With Halloween season in full swing, the wonderful East West Players have launched their next production, Paranormal Inside, just in time for audiences to get their spooky on. A sequel to The Brothers Paranormal by Prince Gomolvilas, the play reunites us with some familiar characters while introducing a new set of souls haunted by both literal and figurative ghosts.
The story revolves around two pairs of characters whose paths eventually collide. Max (David Huynh) and his pregnant wife Bincy (Christine Corpuz) are trying to recover from a terrifying incident that left Max sleepwalking and nearly choking his wife. With their marriage on the rocks and Bincy’s father, Somboon (Alberto Isaac), none too fond of his son-in-law, Max seeks answers for his disturbing nocturnal behavior.
Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, coffee shop owner Delia (Tamika Simpkins) is still reeling from a preternatural event that claimed her husband’s life five years earlier. Her niece Tasha (Aja Hinds) arrives hoping to mend old wounds between them before marrying her fiancé, Ethan (Davide Costa) – a well-meaning white man whose ultra-Catholic parents are uneasy about Tasha’s history with the supernatural. As the past collides with the present, both families are forced to confront the spiritual, emotional, and cultural forces that continue to haunt them.
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You don’t necessarily have to have seen The Brothers Paranormal to follow Paranormal Inside, though some background helps since the earlier play is frequently referenced. Even so, Gomolvilas crafts a story that’s engaging on its own terms, filled with humor, mystery, and introspection as some amusingly flawed people grapple with something far bigger than themselves.
Simpkins delivers a commanding performance as Delia, a tough, sardonic survivor whose denial of the past becomes the emotional axis of the play. Her portrayal is sharp, funny, and quietly devastating. Huynh captures Max’s unraveling psyche with jittery intensity, at times almost manic, but always sincere. Hinds provides grounded warmth as Tasha, while Costa’s Ethan embodies both youthful optimism and the burden of inherited faith. Isaac and Corpuz lend strong support as the voices of tradition and unease.
Director Jeff Liu, who also helmed The Brothers Paranormal, stages the production with skill and imagination, peppering the show with a few surprising special effects that add to the fun. The tone can be uneven, swinging from goofy comedy to heavy drama, but Liu manages to make the tonal shifts work. The second act could benefit from a tighter pace, and the play’s brief coda may leave some viewers momentarily puzzled, but these are minor flaws in an otherwise polished production.
Stylish, suspenseful, and thematically ambitious, Paranormal Inside confirms Gomolvilas as a playwright unafraid to blend genres and cultural perspectives. East West Players once again demonstrates its commitment to producing thought-provoking work that celebrates Asian American voices while engaging audiences on a universal level.
With Halloween around the corner, Paranormal Inside is a smart, heartfelt, and seasonally perfect addition to your month of spooky activities.
“Paranormal Inside” runs through Nov. 2nd at the East West Players.
For more information and tickets, visit Eastwestplayers.org.
