Chris Ensweiler News

BroadwayWorld has a first look Urinetown, this season's co-production between The 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT - A Contemporary Theatre!

Seattle's critics' circle announces Nominees of Excellence in Seattle theatrical productions. Spanning dozens of theater companies and productions, from large and prominent to small and humble, the Gypsy Rose Lee Awards honor the excellence found in the myriad of professional theater productions that we reviewers attend in a year.

The cast for Urinetown, this season's co-production between The 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT - A Contemporary Theatre, has been announced.

A few years ago, Dear Readers, Seattle audiences were treated to the tour of Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin's lovely musical version of Roald Dahl's "Matilda". A clever little tuner that managed to go beyond simply adding songs to a beloved book and find the heart of the story. Unfortunately, the complaint I heard most often back then from people who saw it was that they couldn't understand the lyrics owing to a bad sound mix in the theater and a bevy of child actors putting on quite thick British accents. So, if you didn't know the lyrics then maybe you didn't get to know them. Well, Village Theatre has picked up this tale of these revolting children (not a judgment of the kids, it's one of the songs) and while the lyrics are much clearer in the more intimate setting and the talent from the kids and adults alike is top notch (with some excellent diction) the show at times feels like it's striving to find it's rhythm and barely finds its magic.

Village Theatre is elated to bring Roald Dahl's magical misfit Matilda to the stage in the hit musical that swept up five Tony Awards, seven Olivier Awards, and was named TIME's #1 Show of the Year in 2013. The production features an incredible cast of 15 local youth who have been training for their roles in music, acting, and CrossFit since June. They will be joined by some of the Puget Sound's best performers.

With one week left until The 18th Annual Festival of New Musicals, Village Theatre is excited to announce this summer's casting and creative teams! Tony Award-winner Victoria Clark (The Light in the Piazza) will direct Hansel & Gretl & Heidi & Gu?nter, a hilarious family adventure of what happens after Hansel and Gretl escape. Village Theatre's new artistic director Jerry Dixon (If/Then, Once on this Island) will direct the kick-off show Elysium: An American Fable, the moving story of a family dying under the weight of their own secrets; and associate artistic director Brandon Ivie (Jasper in Deadland) will direct The Passage, a coming-of-age mystery about a boy battling a monster holding his father captive. Joining them will be music directors Jason Hart (American Psycho), Rona Siddiqui (Bella: An American Tall Tale), R.J. Tancioco (Here Lies Love), and resident music director Tim Symons (Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion), among others.

The Tanne Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2017 awards. Now in its nineteenth year, the foundation's mission is to underscore the importance of supporting individual artists with unrestricted funding. The awards totaling $53,300 honor five artists in recognition of their artistic achievements as well as one artist-run organization which has presented exceptional work for 40 years.

If you've ever seen Patrick Barlow's brilliant stage adaptation of the Hitchcock film "The 39 Steps" you know what a fast paced thrill ride it is. When I saw the Broadway touring production I thought I was going to pass out from laughter. Which is why I was a little let down by the current production at Village Theatre that still had some great laughs but not always that lightning fast pace that the show demands.

Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python, and you have The 39 Steps, a fast-paced, comedy-fueled whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre. On stage in Issaquah starting January 19, this Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning play features four versatile cast members putting on a frenetic show-within-a-show. Based on the novel by John Buchan and the classic film by Alfred Hitchcock, and adapted by Patrick Barlow, The 39 Steps has become a stage favorite not just for its nostalgic spy thriller plot and winking references to Hitchcock, but for the virtuosic clowning required by the farcical stage adaptation, leading it to be one of the longest running plays in the history of London's West End.

Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python, and you have The 39 Steps, a fast-paced, comedy-fueled whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre. On stage in Issaquah starting January 19, this Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning play features four versatile cast members putting on a frenetic show-within-a-show. Based on the novel by John Buchan and the classic film by Alfred Hitchcock, and adapted by Patrick Barlow, The 39 Steps has become a stage favorite not just for its nostalgic spy thriller plot and winking references to Hitchcock, but for the virtuosic clowning required by the farcical stage adaptation, leading it to be one of the longest running plays in the history of London's West End.

Alice Childress' 'Wedding Band' is an important show-but can feel a bit academic. It isn't overwritten with clever gags or attention-grabbing circumstances, and while this can make the play feel slow, the creative skill of the cast and crew elevates the production.

Back in 2013 Andrew Lippa sent his latest work off to Broadway. "Big Fish", based on the movie of the same name, was sure to be a big hit. But for some reason this sweet little tuner failed to catch fire and closed in just under 4 months. Sadly with such a tepid reception no tour of the show was ever planned so the only way anyone would see this lovely show would be a regional production. Fortunately we currently have one of those for "Big Fish" at Taproot Theatre. Unfortunately, while there's plenty of talent in the show, one of the leads wasn't quite up to the task vocally and for a big, ballad laden musical that can be deadly.

Seattle Shakespeare Company presents ROMEO AND JULIET by William Shakespeare, directed by Vanessa Miller, opening this Today, May 6, 2016 and closing May 22, 2016 at the Cornish Playhouse (201 Mercer Street, WA 98109). BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Seattle Shakespeare Company presents ROMEO AND JULIET by William Shakespeare, directed by Vanessa Miller, opening this Friday, May 6, 2016 and closing May 22, 2016 at the Cornish Playhouse (201 Mercer Street, WA 98109). BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

It's a story so familiar that it is practically part of our DNA. A boy, a girl, and a love that tries to beat the odds. For Seattle Shakespeare Company's production of ROMEO AND JULIET, director Vanessa Miller will use the play and stage space as a portal for a group of players trapped in a game that races to its final conclusion. 

It's a story so familiar that it is practically part of our DNA. A boy, a girl, and a love that tries to beat the odds. For Seattle Shakespeare Company's production of ROMEO AND JULIET, director Vanessa Miller will use the play and stage space as a portal for a group of players trapped in a game that races to its final conclusion. 

Broadway-bound new musical, Come From Away, presented by Seattle Repertory Theatre, wins four Gypsys, tying with another new musical, Lizard Boy, also produced by Seattle Repertory Theatreand also with four Gypsys, a company that has been known for years as a powerhouse dramatic straight-play playhouse! 

Seattle Theater Writers critics' circle is pleased to present the nomination slate of the fifth annual Gypsy Rose Lee Awards, theater awards devoted to recognizing excellence across the economic spectrum of professional Seattle theaters in the prior calendar year.

As a kid I remember being absolutely thrilled when the stars would align and something wonderful would come on to the afternoon movie like "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" or "The Wizard of Oz" or the magical "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang". Well that fantasmagorical, fuel burning oracle is back and on stage at Seattle Children's Theatre and it's just as magical as ever. And before you ask, yes, the car flies.

I'll admit that during Act One of the final show for this year's Intiman Theatre Festival, "Bootycandy", I kept thinking, "What the hell am I watching?" It was interesting and funny but felt disjointed with so many disconnected scenes. But by the end when they pulled them all together and I saw where they were going I was able to grab hold of that "aha" moment that you don't always get in theater.