It's Not a Wedding -- Yes, It Is // Thalia's Umbrella isn't sure

Actors in A Mirror (Annabel Clark)

A Mirror

Thalia's Umbrella 

through March 14 at 12th Avenue Arts

www.thaliasumbrella.org 

 

 It's not easy to discuss a play full of lies when the reasons those lies are told should be secret. This play, presented by Thalia's Umbrella, is such a play. You're invited to a wedding, but the wedding is a lie. And you, the audience, become complicit in that lie just by attending. 

 

I think you'll think, as I did, that your participation is well worth attending. Author Sam Holcroft has devised a theatrical "event" that is quite different from a straightforward production. 

 

I can say that the reasons for the secrecy enfold current events obliquely but definitively. Much like any secret society meeting, the wedding might be a cover. Or maybe the meeting is a cover. 

 

There is, however, a real story to suss out. The strong cast includes Quinlan Corbett as Čelik, who might or might not be a high government official, Jon Lutyens as Bax, who may or may not be a real playwright, Adam Tapp as Adem, who could be the groom, or an aspiring playwright, and Emily Verla as Mei, the bride or a soldier turned office worker.

 

The playing time was about 2 3/4 hours, but it flew by. That's a great feeling to have when there is so much to pay attention to. Please do dress for a wedding and have fun. 

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February Theater in Seattle

Ada Twist, Scientist and Friends at SCT (Truman Buffett)

February stages in the Seattle area present quite a few world premieres, which is exciting! The Brown Derby is back again (ifkyk *cough* ReBar) with a brand-new take on Twilight. It's a full slate of entertainment. Get out yer calendars!

Ada Twist, Scientist and Friends
To 2/22/26
Seattle Children’s Theatre, www.sct.org
Ms. Greer’s classroom includes three inquisitive out-of-the-box thinkers. Rosie Revere has big dreams. Iggy Peck has a relentless passion for architecture. And Ada Twist’s curiosity can lead her to solve any problem. (Ages 5+)
 
Monty Python’s SPAMALOT (tour)
2/4-15/26
5^th Avenue Theatre, www.5thavenue.org
The musical comedy lovingly ripped off from the film classic, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, has everything that makes a great knight at the theatre, from flying cows to killer rabbits, British royalty to French taunters, dancing girls, rubbery shrubbery, and of course, the Lady of the Lake. SPAMALOT features well-known song titles such as “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” “The Song That Goes Like This,” “Find Your Grail” and more that have become beloved classics in the musical theater canon.
 
Twilight (movie adaptation/spoof)
2/4-7/26 (at Theatre Off Jackson)
Ian Bell’s Brown Derby, www.strangertickets.com
The Brown Derby Series has presented "Ridiculously Staged Readings of Your Favorite Screenplays" since 1999, becoming a Seattle comedy institution with a loyal following. Now TBD sinks its teeth into Twilight, the brooding world of sparkly vampires, angst-ridden teens, and one very intense biology class. When a shy newcomer arrives in the gloomy town of Forks, she falls for a mysterious classmate with an even more mysterious thirst for…well, you know.

Anticipate Great Theater in 2026 – Ready, Set, January!

Bohemia (courtesy Marxiano Prods.)

We’ve survived another year! January is certainly bringing world premieres and enticing shows our way. Also a couple of reprises you might want to check out having missed the last time. Get out yer calendars!
 
The Heart Sellers
1/2/26-2/1/26
Seattle Rep, www.seattlerep.org
Young immigrants Luna and Jane meet as strangers over the frozen turkeys at the grocery store on Thanksgiving in 1973, while their husbands work long hours. They decide to celebrate this unfamiliar holiday together. As they bond over their new lives in America and their longing for faraway family in Korea and the Philippines, they discover a kinship that overcomes any language barrier. (Recommended for ages 13+.)
 
Walking on a Paper Moon and Lear (alone)
1/10-19/26 (at ReACT Theatre, 562 1st Avenue South #400)
Baker Theatre Workshop, https://www.bakertheaterworkshop.com/
Walking on a Paper Moon is a one-act play about a father and his daughters coping with grief while watching the first moon landing. Lear (alone), an adaptation of the Shakespearean tragedy, focuses on the original play’s third act, with Lear alone in the wilderness and slowly descending into madness. (Free with reservation)
 
SHe Said, Stories & Songs by Jen Ayers
1/13/26-2/1/26 (at Erickson Theatre)
Intiman Theatre, www.intiman.org
When Jen’s partner of 25 years came out as transgender, their relationship entered uncharted territory, sparking a journey of self-discovery, growth, and fierce devotion—as partners, as individuals, and as parents of an 8-year-old. Jen then turned to her piano, creating what would become SHe Said—a deeply personal, genre-defying story about navigating transition together as a family.
 
Li (world premiere)
1/16/26-2/8/26
Seattle Public Theater with SiS Productions, www.seattlepublictheater.org and https://celebr8women.wordpress.com 

Li, a mid-career thief from Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, suddenly finds herself taking on too much responsibility. She breaks into an apartment and ends up emptying her pockets to feed its old, blind and starving resident. She gets a phone call from her estranged brother, a college professor in New York City, who tells her that he’s dying from cancer and now it’s her job to take care of their mother. With three mouths to feed, Li has to reconsider her career choice. Can her street smarts help her survive? A play with a radio, a hen, and a really good fart joke.

Chelsea LeValley in 'Penelope' - Can't Get Any Better

Chelsea LeValley as Penelope (John McLellan)

Penelope

Artswest

through December 21, 2025

Chelsea LeValley has been gallivanting around national theaters gaining credits (like touring with Come From Away) and valuable experience honing her craft. Thankfully, she's back in town for the run of this solo musical extraordinary effort, Penelope at Artswest. 

The promo blurb says, "Penelope has been waiting…and waiting…and waiting for her husband, Odysseus, to return from a decade-long war. Given the rest of the soldiers came home years ago—forgive her, but she’s going to need a drink while she tells you about it." A folk-inflected pop score, backed by a five-piece onstage band, this musical demands a compelling performer with vulnerability and a great belt.

Penelope was the wife of Odysseus - King of Ithaca - who left to battle in the Trojan Wars. True to the story in The Odyssey, she sings about the war being over in ten years, yet Odysseus does not return for ten more. That's a lot of waiting! 

Ha Ha Ha Ha-liday Shows (and a bunch of Scrooges)

Scott Shoemaker's War on Christmas (Bronwen Houck)

You know what’s in store on Seattle stages, this month! Go for the classics or go for the laughs. Plenty of shows to choose from! Get out yer calendars!

The Past, A Present Yet to Come (Michael Brunk)

The Past, a Present Yet to Come
Through 12/21/25 (at Kennedy Catholic High, 140 S. 140th St., Burien)
Burien Actors Theatre, www.battheatre.org
In this irreverent imagining of how Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol came to be written, a young entrepreneur in Victorian London sets out to produce a play that will soften his Uncle Ebenezer Scrooge’s hard heart. He turns to no-nonsense theatre producer J.B. Roth, who engages a broke, philandering Dickens. Are there ulterior motives for this unlikely mission to save Scrooge?
 
The Sound of Music
Through 12/21/25 (at 9315 State Ave, Suite J, Marysville)
Red Curtain Foundation for the Arts, www.redcurtainfoundation.org
Let the melodies of the Alps welcome you as we bring this beloved musical to life for the holiday season. Filled with iconic songs, heartfelt storytelling, and the inspiring story of the Von Trapp family, The Sound of Music continues to captivate audiences of all ages.
 
A Charlie Brown Christmas
12/4-27/25
Taproot Theatre, www.taproottheatre.org
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. 7^th year in a row, almost a holiday tradition! (40 minutes)

Fellow Passengers
12/4-22/25
Strawberry Theatre Workshop, www.strawshop.org

Greg Carter has adapted Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, the actual narrative into a three-person presentation. The play engages found objects, clothes, and furniture to restore vitality to the most important story ever written. Imogen Love, Kiki Abba, and Heather Persinger share the role of literature's most famous haunted man and his joyful discovery that the people around him are "fellow passengers to the grave; not another race of creatures bound on other journeys." 

A Klingon Christmas Carol (courtesy Latitude Theatre)

A Klingon Christmas Carol
12/4-28/25 (at Seattle Center, Armory)
Latitude Theatre, www.latitudetheatre.org
With dialogue scripted completely in the Klingon language, and narrated in English by a Vulcan narrator (and translated with supertitles), Klingon themes of courage and honor propel Dickens’ traditional story of the cowardly SQuja’ (Scrooge) as he is challenged to revisit his choices and change his fate with the help of three Klingon warrior spirits.
 
The Dina Martina Christmas Show
12/5-24/25
Union Arts Center, www.unionartscenter.org
A beloved tradition for over 25 years, Dina’s cabaret performance offers a hilarious take on traditional and contemporary holiday tunes, accompanied by award-winning composer/musician/adult prodigy Chris Jeffries. Experience this hysterically funny and joyous production with your friends and family!

Seattle November Theater Provides a Warm Embrace

Acrobatic  Conundrum Threads (Josh Lieberman)

Lot of holiday oriented theatrical productions, of course, starting now. Some of our favorite laugh-factories are back for another go. There are world premieres and off-beat musicals and updates to classic musicals, too. Check it out and get out yer calendars, now!
 
Threads
Through 11/8/25
Acrobatic Conundrum, www.acrobaticconundrum.com
A tangled world, by turns emotive and exhilarating. Rope papers the walls, rope becomes an animate object in the hands of a clown, rope elevates dance-storytelling into the air. Acrobats revel in the messy knot of being connected to each other, pulling their weight, trusting, and putting their lives on the line for each other. Threads is a circus opus featuring seven performers and a musician, an exploration of connection, love, and endings — a story strung with grace and daring that will leave you inspired and curiously alive.
 
OMNIA Break Room (world premiere)
11/6-16/25 (at Meany Studio Theatre)
UW School of Drama, www.drama.uw.edu
In a world of streamlined efficiency, the employees of OMNIA (Latin for “everything”) convene in the breakroom during their shifts. Employees feel isolated and disconnected in an environment constantly extracting the most of people, until the inhumane system creates a schism, revealing a different life on the other side.
 
Anything Goes
11/7-22/25 (at Theatre Off Jackson)
Reboot Theatre Company, www.reboottheatre.org
When the S.S. Reboot heads out to sea, etiquette and convention head out the portholes as two unlikely pairs set off on the course to true love... proving that sometimes destiny needs a little help from a crew of singing sailors, a comical disguise, and some good old-fashioned blackmail.  Songs you may know, of pop and jazz standards, but might not know were from this musical, include "Anything Goes," "You're the Top," "All Through the Night," and "I Get a Kick Out of You."