On the chance that you only read the first few sentences of my review of "Ramayana", currently playing at ACT, let me just say this right at the start. Go see this show! Hire the babysitter, arrive early (to catch the awesome Indian bazaar in the lobby), and prepare yourself for one of the most glorious and magical evenings I've had in the theater for quite awhile as ACT Theatre presents an exquisite and epic tale that mesmerizes from beginning to end.
Is it possible that "Rent", Jonathan Larson's groundbreaking hit from 1996 has now become so dated that it no longer has the edge it once had? Or is it that the current production from the 5th Avenue Theatre is so desperately trying to be edgy that it shows its weakness? That is the question before us. But whatever you feel about the show itself, the current production at the 5th takes so many missteps that it's hard to see the show as anything but an adorable relic.
It's a brand new season of love this summer when The 5th Avenue Theatre brings a bold and innovative production of RENT to the stage. Fresh from his smash success with First Date, Bill Berry directs this electrifying new staging of Jonathan Larson's modern rock-opera classic. A cast of Seattle's young rising theater stars, featuring Daniel Berryman, Aaron C. Finley, Naomi Morgan, Jerick Hoffer, Ryah Nixon, and Andi Alhadeff will take center stage, belting hits including "La Vie Boheme," "Take Me or Leave Me," "One Song Glory," and "Rent." Based on the Puccini opera La boheme, the hit musical premiered in 1996 to instant acclaim, and swept a host of theater awards - the Tony, the Obie, and the Pulitzer.
If you choose to take a date (first or otherwise) to the new World Premiere musical "First Date" currently being presented at ACT and co-produced through ACT and the 5th Avenue Theatre, you may end up getting quite sentimental and mushy towards your date as the evening wears on. Or you may end up breaking up as you laugh a little too hard at some of the baggage of these characters that hits a little too close to home. Either way, you're bound to have a good time (at least until the fighting begins) at this fun and funny bit of cotton candy.
Eric Ankrim and Kelly Karbacz go looking for love in First Date, a co-production between ACT - A Contemporary Theatre and The 5th Avenue Theatre which begins performances tonight. Get a first look at the production below!
Eric Ankrim and Kelly Karbacz will go looking for love in First Date, a co-production between ACT - A Contemporary Theatre and The 5th Avenue Theatre. This new musical about one date, two people, and all the voices in their heads, also features Seattle stars Benjamin Harris, Vicki Noon, Brandon O'Neill, Rich Gray, Greg McCormick Allen, and Sonya Meyer, in roles including old boyfriends, ex-fiancees, best friends, and pushy relatives, not to mention fellow diners who intrude on the couple's blind date. The 5th Avenue's Producing Director Bill Berry directs this clever and quirky world premiere romantic comedy with musical staging by Broadway's Josh Prince. With a book by screenwriter Austin Winsberg and music and lyrics by the dynamic writing team of Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, this comedy chronicles the perils and pitfalls of blind dating and the journey from "tragic mistake" to "true love." Or at least to a second date.
It's a small wonder that Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella" keeps getting dusted off and trotted out every few years. A small wonder due to the fact that there are so many versions of it. And I mean versions of the R&H musical with numbers being removed and others being added in from other shows. And while I felt the 5th Avenue's current production, directed by Brandon Ivie, really only came alive in Act Two, it's not the worst production I've seen … but not the best either.
The Seattle Times has officially announced the winners of their 2011 Footlight Awards. Featured amoungst this year's winners are such favorites as Mike Daisey, Carolee Carmello, and many more! The full list of 2011 winners is as follows:
It's almost over! There's just THREE days of voting remaining for the 2011 Seattle Awards and here is the latest update! Have you voted yet, and helped to spread the word to support your favorites in the hopes that they will be the recipients of a 2011 BroadwayWorld Seattle Award? There is no time to waste, click on the voting link and make your opinion count! Below are the stats so far as of Monday December 26, 2011. Voting ends at midnight on 12/31 so time is running out.
There is no time to waste, click on the voting link and make your opinion count! Below are the stats so far. Voting ends at midnight on 12/31 so time is running out. Click Here to Vote Now!...
It's a small wonder that Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella" keeps getting dusted off and trotted out every few years. A small wonder due to the fact that there are so many versions of it. And I mean versions of the R&H musical with numbers being removed and others being added in from other shows. And while I felt the 5th Avenue's current production, directed by Brandon Ivie, really only came alive in Act Two, it's not the worst production I've seen … but not the best either.
An all-star cast of Seattle celebrities will waltz onto the stage of The 5th Avenue Theatre in a holiday ball audiences will never forget: Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella. Under the direction of Seattle's own Brandon Ivie, this enchanting fairy tale features Jennifer Paz of Miss Saigon as Cinderella and Wicked star Kendra Kassebaum as the Fairy Godmother, as well as local luminaries Suzanne Bouchard, Nick Garrison, Sarah Rudinoff, Brandon O'Neill, Cynthia Jones, Allen Fitzpatrick, and Greg McCormick Allen.
Saint or Sinner? That's the question that the latest new musical tryout at the 5th Avenue Theatre is wanting us to answer with the bio-musical, "Saving Aimee". Problem is, as charismatic and engaging as the lead is, the book and songs don't engage enough to care for the answer.
Broadway luminaries Carolee Carmello, Judy Kaye, and Roz Ryan will grace The 5th Avenue Theatre stage under the direction of David Armstrong in the West Coast premiere of Saving Aimee, a soul-stirring new musical with book and lyrics by Kathie Lee Gifford, and music by David Pomeranz and David Friedman.
Seattle audiences will have the exciting and free opportunity to meet Emmy Award-winning television star Kathie Lee Gifford when she previews her new musical Saving Aimee to the Emerald City at 7:00 PM, Saturday, September 10, at The 5th Avenue Theatre (1308 5th Avenue) as a part of the company's popular Spotlight Night series.
Seattle audiences will have the exciting and free opportunity to meet Emmy Award-winning television star Kathie Lee Gifford when she previews her new musical Saving Aimee to the Emerald City at 7:00 PM, Saturday, September 10, at The 5th Avenue Theatre (1308 5th Avenue) as a part of the company's popular Spotlight Night series.
Broadway luminaries Carolee Carmello, Judy Kaye, and Roz Ryan will grace The 5th Avenue Theatre stage under the direction of David Armstrong in the West Coast premiere of Saving Aimee, a soul-stirring new musical with book and lyrics by Kathie Lee Gifford, and music by David Pomeranz and David Friedman.
Whether you've been living under a rock for the past week, or you're just in the mood for a recap of everything theatre, BroadwayWorld's new feature, 'This Week in Pictures' is here to satisfy your end of the week fix. Take a look below to catch up on the latest happenings from the Great White Way to the West End (and everywhere in between) with coverage of press events, rehearsals, opening nights and more!
Take a much beloved Disney hit animated musical written by the incomparable Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and turn it into a big flashy Broadway musical directed by recent Tony award winner Casey Nicholaw fresh off 'The Book of Mormon'. Sounds like a no brainer, right? What can go wrong? Well, plenty as is evidenced by the 5th Avenue Theatre's most recent pre-Broadway tryout, 'Aladdin' which more resembles a Disney park show than a legit stage musical.
The 5th Avenue Theatre began previews for Aladdin, a new stage musical adapted from Disney's 1992 animated feature film on July 7, 2011, in anticipation of a July 21, 2011 opening. Aladdin, featuring the Academy Award®-winning score by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, will run through July 31, 2011. The first official production photos have been released and appear below!
