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| Alexandra Tavares in Ironbound (photo John Ulman, design Shannon Loys) |
You may notice a lot of Shakespeare coming up this month and
next month, because theater companies big and small are having a Festival!
Shakespeare “straight up” or musically or twisted into individual shapes. It’s
all because this town apparently just loves good ol’ Will! And besides that, it’s
another month filled with world premieres that no one has ever seen before
except for YOU, when you go check them out!
Bye Bye Birdie, SecondStory Repertory, 3/2-25/18
In this Tony-Award-winning favorite, superstar Conrad Birdie
arrives in Sweet Apple, Ohio to give a lucky girl "one last kiss"
before his induction into the Army. Set in a bygone world of soda fountains,
screaming fans and Ed Sullivan, the nostalgic Bye Bye Birdie overflows with
comedy, romance, and songs like "Put on a Happy Face," "A Lot of
Livin' To Do" and "The Telephone Hour."
The Impossibility of
Now, Thalia’s Umbrella,
3/8-31/18 (at 12th Avenue Arts) (world premiere)
Locally (and nationally recognized) playwright Y York debuts
a play about what you do when your spouse gets conked on the head and wakes up
with a terrifying new personality: optimistic happy person. Miranda and
amnesia-stricken husband, Carl, embark on the fractured and funny adventure of
starting over. The Impossibility of Now
is a lovely, word-drunk romantic comedy that celebrates rediscovering the joy
of life through words.
Falling Awake, UMO Ensemble at ACT Theatre, 3/8-17/18
We travel deep into the human condition and its many
realities, via language, music, physical theatre - and ballroom dancing. UMO
Ensemble's funny new work takes the audience on a shared journey through
unexpected recognitions and lives both old and new, with identity, love, and
memory dancing together like dust in sunlight.
Ms. Pak-Man: Out of
Order!, Scott Shoemaker,
3/8-17/18 (at Re-bar)
The all new fourth installment of the critically acclaimed
Ms. Pak-Man series. It’s a cabaret style theatre experience . Watch this
world-renowned video game superstar of the 1980s pop power pills while she
shares scandalous songs and stories about her life and loves… glitches and all!
Ride the Cyclone, 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT Theatre,
3/9/18-5/20/18 (open 3/22) (world premiere)
When the St. Cassian High School Chamber Choir boarded the
Cyclone roller coaster, the front axle broke, sending them to their tragic
demise. Trapped in fantastical carnival-like purgatory, the recently deceased
teens discover a mechanical fortune teller, who invites each of them to tell
their tragic stories of a life interrupted, with the promise of a prize like no
other. Part comedy, part tragedy, and completely unexpected, this wonderfully
weird story is at every turn satirical, macabre, creepy, campy and hilarious.
Hamlet, Fern Shakespeare Company, 3/9/18-4/1/18
(at the Slate)
The secret midnight utterings of a Kingly Ghost will set
events in motion that seal the tragic fate of Denmark’s Royal Family. Hamlet
grapples with his mind and heart as he tries to make sense of it all and answer
the most famous question in history. Hamlet is driven to pursue the truth and
avenge a crime that may or may not be a product of his own imagining.
String, Village Theatre, Issaquah:
3/15/18-4/22/18, Everett: 4/27/18-5/20/18 (world premiere)
On a mountaintop high over ancient Greece, three sisters –
goddesses known as the Greek Fates – are responsible for spinning, measuring,
and snipping the String of Life. After falling out of favor with Zeus, they
find themselves stuck in a drab modern skyscraper, left to live and work among
world-weary office workers and the security guards who watch over the building.
But when the eldest sister falls in love with a mortal, her destiny gets all
tangled up.
Big Rock, Onward Ho Productions, 3/16-31/18 (at
West of Lenin) (world premiere)
Playwright Sonya Schneider writes about Signe Sands, an
up-and-comer in the world of modern art, who flees the demands of her career in
New York City to take refuge at her father's home on a remote Pacific Northwest
island. Immediately faced with the harsh reality of their strained
relationship, and the realization that as her star rises, his may be falling,
Signe meets an islander with dreams of his own that inspire new points of view.
We Should Be Women,
NowHereThis, 3/16-23/18 (at The
Pocket)
A devised deconstruction of the female narratives in
Shakespeare's canon, exploring what it means to be a woman in Shakespeare's
work and how we can examine it in a modern context. Five female actors ask each
other (and you) how Shakespeare's treatment of women was influenced by his time
and how it still influences our own, and where we can go from here.
The Merchant of Venice,
Seattle Shakespeare Company,
3/20/18-4/15/18 (opens 3/23)
The wealthy heiress Portia is forced to set her suitors a
challenge for her hand in marriage. In order to woo her, Bassiano finances his
plan with money borrowed from his friend Antonio. All would be fine except
Antonio has taken out a loan from the moneylender Shylock on the assurance that
his ships will make it back to the city. They don’t, and Shylock demands
repayment with a pound of Antonio’s flesh.
Crowns, Taproot Theatre, 3/21/18-4/21/1
Gospel music and storytelling come together to surprise,
delight and remind us all of the unique and diverse ways we express ourselves.
When a young woman from Brooklyn struggles to find her place in the world, she
is surrounded by a community of women that transcend place and time to infuse
her with stories of faith, fortitude and pride.
Naked Mole Rat Gets
Dressed, Seattle Childrens Theatre,
3/22/18-5/13/18 (world premiere)
Emmy winner and Caldecott honoree Mo Willems is back, once
again teaming up with Deborah Wicks La Puma, composer of Elephant and Piggie’s
“We are in a Play!”, for this rock ‘n’ roll extravaganza. Grab your friends and
watch as Wilbur, a clothes-loving mole rat with exceptional style, navigates
the pressure to be just like everyone else. With tail-shaking tunes, empowering
messages of individuality, and classic Mo Willems humor, this musical is sure
to rock audiences of all ages.
Visiting Cezanne, Red Rover Productions, 3/22-31/18 (at
18th & Union)
Duane Kelly writes about unknown painter Nora Baker visits
the Metropolitan Museum in New York in 2016, where things get really weird.
From there she travels to an artist’s studio in southern France in 1900. Nora
desperately wants to get back to 2016 but Paul Cezanne, another obscure artist
with his own problems, is not being helpful. Also ensnared in Nora’s crisis are
an art historian from Utah and Cezanne’s gardener.
Happiest Song Plays
Last, Theatre22, 3/23/18-4/14/18
(12AA)
Iraq War vet Elliot Ortiz has a bright new career working in
Hollywood action films. While shooting on location in Jordan, with the
tumultuous Arab Spring rumbling nearby, he finds that his wartime dreams and
nightmares have followed him into his new life.
At the same time, halfway around the world in a cozy North Philadelphia
kitchen, his cousin Yaz takes on a heroic new role of her own: as the heart and
soul of her crumbling community. This
powerful sequel to Quiara AlegrÃa Hudes’ Water
by the Spoonful (produced by Theatre22 in 2015 and winner of a number of
Gypsy Rose Lee Awards) is a tale of two young adults who cross the globe in
search of connection, redemption, and their place in the world.
Ironbound, Seattle Public Theater, 3/23/18-4/15/18
An immigrant woman waits for her late night bus in the
shadows of a run-down Jersey factory. A man appears. A man always appears. And
he’s got something she needs. Spanning over 20 years, three relationships, and
three presidents, what will two working class people trade and how dirtily will
they fight for the cheapest safety in a world that does not value all kinds of
people?
Smoke and Dust, Macha Theatre Works, 3/23/18-4/14/18 (Theatre
Off Jackson) world premiere
Writer Joy McCullough-Carranza introduces us to Barbara
Strozzi, an ambitious 17th century composer rumored to be a courtesan. Her
brilliance and musical talent are dismissed in a male-dominated profession that
stifles female musicians. A modern-day acting troupe explores Strozzi’s music
and the personal life of this historical figure: was she a victim, or an
empowered woman defying society’s moralistic expectations? Deftly weaving
together past and present, characters in both timelines struggle against the
limits society places on a woman’s ambition.
The Boys From Syracuse,
Showtunes Theatre Company,
3/23-25/18 (at Benaroya Hall)
The first musical ever adapted from Shakespeare remains a
madcap musical farce. Based on Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors, Antipholus and his wily servant, Dromio, travel
to Ephesus in search of their respective twins, from whom they were separated
in a shipwreck. Naturally, they are immediately taken for their brothers and
we're off and running on a riotous chase from marketplace to marital bed.
Perplexed wives, disgruntled courtesans, outraged constables are left in its
wake before this show's tangled web is unraveled, and Rodgers & Hart &
Abbott have triumphed once again! You won't believe how many songs you know
including "This Can't Be Love," "Sing For Your Supper" and
"Falling in Love with Love."
The Country Wife, Theater Schmeater, 3/23/18-4/14/18
Adaptor Rachel Atkins reveals sexual innuendo and intrigue as
an innocent young country wife is brought to London and is confronted by the
temptations of city life. William Wycherley’s 1665 satire retains its bite in
the age of social media, body shaming, and the often hypocritical tension
between the private and public.
The Great Leap, Seattle Repertory Theatre,
3/23/18-4/22/18 (open 3/28) with Denver Center for the Performing Arts Theatre
Company
Another Lauren Yee play! China, 1971. The Communist Cultural
Revolution is in full swing. San Francisco, 1989. The city by the bay is on the
brink of a cultural revolution of its own. The name of the game is basketball.
Beijing University's Coach Wen Chang is the quiet, efficient Tim Duncan-esque
Party supporter, and Manford is a young, sparky kid from SF's Chinatown,
vertically challenged, yet graced with undeniable baller skill. As the story
leaps back and forth in time, Wen Chang and Manford play the game, facing
unimaginable cultural barriers and as they circle ever closer to one another,
an undeniable truth is revealed: That sometimes there's more to life than
making the shot.
Shakespeare Dice:
Hamlet, Dacha Theatre,
3/23/18-4/8/18
Seven actors will memorize the entire script of Hamlet. On the night of the show, the
audience rolls a die to determine who plays who, and the show goes up. Touring
around Seattle and Bainbridge Island.
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