Written by orange• May 8, 2026• 3:22 am• Costa Mesa, South Coast Repertory, Theater, Uncategorized, World Premiere

World Premiere: Fremont Ave. @ South Coast Repertory – Review

photo credit: Scott Smeltzer

Written by Patrick Chavis

World premiere of Fremont Ave. playing now at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, April 25 – May 23, 2026.

Playwright Reggie D. White, under the direction of Lili-Anne Brown, has woven a compelling & unflinching multigenerational African American familial drama about what ties us together in spectacular form.

Story:

Fremont Ave. is a three-act play with one intermission, running approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, set in the same house in Sunny So Cal in 1968, 1990, and 2020. Through the years, we watch as this family grows and changes, amongst differences in economics, sexuality, and religious predilection.

At times, because of the time jump between the eras. The play can at times feel like you’re watching a different play, particularly in the first act. The first act, from setup to completion, could be its own play in isolation. The relationship developed between George and Audrey is so touching. When it didn’t continue, to be honest, it was kind of a bummer. The other two acts don’t stand on their own as strongly, but they complement both the first and second acts well. I will say, though, the humor in the 3rd act is elevated to a 10 largely thanks to the comedic wit of the character Damon (Galen J. Williams).

Direction:

With the wrong direction, this play could be confusing because it uses the same actor across the eras depicted in the show. That being said, Bradley Gibson (George/Robert/Joseph) had me questioning whether that was him at times. Also, the mimicked personality traits White incorporates in the story help connect the storylines and the characters’ distinctive perspectives. Not always knowing the connection with the character and then later figuring it out through the dialogue is not only satisfying, I think it is intentional within the piece, and the payback for paying attention is worth it.

I could see White’s play running for a long time. It’s on the pulse, such a great contrast of old and new.

An African American play with balls, which pushes back on the narrative that being gay hasn’t been a serious issue in the black community. The “oh, we already knew, and it’s not a problem” narrative is partially true. There has also been a generation of ingrained hatred toward the LGBT community, which is not isolated to African Americans, of course. These both exist simultaneously, and I think this play provides a balanced take from these perspectives.

The timeskip-dancing transitions, with music spanning the eras, were beautifully executed.

Acting:

Memorable performances from Jerrika Hinton (Audrey), Bradley Gibson, Galen J. Williams, and Doug Brown (Older George), to name a few – overall, solid performances across the board.