Joell Weil

Village Theatre's 'You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown' opened on Friday last week. It will run through May 22 in Issaquah before moving the Everett, May 27-June 19. 

Dear Readers, if you’re going to do a show, any show, you need to have confidence in what you’re putting up on that stage. And while the current production of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” at Village Theatre has a bunch of fun moments, the show as a whole seemed to lack the confidence to go for it, just like its title character.

FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents The Empress Arias: songs from the ICONS/IDOLS plays, on February 8. ICONS/IDOLS is a tetralogy of choral plays for over a dozen women+ singers. Mixing music, movement and text, the four plays recover the secret history of Byzantine Purple Empresses as they ascend in a society with deep animosity towards female rule. Deeply committed to religious icons, these powerful empresses sacrifice personal relationships in an attempt to gain enough power to re-introduce them into an empire that fiercely and violently opposes iconography. The Empress Arias pair powerful multi-part harmonies with glittering ballads, commanding chants and soaring operatic solos to form a unique and beautiful evening of song. The development of ICONS/IDOLS received funding from OPERA America's Opera Grants for Female Composers program, supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, and has been developed in The Jam, New Georges' performance lab for early career female artists, as well as The Tank, a home for emerging artists. The project is currently supported by the IRT/New Ohio Archive Residency for its 2018-2020 cycle.

FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents The Empress Arias: songs from the ICONS/IDOLS plays, on February 8. ICONS/IDOLS is a tetralogy of choral plays for over a dozen women+ singers. Mixing music, movement and text, the four plays recover the secret history of Byzantine Purple Empresses as they ascend in a society with deep animosity towards female rule. Deeply committed to religious icons, these powerful empresses sacrifice personal relationships in an attempt to gain enough power to re-introduce them into an empire that fiercely and violently opposes iconography. The Empress Arias pair powerful multi-part harmonies with glittering ballads, commanding chants and soaring operatic solos to form a unique and beautiful evening of song. The development of ICONS/IDOLS received funding from OPERA America's Opera Grants for Female Composers program, supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, and has been developed in The Jam, New Georges' performance lab for early career female artists, as well as The Tank, a home for emerging artists. The project is currently supported by the IRT/New Ohio Archive Residency for its 2018-2020 cycle.

Back in the day when I was a mere fledgling musical theater geek I was introduced to the show 'Dreamgirls'. You might say this was my gateway cast album that put me on the path toward the musical addict I am today as I practically wore out the CD. So you'll understand if I'm a little picky about this show. I mean, how could someone live up to the magic of Jennifer Holliday, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Loretta Devine? Since then I've seen a few productions that have all been OK but never got me there until now. And true, you can't ever really compare with the originals but the current production from Village Theatre does a mighty fine job.

Village Theatre closes out their season with the dynamic R&B spectacular Dreamgirls. With an extraordinary cast of vocal talents, slick costumes, and set designs custom built in Issaquah, Dreamgirls continues the theatre's path of raising the bar on production quality with each passing year. Audiences will be transported back to the 1960s as this award-winning musical offers a moving behind-the-scenes look of the entertainment business. 'I am so excited to be doing such an epic show with some of the most amazing people I've ever worked with,' says director, Steve Tomkins. 'The whole audition process was just wonderful, as each person came into the room and blew the roof off. I can't wait for opening night, because this cast is just going to send it through the roof again. They are truly outstanding.'

Everyday Inferno Theatre Company is thrilled to announce casting for After I Was Free, presented by Dixon Place. In After I Was Free, Everyday Inferno presents in-progress excerpts from Caroline Angell's original musical adaptation of the biblical story of Susanna and the Elders, with music by Grace Oberhofer.

Everyday Inferno Theatre Company is thrilled to announce casting for After I Was Free, presented by Dixon Place. In After I Was Free, Everyday Inferno presents in-progress excerpts from Caroline Angell's original musical adaptation of the biblical story of Susanna and the Elders, with music by Grace Oberhofer.

Stacey Luftig and Phillip Palmer, winners of the 2015 Fred Ebb Award, will present an invitation only showcase of their acclaimed work MY HEART IS THE DRUM on Monday, June 6th at 5 PM at the York Theatre (619 Lexington Avenue at East 54th Street, New York City)  

One of my favorite events each year is the Village Originals Festival of New Musicals. Each year there's at least one new show that you long to get a full staging. Back in 2014 that show was "My Heart is the Drum" with it's touching story and engaging music. It showed so much potential and I was thrilled when I saw it on the season lineup this season. And while it still shows a lot of promise it still needs a lot of work to make it a tighter narrative and paced better.

The American musical sensation, Grease, will send audiences cruisin' through the days of pajama parties, sock hops, and drive-ins with an exuberant cast of Seattle's freshest faces and favorite performers at The 5th Avenue Theatre this summer.