Press
"NIÁGARA: A Pan-American Story" Review (July 2015)
"Millán, as Heredia, was incredibly charming. He was arrogant, passionate, articulate, and, at times, frustratingly stubborn. Millán didn’t just bring Heredia to life, he also gave the audience an access point. Without any context for Heredia’s work, I left the theatre inspired to read more about him."- Madeline Copp, mooneyontheatre.com
"By the Waters of Babylon" Review (October 2014)
"Haunting and romantic . . . Miller and Millán are fascinating to watch, keeping the audience engrossed even amidst the play’s imaginative conclusion... As Arturo, Millán shows nice restraint in the play’s opening scenes, which makes his tortured emotional outburst all the more satisfying. – Amy Stumpfl, The Tennessean
“American Night” Reviews and press (March 2012)
“I found myself emotionally vested in Juan José’s journey as the play developed. Mr. Millán deserves a ton of credit for that. He gives a passionate and committed performance from the opening scene through to the end.” - Los Angeles Magazine
“Culture Clash, the veteran troupe of Chicano-American social satirists, is back with one of its most trenchantly funny works to date. The cast—headed by the warm and winning René Millán and two of Culture Clash’s founders, Montoya and the chameleonic Herbert Siguenza—is terrific.” – Backstage.com
“The gleeful “American Night” uses sketch comedy, song and a dizzying number of wigs to survey the glories and pratfalls of the American Dream. Dream, as in emphasis on slumber. The night before taking his citizenship exam, an exhausted Juan José (René Millán, nicely understated) tries to wrap his head around constitutional amendments and the logic of the Spanish-American War.” – Los Angeles Times
“American Night: The Ballad of Juan Jose is that rare, blessed thing -- a hilarious farce which also has a social bite to it, a bite that draws blood. Written by Richard Montoya and his Culture Clash pals (with the help of director Jo Bonney), American Night tells the picturesque story of Juan Jose (the charismatic René Millán), a kind of Mexican Everyman who, driven by economic need, must leave behind his pregnant wife (Stephanie Beatriz) and sneak into the USA in search of work… Always at the center of things is Millán as Juan Jose. The more he learns about the dark side of the American Dream, the less inclined he is to become a citizen. But in the end the principles of democracy and freedom still exert their pull on him, as they do on us. ” – Totaltheatre.com
“American Night is the best Culture Clash-related production ever. It attains an unprecedented cohesion between its central narrative and its historical references – and between its comedy and its poignancy…The narrative centers on Juan José (the dreamy René Millán), a Mexican immigrant who is cramming for his US citizenship exam, scheduled for the next day. He has been granted an expedited path to that status, because, as a former Mexican police officer who wouldn’t take bribes, he would be in grave danger if he were to return to his drug-war-torn homeland… Its central narrative is so humanizing, its wit is so irrepressible and its ending is so upbeat that it qualifies as a genuine feel-good play.” – LA Stage Times
“René Millàn in the titular role manages to evoke bewilderment and determination in equal measure… An evening of laughter and introspection such as this is rewarding.” – EntertainmentToday.net
“American Night: The Ballad of Juan Jose is a one-of-a-kind performance piece that will make you laugh, think, and maybe even raise an eyebrow or three. The show begins with a thing of beauty: Mexican native Juan José decides to immigrate to America to seek out a better life for his wife and unborn son. Actor René Millán walks his heavy heart across the stage full of hope, flanked by a life-sized scrolling landscape of the Mexican border territory. ” – LifeinLA.com
“René Millán is a handsome and likable hero. The show opens brilliantly with a lonely Juan Jose walking through fields, along railroad tracks, with beautiful moving scenery in the background.” – LA Splash
“Gibraltar” Review (2005)
“From her one trip to the supermarket -- the Marina Safeway, no less -- Amy has brought home a Mexican drifter. Unless he's a figment of her overheated imagination. Palo (a sensual and ominously feral René Millán), so- called because he's thin as a stick, is jealous violence wrapped in self- flagellating remorse.” -San Francisco Chronicle
“King John” at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Review (2006)
“Fans of the popular TV drama “24,” will be delighted with René Millán as Philip the Bastard. If he grabbed you as Tariq, wait 'til you see him in this show. Passionate and persuasive, this is an actor who excels at communicating - even with his back to an audience.” --Wordlink.com