Personal stories of the Piano Man. Victor Janusz stars in “Hands Solo” at ACT.

Victor Janusz (photo Jimmy Malecki)

Hands Solo: Pianoman

Starring Victor Janusz

ACT Theatre 

July 10-20, 2014

Victor Janusz is combining two of his favorite things: music and acting. He’s developed a memoir, Hands Solo: Pianoman, for the stage that performs from July 10-20 at ACT Theatre. He is one of the hardest working men around town, performing as a cabaret act and a solo pianist at Salty’s On Alki, among other gigs.

The roughly 80 minute show will give you a chronological look at his life through music that means something deep and particular to each age. Victor explains, “I want people to realize that the guy or gal behind the piano is investing his or her lifetime of relationships and stories into each song played.”

Some of the song selections and stories sound hilarious. The press release says, “Wonder about his surreal nine-year stint at Nordstrom playing for mannequins ("Mannequin Blues"); And revel in the tale of his 'command-performance' for then-Presidential Candidate Obama ("Living In A Blue State ") – where he exchanges business cards with the future President and causes a nervous breakdown among his Secret Service detail.” Others focus on his difficulties accepting himself as a gay man.

Time for the Seattle Outdoor Theater Festival! Indulge in all things outdoors and a lotta Shakespeare, July 12 and 13!

July 12 and 13 - ALL DAY! Volunteer Park! Free! (donations always accepted)

Website for more info: http://www.greenstage.org/sotf

Full calendar at that site.

Libby Barnard (Desdemona), Johnny Patchamatla (Othello), Martyn Krouse (Iago) in Othello (photo by Ken Holmes)

Two theater "spaces" busy all day.

July 12 (in order):
Much Ado About Nothing - Last Leaf Productions
Julius Caesar - Wooden O
Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf - Theater Schmeater
Love's Labours Lost - Greenstage

AND
Teatro Minestrone's Around the World in 8 Stories - 14/48 Projects
Richard III - Last Leaf Productions
The Lost Folio - Jet City Improv

July 13:
Midsummer Night's Dream - Young Shakespeare Workshop
Othello - Greenstage
Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf - Theater Schmeater
Two Gentlemen of Verona - Wooden O

AND
Teatro Minestrone's Around the World in 8 Stories - 14/48 Projects
Much Ado About Nothing - Shakespeare Northwest
The Lost Folio - Jet City Improv

"Kav and Clay" is a special event! It's a five-hour event and that shouldn't stop you for a minute!

Frank Boyd, Opal Peachey, David Goldstein in The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (photo by John Ulman)

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

Book-It Repertory Theatre

Through July 13, 2014

Adapted by Jeff Schwager

Directed by Myra Platt

Starring Frank Boyd, David Goldstein, Opal Peachey

One of the most amazing aspects of the history of comic books is who the major creators of this quintessential “American” art form turn out to be: New York-based Jews! Similar to the confounding aspect of American musical theater, replete with Jews and gays or Jewish gays, comic books were mainly conceived of and developed by Jewish men. Did they inject something into the water there?

Michael Chabon wrote The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay,  a sprawling history of two fictional cousins, Joe Kavalier, a Polish escapee from Nazi occupation in 1939, who comes to stay with Sammy Clay (nee Clayman), a comic book lover who aspires to emulate Superman’s creators success. It turns out Joe can really draw, and Sammy can really create great stories, in a match made in buddy-story-heaven.

Turning his far-ranging book into a Book-It style production was gutsy and overwhelming. Deciding to give it a four hour run time was almost inexplicable. Would audiences accept an epic evening of theater that includes two intermissions and a meal break? The answer is, “YES!” Virtually all the reviews and word of mouth, so far, have been positive and encouraging.

Successful debut for Seattle Mainstreet Festival of New Musicals

Some of the cast of Pride and Prejudice in performance (courtesy Seattle/Mainstreet Musicals)

The week of June 18-23, a very new event pushed its new green shoots from the fertile ground of Seattle’s musical theater community and with the indomitable Billie Wildrick at the helm, Seattle’s “chapter” of the Mainstreet Festival of New Musicals became a reality.  

The idea of Mainstreet Musicals, as stated on their reflections page, is to allow draft musicals to be performed in readings all over the country to get exposure and get a chance to move forward to becoming fully produced. Launched in 2010, they evaluate musicals as submitted to them for eventual inclusion in these nationwide festivals. They choose three musicals to be produced as concert readings (the performers use scripts and music stands with a pianist and your imagination).

Thirteen localities chose to produce this year’s festival, one being Seattle. Seattle chose to do the three musicals provided, Under Fire, Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice and Merton of the Movies. In addition, they spiced up the events by adding a late nite cabaret and another local draft musical focused event, Pitch Sessions.

Hurry, before "Passing Strange" passes away

Andrew Creech as Youth (photo Martin Christoffel)

Passing Strange

Starring LeRoy Bell, Andrew Creech

Sidecountry Theatre  

(at ACT Central Heating Lab)

Through 6/29/14

You still have this weekend to catch the entertaining and groovy musical, Passing Strange. Written as an autobiography and originally starring Stew, the Seattle version of a black man’s journey to manhood stars local celebrity and amiable rocker, LeRoy Bell.

Though it’s a story about rock and roll, most of the musical composition don’t get that loud (no earplugs needed). Bell tells the story through narration about his youth (Youth is played by Andrew Creech) in a boring lower middle class Los Angeles neighborhood straining to be someone unique. Through minimal staging, dance, and storytelling techniques, a quartet of talented actors (DeSean Halley, Yesenia Iglesias, J Reese, Shontina Vernon) morph from teenage church friends to European footloose, drug-inspired young adults, as Youth tries to find himself and “the real.”

Raucous “The Hunchback of Seville” fits the WET audience taste to a “V”

Maria Knox and Samie Detzer (photo by Cassandra Bell)

The Hunchback of Seville

Washington Ensemble Theatre

By Charise Castro Smith

Directed by Jen Wineman

Starring Samie Detzer, Libby Barnard, Rose Cano, Maria Knox

Through June 30, 2014

Washington Ensemble Theatre doesn’t do plays most other companies would do very often. Their tastes run to bizarre, outlandish, boundary-stretching, unconventional, fantastical, and other such adjectives that denote unusual theater choices. Their world-premiere presentation of The Hunchback of Seville by Charise Castro Smith fits them very well (the “V” in the header).

Castro Smith and director Jen Wineman brought their baby to WET via the outreach that former Ensemble member and Yale graduate Michael Place enabled. They brought their project as a team and agreed that they would both come and be resident during a development process that resulted in Castro Smith being present for a month of rehearsals. Devin Bannon, an Ensemble member, says that is “unprecedented” in their history of developing scripts.