Voices and Talent Shine in “Songs for a New World” but the songs are not so shiny

 

Songs for a New World (Gabriel Corey)

Songs for a New World
Village Theatre
Issaquah: through Feb 13, 2022, Everett: Feb 18-Mar 13, 2022
 
My experience in attending this musical ran along two very, very different tracks. The first track was glorious! I was attending a musical again at Village Theatre and there were four hugely talented performers on stage. I didn’t feel like four was too few; I did not feel like the harmonies were “light” because there were only four singers.
 
The talented quadruplet filled the stage, harmonized beautifully, and satisfied everything about the performance one could want. Maria Habeeb has a lovely soprano that flows easily and sweetly. Alexandria Henderson has an edge and a keen sense of drama that reflects in her voice. Tyler Dobie’s face showed every single emotion, even fleeting ones, as he felt each emotion in a song. Cal Mitchell is energetic and powerful and sometimes scene-stealing.

January Theater is Alive and Happening!

 

Bohemia (Truman Buffett)

It’s a bit later in the month than usual, but there are some great shows still scheduled for this blustery month. So far, no theater listed here has cancelled, but always check just in case! It looks like a pretty glorious month of shows.

Songs for a New World, Village Theatre, 1/12/22-3/13/22
(Issaquah 1/12/22 to 2/13/22 | Everett 2/18/22 to 3/13/22)
It’s actually the Puget Sound premiere of the show by Jason Robert Brown (which is a bit surprising), featuring powerful songs of life, love, the choices we make, and the hope they inspire. This production embraces life’s challenging events and strives to show us that renewal and survival is always within reach. This is an all-BIPOC cast of all-star performers.
www.villagetheatre.org
 
Fannie: The Music And Life Of Fannie Lou Hamer, Seattle Repertory Theatre, 1/14/22-2/13/22
Locally cherished playwright, Cheryl L. West, pens a bioplay. Fannie: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer tells the impassioned story of American civil rights activist and hero, Fannie Lou Hamer. Part theater, part revival, and all power – this play with music will have your head nodding and hands clapping from start to finish. From her humble origins as the daughter of a Mississippi sharecropper to co-founding the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and demanding recognition at the National Democratic Convention, Fannie is a story of justice that will not be denied. (Solo performer)
www.seattlerep.org
 
Bohemia, Marxiano Productions, 1/20-30/22 (at the Triple Door)
The story centers around famous Bohemian composer Antonín Dvorák who has hit a wall prior to composing his magnum opus. In a move of desperation he turns to a bottle of absinthe for inspiration. In this whimsical and mystical dream cabaret, Dvorák is visited by the ghost of late composer Frédéric Chopin and a host of green fairies. Chopin and many other famous Bohemians guide Dvorák as they search for the true source of inspiration and grasp at artistic immortality.
www.thetripledoor.net