HA HA HA HA HA HA HA OFFERS UNITY THROUGH
AN ABSURDIST GROUP THERAPY SESSION

I had no idea what I was walking into when I drove out to the Pasadena Playhouse (more than an hour’s drive during traffic) to see absurdist clown Julia Masli entertain the crowd at a 70-minute absurdist clown’s group therapy session. But from the moment she entered the theater, I was totally engaged in her exploration of today’s problems and how we can reach out to others for solutions – even if we are too afraid to do so.

Other worldly music announces the arrival of Masli, dressed in flowing purple robes with what appears to be a gun strapped on top of her head, the barrel pointing to her brain (which turned out to be a bright blue flashlight to aim at audience members to get their response). But as she slowly walked in, gliding across the front rows, turning every now and then to utter “Ha” at various decibels and inflections to select audience members, then waiting for them to repeat it back to her so she could move on to the next. It was a brilliant to way to let everyone know if called upon, it was our duty to respond.

But can you imagine my surprise when at the end of the first row, she picked up a gold-painted fake leg, attached a small microphone to the toes, and then inserted her left hand into it as if it was a long stately glove?! What in the world? It was then she turned to an audience member, held out the leg to them, asking “prooobbbleeemmm?”

It did not take long for her first response, which was “car insurance” on the night I attended. She nodded, and moved on to ask the next person, looking for a problem she could help solve. One lucky audience member even got donations from the audience after answering, “no rent money” thanks to her clever solution involving a Venmo account.

A young man’s answer that “always being alone” was his problem was solved by Masli asking everyone who felt that way to stand up – then selecting someone for him to go to and hug so the two could feel less lonely, at least for the moment. And it worked, given their smiles while hugging and the “aahs” and laughter in the theater.

Of course, soon answers being given reflected problems many are suffering these days, from anxiety to the bad economy to relationship woes. Her next question, “what caused this problem?” led to insightful answers and often the sharing of heartbreak, loneliness, and confusion about “how did we get to this?”

What really makes this show one not to miss is how Masli gets to that final answer, involving the donation of socks from audience members. (My advice: bring an extra pair!) And along the way, she brilliantly manages to unite an audience of strangers into feeling connected with each other in our humanity, all thanks to her often strangely absurd yet very competent group therapy session.

Directed by Kim Noble, no doubt each performance of ha ha ha ha ha ha ha will have similar situation set-ups, given the set pieces and props available, from a poster and markers to a laptop on which to consult Google for answers, a backstage tool bench for fixing what is physically broken, or a real stall shower which, by the end of the show, will have an audience member inside washing himself clean of all the problems discussed during the performance.

photos by Jeff Lorch

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company Touring Production
created and performed by Julia Masli
Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave.
ends on November 9, 2025
for tickets, visit Pasadena Playhouse

for more shows, visit Theatre in LA