Bob Williams

Rehearsals began last week for Seattle Shakespeare Company's spring production of Drum and Colours: Henry IV, which runs this spring from March 14 to April 9. The presentation is an adapted version of both parts of Henry IV featuring an all-BIPOC cast and production team.

Dear Readers, after last week’s less than stellar “Hamlet” from Seattle Shakespeare Company’s “Drum and Colours” series, I was trepidatious to say the least, for this week’s premiere of “Shakespeare: Drum & Colours – As You Like It”. And while there were still some issues I had with the show, thank the Theatre Gods it was far better, and managed to engage and entertain throughout.

Who? What? Where? Why? These are the questions I wish the current production of “Hamlet” from Seattle Shakespeare Company had been able to answer but sadly did not. As part of their “Drum & Colours” series, which muddied things even more, this “Hamlet” lacked pacing, intent, interesting or effective staging, and coherence, making this one of the worst productions I’ve ever seen.

Everyone has their holiday traditions, Dear Readers. Whether it’s trimming the tree or eight nights of presents, or ice skating with the ones you love, these are important events that make our holidays merry and bright. Well, last year, like with so many, our holiday traditions got replaced by staying away from everyone and many events being shut down due to … well, you know. But I’m overjoyed to say that one of my favorite holiday traditions is back this year and just as insane as ever, the annual production of “A Very Die Hard Christmas” from Jeff Schell and the folks from The Habit. Now for some bad news, the show is already completely sold out. But all is not lost as I have it on good authority from Mark Siano, the producer, writer, director, composer, and narrator of the piece, that they have a waitlist of no show tickets each night. But we’ll get into the details of that in a bit, first, to the show.

Victoria C. Woodhull: Spiritualist, Suffragist, Free Lover—and in her time, the most famous woman in the United States. In 1872, she ran for President. By the time of her death, she'd been nearly erased from history. On the last night of her very long life, Victoria reckons with spirits and voices from her past as she relives moments both painful and exultant.

A VERY DIE HARD CHRISTMAS at Seattle Public Theatre will have you dying from laughter. With gags, antics, witty remarks, and tomfoolery, the cast manages to tell a fairly accurate story. While the gunfire and explosions may be downgraded to squirt guns and Nerf guns, there is nothing downgraded about the humor and entertainment. With barely a pause for a rollerblading Zamboni clean up, the show heats up the holidays in perfect parody style.

It's a Christmas miracle, Yippie Ki Yay! After a full sold-out run in 2018, The Habit's A Very Die Hard Christmas returns to Seattle Public Theater. Created by the comedy writers that have had Seattle in stitches for years, this musical parody borrows from the iconic film and promises lots of action, 80s jokes, smooth soft rock jams, and snarky German terrorists. Performances run November 29 - December 28, 2019 and tickets are on sale now.

Dear Readers, you know when you leave a play and you just feel unsatisfied? Maybe the performances weren't up to snuff or the direction faltered, but you have trouble putting your finger on why you feel this way. Such was my experience last night at Seattle Public Theater's Northwest Premiere of Tanya Barfield's "The Call". I walked to my car wondering why this hadn't hit me harder. The performers were all top notch and the direction from Annie Lareau was lively and flowed beautifully. And then it hit me, Ms. Barfield was simply trying to tell me too many stories and with so many flying about, none of them quite stuck the landing.

The word that springs to mind when I think of Seattle Public Theater's current production of Ruby Rae Spiegel's "Dry Land" is "gratuitous". That's the first thing I think of. Not "intense" or "gripping" as the climactic scene was, or "raw" or "honest" as much of the dialog between the young girls felt, but "gratuitous" as all of that is overshadowed by a production that felt the need to, I don't know, shock or fill time? The play is already shocking, and the filler just diluted that shock, so I am only left with "gratuitous".

"I wanted to write a story about a black woman who was searching for her place in the world." - Madison Jade Jones, Playwright

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center honored multi-discipline creative artist Lin-Manuel Miranda with the 18th Monte Cristo Award, last night at a private dinner at the Edison Ballroom in New York City. An alumnus of the O'Neill, Miranda's first professional production was at the O'Neill's National Music Theater Conference with In The Heights in 2005. The gala dinner featured a conversation with the honoree and raised $575,000 to support the Center's commitment to developing new work and new artists for the stage.

Even before Sound Theatre Company's current production of "You Can't Take It With You" began, it showed promise with a stunning, well-appointed set by Robin Macartney. Then the effervescent Shermona Mitchell walked on stage to begin the show with tons of energy, conviction and intent to her character of Penny, the matriarch of the Sycamore clan and I thought, "Excellent! Let's do this! I'm in for a good night." Unfortunately, that excitement continued to ebb and flow all night long as others would enter the stage. Some with the same level of exuberance as Mitchell, while others weren't quite there yet, and while others still had much work to do as they never were quite able to convey their intent or character or in some cases even remember their lines. What resulted was a roller coaster of energy, pace, intent and commitment that didn't leave me joyful over the quirky family winning out, but just left me tired.

Robin Hood is heading to the stage in a brand-new tale written by John Johnson of the Astral Theatre Collective. Wolf's Head: A Tale of Robin Hood and the Sheriff, based on the ancient ballads and history of Robin Hood, is gearing up to begin performances at the Alban Art Center in St. Albans, WV in March.

Sound Theatre Company is proud to present the YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, the first play of Sound Theatre's 2018 Season, THE HUMAN FAMILY: Toward A Radical Inclusion. In 2018, we challenge our audiences to consider how we define family, what members of the human family we include, and whose stories we choose to tell.

The San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre is thrilled to launch the second half of their inaugural season as SLO County's only nonprofit, professional theatre company with THE PRODUCERS! The hilarious musical comedy from comic genius Mel Brooks is based upon his 1967 movie and premiered on Broadway in 2001.

Sponsored in part by ArtsWA and the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, Mirror Stage is thrilled to launch its new Expand Upon staged reading series responding to the community-selected theme 'Institutional Racism.' For this first round of Expand Upon, Mirror Stage commissioned Seattle playwrights Rachel Atkins and Seayoung Yim to each develop a short play using the same multi-generational, multi-racial cast. The plays will be presented in tandem, with a oderated discussion following every performance.

Sponsored in part by ArtsWA and the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, Mirror Stage is thrilled to launch its new Expand Upon staged reading series responding to the community-selected theme 'Institutional Racism.' For this first round of Expand Upon, Mirror Stage commissioned Seattle playwrights Rachel Atkins and Seayoung Yim to each develop a short play using the same multi-generational, multi-racial cast. The plays will be presented in tandem, with a oderated discussion following every performance.

Pony World's world premiere 'American Archipelago' is a collaborative examination of American culture and values. Written by Holly Arsenault, Kelleen C. Blanchard, Tre Calhoun, Vincent Delaney, Brendan Healy, Maggie Lee, Sara Porkalob, and Seayoung Yim, 'American Archipelago' feels more like an incubator than a melting pot. Eight folks from different communities live side-by-side in a semi-symbolic neighborhood called 'The United States of America.' While this campy fever-dream succeeds as a black comedy, what's missing from this conceptual piece is a fresh concept.

Pony World Theatre returns to 12th Avenue Arts this summer with their latest creation. Titled American Archipelago, this new play examines the joys and heartaches of being an American today.

Sponsored in part by the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, Mirror Stage is thrilled to launch its new Expand Upon staged reading series. Mirror Stage commissions two local playwrights to each develop a short play responding to a community-selected theme, using the same multi-generational, multi-racial cast. For this first round of Expand Upon, the community selected the theme Institutional Racism, and Mirror Stage commissioned playwrights Rachel Atkins and Seayoung Yim.