Jay Irwin - Page 48

There are very few new and original stories in the world today. Most things are just a rehash or new take on the familiar formula. Boy meets girl and complications arise. This is the standard romantic comedy premise that's been around since Tarzan met Jane or Tracy met Hepburn. Such is the case with the culture clash romantic comedy from Yussef El Guindi, "Pilgrims Musa and Sheri in the New World" currently at Seattle's ACT. With crisp and engaging dialog, El Guindi has taken an interesting new spin on the same old formula.

In this world that we call theater, there are three main things devotees look for. First, you need a good script. Well, as anyone familiar with the musical "Little Shop of Horrors" by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken knows, this show has one of the best scripts around. Plus you want a good cast and the performers at the Boxcar have shown they are beyond simply good. And finally you want a director that can take that script and those performers and guide and stage them in such a way that it makes the whole thing come alive and if they can do that in a way that no one has done before and still stay true to the piece, then all the better. So with those elements you at least want one of them. If you have two, you're in for a good night. But when you have all three, as is the case with Boxcar's production, all you can do is hold on and brace yourself for an experience that will stay with you for years to come.

It's very hard to stay objective when a favorite story of yours is taken to a new medium and not used to its fullest potential. Unfortunately, dear readers, such was the case of my latest journey outside of Seattle to see some things that the rest of the country has to offer theatrically. But I'll try to remain objective while discussing American Conservatory Theater's production of "Tales of the City: A New Musical" that I witnessed in San Francisco.

I love a good drag show. There, I've said it. When all the elements of good music, glitzy costumes and performers with well thought out characters and storylines hit the stage, you cannot ask for a better evening. This is why bad drag shows are all the more painful to me. Unfortunately my attendance at the Season Finale of "The All-New Anita Goodman Experience" fell more into the latter category.

In these ever changing days of what it is to be a family, we are seeing more and more portrayals in entertainment of same sex couples raising children. Such is the case with the latest endeavor from fledgling theater company Arouet with Christi Stewart-Brown's "The Gene Pool". And while the play itself doesn't really have anything groundbreaking or even new to say about families, same sex or otherwise, the production here infuses it with an engaging pace and contains some truly natural and honest performances.

It's not often that a touring show comes to town that surprises me, especially a Disney one. So when "Mary Poppins" popped up on the marquee I thought, "Well, this will be cute," but I didn't hold out for more than that. I mean I love the movie but what more can they do with that? Who could have guessed that I would be in for a truly magical and exhilarating ride that left me with tears streaming down my face and perma-grin for the ride home?

Times are tough, unemployment is on the rise, and people are struggling to make ends meet let alone keep their sanity. Sound familiar? Well ACT's current production of Neil Simon's "The Prisoner of Second Avenue" sounds like it could be set today but instead we go back not too long ago to 1971 to another recession in our country's economy. But even with this dark subject, the cast makes this show frenzied, frothy and fun!

Guns, blood, torture and all the f-bombs you'd expect from a Quentin Tarantino film. But this heist isn't on screen; it's on the stages of Theater Schmeater as they present the Seattle premiere of Erika Anne Soerensen's gender bending parody of Tarantino's first film with "Reservoir Dolls". Beyond being an interesting take on juxtaposed gender roles, it's also an opportunity to see some local Seattle actresses sink their teeth into some iconic male roles and inhabit themselves with these violent characters.

There are some shows that are done to death, nevertheless we love them anyway. This is probably why they are done to death. Frank Loesser's "Guys and Dolls" is definitely one of those shows. I've seen it several times (including one production I consider the quintessential one, but we'll get to that in a minute) but I always find something to love. Well, the 5th Avenue has dusted off the old girl and while it was one of the most technically proficient productions I've seen, it seemed to lack some of the heart and sass it demands.

In Melissa James Gibson's play "This", currently having its west coast premiere at the Seattle Rep, the central conceit is that this is an inside look at four witty average urban thirty-somethings, a group that seems to be the go-to for new playwrights. But the problem is that these people are average only in that they end up as stereotypes to the way we see this "type" and possibly how we would like to see ourselves. And those stereotypes, while funny and engaging, sometimes come across as forced.

Seattle Shakes is rounding out their 20th Anniversary season with Shakespeare's comedy "The Merry Wives of Windsor". And after starting out their Anniversary season with the sublime "Hamlet" (which I still can't stop thinking about) and then putting up their rollicking version of "The Threepenny Opera", it's a shame they finished off with a whimper rather than a bang with this production which, while having its moments of fun, came across as uneven, unfocused and at times confusing.

It's not often that a touring show comes to town that surprises me, especially a Disney one. So when "Mary Poppins" popped up on the marquee I thought, "Well, this will be cute," but I didn't hold out for more than that. I mean I love the movie but what more can they do with that? Who could have guessed that I would be in for a truly magical and exhilarating ride that left me with tears streaming down my face and perma-grin for the ride home?

I'm not always the biggest fan of transplanting established shows to another time or place. "Hamlet" doesn't need to be set in space and "Our Town" without that old time Grover's Corners feel would just be wrong. And don't even get me started on the thought of moving "Oklahoma". But sometimes, when it's well thought out and well executed, it works. Such is the case for the modern reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber's rock opera, "Jesus Christ Superstar" currently at Village Theatre. But while I appreciated the concept and approach, some of the cast left me wanting.

Wing-It Productions is presenting their latest bit of improvised hilarity with "Quiz Show". And the performers may not know the answers to the questions, but they certainly know how to keep the audience laughing.

Times are tough, unemployment is on the rise, and people are struggling to make ends meet let alone keep their sanity. Sound familiar? Well ACT's current production of Neil Simon's "The Prisoner of Second Avenue" sounds like it could be set today but instead we go back not too long ago to 1971 to another recession in our country's economy. But even with this dark subject, the cast makes this show frenzied, frothy and fun!

The aftermath of war is never pretty, especially when some feel betrayed by the people they fought beside. That is the central theme of Open Circle Theater's latest production, "Ajax". And although it had a few uneven performances, overall it's a stirring adaptation with some powerhouse moments.

ACT in conjunction with the 5th Avenue Theatre is presenting the Northwest Premiere of "Vanities: A New Musical". Featuring three gorgeous and talented Seattle women, I found it difficult to find anything more to make this show stand out.

Seattle Musical Theatre is currently presenting the Stephen Sondheim classic exploration of fairy tales and getting what you wish for with "Into the Woods". And while not always the most polished or proficient production I've seen, this one definitely has a ton of heart.

Do we as Americans really know where our stuff comes from? Do we know who makes it? That's the central question surrounding Mike Daisey's one man show currently at the Seattle Rep, "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs". And while a very funny and scathing look at corporate greed, at times the performance comes across as a little deliberate and repetitive.

Right from the opening few notes of "9 to 5: The Musical", now performing at the 5th Avenue Theatre, the show wants to draw you back to connect with the original film. And while the show is a solid bit of fluff and definitely improved from the last time I saw it (but we'll get to that in a minute) occasionally those moments of connection get a little cheesy and desperate.