Greg McCormick News

Spanning 28 theater companies and 59 productions, from the largest and most prominent to small, humble and innovative, the Gypsy Rose Lee Awards honor as much professional theater as we reviewers can cram into our year.

This winter, The 5th Avenue Theatre will have Seattle adjusting its radiators with a steaming hot new production of the Richard Adler and Jerry Ross musical theater hit, The Pajama Game. With direction by 5th Avenue Theatre Producing Artistic Director Bill Berry, this sultry stunner features Bob Fosse-inspired choreography by Bob Richard and music direction by Joel Fram.

This winter, The 5th Avenue Theatre will have Seattle adjusting its radiators with a steaming hot new production of the Richard Adler and Jerry Ross musical theater hit, The Pajama Game. With direction by 5th Avenue Theatre Producing Artistic Director Bill Berry, this sultry stunner features Bob Fosse-inspired choreography by Bob Richard and music direction by Joel Fram.

What a glorious feeling! This holiday season, Village Theatre brings to the stage one of Hollywood's most beloved classics,Singin' in the Rain. Based on the MGM film, which is widely lauded as one of the greatest movie musicals of all time, Singin' in the Rain is a faithful adaptation by the original award-winning screenplay team, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, with songs by Nacio Herb Brown andArthur Freed. The production will be helmed by much of the same creative team that launched last season's hit musical, Billy Elliot, with Artistic Director Steve Tomkins once again in the director's chair.

Some of Seattle's most talented actors will be hard at work in collaboration with writers from around the country in the rehearsal halls of The 5th Avenue Theatre this month as the company's NextFest: A Festival of New Musicals launches its three week intensive development cycle this weekend.

There truly is nothing to not like about 'Billy Elliot' performing at Village Theatre.

The uproariously funny satire on corporate ladder-climbing, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, starts rehearsals this week at The 5th Avenue Theatre. This Pulitzer Prize and multi-Tony Award-winning musical takes place in TV's Mad Men era, following window washer J. Pierrepont Finch's journey from mail room to the top of the World Wide Wicket Company, all with the help of a cunning guide book. A sharp-witted send-up of the corporate rat race that will keep audiences rolling in the aisles, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING is gracing The 5th Avenue stage for the first time. Scroll down for a sneak peek at the cast!

Seattle Theater Writers critics' circle just announced the nomination slate of the fourth annual Gypsy Rose Lee Awards,theater awards devoted to recognizing excellence across the economic spectrum of professional Seattle theaters in the prior calendar year.

It felt like they were trying to shove a ten-pound show into an 8-pound bag. Sometimes a show is just too big even for Village's usually ample stage. Such was the case with "Mary Poppins" over at Village Theatre. Yes, the talent was all there to support it but the technical wizardry felt at its worst clunky and at its best under rehearsed which tended to sap the magic from an otherwise magical show.

There's something to be said for seeing a company of incredible dancers performing the classic "A Chorus Line" especially when they're doing much of the original Michael Bennett choreography as is currently being presented at the 5th Avenue Theatre. Even better when you've got an entire company of incredible singers as well. You've almost got the triple threat that the show needs to be great. Unfortunately it's that third element, the acting, where the 5th Avenue's production falls a little short and so the story of these Broadway gypsies suffers a bit.

The 5th Avenue Theatre welcomes audiences to the first Spotlight Night of the 2014/15 season with a free exclusive preview of the show where hopes and dreams take center stage, A Chorus Line. This Spotlight Night is an evening of story and song exploring what makes A Chorus Line one of the most enduring musicals of all time and the life of creative genius that crafted it. Hosted by Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong, Spotlight Night gives the exclusive backstage access and a sneak preview of this groundbreaking hit show.

Rehearsals start today at The 5th Avenue Theatre for one singular sensation: the celebrated Broadway triumph, A Chorus Line. Kicking off the company's 2014/15 season, this thrilling 5th Avenue production has plucked fabulously talented dancers from many of Seattle's chorus lines and is putting them center stage, including Greg McCormick Allen,Taryn Darr, Gabriel Corey, Trina Mills, Mallory King, Connor Russell, Sarah Rose Davis, Taylor Niemeyer, Eric Esteb, and many others. The 5th is also pleased to welcome back Los Angeles triple-threat Chryssie Whitehead in the role of Cassie. Whitehead turned heads and shook audiences with her smoking performance of Lola in Damn Yankees. Broadway's Andrew Palermo makes his 5th Avenue debut as Zach. Check out a sneak peek below!

Rehearsals start today at The 5th Avenue Theatre for one singular sensation: the celebrated Broadway triumph, A Chorus Line. Kicking off the company's 2014/15 season, this thrilling 5th Avenue production has plucked fabulously talented dancers from many of Seattle's chorus lines and is putting them center stage, including Greg McCormick Allen, Taryn Darr, Gabriel Corey, Trina Mills, Mallory King, Connor Russell, Sarah Rose Davis, Taylor Niemeyer, Eric Esteb, and many others. The 5th is also pleased to welcome back Los Angeles triple-threat Chryssie Whitehead in the role of Cassie. Whitehead turned heads and shook audiences with her smoking performance of Lola in Damn Yankees. Broadway's Andrew Palermo makes his 5th Avenue debut as Zach.

The 5th Avenue Theatre welcomes audiences to the first Spotlight Night of the 2014/15 season with a free exclusive preview of the show where hopes and dreams take center stage, A Chorus Line. This Spotlight Night is an evening of story and song exploring what makes A Chorus Line one of the most enduring musicals of all time and the life of creative genius that crafted it. Hosted by Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong, Spotlight Night gives the exclusive backstage access and a sneak preview of this groundbreaking hit show.

Electricity courses through Ogunquit Playhouse's stunning production of BILLY ELLIOT, continuing through July 26 at 'America's foremost summer theatre.'

Assembling a stellar cast and creative team, the Ogunquit Playhouse has mounted a powerful production of the Elton John-Lee Hall 2005 musical, Billy Elliot. Based on the 2000 film, both directed by Stephen Daldry with original choreography by Peter Darling, Billy Elliot movingly tells the story of a Yorkshire working class boy who discovers his unlikely passion and talent for ballet and who must win his coal miner father's acceptance for his chosen vocation. Set against the background of the bitter 1984 mining strike which pitted the workers' life and death struggle against Margaret Thatcher's push to close the mines, Billy's discovery of his artistic gift becomes his ticket not only to self-fulfillment, but also to escape from his family's bleak existence.

The Holy Grail of Entertainment at The 5th Avenue Theatre: Monty Python's Spamalot. Featuring an all-star Seattle cast. Lovingly ripped off from the motion picture Monty Python and the Holy Grail, with Book and Lyrics by Eric Idle; Music by Eric Idle, John Du Prez, and Neil Innes. Directed by Josh Rhodes with choreography by Lee Wilkins, the show will run January 30-March 2, 2014. BroadwayWorld has a first look below!

The Holy Grail of Entertainment at The 5th Avenue Theatre: Monty Python's Spamalot. Featuring an all-star Seattle cast. Lovingly ripped off from the motion picture Monty Python and the Holy Grail, with Book and Lyrics by Eric Idle; Music by Eric Idle, John Du Prez, and Neil Innes. Directed by Josh Rhodes with choreography by Lee Wilkins, the show will run January 30-March 2, 2014. BroadwayWorld has a first look below!

If you know what I mean when I say things such as "Are you telling me cocoanuts migrate?!?" "She's got huge tracks of land!" and "Ni!" then you're my kind of nerd who understands the joy that is "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". And while musical theater nerds are aware, I was surprised to find out how many others didn't know that the genius of Holy Grail was giddily translated into the musical "Monty Python's Spamalot" which ran off with the Tony for best musical in 2005. And now the 5th Avenue Theatre presents an all local production of the smash hit and with the talent and design at their disposal, it's about as close to the Broadway show as you're going to get (without Jews, of course).

The Holy Grail of Entertainment at The 5th Avenue Theatre: Monty Python's Spamalot. Featuring an all-star Seattle cast. Lovingly ripped off from the motion picture Monty Python and the Holy Grail, with Book and Lyrics by Eric Idle; Music by Eric Idle, John Du Prez, and Neil Innes. Directed by Josh Rhodes with choreography by Lee Wilkins, the show will run today, January 30-March 2, 2014.