I really enjoyed it, especially how they incorporated Janis Joplin’s musical inspirations.

electrifying.
mary bridget davies fucking nailed the role of janis joplin… the appearance, the attitude, and man oh man, the voice. she sounded just like janis, with that signature husky rawness and sweet soulful vocals.
during my art school days, janis joplin was on heavy rotation on my stereo. if i had her work on vinyl i would have worn out a record or two, that’s how much i listened to janis and big brother and holding company. so it goes without saying that i’m intimately familiar with the magnetism and power of her voice but i didn’t know much about her life, except for a rough understanding of the role she played in the music scene during the sixties and her death of a heroin overdose in 1970.
the play does a great job of sharing the stories of janis’ life that are often overlooked due to her tragic end. i didn’t understand how much of creative soul she was, just searching for her path. and the role art played in her life, lighting the fire inside and pushing her to seek out what was good in the world. and how the blues was one of janis’ musical inspirations, and probably the biggest.
the blues singer, the other main actress in the show, embodied the characters of those great women who inspired janis the most in life– odetta, etta james, bessie smith, aretha franklin, and nina simone. it was amazing how well she was able to slip from one siren to the next and her voice killed it, it was probably one of the best vocal performances i’ve heard in a long time.
the only thing i didn’t dig was the way ‘mercedes benz’ was just sorta tacked on to the end of the show as an encore after the curtain call. it felt forced, like everyone was expecting to hear that song and just because the playwright couldn’t work it into the script, it was added on at the end to appease the audience. not the best note to close on.
but overall it was a stellar show. it really did feel like i got to spend one night just hanging out with janis, listening to her tell stories and jam with her band. and goddamn, mary davies’ performance of ‘ball and chain’ sent chills up my spine with all of the soul she poured into that song…
big thanks to the pasadena playhouse for graciously offering this opportunity, it’s always a pleasure to see a show here, with it’s lovely stage and helpful and friendly staff. and of course, many thanks to katie b. for cultivating this relationship.

Mary Davies, who gave an exhilarating performance as Janis Joplin, explained in a monologue between songs about how she (Janis) grew up surrounded by the songs of classic musicals. This part resonated deeply, because I was also raised around the music of live theater. I had the incredible luck of growing up with season tickets to the theater from the time I was old enough to attend. So from that early age, I developed an appreciation and fascination for the art of live performance, especially musical theater.
Naturally, I was very excited for this Unilocal event! I have to give a BIG thanks to Katie and Unilocal for organizing this, and enabling us to have great seats to this fun performance, and experience Pasadena Playhouse for the first time.
The show was different from what I anticipated — I guess from reading the description, I was picturing we’d get more insight into Janis’ life. Instead, we got a rocking, thrilling live performance, which was more than good for me! In between songs, she would monologue about her musical influences, her art, and about her journey to success.
It was definitely a great time, like getting the rare opportunity to relive a Janis Joplin concert despite being born decades too late for that. Mary Bridget Davies — as others have mentioned — definitely NAILED Janis. Sabrina Elayne Carten gave me chills with her many impressive renditions of classic blues and soul singers, as she transitioned from Nina Simone, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, etc. — the female performers that influenced and inspired Janis throughout her career.
My only regret is not getting to meet fellow Unilocalers! I kept glancing around but couldn’t find familiar faces. Next time, I’ll hunt down you elusive peeps! Thanks again to Katie B., Unilocal and Pasadena Playhouse!

«Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got.»
I had heard many good thing about Pasadena Playhouse
and their performance. But know little about Janis Joplin, but do know she’s big female singer back in the 60’s but very tragic die in young age.
It was near full house, half of the audience was like my parent or grandparent age. The artist did such remarkably job tries to portrait her as much as possible which I quickly become fan of Janis Joplin.
This show truth brought-​back the 60’s music performance to alive. I like it isn’t too loud just fit for this type of audience. The lighting and customs were amazing too.
Thanks for Katie B and Pasadena Playhouse for hosting this awesome event!

I was my sister’s +1 for this event. I’ll admit that I’m not familiar with Janis Joplin’s music. I probably should’ve listened to her songs prior so I’ll be more familiar, but oh well. Overall, I thought it was a great show. It’s like being at a concert, but you also get to learn a little about Joplin through her dialogue.
I thought Mary Bridge Davies did an excellent job portraying Joplin. Her high, husky voice was amazing. And her moves while she’s singing, wow. It looks like she really did study Joplin and know her well from her performance this evening. One question does come to mind though, «Will she lose her voice with so many performances?»
I was also very impressed with Sabrina Elayne Carten as the Blues Singer. She was absolutely wonderful. Her voice voice was truly amazing. Despite me being extremely tired, she really captivated my attention. She was belting out the songs.
And of course, what makes a show great is also the audience’s reaction to it. And this audience got into the show by clapping and singing along to some of Joplin’s songs. Some were also shouting out, «We love you, Janis!» Almost feels like I was at her concert.