Jay Irwin - Page 35

If you know what I mean when I say things such as "Are you telling me cocoanuts migrate?!?" "She's got huge tracks of land!" and "Ni!" then you're my kind of nerd who understands the joy that is "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". And while musical theater nerds are aware, I was surprised to find out how many others didn't know that the genius of Holy Grail was giddily translated into the musical "Monty Python's Spamalot" which ran off with the Tony for best musical in 2005. And now the 5th Avenue Theatre presents an all local production of the smash hit and with the talent and design at their disposal, it's about as close to the Broadway show as you're going to get (without Jews, of course).

A new work is always a risk even from author Charles Waxberg who gave us the amazing "A Shade of Green" a few years back. In this case from Theatre 9/12 we kind of have two works from Waxberg with his new play "The Equation". And while the performances in the piece were admirable, only one of the stories held together (for the most part) while the other left me completely confused.

It's a show that's done by pretty much everyone and their dog. Why? Because Larry Shue's "The Foreigner" is somewhat easy to put up (one set, manageable cast) and it's one of Shue's funnier and smarter pieces. So it's kind of a staple for smaller theaters. But while it is an easily doable show, it's not so easy to get it right. Much of it is spoken in a made up language (that has to make sense) and it's got a dark sharp edge to it that can kill the comedy. Luckily director Brian Yorkey understands that dark edge and his cast currently at Village Theatre completely get the humor of it amounting to a thoroughly solid and engaging production of an oft-produced gem.

The absolutely stirring performances would have been enough. Even if the script for Seattle Rep's world premiere of "A Great Wilderness" were just so-so the ensemble cast knocking ball after ball out of the park would have been enough to make for an amazing evening. But when you add in the fact that this new script from one of the theater world's up and comers, Samuel D. Hunter, amounts to a subtle and gripping thing of beauty, you have an experience at the theater that you won't soon forget.

When any of Steve Martin's plays such as "Picasso at the Lapin Agile", currently playing at Second Story Rep, is done well it can be a riotous evening of surreal fun. But when it misses the mark it's still funny but lacks that certain spark of genius that Martin is known for. And while SSR's production doesn't completely miss the mark it's more sparkly moments are overshadowed by its somewhat scattered and tepid ones.

Before "Rent" put AIDS into the mainstream, before "The Temperamentals" looked at the plight of closeted gay men, there was "The Normal Heart", Larry Kramer's somewhat autobiographical, ground breaking master work which shoved the AIDS crisis and the gay lifestyle front and center at a time when people preferred to think of it as someone else's issue. The current production from Strawberry Theatre Workshop may have a few wrinkles to iron out but the performances from the stellar cast do honor to the iconic work.

I've never particularly been a fan of Shakespeare's histories. To me they amount to a lot of political posturing. But even with all the posturing they usually amount to a story with high stakes for all involved. Unfortunately the pacing and some performances from Seattle Shakespeare Company's current production of "Richard II" are so middle of the road and one note that the show lacked those high stakes and amounted to just so much of that posturing.

Opera has long been considered at the epitome of class and sophistication. Well it's time to give up that idea as 'Jerry Springer: The Opera' has come to town from Balagan Theatre in association with Seattle Theatre Group, and they've taken the highbrow nature of Opera and defecated all over it. And guess what, it's awesome! And before you think this is just some crass parody with a lot of bathroom humor and sex jokes, well it is, but it's also a smart and meaningful show with soaring operatic performers who would (some of whom have) fit right in at Seattle Opera.

The servants are downstairs and the Masters upstairs and the scandals and secrets are flying. It could be another episode of the PBS hit "Downton Abbey" except in this case the scandal is … well, you won't know until the audience shouts it out. As it is with most improv shows at Jet City Improv's "Upside Downton", the audience decides the direction of the story and it's up to the talented folks at Jet City to turn it into a Brit-ish (some of those accents were hilariously off) evening of fun. And while only half of the house seemed to really be clicking the night I saw, it still amounted to a great time.

The discussion on conversion or reparative therapies seems to be growing fast, especially with many states enacting bans on conversion therapy practices on gays. And now the Seattle Rep has commissioned a play on the topic from rising star playwright Samuel D Hunter with his "A Great Wilderness". I got to sit down and discuss the show with Hunter as well as director Braden Abraham to get their in depth look at this upcoming work.

I've never particularly warmed to Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Evita". Like most of his shows it just feels like a lot of flash and very little substance. So I can't really come at this production from the point of view of a fan of the show but I can point out some truly stirring performances within it.

Holy Crap! That's really the most emphatic sentiment I can use to describe the internal battles I had when trying to pick my top picks for this past year. There were so many amazing performances and achievements that to pick just one was almost an impossibility (and as you'll see, WAS an impossibility for one category). But the battle is over and it's my distinct pleasure to announce my picks for the 2013 Broadway World Seattle Critic's Choice Awards (or Jay's Picks, if you prefer).

Holiday theatrical traditions are alive and well at ACT but the two shows playing couldn't be more different from each other. First off with their 38th annual production, ACT presents the classic “A Christmas Carol” with all the polish and flash that you've come to expect. And then with their 13th installment, Peggy Platt and Lisa Koch (AKA Dos Fallopia) present their irreverent sketch comedy show “Ham for the Holidays: Close Encounters of the Pork Rind”. I managed to see both in one night (it's possible but it's tight) and I went from sobbing to belly laughs that amounted to a lovely evening of holiday treats.

It seems everything is coming up Jinkx lately. What with winning "RuPaul's Drag Race", a sold out run of his "Vaudevillians" show in New York, and his award winning performance of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" here in Seattle (click here for my review of last January's production), Jerick Hoffer (a.k.a. Jinkx Monsoon) has a lot to crow about. And now with three upcoming shows in December (including a remount of the aforementioned "Hedwig"), it seems Jinkx is taking over the Holidays as well. I recently had a conversation with Jerick in between his many rehearsals to see how his whirlwind life has been going since the win.

Take equal parts Dickens and Shakespeare, add in a healthy spoonful of historical tom-foolery, the zest from a bawdy queen and stir it up til you don't know one play from another and you'll have the latest outing from one of the more impressive small theater companies in town, Sound Theatre Company, with their World Premiere of "Holiday of Errors". And while it may get slightly muddled at times and take just a bit to get started, if you sit back and let the ridiculousness of it wash over you, you're bound to have a good time.

Any Charles Dickens' tale basically has the same theme, working through adversity to get to hope. But even with that simplistic theme his characters are extremely nuanced and complex. And any production of a Dickensian play needs those nuances lest the show just turn into melodrama. Unfortunately the current production of "Oliver!" at the 5th Avenue Theatre is lacking in that nuance as well as much spark so that it mostly comes across as going through the motions.

It's the day after Thanksgiving and suddenly I feel myself getting attacked from a Thanksgiving turkey. No, it's not my Sister's cooking but the world premiere offering from Balagan Theatre of "Thankskilling, The Musical". It's still the completely offensive and hilarious show I saw in the summer as part of Balagan's Summer New Works readings but now a little more fleshed out. And while the humor is still there the production felt it needed a little more cooking time. The bird was just a tad underdone.

When casting my reviewers eye to the world premiere musical version of Roald Dahl's "James and the Giant Peach", currently playing at Seattle Children's Theatre, I am forced to look upon the show from two perspectives. From the kid perspective, as this is children's theatre, will this be entertaining and accessible enough for kids? And from the adult musical theater lover perspective, as this is a brand new musical from some up and comers in the musical theater scene Justin Paul, Benj Pasek and Timothy Allen McDonald, is this something that can make a musical theater lover squeal with delight at the thought of it getting a wider audience (like maybe Broadway)? And while from the kid perspective this was a lovely and thoroughly fun time for any age, the musical theater snob in me felt the show just needs a little more work to be truly great. But it's certainly on its way.

I love it when a production manages to actually make me giddy with its technical aspects whether that be the gorgeous set, the intricate staging or the storytelling lights and sound. It appeals to the theater geek in me. So, Dear Readers, you can imagine how much I was in geek heaven at the Seattle Rep's current production of "The Hound of the Baskervilles" which managed all four of those elements. And when coupled with a fresh fun new script and equally fun cast, this new production makes for a chilling romp through the world of Sherlock Holmes.

Someone left the gate open on the asylum again as the not-quite-right-in-the-head boys of The Habit are back with their next round of outside the box sketch comedy with "The Habit 13" at The Bathhouse Theater. And really, what better way can you start off the holiday season than a visit with some crazy people you're not related to before you're stuck with the ones you are?