Jay Irwin - Page 29

Yes, Dear Readers, it's "Uncle Vanya" … again. Now, don't get confused. I know I just reviewed this a few weeks ago but this is a different production. This is Theatre9/12, those plucky actors who pour over scene work week after week until they come up with a full play they'd like to present, this time it's Annie Baker's adaptation of Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya". They're all about the performance and not so much on the frills since there's usually little in the way of sets or elaborate costumes and they perform at the Trinity Church Parish Hall. And while they usually bring in a fantastic piece, this time it felt they focused a bit too much on individual scene work and not so much on connecting with each other as the play felt like so many performances in a vacuum.

The idea of stunt casting, the practice of taking a big name and putting them in a role just to get butts in seats, has always terrified me. And I've seen it result anywhere from the sublime such as Neil Patrick Harris killing it as "Hedwig" to the shudder inducing Molly Ringwald completely out of her depth as the world's oldest taxi dancer in "Sweet Charity". And while the 5th Avenue's couple of stunt casts, specifically rock royalty Micky Thomas of Starship as club owner Dennis and Galen Disston of the Seattle rock band Pickwick as the romantic lead Drew, in their current production of "Rock of Ages" were nowhere near the latter, when it came to delivering a line or executing some choreography, you could definitely tell the musical theater folks from the rockers. However, when it came to wailing out some amazing rock songs, those stunt casts had no equal, so all told, it amounted for a pretty awesome show. But we'll get to specifics in a minute.

OK, so putting up a dark and moody production of Anton Chekhov's 'Uncle Vanya' may sound redundant but remember, this is The Seagull Project. They've spent the last eight years killing it with all things Chekhov and now with the completion of the main plays, the dark and moody tone isn't so much the story but the way it's presented that thrilled.

If you're going to put up a new musical, such as Annex Theatre's current world premiere 'The Devil and Sarah Blackwater' you need a few things on board. First, an editor, to make sure that the show and the story is as tight and clear as you can make it. And second, a music director to present the vocals of the show in their best light. After seeing opening night, it seems to me that Annex had neither of these elements for a show that, while having some potential and talent, just seemed to wander around purgatory in search of its next bit.

Seattle Public Theater is currently offering a play you've probably never heard of, "Fire Season". And you've never heard of "Fire Season" because it's a World Premiere having been written by author Aurin Squire under the auspices of having won the inaugural Emerald Prize, Seattle Public Theater's new play award. So yes, "Fire Season" is a brand-new play that you've probably never heard of … but you need to.

In David Henry Hwang's play "M Butterfly" there's a few things you can take away. First there's the actual historical comparison to the real relationship between French diplomat Bernard Boursicot and Shi Pei Pu, a Peking opera singer. Second there's the cultural lesson of Westerners predilection to view Easterners in a certain, subservient light. And finally, there's the love story between a man trapped in a world and profession that used him and another man who claimed he didn't know his lover was also male. All those things should add up to a fascinating evening, unfortunately the current production at ArtsWest is told to us in such a bland and static way that the evening is just plain boring.

After a shaky start (sorry to all you folks who got bumped from the Wednesday performance) the 2017 Tony Award winner, "Dear Evan Hansen" is here at the Paramount. Now, I managed to catch this phenomenal show on Broadway when it was still in previews, so I got to see the original cast. The cast I'm sure all you fans of the show are familiar with from the cast recording from having listened to it over and over again. Well not to worry, as much as I loved the originals, this cast is just as sublime and not a carbon copy but putting in their own spin on this incredible story and characters.

Steven Dietz is touted as being 'one of America's most successful, prolific living dramatists' (The Seattle Times, 2018) and it's no surprise given his rich, engaging characters, raw, honest dialog, and stories that feel effortless as they slip in the emotional knife before you know it. Such is certainly the case with his 2004 work, "Last of the Boys", currently showing at the Seattle Rep.

Dear Readers, if you deem to venture into the sultry world of Can Can's newest show, "Bonbon", you may walk away with several feelings. First, you'll probably have a need to hit the gym more because, well, damn! Second, there's the impetus to slink and sashay down the street afterward humming a sexy torch song (and since you may have had a few drinks while there, this may actually happen). And finally, you may come to the strange realization that you've never wanted to be a suspender or garter (or possibly both) so much in your entire life. But whichever of those feelings you let overtake you, what you will have is a kick ass evening filled with song, dance, and enough finely toned skin to give the peep show across the street a run for its money. But, of course, all in the best of taste.

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' play "Everybody", currently at 12th Ave Arts from Strawberry Theatre Workshop, tells us from the beginning that we're in for a show about death. The House Manager (Justin Huertas) lets us know that this is a story that has been told before, many many times. But what makes "Everybody" fascinating, other than the fact that it's superbly written, is the way that it's presented to us with the actors being given their parts lottery style right in front of our eyes making this a show you could also see again and again and never quite see the same one twice.

As a self-proclaimed musical theater geek, I'll admit to some gaps in my geekdom and Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt's 1966 musical "I Do! I Do!" falls squarely into that gap. Before going to see the current production at Village Theatre I knew nothing about it. I don't even think I've heard the errant song from it off one of my many compilation albums. And now having seen it I'm more than happy to let it fall back into obscurity. With its paper thin, almost conflict free storyline, and songs that simply peter out into an air of forgetfulness, the only thing that saved the evening were the two people performing the show, Kendra Kassebaum and Peter Saide, but even they couldn't save this one.

Any good play wants to contain a solid beginning, middle, and end. But you know the old adage, give them a strong ending and they'll forgive a lot. But what happens when a one-act, one hour and 35-minute show just has a strong middle? I'll tell you, a lot of me checking my watch near the end and an audience not sure if the play was over since there were two possible endings and no curtain call. Such was the case with Washington Ensemble Theatre's current production of B, the absurdist political thriller from Guillermo Calderon.

Dear Readers, it has been one crazy year with some amazing theater. You know it's true. We've had dead teens riding a roller coaster, demonic puppets, and an ageless guy with a picture of himself in his attic. And, of course, a hip-hop founding father sweeping through town. But let's not talk about the juggernaut when we have such amazing things right here that blew us all away. At least they blew me away. So, let's talk about what blew me away this past year and what I have chosen to give my BWW 2018 Seattle Critic's Choice Awards (Jay's Picks) to (not to mention all those honorable mentions since often I can't limit myself to just one).

It's a whole new year with a whole new slate of fabulous theater coming to Seattle and the surrounding areas. So many exciting shows ready to thrill and astound us, make us laugh and cry. And so, I thought I'd let you in on the Top 10 shows coming up that I'm most excited about (actually 11 since I couldn't narrow it down to 10 but 'Top 10' sounded better) in chronological order.

Dear Readers, I'm going to start out by coming clean to a fact that may cause a few gasps. I've never liked "The Lion King". Unlike much of the rest of America I didn't think the movie was that great and I seriously don't care for the stage version. The story is just a watered-down version of "Hamlet", the music is written by committee with many different composers contributing to the score making for an inconsistent show, and it's all flash and spectacle trying to overshadow songs that don't move anything along by throwing everything they can on stage to distract. It's just overrated. "But," many have retorted, "the costumes are so great." To which I always reply, "Yes, and you see many of them in the first five minutes of the show in the costume parade disguised as an opening number, "Circle of Life". And then after you've seen that, then what? The show has blown their big moment at the beginning of the show and it's all downhill from there. Plus, this is a musical. I come for more than costumes." But we're not here for me to eviscerate "The Lion King", which I could do all day. We know I don't care for it but that aside, how was the current production at the Paramount? Let's discuss that.

Dear Readers, I need you to stop what you're doing right now (including reading this review) and go to www.seattlepublictheater.com and get your tickets to the most ridiculous fun you'll have this holiday season, 'A Very Die Hard Christmas'. Seriously tickets are going fast so do it now and then come back and read the rest of this. I'll wait here and sing softly to myself while you're gone. ('If you like Pina Coladas, getting' caught in the rain. If you're not into yoga. If you have half a brain…') Oh, you're back? Did you do it? Good. Now let me tell you about the glorious show you just bought tickets to from the brilliance of Mark Siano, John Kranz, Jeff Schell, and the deliciously demented minds of The Habit.

Seattle Musical Theatre has taken on Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" for the holidays, that bright and frothy, crowd-pleaser of a tuner. And while for this production they've managed to gather up some stellar talent, that talent sometimes has a hard time getting through the noise, or in most cases, the lack of noise.

You may say, Dear Readers, that it's impossible to have a bad production of the Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse, and Martin Charnin classic "Annie". Throw some precocious kids on stage, belt out those recognizable tunes and you're gold. Well, I beg to differ as I've seen my share of "Annie" productions that missed the point, or the heart or maybe just didn't quite have the kids to pull it off well. (You know what they say, never work with kids or animals and this show has BOTH!) Well the current production at the 5th Avenue not only has the perfect tone for this boisterously fun old time musical, but they know exactly where the heart is in the show and in the audience and which buttons to push on both. Not to mention those precocious kids all seem to be consummate professionals with killer voices. So much so I'm suspecting they were actually just short adults. Maybe?

Before there was "Hamilton" there was "In the Heights". I know I'm a nerd, but it floors me how many people don't know that. Most theater aficionados know of "Hamilton" and by extension of Lin-Manuel Miranda but have a blind spot for "In the Heights" the Tony winning show that put Miranda on the map. And while it certainly feels like an early work from the man who would become King, it's still quite stunning and ground breaking for its time and the production from the Seattle Rep manages to capture all the heat and heart that the show demands.

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.