Christmas and a Jane Austin-style play: Great Combination (Taproot Theatre)

Georgiana and Kitty (Robert Wade)

Georgiana & Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley

Taproot Theatre (for tickets)
Through December 30, 2023
 
Taproot Theatre loves period pieces, and period pieces love to be done at Taproot. And add Jane Austin and you’ve got a powerful combination. This holiday season, they have mounted the third and final play of a trilogy of Pride and Prejudice “spin-offs” written by Lauren Gunderson and Margo Melcon.
 
Pride and Prejudice introduced us to the five Bennet sisters who all needed to be married off, as per the cultural demands of the time. Each of them had distinct personalities and views. Gunderson and Melcon created plays based on these sisters, but not on the book. In science fiction, writers often extend the “world” of the first book by writing “spin-offs” incorporating side plots or prequel or sequel-like stories.
 
Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley and The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley were produced at Taproot in 2018 and 2022. Now, the last of the trilogy focuses on the younger Bennet sisters, Lydia the troublemaker (played again with great zest by Kelly Karcher), Kitty, the stalwart independent who has learned a lot from her sisters’ exploits (played with gusto and loyalty by Ays Garcia), and Fitzwilliam Darcy’s (a stern Brian Picheu) sister, Georgiana (a charming Claire Marx) who loves music and is so reticent that she rarely gets to finish a sentence.

December Theater Has Gone to The Gays!

The Gays have taken over holiday shows! They may have let a few other productions escape, it's true, but if you want your holidays to be Gay, this year is all for YOU! Enjoy yourself and have a wonderful holiday season! (Get outcher calendars!)

Fellow Passengers (John Ulman)

Fellow Passengers, Strawberry Theatre Workshop, 12/1-23/23 (at 12^th Avenue Arts)

Told in the narrative style that Book-It Repertory Theatre made famous in Seattle, Passengers is every page of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol performed by just three actors, who bring over fifty characters to the stage. Amy Thone, Galen Joseph Osier and Shermona Mitchell perform the play with live music by keyboardist Ayako Okano.
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/strawberrytheatreworkshop/994206#

War on Christmas

 
Scott Shoemaker’s War on Christmas, Shoes and Pants Productions, 12/1-23/23 (at Theatre Off Jackson)
The all-star variety spectacular, a Yule Tide tradition, returns! Come spend an evening with Scott and a cast of Seattle luminaries as they try to figure out who’s fighting a war on Christmas and what for? A night of comedy, songs, dance numbers, delightful videos, and partial nudity!
Joining Scott are an amazing group of illustrious superstars Ade, Joel Domenico, Mandy Price.  And Major Scales.
https://www.strangertickets.com/events/143357134/scott-shoemakers-war-on-christmas

Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, SecondStory Repertory, 12/1-23/23
A sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice set two years after the novel ends, Miss Bennet continues the story, only this time with bookish middle-sister Mary as its unlikely heroine. Mary is growing tired of her role as dutiful middle sister in the face of her siblings’ romantic escapades. When the family gathers for Christmas at Pemberley, an unexpected guest sparks Mary’s hopes for independence, an intellectual match, and possibly even love.
www.secondstoryrep.org

A Treemendous Holiday (courtesty Seattle Choruses)

A Treemendous Holiday, Seattle Men’s Chorus, 12/1-23/23 (at Benaroya Hall)
It’s time to ho ho ho with Seattle Men’s Chorus. Greater Seattle’s most joyful holiday tradition is a fun-filled celebration of seasonal favorites along with the Pacific Northwest’s gayest sing-a-long.
www.seattlechoruses.org

“A Very Electric Christmas”: Intriguing Light Show, But Know What To Expect

 

A Very Electric Christmas
Seattle Children’s Theatre (for tickets)
Through December 31, 2023
 
Seattle Children’s Theatre has brought an intriguing performance company to town that everyone from 3 (ish) to 93 will enjoy. Lightwire Theater has developed a “light show” that is tourable without a lot of encumbering technology: Dancers who wear neon-style tubing costumes that they can control themselves with battery packs! The battery packs allow them to not have to rely on a whole elaborate computerized performance. There are a lot of background visuals, though, that are controlled in the booth.
 
Lightwire (www.lightwiretheater.com) was a semi-finalist on America’s Got Talent in Season 7, and I remember them! But that was only three minutes of performance and storytelling, and they’ve come to Seattle with A Very Electric Christmas which is claimed to be 60 minutes but was closer to 70 when I saw it.

“White Christmas” is Here to Smile Up Your Holidays

 

Cayman Ilika and Taryn Darr in White Christmas (Mark Kitaoka)

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas
5^th Avenue Theatre (for tickets)

Through December 24, 2023
 
Your Christmas delight on stage is at hand. The 5^th Avenue Theatre has decided to mount White Christmas again, having produced it in 2006 and 2009. The reason is very clear: it’s a chance to sit back, laugh, and relax while a bunch of singers and hoofers sing and dance their tushies off. This talented cast is here to do exactly that for you!
 
The script is aging, although romances never go out of style, but there are jokes a plenty – some good, some groan-worthy, and almost everyone in the cast gets a little cameo and a lot of applause. 
 
David Armstrong and James A. Rocco have co-directed this production all three times, so they know what they’re doing cold and recreate their vision pretty exactly. The sets and costumes are absolutely gorgeous (by Anna Louizos and Carrie Robbins), and the orchestra, led by Matt Perri, has the lush 1940s sound needed for all that Irving Berlin music.

"Beautiful" should Not Be Missed!

 

Jason Kappus and Sarah Rose Davis in Beautiful (Auston James)

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Village Theatre (www.villagetheatre.org)
Issaquah: Through December 23, 2023
Everett: January 6 to January 28, 2024
 
I will absolutely rave about the perfection of Sarah Rose Davis as Carole King and the rest of the cast, in a minute. I promise! But OMG the SET! The set and the lights and projections!!! I’m so in love with Grace Laubacher, set designer, Robert J. Aguilar, lighting designer, and Ahren Buhmann, projection designer, right now.
 
You see, I have a “thing” about sets and set changes – so often there’s too much set, sometimes for no reason, and usually set changes just take time and are noticeable, and often also changed for no reason. This set was a thing of beauty because it changes in a Split Second!
 
That’s important because there are So. Many. Set. Changes. And it’s beautiful or useful. Also, the lighting here comes from the back to light up parts of the set, and the projection changes locations and I don’t know how they do that thing where when the set is moving you can see behind it, but when it stops, it’s a new location that is not see-through! Magic!
 
While I’m talking tech, the costumes by Melanie Taylor Burgess were absolutely spot on and there were Tons of them! Very 1960s and you could see the years change by the costumes in the scenes. There isn’t a credit for wigs, but there were Tons of those, too, also absolutely telling the story through their wearings. I’ll presume that Melanie coordinated/made those, too, and they hit every note.
 
OK. So.
 
Beautiful tells the story of the very early years of Carole King’s life, starting when she is 16 and already devoted to getting into the song-writing business. Douglas McGrath’s book (words spoken not sung) is funny and encompasses all the changes in Carole’s life with swift scenes that move the story along in a very satisfying way. All of the songs that are sung in the musical are either by Carole and her husband Gerry Goffin, or their friends and competitors in song-writing, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. You are likely to know many of them, since they wrote so many classics.
 
The show opens with Carole, played by the sublime Sarah Rose Davis, at a pinnacle of her success when she plays a concert at Carnegie Hall. She has achieved a massive success with her now classic perfect album, Tapestry.

Thank Goodness It’s the Season on Seattle Stages

Rebecca Cort in Little Women (Seattle Rep) (photo by Sayed Alamy)

Sarah Rose Davis as Carole King in Beautiful (Village Theatre)

November stages have skipped Thanksgiving this year and gone straight to Christmas programming. There are quite a lot of choices for that, along with some interesting counter-programming. It’s a merry time to be back together in person and consider multiple family-friendly options! Get outcher calendars.
 
The Merry Wives of Windsor, Seattle Shakespeare Company, 11/1-19/23
Our old friend Falstaff has a ploy to make some easy money—woo Mistress Page and Mistress Ford and thus gain access to their husbands’ wealth. It shouldn’t be too challenging; he can be quite a charming and insightful man when it benefits him. He sends the mistresses notes with declarations of love, but in a small town like Windsor, everyone knows everyone else’s business and Mistresses Page and Ford soon realize their notes are exact copies. Rather than take that insult lying down, they make dates with Falstaff, scheming to be discovered in flagrante by their husbands and so to achieve their saucy revenge on the knight.
www.seattleshakespeare.org
 
Hotdish, Pony World Theatre, 11/3/23-12/2/23 (at 12^th Ave Arts) (world premiere)
Local playwright Brendan Healey presents his new play introducing Kayla and her older brother. Toby is unemployed and living with her in her cramped townhouse. But Toby believes he’s found the answer to all his troubles: winning his favorite reality TV cooking show, Champion Chef. As Toby falls deeper into this enticing fantasy, their mother, Evelyn, is hiding the truth about her own financial problems. Kayla is supposed to save them both, but she can barely keep her own life together. Guided by a magical being who just so happens to be the glamorous host of Champion Chef, the family will have to face what fractured their lives in the first place to find out if they can still love each other. Hotdish tells a story about family, food, and fixing the cracks in all our hearts.
www.ponyworld.org
 
Caligula, Theatre33, 11/4-18/23 (at 13243 20th Street NE, Bellevue, WA 98005)
(Presented in Russian with a summary in English) What do we know about Caesar, the Emperor of Rome? His name became commonly associated with ruthless tyrants. He was very young and ruled for only three and a half years prior to being killed by traitors. He squandered all the funds and was an unpredictable despot.  Historically, we know very little about him.  However, that is not the focus of Albert Camus’ play; rather, he explores the issues of power, integrity, freedom, corruption to address the existential questions.  What is the meaning of life? Does freedom exist? How to live knowing the inevitability of death?
https://www.theatre33wa.org/

October: Spooky, Funny, Renewed Production Companies, and Lots of New Plays!

 

Goodnight Moon at SCT

October has a fair number of spooks poking their noses onto our stages. Annex Theatre is resurrected. Zinzanni is back. There has to be at least ONE thing you’ll be dazzled by this month! Get outcher calenders!

 
Residency at Lotte Hotel, Teatro ZinZanni, 10/12/23-3/31/24
The legendary theatrical cirque experience, and Lotte Hotel Seattle, the premiere luxury hotel of downtown Seattle announce a new circus residency. This one-of-a-kind holiday run of performances promises an opulent, world-class extravaganza in the breathtaking setting of the hotel's largest venue, the Grand Ballroom in The Sanctuary. The Teatro ZinZanni dinner-and-show experience will bring the talents of Kevin Kent, Elena Gatilova and more to tease and tantalize. (Matinee 12PM, Evening 7PM)
www.zinzanni.com/seattle

 
Goodnight Moon, Seattle Children’s Theatre, 10/12/23-11/5/23
Goodnight Moon has been cherished by generations for over 40 years, and SCT’s lively musical production has been popular all over the country since the world premiere in 2007. Children and families can enjoy the surprise and delight of Bunny’s imaginative detours on the way to dreamland. In this intimate production, everyone will revel with Bunny in the fun of jumping cows, dancing bears, and a room that springs to life! (Ages 3+)
www.sct.org

 
Miss You Like Hell, Strawberry Theatre Workshop, 10/12/23-11/11/23 (at 12^th Ave Arts)
A teenager and her estranged mother—an undocumented Mexican on the verge of deportation—embark on a road trip across the United States to mend their frayed relationship. Combined with the musical talent of Erin McKeown, Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes artfully crafts a story of the barriers and the bonds of family, while also addressing the complexities of immigration in today’s America.
www.strawshop.org

For the History Books – “Autocorrect Thinks I’m Dead”

 

Cast members of Autocorrect Thinks I'm Dead (Jason Tang)

Autocorrect Thinks I’m Dead
Sound Theatre Company
Through September 24, 2023
 
A long time ago, when I started reviewing theater, someone told me that reviewing was very important because a stage production is a living thing that only exists while the art-makers are making it. A review of it marks it in time as having existed. I, therefore, think it’s even more important when it’s a world premiere work where I am one of the few folks that was privileged to see it.
 
Sound Theatre Company mounted an intricate and somewhat complicated production of Autocorrect Thinks I’m Dead by Aimee Chou. Aimee is Deaf, but her work is not siloed into plays for Deaf folk. She’s writing for everybody. And it was a sold-out run! Except that the entire last sold-out weekend had to be cancelled because of illness.
 
This quirky, fun play is described by their blurb thusly: “Three Deaf roommates get more than they bargained for when mysterious messages from Alexander Graham Bell start appearing on a vintage teletypewriter phone (TTY). Told in American Sign Language (ASL), spoken English, and English captioning, (it’s a) twist on horror, a genre known for challenging culture and subverting expectations. It features a majority-Deaf and Hard of Hearing cast and creative team – with a set created by a Deaf scenic designer and lighting designer.”
 
Aimee Chou has also written Humanly Possible, Plumb Crazy Pipe Dream, and the shadow puppetry film Motherclucker! This is her first main stage production.

Huey Thrills (Again!) with Help of Fab Hometown Ensemble!

 

Cassi Q Kohl, Diana Huey, and Shaunyce Omar (Photo: Tracy Martin)

The Little Mermaid
The 5^th Avenue Theatre
Through October 8, 2023
 
As good as any Broadway NYC show, our area is blessed with a wealth of gorgeous performers who get to shine now in The Little Mermaid! We then are double-blessed to have Diana Huey return “home” to let us hear her crisp, clean, soaring voice – every bit as good as the first time she starred as Ariel on the 5^th Ave stage in 2016. Maybe even better!
 
Huey broke the mold in 2016 to star in a national tour as the first Asian American performer to star in the show. Rumors had it that there were some ugly adventures in some parts of the country where people somehow could not fathom how a mermaid could be Asian. It was also her biggest role, at that point, carrying a huge Broadway hit show on her shoulders. Now, seasoned by a move to NYC and dozens of performing opportunities, she is sure-finned and in perfect voice to do it again.

Expansive September List Provides Great Entertainment Options

 

I’m working on expanding this list to include nearby cities and towns and hamlets that are near enough to get to easily. But that means the list for September is pretty massive. It’s exciting because it truly seems “back to normal,” and is wonderful to see. Get outcher calendars!

Deep Purple Wiggle, Theatre Battery, 9/1-10/23 (opened last week) (world premiere)
Milo Cramer writes about Bro and Sibling who are twins in their thirties who, up until now, have self-identified as dudes. When one comes out to the other as non-binary (without either of them fully knowing what it means), a queer Pandora's box is opened. A new comedy (with music) about contemporary masculinity. Theatre Battery practices Radical Hospitality: No-Cost Admission for All!
https://theatrebattery.strangertickets.com
 
Matt & Ben, Artswest, 9/7/23-10/1/23
From the mind of multi-award-winning writer and actress Mindy Kaling, Matt & Ben depicts its Hollywood golden boys – before J-Lo, before Gwyneth, before Project Greenlight, before Oscar… before anyone actually gave a damn. When the screenplay for Good Will Hunting drops mysteriously from the heavens, the boys realize they’re being tested by a Higher Power.  A hilarious satire on the real and imagined difficulties of pursuing a dream.
www.artswest.org
 
Autocorrect Thinks I'm Dead, Sound Theatre Company, 9/7-30/23 (at 12^th Ave Arts) (world premiere)
Local playwright Aimee Chou writes about three deaf friends moving into an old house during the centennial anniversary of Alexander Graham Bell's 1922 death, unaware that things go bump in the night. But when a vintage teletypewriter phone (TTY) becomes a landline to the afterlife, the trio finds themselves in a madcap caper of portals - between the hearing and deaf, and living and dead. Meshing historic and technological realities with the theatrical absurd, this tale is both a homage and a home to horror fans of all generations.
www.soundtheatrecompany.org
 
Dream Hou$e, Washington Ensemble Theatre, 9/8-25/23
Set in a rapidly changing neighborhood, two sisters sign up for a reality tv show to sell their childhood home after the passing of the family matriarch. As Julia and Patricia perform for the camera, they confront their own desires, aspirations, and the sacrifices they are willing to make to achieve them. What is the cultural cost of progress in America? Is cashing in always selling out?
www.washingtonensemble.org

Go See Bethany Seeing the Stars - Copious Love at WOL

Bethany Sees the Stars

Copious Love Productions

Through September 9, 2023

What if you got a letter telling you to apply to go to Mars, and then you get a letter saying you've won a spot, but you will have to leave Earth forever?

That's what happens to 15-year-old Bethany (Jade Guillory-Kaub), who dreams of escaping from her life and heading to the stars. She tells her momentous news to her best friend, Fay (Lauren Megan McCarthy), and eventually to a nerdy loaner, Atlas (Lola Rei Fukushima) who joins them to become the Heroic Trinity.

But how are the teens supposed to cope with their friend leaving them? 

This is the premise of a sweet and thoughtful script, a world premiere by Emily Golden. It's fanciful (constellations come to life and speak to Bethany), and manages to tackle a number of real-life conundrums while helping us explore our own reactions about wanting to escape our own realities.

Well-directed by Kathryn Stewart, the tiniest of quibbles is that it could have a slightly faster pace, but she brings out a great level of emotions from the cast without overwhelming our own, allowing us to feel our own feelings. Set design by Jordan Gerow is spare and quick to change, keeping the pace up. Lighting by Adem Hayyu and sound by Alison Kozar bring the atmospheres needed to life.

The cast is cohesive and engaging. The young people are real and relatable. Daniel Christensen as the father brings a leavening presence that is also very relatable to those of us who are parents. Similarly, Olivia Lee is a warm and funny mother. Lee and McCarthy get to play the constellations Cassiopeia and Andromeda, and become very different characters, and show their range to good effect.

There's only one more weekend to see this moving play. It's well worth your time, if you're a teen or a parent or someone who also has looked to the stars to wonder or escape.

 

Super Musical at Taproot: The Hello Girls ends this weekend

 

Rebecca Cort, Miranda Antoinette, Cassi Q Kohl,
Lauren Engstrom, and Jessica Ziegelbauer
(Photo by John Ulman)

The Hello Girls
Taproot Theatre
Composer/Lyricist Peter Mills, Book/Lyricist Cara Reichel
Through August 19, 2023
 
This musical is a treat from start to finish. It is also such a pleasure to be able to experience full-blown musicals on stage again. Taproot’s choice is a wonderful summer treat!
 
Likely, you won’t know the true history this musical is based on. But boy! is it fun to find out about it!
 
During World War I, at a time when women were sorely underemployed and shunted into very specific “pink” jobs, some women found themselves employed as telephone operators. It was a newer profession, since telephones themselves were pretty new. Operators used large banks of plug-in boards where they had to learn which cords to specifically plug into which switch, quickly and seamlessly. This was a good job across the country.
 
Logically, the need for seamless, fast telephone service applied to the Armed Services, particularly in a war situation. As the war heated up, the generals realized that telephone connections were crucial, and that the reality was that the best operators were women. They were needed in France and had to be bilingual. This is the story of how a bunch of pioneering, brave women fought their way into the military and became unsung heroes of the military communication network.
 
The cast at Taproot is top-notch. It is mostly an ensemble piece with one star turn from Cassi Q Kohl as Grace Banker. Kohl is onstage almost every minute as the woman with natural leadership skills and an innate sense of self-esteem. She is indefatigable, with a belting power that lasts throughout the entire show – which is about two and a half hours. She is riveting.

August Theater In Seattle Includes Classics, Parodies And….Ms. Pak-Man!

 

Ms. Pac-Man (courtesy Shoes and Pants Productions)

Here's your opportunity this summer to revisit classic works from Ibsen and Shakespeare plus new plays and campy comedies to amuse us between barbecues. Get outcher calendars!

Hedda Gabler, General Gabler’s Theatre (GGT), 8/4-12/23 (at West of Lenin)
Hedda, a 19^th Century woman with plenty of will but no room to exact it, thought she made a wise deal with the man she just married. She would be his wife, and he would provide her with the safe and respectable means to occupy her active mind. When it becomes clear that her husband can’t fulfill his end of the bargain, her mind quickly turns dangerous.
www.generaltheatre.org/hedda
 
Ballabhpur Ki Roopkatha, Pratidhwani, 8/4-13/23 (at Ethnic Cultural Theatre)
Once (upon a time) there was a King. His name was Bhoopati Rai. He had a Quee... Nope! He had no queen. That doesn't work! What kind of a fairytale has a king with no queen? To tell you the truth, this isn't a very good tale at all. In fact, it is quite weak in some spots. But if you come to listen to our tale, we will be glad to tell it to you! A Hindi translation of Badal Sircar's original Bengali play.
https://www.pratidhwani.org/bkr
 
Titanish, Marxiano Productions with Seattle Public Theater, 8/10/23-9/17/23
Crashing onto the shores of Green Lake this August, this musical parody (that lampoons the epic film) will showcase the wit and creativity that The Habit Comedy writers are acclaimed for. If you missed it last summer, here’s your chance to see and hear all the silliness, and enjoy a giant ship recreated in a tiny theater.
www.seattlepublictheater.org

Dancing at Lughnasa, SecondStory Repertory, 8/11-27/23

This intimate portrait of a country and a family at a crossroads, set in rural Ireland in 1936, tells the tale of five unmarried sisters -- the proud Mundy sisters -- staving off the hardships of daily life through talk, laughter and dance. But after they welcome their frail missionary brother home from Uganda, several intersecting events threaten to irreparably burst the Mundy women's fragile bubble of happiness.

www.secondstoryrep.org

Festival of New Musicals, Village Theatre, 8/12-13/23
The premiere developmental workshops for new musicals has again drawn major musical theater-writing talent to Issaquah for a weeklong process with professional actors, directors and music directors. The culmination of the work will be presented over two days. “Festival” is a fun-filled and exciting annual summer event, and this weekend is a significant marker in the post-Covid theater landscape!
www.villagetheatre.org

July Theater - Hot Outsides or Cool Indoors!

 

Get ready to get outside! Mainland or islands, there's plenty to soak in at parks in the wide area. There are also choices if you don't want to sit in the hot sun, so get outcher calendars!

Falsettos, Harlequin Productions, 7/1-22/23
Winner of two 1992 Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical and set in the early years of the AIDS epidemic, Falsettos revolves around the life of a charming, intelligent, neurotic gay man named Marvin, his wife, lover, his about- to-be-Bar-Mitzvahed son, their psychiatrist, and the lesbians next door. It’s a poignant look at the infinite possibilities that make up a modern family.
www.harlequinproductions.org
 
The Tempest, Seattle Shakespeare Company/Wooden O, 7/6/23-8/6/23 (various parks)
When you’re stranded on an enchanted island for twelve long years with only your daughter and magical spirits for company, it turns out you have plenty of time for plotting revenge. Enter Prospero, the erstwhile Duke of Milan who was usurped by his brother Antonio. Prospero’s ire at his brother is given glorious life when Antonio and his crew sail too close to the island, and with the aid of his magical spirit Ariel, he conjures a supernatural storm to shipwreck the passengers. But his plot goes awry as the island becomes a wondrous playground for romance, trickery, and spectacle, ultimately leading to forgiveness and reconciliation.
www.seattleshakespeare.org
 
The Fairy’s Bottom: A Midsummer Burlesque, Marxiano Productions, 7/6-16/23 (at The Triple Door)
From the creators of the absinthe infused hit Bohemia and Seattle Vice comes a new show that undresses the Shakespearean classic A Midsummer Night's Dream, and reveals a clever and sexy new cabaret. Original music by hosts Mark Siano and Opal Peachey will invite audiences into the fairy's bower where some of the Northwest's hottest dancing nymphs and dryads will entertain adventurous human guests. https://tickets.thetripledoor.net/eventperformances.asp?evt=1955

June Sprouts Interesting Stage Options

 

 Kay Taylor Yelinek & Jasmine Lomax in All New Cells (Kirk Hostetter)

Good weather sprouts some very interesting theatrical choices this month. Unique world premieres and a long-awaited covid-paused production, dance/theater, a challenging series of directors’ work, and diverse and neuro-untypical content abound.
 
All New Cells, Shattered Glass Project, 6/1-18/23 (at Theatre Off Jackson) (world premiere)
When Nils's ex-girlfriend dies suddenly, he is dragged back into a toxic online roleplay scene he swore he'd never return to. He'd been doing okay sticking to his seven-year plan for getting over their breakup - but now, everyone either blames him or expects him to have answers, and he's getting nasty anonymous messages that might be coming from beyond the grave. A nuanced examination of identity, trauma, assault, grief, and mental health through an online world.
www.shatteredglassproject.org
 
Glorious: The True Story of Florence Foster Jenkins – The Worst Singer in the World, Phoenix Theatre, 6/2-25/23
In 1940s New York, the performer who everyone wanted to see live was Florence Foster Jenkins, an enthusiastic soprano whose pitch was far from perfect. Known as "the first lady of the sliding scale," she warbled and screeched her way through the evening to an audience who mostly fell about with laughter. But this delusional and joyously happy woman paid little attention to her critics, instead she was surrounded by a circle of devoted friends who were almost as eccentric as she was.
www.tptemonds.org
 
Cost of Living, Sound Theatre Company, 6/8/23-7/1/23 (at 12^th Ave Arts) (opens 6/10)
Breathless reviews greeted the Broadway production of Martyna Majok’s play, Cost of Living, in late 2022. Now we get to see this 2018 Pulitzer Prize-winning play (finally, after a 2020 covid-hiatus) in Seattle, where Sound Theatre Company showcases the play along with several disabled (wheelchair-assisted) crew and cast. The play peeks into the rarely-seen world of Disabled individuals and their caregivers. Class divisions, safety nets, financial haves and have-nots, and interdependence emerge. 
www.soundtheatrecompany.org

May is Merry on Seattle Area Stages

Hometown Boy at Seattle Public Theater (John Ulman)

Musicals seem to be a theme for May, and local or ex-local talents display their works on stage (Keiko Green, Justin Huertas), which is exciting. It’s quite a fun set of shows to get onto your calendars. There doesn’t seem to be a frown in sight, this month.
 
Zach, ArtsWest, 5/4-25/23 (world premiere)
Christian St. Croix pens a satirical comedy that skewers the popular tropes of ‘90s teen sitcoms. Gina, a Black girl and budding fashionista, and P.J., a Latino lovesick surfer boy at an affluent, majority-white Southern California high school are both overjoyed when they’re invited into the inner circle of Zach, the white, charismatic, prank-happy new kid at school. But when Zach plans a new prank that goes too far, P.J. and Gina must race to stop him before it’s too late – and along the way, learn to see their peers, and themselves, with fresh eyes.
www.artswest.org
 
Hometown Boy, Seattle Public Theater, 5/4-28/23
Playwright Keiko Green, ex-local actor well-known to many, writes about James who hasn’t been back to his rural Georgia hometown in over a decade. Reluctantly, he returns to check in on his father, whose behavior has become worryingly erratic. The South has a way of holding onto secrets. He soon stumbles into a life he thought he had left behind as a child. That stench in the air isn’t just his father’s decaying house, but the rotten core of long-buried secrets teeming just under the surface and ready to explode.
www.seattlepublictheater.org
 
Lydia And The Troll, Seattle Rep, 5/5/23-6/4/23 (world premiere)
Singer-songwriter Lydia feels held back. Maybe it’s writer’s block, maybe it’s her not-so-perfect boyfriend. But when a mysterious stranger offers her the chance to change her life, she may end up sacrificing more than she ever imagined. Inspired by fantasy and folklore, yet grounded in Seattle’s noted landscape and landmarks, actor and musical writer (often book/music/lyrics) Justin Huertas (Lizard Boy) conjures up Pacific Northwest magic in this intimate new world.
www.seattlerep.org

Not-To-Miss: “The Niceties” is Urgently Acted

 

Varinique 'V' Davis and Amy Thone (Joe Moore)

The Niceties

Intiman Theatre

At Erickson Theatre

Through April 29, 2023

The fierce arguments between Janine Bosko (Amy Thone) and Zoe Reed (Varinique “V” Davis) in The Niceties are as brutal, intense and absorbing as any political-polemic-on-stage you may ever see. Bosko, a history professor, and Reed, a whip-smart well-prepared junior in college, each implore, beseech, demand, and exhort each other to LISTEN.
 
And yet, they yell past each other, rarely even acknowledging some of the heart-rending details each reveals about their personal life. As intense as this is, it feels like Not To Miss Theater. Eleanor Burgess' playwriting is crisp and, while intellectual at times, beautifully encapsulates the various issues at hand between the white professor and the Black student.

Spring forward into theater!

 

Amy Thone and Varinique 'V' Davis in The Niceties (Joe Moore)

Here comes Spring. There’s a lot of fresh theater to check out in the greater Seattle (and islands and Tacoma) theater community. (But allergies got me, so this is a little late.)
 
The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, Seattle Childrens Theater, 4/5/23-5/21/23
Growing tired of her life in Kansas, Dorothy and her little dog Toto discover a new adventure in the wonderful and magical Land of Oz after a cyclone swoops them “somewhere over the rainbow.” While following the yellow brick road to the Emerald City, Dorothy meets the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, who quickly become her new friends. Together, they overcome their fears of witches, flying monkeys, and a haunted forest to learn if the Wizard can make their dreams come true. Approx. 60 minutes/Recommended for ages 5+
www.sct.org
 
Redd, Key City Public Theatre, 4/5-30/23 (world premiere)
Kat Agudo brings a Pilipino twist to the classic Little Red Riding Hood. Rue, a mysterious orphan with Babaylan royal ancestry, is planning to leave for Spain with their caretaker, Don Hunter from the sheltered town of Intramuros, Manila.. Accompanied by a spirit guide, Rin, they journey to Grandmother’s house. They engage in a fantastical battle fueled by the sacrifice of Rue’s ancestors and a chance for liberation of her people. KCPT commissioned this world premiere play.
www.keycitypublictheatre.org
 
I Hate Hamlet, The Phoenix Theatre, 4/7-30/23
Andrew Rally seems to have it all: celebrity and acclaim from his starring role in a hit television series; a rich, beautiful girlfriend; a glamorous, devoted agent; the perfect New York apartment; and the chance to play Hamlet in Central Park. But there are couple of glitches in paradise –
Andrew’s series has been canceled; his girlfriend is clinging to her virginity with unyielding conviction; and he has no desire to play Hamlet. In the midst of his confusion, he is visited by the ghost of legendary actor John Barrymore. Andrew wrestles with his conscience, Barrymore, his sword, and confronts the ultimate question: Who he wants to be, or not be?
www.tptedmonds.org

March Roars On Stage Like a Lion

Between Two Knees at Seattle Rep (Photo © T. Charles Erickson)

Musicals, shorts fest, Shakespeare, world premieres – March has it all for you. Every person can find something to see they will like on stage! Put on a mask and get out your calendars! 

Short Play Festival, Deaf Spotlight, 3/2-5/23 (at 12^th Avenue Arts)
Six new 10-minute plays, created by deaf and deafblind playwrights, centered around the theme “floral shop.” Deaf creatives and artists will act, direct and produce in the festival.
https://www.deafspotlight.org/
 
Between Two Knees, Seattle Rep, 3/3-26/23
The first play by acclaimed intertribal sketch comedy troupe The 1491s—best known for the hit television series “Reservation Dogs”—takes audiences on a searing and humorous series of vignettes through American history, centered on one family’s account of their experiences from the massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890 to the protests there in 1973.
www.seattlerep.org
 
Born Yesterday, Theatre9/12, 3/3-26/23
Born Yesterday is a scathing comedy about the idealism of the United States Constitution corrupted by greed, ignorance, self-service, and disillusion set shortly after World War II. Self-made millionaire, Harry Brock, has thieved his way up the ladder to buying Senators. Paul Verral, an international journalist, befriends Brock, endearing himself to the criminal who hires Paul to class up his main squeeze: a beautiful but improper “showgirl” who doesn’t like having to think. Without altering text or era, Theatre9/12 re-interprets play paralleling today’s events.
www.theatre912.com

World Premieres and more on Seattle-area stages

Lindsey Welliver and Calder Shilling in Sense and Sensibility at Village Theatre (Angela Sterling)

It is apparently “world premiere” month on Seattle-area stages – including an introduction to Iranian theater artists hosted by Macha Theatre Works, though I didn’t get that memo. But exciting new work is ready for you to experience! Get out yer calendars!
 
Sense and Sensibility, Village Theatre, Issaquah – 2/1/23-3/12/23 / Everett – 3/17/23-4/9/23 (world premiere)
This playful new adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved novel follows the fortunes (and misfortunes) of the Dashwood sisters—sensible Elinor and sensitive Marianne—after their father’s sudden death leaves them financially destitute and socially vulnerable. This classic-modern mashup layers the story with smart comedy and zany antics—underscored by a contemporary mix of your favorite pop songs.
www.villagetheatre.org
 
The People Downstairs, Key City Public Theatre, 2/1-26/23
Miles, an aging funeral home custodian with a taste for whiskey, laughter, and hoarding, is moved to action when a court-appointed guardian threatens to take away the home he shares with his daughter Mabel, a middle-aged agoraphobic who spends her days writing letters to prison inmates, their rights, and their stolen poodle. Miles sets out to find a ‘good guy’ for Mabel. He finds Todd, an inept mortician who lives with his mother and pet hamster Stanley Kowalski. It is a father’s fierce determination not to accept his daughter’s fate that ignites an endearing human comedy about love, loss, loneliness, and the healing power of laughter.
www.keycitypublictheatre.org
 
I & You, Valley Center Stage, 2/3-19/23
A young teen struggles with a long-term illness mostly alone, until a classmate shows up to keep her company. Their work on a class project about a book of poetry leads them to some vulnerable conversation and a surprising ending.
www.valleycenterstage.org

Not Perfect Daughter Is Perfectly Fun and Expertly Done

 

Cast of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (Nate Watters)

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
www.SeattleRep.org
Through 2/5/23
 
Director Juliette Carrillo directed one of the few plays that stay stuck in my mind for many years. Way back in 2011, Carrillo directed The Brothers Size at Seattle Rep. Images from that play instantly come to mind when I think of that production. Carrillo helmed a designer crew of sets, lights, sound, and movement/choreography that melded together perfectly. The trio of actors was magical.
 
Now, Carrillo has directed another play that may have that same lasting power for me. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is not a perfect play, in that it might need a bit of trimming from a jam-packed script, but this production is magical. From the amazingly simple but amazingly stunning set design of a massive beaded curtain by Efren Delgadillo Jr., to the costumes by Danielle Nieves that fit the actors within an inch of their lives (with an eye-popping quinceañera dress!). From the light by Robert J. Aguilar that went from tenderly subtle to a blinding crescendo and the sound design and compositions of John Nobori. Again, she has indeed assembled a fantastic cast of actors.
 
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is about a 15-year-old Júlia (who ages to about 17 during the play) who has just lost her beloved but maybe-slightly-mysterious older sister and is trying to cope with what that means to the rest of her life. While surrounded by family, the relationships are not at all comforting. Júlia mother (Amá played by Jazmín Corona) might love her, but most of the time she seems as toxic as it might get. Júlia’s father (played by Eddie Martinez) is remote and removed.

"Becoming Othello" - Great Actor Needs a Better Script

 Guest Reviewer Amy Pierce

Deborah Ann Byrd in Becoming Othello (Robert Wade)

Amy Pierce is a lifelong fan of the theater, an actor, a storyteller, and a Black woman, who hopes to encourage more people of color to embrace art in all its forms (but especially live theater).

Deborah Ann Byrd has great stage presence and has accomplished quite a lot as an actor and as a woman from severely disadvantaged beginnings. One can feel that from the moment she takes stage with a powerful singing voice, owning the stage. She is a vastly talented actor with a story that should be rich and compelling. Her struggles to find and express her talent and love for acting, particularly of acting Shakespeare is certainly worthy of being heard.

In her solo show now presenting at Seattle Shakespeare Company, Becoming Othello, A Black Girl's Journey, Byrd tells the story of those struggles and her unlikely journey to becoming a Shakespearean actor and to founding the Harlem Shakespeare Festival in 2013, a festival that continues today to provide professional opportunities to Black and underrepresented actors to perform any classical roles they might like.

2023 Starts With A Bang in Seattle Theaters

 

William Eames and Bretteney Beverly,
A Woman of No Importance, Taproot Theatre (Photo by Robert Wade)

2023 is starting off with several bangs with productions of classic plays, world premieres, new to us stories, and intriguing plays referencing classic writing. There is something for everyone, this month. Get outcher calendars! Happy New Year!

The World’s a Stage: Becoming Othello, A Black Girl’s Journey, Seattle Shakespeare Company, 1/3-29/23
This autobiographical solo show from Debra Ann Byrd, the Founding Artistic Director of the Harlem Shakespeare Festival and Artistic Director of Southwest Shakespeare Company, is a living memoir of her life’s trials and triumphs. Through verses from Othello and dynamic multimedia elements, she chronicles her youth growing up in Harlem, her tumultuous teen years, and navigating race in classics as a gender-flipped Othello.
www.seattleshakespeare.org
 
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, Seattle Rep, 1/13/23-2/5/23
As she grieves the death of her older sister, Julia Reyes faces pressure to put her own dreams of becoming a writer on hold. She finds herself caught between her family’s expectations and the less-than-perfect life she grapples with every day as a 15-year-old growing up in Chicago. A rich and poignant exploration of how to transcend your circumstances while remaining true to who you are.
www.seattlerep.org