Stage Review – The Brothers Paranormal
Presented By: Dukesbay Productions
Show Run: October 30th, 2026-November 15th, 2026
Date Reviewed: November 1st, 2026
Run Time: 2 Hours (15-minute intermission)
Reviewed By: Breanne Jensen
The Brothers Paranormal is a story of two brothers who have started a paranormal investigation company, aka your modern-day ghostbusters! I always find it so fun and exhilarating to see a show I have never heard of before and have no expectations of former casts or viewing experiences. What I didn’t expect was a comedic, heartfelt story about culture, immigration, assimilation and what happens if we have unfinished business when we pass on.
If you have ever attended a show from Dukesbay Productions you know their space is intimate and the way their space is used is always inventive, creative and suitable for every story’s needs. Director Scott C. Brown uses a multitude of shaped boxes and platforms to create different scenes, settings and vignettes with minimalistic decoration/color allowing for endless possibilities. The baren sets (Erin Chanfrau, Jennifer York, Niclas Olson) and impressive sound design (Scott C. Brown) complimented one another as well as the paranormal aspects. There aren’t any giant structures or cloths to hide behind so the “scary” parts are exciting and unexpected with lots of build thanks to the hard work of every department and performer. The special effects are hidden within the set (I don’t want to spoil the big moments!) and with the addition of great lighting (Mark Thomason), the production staff knocked it out of the park in execution. The costumes and props (Jeffery Swiney-Weaver) also highlight the story well in an appropriate time era (modern) and flattering choices for the cast and set. All set changes (there are a few that require quite more heavy lifting) are flawless, timely and do not detract from the story’s plot or success (stage management by Kay Meier).
The production comes to life thanks to a very talented and solid cast of performers who bring stage experience, culture and a passion for art to the stage. The paranormal part of our story (Jai), played by Grace Haeun Lee, has the amazing ability to allow the audience to feel the anger, pain and confusion her character feels without ever having to mutter a single word. Lee brought scary to the stage, emotion to her role and wonderful physical acting/pantomime to convey her story. The mother of our two brothers, Tasanee, is played by Susan Kaeka, who embodies a feisty, witty and true Asian American mother in her mannerisms and ideologies. Kaeka made us, the audience, laugh, smile and ponder her character’s bigger picture all while making us want to give her a hug! I also really enjoyed her monologue to the audience that teaches us about Thai funerals, so lovely to learn new things. The character of Felix, played by Jack House, is a man who is married to a customer of our ghost busting brothers and his story is imperative to the plot. House does a wonderful job of playing the doting husband and has great chemistry and timing with his costar. There were moments of uncertainty that I couldn’t tell in dialogue if they were intentional or not, but once the certainty came, so did the understanding of his character.
The older of the two brothers paranormal, Visarut, is played by Tim Takechi, who brings the strait laced, know it all, worrisome older brother to the stage with ease. Takechi’s performance was solid and now that I know the twist ending (again, don’t want to give away too much), I wish I could go back and watch the show again, focusing more on his character, solely. Takechi does a wonderful job of being nonchalant, almost fading into the background even though he is a main character and that takes a lot of skill when it comes to what this show is trying to accomplish, very well done! Delia, who is Felix’s wife, is brought to life by Laurice Roberts. Delia is a customer of the brothers and ask for their help in removing or finding a ghost in her apartment that she can’t seem to pinpoitin language, but feels that it could be Thai, the background of our leading brothers. Roberts has a large line load and yet seems to deliver every monologue or short conversation with ease and so much humor. Roberts executes her role with style, grace and effortless talent.
Last but certainly not least, is the lead of the show, Max, our other brother, played by Dante True. Max set up the business, had the idea to work on it with his brother’s passion and wants to make money for his mother and brother as they are both deeply struggling with mental health/substance abuse issues. True is the entire anchor of this ensemble ensuring that no stone, line, set change, feeling, moment etc goes unnoticed. The comedic timing, gentle charm and natural delivery was my favorite part of the show, and I truly hope to see him on many more stages in our area!
While reading the director’s notes I found interest that he mentioned being a white man directing an entirely bipoc cast and how that entire process came to be. Scott C. Brown notes that whilst he was honored to be asked and entrusted by Aya and Randy (producers of the production) that he felt it necessary to check in with the creatives every step of the way. He asked every actor at auditions, call backs, read through and on if they were truly comfortable with him leading a story about a culture,he doesn’t have experience in living in. Each actor was expressively ok with this, and I found it very profound to bring up the conversations happening behind the scenes to the front of the page. This is a way that we can all continue to grow, learn and identify the importance of what being a leader to BIPOC creatives as a Caucasian creative looks like. Themes touched upon in this show aren’t just mental health because of genetics, but also depression and or ideations brought on by forced immigration and feelings of failure to properly assimilate to a country that you didn’t originate from. Whether it is a place you love, hate or find no pleasure in, it is new and to be ripped from a place you love, can truly impact mental health patterns for generations to come. I’m so appreciative to the playwright for bringing this subject to the forefront as mental health concerns are something many cultures choose not to discuss or acknowledge which can be detrimental. Shows such as The Brothers Paranormal bring a fresh and modern perspective to those conversations. If you or someone you know is struggling, please find and or ask for help!
Dukesbay Productions does a wonderful job bringing such a unique show and experience to the stage of Tacoma. From the sets, storylines, ghosts, special effects and performances, this is a show that you may want to see more than once, once you know how it ends to catch all the little things you may have missed the first go around! They play for two more weekends!
The Brothers Paranormal, from Dukesbay Productions, runs on stage in Tacoma through November 15. For more information, including ticket availability and sales, visit https://dukesbay.org/.
Photo credit: Jason Ganwich
