John Langs News

There are certain shows out there that, while being engaging and performed well, make you feel like you're missing something. Many of the plays of Tom Stoppard are that way for me in that, unless you've taken a master class on that particular subject matter, you may not get the full impact. The World Premiere of Moby Pomerance's "Alex & Aris", currently playing at ACT, falls into this category. Stirring performances and crisp dialog but unless you've taken the prerequisite class on Greek history you may fall behind.

After 10 years of producing award-winning productions and helping to change the face of mid-level professional theatre in Seattle, New Century Theatre Company (NCTC) is excited to share several new developments in its future.

New Century Theatre Company (NCTC) ends its 2017 10th Anniversary Season with Will Eno's The Realistic Joneses.

I want to start off, Dear Readers, by stating that I really did enjoy ACT's current production of "Tribes". There are some great performances and it's a funny, engaging play with rich dialog. But even with my level of enjoyment in the moments of the play I can't help but also see some glaring shortcomings in the piece itself specifically having to do with the characters and their arcs. But let's set the stage (so to speak) first.

Today's subject (click on the name for lots of great music) Josh Schmidt is currently living his theatre life at Signature Theatre as the composer/co-lyricist and orchestrator of the world premiere musical Midwestern Gothic. The production runs from March 14 to April 30.

American Players Theatre (APT) announces its 38th Summer Festival Season, June 10 - October 22, 2017, a diverse lineup of eight classical and contemporary plays in repertory that includes the return and work of visiting Chicago director and Jeff Award-winner William Brown taking on Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters in APT's newly renovated flagship 1140-seat outdoor amphitheater on the Hill. 

Opera is for everyone-and so is Seattle Opera's 2017/18 season! There's a new bilingual performance for elementary-school students, new performance venues such as Georgetown Steam Plant, a new mainstage collaboration with ACT Theatre and Seattle Symphony leaders, and even an outdoor performance offered free of charge. Regardless of background or socioeconomic status, this season offers ways for a broad audience to be able to experience opera; it's an open invitation for the Pacific Northwest. 

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.

One of my favorite things in seeing all the shows I do is to stumble upon one that I like to refer to as 'alchemy'. It's that rare instance where all of the elements, the script, actors, director, set, costume, lights, music, etc all come together in just the right way and at just the right times to form pure gold. It may look like science or technical expertise but it's really just magic. One of those shows is ACT's current production of Christopher Hampton's 'Dangerous Liaisons'. If in seeing this show you are not able to have a thrilling night then you're just not paying attention.

Are there any taboo subjects for musicals anymore? I mean we've had shows about serial killers and assassins, drug addicts and prisoners, demons and super powered psychotic teens, and even oversexed puppets. So I don't know why anyone should be surprised by the new musical at ACT in conjunction with ArtsWest and Circle X Theatre Co., 'Bad Apples' which takes a look at one of our countries most disgraceful moments, the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. This in your face rock musical will definitely not be everyone's cup of tea and especially not for the kids. But if you can get past all the language, sex, and horrific images then what you're left with is a killer show that looks at how easily people in power can justify appalling acts.

In our current political climate where candidates regularly hurl insults at each other on things such as penis size it's hard to remember that politics used to be about the candidate's stand on issues as well. So when did that change? When did we go from building up our own candidate in an ad to tearing down the other candidate with scandal, derision and fear? ACT might have the answer to that with their world premiere play "Daisy" that takes a look into the creation of one of the most infamous political ads and one of the first attack ads ever created.

Bad Apples is the new rock musical inspired by the real-life prisoner abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Bad Apples seeks to answer the simple question: How in God's name did this happen? Two soldiers ended up pregnant by fellow soldier Charles Graner; both women wanted to marry him, competed with each other to win his love, and enthusiastically tortured prisoners together, documenting most of it in pictures that later leaked and shocked the world.

With a Presidential election looming, a group of advertisers working for Lyndon B. Johnson unleash the most infamous political commercial ever conceived, the "Daisy ad". The ad played once, but it carved a scar into the American psyche. Based on actual persons and events, ACT presents the world premiere of political thriller Daisy by Sean Devine. This explosive play explores the power of manipulation in advertising and the clear moment in television history that launched the age of negative attack ads, and forever changed how we elect our leaders.

ArtsWest announces their 2016-2017 season, UNCHARTED. See full details below!

ArtsWest Artistic Director Mathew Wright has announced his second season, running September 2016 through July 2017. Opening with acclaimed dramatist Terrence McNally's MOTHERS AND SONS, the six production season will include the magical story telling of PETER AND THE STARCATCHER based on the novel by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson; an Olivier Award winning new adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's GHOSTS; a piercing glimpse into the teen-age world in Kirsten Greenidge's MILK LIKE SUGAR; Byrony Lavery's unflinching drama FROZEN; and the Stephen Sondheim musical thriller SWEENEY TODD.

It's May of 2016 and John Langs is entering his fifth month as the Artistic Director of Seattle's ACT Theatre, in its 51st season.

New Century Theatre Company (NCTC) opens its 2016 season at 12th Avenue Arts with NY NAME IS ASHER LEV today, April 20. The production runs through May 21, Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays-Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 4pm.

New Century Theatre Company (NCTC) will open its 2016 season at 12th Avenue Arts with NY NAME IS ASHER LEV, running April 20-May 21.

John Langs, the Artistic Director of ACT, is currently rehearsing Stage Left's two-person cast in Seattle, getting ready to open this Tony award-winning, provocative, smart and hilarious play, 'Venus in Fur' by David Ives, at the SJC Fairgrounds on April 7th. We're very excited as this represents another move forward for ISL and will showcase our two new Associate Artistic Directors for this season, Ty and Cassandra Boice. 

John Langs, the Artistic Director of ACT, is currently rehearsing Stage Left's two-person cast in Seattle, getting ready to open this Tony award-winning, provocative, smart and hilarious play, 'Venus in Fur' by David Ives, at the SJC Fairgrounds on April 7th. We're very excited as this represents another move forward for ISL and will showcase our two new Associate Artistic Directors for this season, Ty and Cassandra Boice.