What does "Mother Russia" tell us about ourselves?: An interview with Lauren Yee

(photo Beowulf Sheehan)

Mother Russia (or Periods of Collapse)

By Lauren Yee

Seattle Rep

March 6 to April 6, 2025

World Premiere

Nationally known playwright Lauren Yee has a tight connection with Seattle, as she and the Seattle Rep get ready for the March world premiere of her latest play, Mother Russia (or Periods of Collapse). Not only have two of her  works premiered here first, but also years back, she would periodically visit Seattle to hang out with acclaimed director Desdemona Chiang, using her house as a kind of developmental Hedgebrook.

Prior to Mother Russia, our city has been privileged to have major productions of Yee's Cambodian Rock Band, The Great Leap, King of the Yees, and Ching Chong Chinaman. She has won some amazing playwrighting awards and now also contributes writing for shows on Apple+ and Netflix.

Before her burgeoning success, a 22-year-old Yee mused about what her future looked like. "[I imagined that] by day I'd work at an arts nonprofit, probably a theater, in development or marketing," she said. "In the evenings, I'd write and maybe I'd have a show at a small theater... I think about what I have achieved, and what I've been lucky enough to enjoy has far outpaced what I imagined when I was coming into this world professionally."

As for Mother Russia's plot: Two men find jobs surveilling a former pop star in 1992, after the fall of the Soviet Union. As they bumble their way through the assignment, spy work and life under capitalism prove harder than they thought. It sounds like it will have a great deal of humor in it.

Feb Seattle Area Theater - Lots of Feels

 

Cast of Crave at Intiman (Joe Moore)

You have some very cool options this month to choose from. WET’s founding company members reprise one of their first productions, Crave, 20 years later. Several productions might help soothe your anxieties about the political crisis. Learn to hula hoop at SCT…and more! Get out yer calendars!
 
Covenant, ArtsWest, 2/6/25-3/2/25
When a struggling guitarist returns to his small Georgia town a blues star, rumors begin swirling that he may have made a deal with the devil to attain his musical genius. Before long, however, it becomes clear he's not the only one with a secret. A mythic and suspenseful new play that delivers one devilish twist after another, York Walker's Covenant explores the power of belief and the thin line between rumor and truth.
www.artswest.org
 
The Last Five Years, ACT Theatre and 5^th Avenue Theatre, 2/8/25-3/16/25 (at ACT)
This modern musical takes a devastatingly honest look at one couple’s journey falling in and out of love. Through clever storytelling and sharp lyrics, writer Jason Robert Brown’s cult favorite gives us a raw and intimate window into two souls and two perspectives of one relationship. Jamie’s songs start at the beginning of the relationship and Cathy’s songs start from the end moving back to the beginning with only one song in the middle overlapping.
www.acttheatre.org
 
Crave, Intiman Theatre, 2/11/25-3/2/25 (at Erickson Theatre)
Love, loss, sex and desire play across the stage in this poetic and deeply personal play from legendary playwright Sarah Kane. Two decades ago, Washington Ensemble Theatre (WET) chose to perform this play as one of their early productions. It was said to be a notable play. Intiman is bringing together many of the original WET artists for a career retrospective and celebration, including Roger Bennington, Marc Kennison (Waxie Moon), and Marya Sea Kaminski. Intiman Artistic Director Jennifer Zeyl, will once again design the set. Four fragmented and fractured characters strive to find peace and connection in a lonely world. This is a unique opportunity to see a production with this unique local history.
www.intiman.org
 
The Hula Hoopin’ Queen, Seattle Children’s Theatre, 2/12/25-3/23/25
Three Harlem girls vie for the crown of The Hula Hoopin’ Queen, encouraged and mentored by the community elders in playwright Gloria Bond Cunie’s spirited adaptation of Thelma Lynn Godin’s book. A sweet, funny, and energetic slice-of-life reminder of the essential loops that bind our communities. (Ages 5+, 60 minutes no intermission)
www.sct.org

A New Year, Many New Theater Options in January!

Danila Bim hanging around Teatro Zinzanni (FillingTheFramePhotography)

From comedies. circe options, and quite a number of world premieres, January is looking exciting for theater-land! Pick your favorite(s) and get out yer calendars!

Sizzle, Teatro Zinzanni, Now-March 2025 (at Emerald City Trapeze Arts)
Teatro ZinZanni invites you to its new Center Ring at Emerald City Trapeze Arts for SIZZLE! Starring belter, provocateur, consummate chanteuse, and Cornish College of the Arts alum Rizo returns as Teatro ZinZanni’s Madame, the owner of the circus. The cast of performers is new for Seattle. They include: physical comedian Joel Baker, trapeze artists Oliver Parkinson and Cassie Cutler of Duo 19, hair hang artist Danila Bim, rope artist and Seattle native Ezra Weill, champion juggler Spencer Androli, and award-winning aerial pole artist Charlee Shae.
www.zinzanni.com/seattle
 
The Girl Who Swallowed A Cactus, Seattle Children’s Theatre, 1/9-26/25
School is out for the summer; the weather is hot and the boredom is heavy. 8-year-old Sheila and her pack of pals aren’t going to let the summer heat wear them down. When their fantastical junkyard fort draws the attention of a walking, talking, surprisingly well-dressed coyote, the adventurers suddenly find themselves deep in the desert, facing The Council of Howls, The Sting Brigade, The Death Cactus and much more. (This is a live, digital production (with some interaction) on Zoom! Ages 7+, 55 minutes no intermission)
www.sct.org
 
Rip! A Winkle In Time, Global Works, 1/10/25-2/8/25 (at 12^th Avenue Arts) (world premiere)
Local playwright Claire Zaslove introduces Randall Irving Parson, or Rip for short, who, in 1897, pursues his gold rush dream only to have a ghostly encounter that leaves him asleep in a snowbank. With global warming afoot, Rip finally thaws out and finds himself in a world that staggers the imagination. Puppets, bad guys, environmental concern - perfect for all ages.
www.globalworksproductions.com

Noel Coward Would Approve – "Blithe Spirit" at Seattle Rep

The Seance - Anne Allgood center (Nate Watters)

Blithe Spirit
Seattle Rep
Through December 22, 2024
 
With a cast of jesters and fools (really, really good ones), and a director (Allison Narver) with a talent for comedy and farce in particular, you’re bound to have a great time and a lot of laughs attending Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit at Seattle Rep! This is a classic comedy first performed in the 1940s and it remains as relevant today as it was when it debuted. The jokes are timeless and adding in a lot of physical comedy just enhances the fun immensely.
 
Plot summary: Charles and Ruth Condomine (Arlando Smith and Gin Hammond) are newishly married after Charles lost his first wife Elvira (Kirsten Potter) seven years earlier.  Charles is a successful writer and is researching for his next book - about a killer medium! He invites friends Dr. and Mrs. Bradman (Nate Tenenbaum and Sara Waisanen) to a séance with locally famous Madame Arcati (Anne Allgood).  While they are all skeptics, something absolute does happen during the séance. Elvira is summoned but only Charles can see her and hoo-boy does he want her to go away!
 
Add in a wildly funny turn as the housemaid Edith by Sophie Kelly-Hedrick (you have to see it to understand). This ensemble understands the mission. I’m particularly happy to see Kirsten Potter back on the stage and doing what seems totally natural to her; she infuses Elvira with pizzaz and petulance. Anne Allgood is having a great year portraying comic characters and hitting her timing impeccably.

Iconic ‘Mary Poppins’ Now At 5th Avenue

Cast of Mary Poppins with some song letters (Tracy Martin)

Mary Poppins

5^th Avenue Theatre
Through December 29, 2024
 
We really have an astonishing amount of theater talent in this little ‘burb… So much so that there is really almost no need or reason to “bring someone” in from another part of the country. Proof of that was evident on opening night of the iconic musical, Mary Poppins.
 
Mallory Cooney King plays the title character and is practically perfect in every way. On opening night though, it was evident that she was having issues with her lovely voice. So, after the first act, her understudy came to the rescue. In fact, understudy Allison Standley has graced our stages in major roles in similarly iconic musicals like My Fair Lady and She Loves Me. Either one of them could have been cast as the “regular” performer. They’re both that good!
 
Talent also brims in this production with the rest of the cast and ensemble. Erik Ankrim plays George Banks, Nik Hagen plays Robertson Ay, the young butler, Cristin J. Hubbard plays both the Bird Lady and Miss, Andrews – terrifyingly, Bobbi Kotula plays Mrs. Brill, Kayden Oliver plays Neleus the statute, Karen Skrinde plays Miss Corry and Miss Lark’s dog, and Ty Willis as the Bank Chairman (in particular)… Coming up along side them, the adorable opening night children were played by Gia Pellegrini and Liam Kuriatnyk who were note perfect!
 

December Brry Outside, Warm Theater Inside!

The cast of Passengers (Reggie Jackson, Sunam Ellis, Lamar Legend) by Strawshop (Greg Carter)

Plenty to do this month, so curl up with a good show and get outcher calendars!

Ho Ho Ho!, Seattle Men’s Chorus, 12/1-21/24 (Benaroya Hall, Pantages Theater, Everett Civic Auditorium)
SMC serves up everyone’s favorite holiday tradition: seasonal classics, Christmas comedy, a dizzying array of dancing Santas, and the gayest sing-along ever. Songs include “Pink Christmas,” “Joy to the World,” and a new holiday version of “Holding Out for a Hero.”
www.seattlechoruses.org
 
Black Nativity, Intiman Theatre and Hansberry Project, 12/4-29/24 (at Broadway Performance Hall, 1625 Broadway)
Langston Hughes’ Gospel Song-Play returns in this newly reimagined production! Celebrate the season with a cast of more than 30 actors, dancers, soaring vocalists, a live band, and a rousing city-wide gospel choir. Audiences will have the chance to sing along  during this holiday musical for families of all backgrounds and beliefs. 

www.intiman.org
 
A Charlie Brown Christmas, Taproot Theatre, 12/5-28/24
Charlie Brown is depressed by the never-ending commercialism surrounding the holidays. Thankfully, Linus is there to help him find the true meaning of Christmas in this musical adaptation of the cartoon classic.
www.taproottheatre.org
 
Fellow Passengers, Strawberry Theatre Workshop, 12/5-23/24 (at 12^th Avenue Arts)
A three-person narrative adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, this play is written and directed by Strawshop Artistic Director Greg Carter. Including every page of the 1843 novel, Passengers playfully engages found objects, clothes, toys, and furniture to restore vitality to the most important story ever written. It was first devised by Rhonda J Soikowski and her cast during Strawshop's inaugural season. Includes original music by Ayako Okano.
www.strawshop.org