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