Written by orange• October 16, 2026• 7:34 pm• CSUF, fullerton, Review, Theater, Uncategorized

CSUF Department of Theatre and Dance presents: A Monster Calls @ CSUF – Review

Written by Patrick Chavis

A Monster Calls is playing now at Cal State Fullerton from October 8 to 17, 2026.

The youthful casting was pitch-perfect, and they can act, too, which is a plus. Under Michael Polak’s direction, the ensemble brings some fascinating physical movement to this complex stage play.

It’s a thoughtful piece, and this ensemble gives the material the much-needed seriousness it requires.

Story:

A Monster Calls was first a novel by British author Patrick Ness. It was later turned into a popular film in 2016 and then adapted into the play I watched at CSUF the other day, by Playwrights Adam Peck and Sally Cookson. It’s about Conor (TJ Rodriguez), a teenager who is dealing with the fact that his Mum (Caylie Natsch) is suffering from a serious case of Cancer and is on chemotherapy.

The play explores repression, shame, and anger, and what happens when we can’t face the truth. It explores these ideas through fantasy, violence, and realism.

The play is told from Conor’s heightened perspective, so while it deals with realism, the characters often act in heightened, unrealistic ways. In some sense, the characters act symbolically in ways that reflect how Conor feels and thinks. But we also know it’s not only symbolic, because it shows real physical things that appear in the real world.

The play plays in between these lines, and they’re all true in some sense, whether literal, psychological, or even fantastical, since the stories can also offer hope and perspective.

Direction/Costume:

I found Polak’s staging largely effective in showing how trauma can grow, and the small and large moments that contribute to it—using Projections and a few undoubtedly creative structures. The centerpiece is this huge paper mache tree with books and pages hanging over the set. Crystal Shomph’s video projections, combined with Scarlett Orantes’s sound effects, make the show, in a word, feel trippy. I was also impressed with the inclusion of some popular tunes from Nirvana and the Beastie Boys.

And wow, can this group move. Crawling and dragging on the floor, the ensemble moved at times like an all-consuming entity.

Acting:

Much of the clothing from Costume Designer Alayna Riley revolved around school, so many of the actors wore really straightforward university outfits. But Aiden Bett’s character has a very distinctive design, looking like a creature possibly out of the Chronicles of Narnia. While Bett’s doesn’t move much in this production, his narration of the stories and general presence translated well through the character. I wonder if they could have done a tad more to bring out his otherworldliness.

TJ Rodriguez (Conor) brings so much to the role emotionally, particularly in his scenes with his mother (Caylie Natsch); the two really bring an engaging performance to these moments. Physically, the ensemble members literally move and carry him.

The play doesn’t shy away from violence, and one sequence really goes there, with Jonah Camacho (Harry) selling it. I had to look away a few times. Camacho is deviously good in this role.

As Halloween approaches, we often focus on the obvious scary things that bump in the night, the mythical monsters. A Monster Calls asks us to go a little deeper, and through Conor’s eyes we get a sneak peek into his scared, confused adolescent mind. Few places are scarier than that.