Kelly Rogers

Pulled from a forgotten corner of Golden Age theater, PAL JOEY gets a new life at Altarena Playhouse. The glam and sparkle of nightclub life are on full display with daring dancers and swooning singers. With a dream ballet and dreamy costumes, the show evokes the best from the past while also exposing its shortcomings and pitfalls.What did our critic think of PAL JOEY at Altarena Playhouse?

The Bar Area premier of Martyna Majok’s COST OF LIVING has landed at Oakland Theater Project. With few frills and the focus on dialogue, COST OF LIVING pulls you in and never loosens its grip. In the midst of telling a story of a marginalized community, Oakland Theater Project reminds us of the universality of human nature, connection, rejection, and love.

MANAHATTA is like a storm that washes away all pretense and excuses leaving only the truth. Using a narrative of two parallel stories, Mary Kathryn Nagle weaves a story that reveals how little we have learned from our past. Using eloquence, humor, and bravado with equal skill, the show guides the audience through a personal experience of a larger event. The result is at once mesmerizing and heart-breaking.

ADVENTURE SERIAL combines elements of adventure stories with audience suggestions to create a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience. With a quest, a hero, a sidekick, a lovely lady, and a villain, the foundation is laid for an adventure that can take many twists and turns. The quick-thinking team at Synergy Theater can pivot on a dime to explore a tangent subplot without losing focus on the end goal. With laughs aplenty both on and off stage, ADVENTURE SERIAL is a delightful romp through a beloved trope.

KIMBERLY AKIMBO at Altarena Playhouse is a show with depth and humor and heart. The production generates easy laughs, stimulates thought and reflection, but most importantly, it makes you care about the characters. With the teens and adults alike navigating complex situations, making mistakes, hiding hurt, and sharing hope, the show will take audiences on a roller coaster of emotions. KIMBERLY AKIMBO is a show well worth a watch or even two.

Kitsap Forest Theater is celebrating its 100th anniversary this season. As the summer winds down, I took this opportunity to talk with a few of the actors in their summer show, Seussical. Whether in excitement for the current show (closing next weekend) or reflecting on their many years at KFT, the underlying emphasis was that they love this place.

DANCING AT LUGHNASA at SecondStory Repertory is a glimpse into the past and a way of life that has disappeared. It is not an idyllic revelry but rather an examination of a time when people who were caught between two wars struggled to find balance amidst many opposing forces. It is a show where the unspoken is often the loudest character. With heart and grace and a touch of resignation, the Mundy sisters invite you to walk along with them for just a while.

GreenStage brings the classic tale of ROMEO & JULIET to life with wit and charm and heaps of teenage angst. Beneath the canopy of trees, the denizens of Old Verona weave their magic. Whether you are Team Capulet or Team Montague, you’ll enjoy the battle. The timeless tale of love is full of laughs, passion, and manipulation.

How do you know when a show is really, really good? Often it is something beyond the story, the performance, and the staging that takes you to a place that can only be described as magic. Less than twenty minutes into the show, I leaned over to my theater companion and quietly whispered, “I’m already planning when I can come back.” THE HELLO GIRLS at Taproot Theatre brings the magic in so many ways that you are left breathless with goosebumps on your skin, a tear in your eye, and a song in your heart.What did our critic think of THE HELLO GIRLS at Taproot Theatre?

UNNECESSARY FARCE at the Driftwood Theatre is a fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled, high-octane laugh-fest. If your funny bone is out of practice, this show will whip you into shape in no time. From slapstick, innuendo, deadpan, comedy of errors, and wordplay, UNNECESSARY FARCE finds a million different ways to make you laugh.What did our critic think of UNNECESSARY FARCE at Driftwood Theater?

Yowza indeed! JEEVES TAKES A BOW at Taproot Theatre launched into opening night full throttle on the comedy pedal. The beloved characters of PG Wodehouse take the audience on a delightful romp across the New York stage, through the seedy underbelly of the big city, and even a ramble into the wild, wild west, all without leaving the posh apartment of Bertram Wooster. From clever lines and word play, to the wryest eyebrow raise, to rolling physical comedy, this show finds a million ways to make you laugh.

TWELFTH NIGHT at Seattle Shakespeare is loaded with music, mischief, and magic. With the Bard’s trusty plot devices of mistaken identity and a prank gone awry, the show traipses its way through the lives of the Illyrians on the way to their happy endings. Clever lyrics embellish the story, touch the heart, and even drop a few truth bombs about identity. The fun and frivolity are full force in this stellar production of a classic in musical form.What did our critic think of TWELFTH NIGHT at Seattle Shakespeare?

Dear Readers, I’m baaack! It’s been months since we’ve spoken or even since I’ve been in a theater due to a medical issue that’s kept me homebound. So, one of my favorite shows, Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s bloody masterpiece “Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”, currently playing at the 5th Avenue Theatre, felt like a great choice to dip my toes back in the theatrical waters. And I’m happy to report it was a mostly fantastic return. I say, “mostly” as while it was a super solid production, especially from a tight and gifted ensemble, there was one element, and a rather large one at that, that kept me from being truly immersed in this macabre world. But we’ll come to that in a bit.

I HATE HAMLET is a delightful romp for Shakespeare aficionados and newbies alike. The witty repartee just keeps coming as playwright Paul Rudnick dishes out great dialogue and some killer one liners. Nothing is funnier than actors making fun of actors, and I HATE HAMLET does it well. Despite its focus on one of the greatest dramas ever written, the show puts comedy front and center.

HAIRSPRAY is a toe-tapping, dance in your seat, good time show with a message we still need to hear. With an audience who came ready for a party, the show hummed along with enthusiastic support from the crowd. With catchy tunes, over-the-top characters, and energetic dance numbers, HAIRSPRAY is a whirl of excitement. Beyond the flash, the show has a poignant message of inclusion, self-worth, and acceptance.

The theater scene has been as parched as a midwestern prairie waiting for a show like this. And Paris Manzanares is a tall drink of water during a drought. With a magnificent score by composer Harvey Schmidt and lyricist Tom Jones, Reboot Theatre and Seattle Public Theater have found new meaning in old truths. Some hard topics are served up sweetly and mixed with great humor. 110 IN THE SHADE is reimagined, reinvigorated, and resplendent in every way possible.What did our critic think of 110 IN THE SHADE at Reboot Theatre & Seattle Public Theater?

Interview with Director Marianne Savell of AS IT IS IN HEAVEN at Taproot Theatre reveals the dynamics of communal living, especially when they are confronted with change.

WEVERY BRILLIANT THING is a show about awareness - awareness of yourself, of others, of obstacles and challenges, of feelings and emotions, and the beauty of life right down to the smallest detail. While framed within the story of darkest depression, the show illuminates how much joy there still is even among the shadows. Outlook and perspective can change everything, and EVERY BRILLIANT THING is bound to change yours.hat did our critic think of EVERY BRILLIANT THING at ACT Theatre?

With a parade of mismanaged guests, lurking press, and plucky staff, SUITE SURRENDER at As If Theatre offers us a classic farce for your enjoyment. The show is a treasure trove of classic tropes and exemplary comedy. With the weight of winter receding into memory, this show invites you in for a good laugh as therapeutic as the spring sunshine.What did our critic think of SUITE SURRENDER at As If Theatre?

I recently sat down with Shileah Corey, director of Ballyhoo’s production of Fun Home to talk about the show and its significance in our society today.