Pages

Monday, June 05, 2023

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 12th 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