Jessica Skerritt News

The 5th Avenue Theatre's new production of the beloved musical Annie begins performances tonight, and plays through December 30, 2018. The 5th introduces Visesia Fakatoufifita of Tacoma, WA, and Faith Young of Kent, WA, who make their 5th Avenue Theatre debuts alternating the title role. Check out an all new promotional video for the production below!

The 5th Avenue Theatre's new production of the beloved musical Annie begins performances tonight, and plays through December 30, 2018. The 5th introduces Visesia Fakatoufifita of Tacoma, WA, and Faith Young of Kent, WA, who make their 5th Avenue Theatre debuts alternating the title role. Check out the new promotional images for the production below!

Rehearsals have begun for The 5th Avenue Theatre's new production of the beloved musical Annie, which plays this holiday season from November 23 - December 30, 2018. The 5th is excited to introduce Visesia Fakatoufifita of Tacoma, WA, and Faith Young of Kent, WA, who make their 5th Avenue Theatre debuts alternating the title role.

Rehearsals have begun for The 5th Avenue Theatre's new production of the beloved musical Annie, which plays this holiday season from November 23 - December 30, 2018. The 5th is excited to introduce Visesia Fakatoufifita of Tacoma, WA, and Faith Young of Kent, WA, who make their 5th Avenue Theatre debuts alternating the title role.

I'm fortunate enough to have been to a few of the Village Originals Festival of New Musicals where they present concert stagings of new shows in workshop. I've seen shows that I've felt needed to polish a bit but then get that bigger, mainstage production and I've seen shows that I've felt should have been placed carefully back in the writer's desk drawer and forgotten. 'String' was definitely in the former camp, a fun little tuner with a bunch of potential that has now made it to the Village mainstage. Unfortunately, the rework of this show feels like it went in the wrong direction as the story now only has one focus leaving all others out in the cold.

Village Theatre is excited to announce the World Premiere of String, a brand-new story with a mythological twist by award-winners Sarah Hammond (book), and Adam Gwon (music & lyrics), and direction by Brandon Ivie.  A fun and fresh fable about fate, love, and the imperfections that make us human, String is an original story about three sisters - goddesses known as the Fates - who are responsible for spinning, measuring, and snipping the String of Life. After falling out of favor with Zeus, they find themselves banished to a modern skyscraper in the mortal world. But when the eldest sister falls in love, the very fabric of the universe begins to unravel. "We are thrilled to have such a sophisticated show premiering on our stage," said Ivie. "This show is very intimate, but also deals with understanding our place in the universe and what it means to be human. It's a show about Gods, but they deal with the same things we do - sisterhood, love, loss. We know our audiences are going to connect with these characters on a deep emotional level."

ArtsWest is pleased to announce the 2017 Cabaret series, AFTER HOURS WITH MATHEW WRIGHT: SUMMER OF SONDHEIM, featuring Eric Ankrim on July 17, Jessica Skerritt on July 24, and Justin Huertas with special guest Rheanna Atendido on July 31.  

String takes the stage as the final production in the 2016-2017 season of Village Theatre's brand new program, The Beta Series, which is a one-of-a-kind expansion to the theatre's renowned Village Originals program that supports the development of new works.

The 'large theater' productions of ACT Theatre's The Royale and The 5th Avenue Theatre's How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying take top honors and the 'small theater' productions of ArtsWest's Death of a Salesman and Washington Ensemble Theatre's The Things Are Against Us take top honors - for most category wins!?

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.

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.

It's been a crazy year, Dear Readers. Lots of ups, lots of downs, and LOTS of emotions. And I'm not just talking about on stage. But let's not dwell on the bad things that may have happened in the world and focus on some of the amazing things Seattle theater companies gave us this past year, and let me tell you there were quite a few. So many in fact that in some categories I simply had to call out more than the usual Honorable Mentions as some performances just needed to be noted. You'll see what I mean especially when you get to the female categories as the ladies were certainly bringing it this year. But let's get started shall we? Out of the myriad shows I saw this year in Seattle, here are the shows and performances that truly stood out to me.

Arguably one of the best movie musicals there is, "Singin' in the Rain" has always held a very special place in my heart. Probably the first bit of entertainment that put me on the path of musical geekdom thanks to my Mom. So when I heard Village Theatre was putting up a stage production of the classic I was excited. And while every iconic moment from the movie is there (and I do mean EVERY one) and it was a fun night, the show lacks that special spark of the original and felt like a rehash of the bits of the movie but not so much the heart.

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.

Well it may have been hotter than blazes this past weekend but I managed to spend the weekend inside at one of my favorite events of the year, The Village Theatre Village Originals Festival of New Musicals. They presented concert stagings of five musicals still in the works. It's a great opportunity for the authors to get to see their shows in front of an audience and for us to get a sneak peak at amazing musical theater to come. Now as they are still being workshopped I can't really review any of them but I can tell you what I saw.

Dear Reader (It only seems appropriate to start this review off with that), sometimes a show comes along that feels like a no brainer. A show that's fairly bulletproof and if a theater does it well enough with enough pieces in place then it'll be a crowd pleaser. 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying' is one of those shows. You're bound to walk away from it with something you enjoyed. Which brings me to the current production at the 5th Avenue Theatre. They've managed to take this pleaser of a show so far beyond the bare minimum making this gem shine with so much brilliance that you may need sunglasses.

Broadway-bound new musical, Come From Away, presented by Seattle Repertory Theatre, wins four Gypsys, tying with another new musical, Lizard Boy, also produced by Seattle Repertory Theatreand also with four Gypsys, a company that has been known for years as a powerhouse dramatic straight-play playhouse! 

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

Rodgers & Hammerstein's THE SOUND OF MUSIC has joined the ranks of blockbuster musicals at The 5th Avenue Theatre, becoming the most-attended holiday show in box office history.