Jay Irwin - Page 51

Big hair and dreams have come to the Paramount. No, it's not "Hairspray" or even "Hair" (since we just had that one). No, fast forward about 20 years from that one and you have the 80's rock musical "Rock of Ages". And while no one could accuse the show of being deep or important, it's certainly loud, goofy and fun!

Showtunes Theatre Company presents their latest tribute to what makes musical theater great with "The Melody Lingers On: The Songs of Irving Berlin". Celebrating the works of one of America's greatest composers, the cast certainly knows how to take some wonderful songs and bring out the fun!

Open Circle Theater continues their track record of bringing slightly off theater to the Seattle area with the world premiere of "The Cut" by local playwright Dustin Engstrom. Even though the show's subject matter, a very specific sexual fetish, might make some people shy away, the show takes this out there subject and infuses it and its characters with human frailty and tons of heart.

Seattle Shakespeare Company continues their 20th Anniversary season with one of Shakespeare's last and seldom produced plays, "Cymbeline". And while one can see why this play is not so often dusted off, the Chamber production the company has put forth has some wonderful moments and performances.

What happens when you take an already wonderful show and, due to popular demand, remount it in a larger venue? Well, sometimes the results can be disastrous. But Balagan Theatre's remount of their production of "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog", which sold out back in August, manages to take what worked before, improve upon it, and then add in the resources of ACT to create a show to rival the first. If the Six Million Dollar Man taught us anything it's that, "We have the technology. We can make him bigger, stronger, "and even more Horrible!

Theater Schmeater kicks off their 2011 season with the West Coast Premiere of "Crooked" by Catherine Trieschmann, a show filled with teen angst, sexual awakenings, revealed secrets and invisible stigmata. With some powerhouse performances the show is a fresh look at the trials of the American teenager, I only wish it had a more definite ending.

ArtsWest is presenting the Seattle premiere of fresh new playwright Lauren Gunderson's, "Emilie: La Marquise Du Chatelet Defends Her Life Tonight". Initially having a little trouble finding its way, this Stoppard-esque exploration of life and love ultimately turns in an evening of humor and heartbreak with a powerhouse ending.

Seattle Musical Theatre is presenting their inaugural "Second Season" production with a brand new musical rendition of Mozart's opera of the same name with "Don Giovanni: A New Musical" in conjunction with Cornish College's student interest group Fruition Productions. And while there were glimmers of potential on stage what it ultimately amounted to was a few pretty voices but a lot of inexperienced storytelling.

Village Theatre breaks out its magnifying glass with a change of pace from the usual musical fare with the Tony award winning "Sleuth" by Anthony Shaffer. And what can I tell you about this production? Well, not a lot so as not to give it away. But I can say that it's a viciously fun game from beginning to end.

Seattle Repertory Theatre presents Laura Schellhardt's haunting fairy tale, "The K of D, an urban legend". Effortlessly filled with melancholy and wonder, this one woman show is all at once creepy, funny, poignant and moving.

The votes are in, the ballots tallied and the people have spoken. Yes, the 2010 BroadwayWorld Seattle Theater awards results are in and my oh my was it a nail biter. There was some fierce competition out there but the voters have spoken. But since the results were so close, we're going to put in not only the winners but also the 1st and 2nd runners up as well. And I'm also going to throw in my own Critic's Choice for the hell of it. So without further ado, the envelopes please...

Open Circle Theater continues their track record of bringing slightly off theater to the Seattle area with the world premiere of "The Cut" by local playwright Dustin Engstrom. Even though the show's subject matter, a very specific sexual fetish, might make some people shy away, the show takes this out there subject and infuses it and its characters with human frailty and tons of heart.

Seattle Musical Theatre is presenting their inaugural "Second Season" production with a brand new musical rendition of Mozart's opera of the same name with "Don Giovanni: A New Musical" in conjunction with Cornish College's student interest group Fruition Productions. And while there were glimmers of potential on stage what it ultimately amounted to was a few pretty voices but a lot of inexperienced storytelling.

Seattle Shakespeare Company continues their 20th Anniversary season with one of Shakespeare's last and seldom produced plays, "Cymbeline". And while one can see why this play is not so often dusted off, the Chamber production the company has put forth has some wonderful moments and performances.

Theater Schmeater is currently presenting a departure from the typical holiday fare with the World Premiere of local playwright Marcy Rodenborn's tale of middle aged punkstresses making a comeback, "Vestal Virgins". The show, while not groundbreaking, is a fresh, funny and wicked twist on a typical plot device as only Schmeater and Rodenborn can deliver.

Those wacky residents from Tuna, TX are back to spread a little holiday cheer as ArtsWest presents "A Tuna Christmas". And while the show had moments of absolute hilarity, it was really only half a good show.

The 5th Avenue Theatre is presenting a brand new addition to holiday theater offerings with the new adaptation of the classic 1983 film, "A Christmas Story: The Musical". And while half the show harkened fond memories of the film and left me with a wonderful sense of hope for this new piece of musical theater, the other half fell into old familiar musical traps and left me wanting as it shot its eye out. In case you haven't seen the movie that is shown incessantly over the holiday season (sometimes for 24 hour periods nonstop) here's a brief rundown. We follow the quest of young Ralphie Parker as he plots and schemes to convince his parents (and Santa) to get him the best Christmas present in the world, a Red Ryder 200 Shot Carbine Action Air Rifle. The problem is he keeps running into obstacles of his Mother, his teacher and even Santa as they warn him away from the gift with the familiar, "You'll shoot your eye out." But Ralphie is tenacious and will have his prize. Meanwhile we also get to know the rest of the Parkers and their neighbors as we dive into the world of story originator Jean Shepherd. Complete with bullies, major awards and triple dog dares, the story harkens back to a simpler time when the biggest thing kids had to worry about was what Santa was bringing them. The show itself is a charmer with book by Joseph Robinette who manages to keep the feel of the original material intact and still hits all the points and jokes that have become so familiar. The problem I ran into was with the songs. As I said, half of the show worked great. Act One was filled with wonderful tuners that captured the tone perfectly. And composers/lyricists Benj Pasek and Justin Paul seemed to show that someone understands the structure of musical theater. The songs were either perfect for moving the story along or emphasizing through song what a character couldn't do any other way. And the songs "Ralphie to the Rescue" and "A Major Award" were both complete show stoppers and crucial to the story. Then we hit Act Two and suddenly it was like a completely different writing team as the songs ceased being essential as every single moment in the play got one right up to the end. So many superfluous numbers that could have been forsaken for just telling the story weighed down the second half until it finally ended with a whimper of exhaustion. The cast however is superb and has the perfect style for the period. Clarke Hallum plays the scheming Ralphie and even though he was a bit presentational at times, his voice is right up there with any of the adults on stage. Anne Allgood is endearingly lovely as Ralphie's Mother and her moment in Act Two where she covers for Ralphie had me in tears. Frank Corrado is spot on as the narrator Jean Shepherd as he weaves this wonderful tale for us in the guise of a radio drama. And special kudos to John Bolton as Ralphie's "Old Man" who practically steals the show with is antics and especially with his overly zealous "Major Award" number. With a gorgeous set from Walt Spangler and costumes that look like they were transported right from the movie by Elizabeth Hope Clancy, this show could have been the new theatrical holiday standard by which all of the "Elf"s, and "Grinch"s would be judged. I only wish the writers had realized what they were doing so right in the first half and could have kept it up in the second. "A Christmas Story: The Musical" plays at the 5th Avenue Theatre through December 30th. For tickets or information contact the 5th Avenue Box Office at 206-625-1900 or toll free at 888-5TH-4TIX (584-4849) or visit them online at www.5thavenue.org. Photo Credit: Chris Bennion

Lisa Koch and Peggy Platt are back once again this holiday season with the tenth installment of their irreverent Christmas show, "Ham for the Holidays: Wham Bam, Thank You Ham!" And if you think you've seen everything these comedic mavens have to offer then you don't know pork!

The Seattle Rep is currently presenting Brian Friel's Irish familial saga, "Dancing at Lughnasa". And while the show has some lovely moments, the play as a whole seemed sluggish and uneven.

Seattle Shakespeare Company is currently coupling their powerhouse production of "Hamlet" with an amusing look into Hamlet's college days with "Wittenberg" by David Davalos. And while it may not pack the punch of the main event it is a smart and funny view into the formation of the attitudes of the young prince.