Julie Briskman News

Seattle Rep today announced complete casting for its production of the Tony Award-winning play Indecent, a powerful drama from Pulitzer Prize-winning Jewish playwright Paula Vogel.

Nia Vardalos' stage adaptation of Cheryl Strayed's book "Tiny Beautiful Things", currently playing at the Seattle Rep, on the surface may seem like just a string of Strayed's advice columns, but when you peel back the layers and dive deeper it becomes so much more. As we get into the advice, we also get a glimpse into the woman who gave it, painting a portrait of a woman who's been through a lot and come out wiser on the other side.

Seattle Rep today announced the cast and creative team of its final production of the 2018/2019 Season, Tiny Beautiful Things, based on the best-selling book by Cheryl Strayed (Torch, Brave Enough, Wild, 'Dear Sugar') and adapted for the stage by Academy Award nominee Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Instant Mom). Co-conceived by Marshall Heyman ('Dietland'), Thomas Kail (Hamilton, Fox's 'Grease Live!'), and Vardalos, and directed by Courtney Sale (Artistic Director for Seattle Children's Theatre), Tiny Beautiful Things will run May 17 - June 23, 2019 (opening night is May 22) on the Leo K. stage. Single tickets are on sale now (starting at $17) and are available through the Seattle Rep Patron Services Office at 206.443.2222 or online at SeattleRep.org.

Ah, the restoration comedy. Those bawdy little comedies from the 1600's and 1700's with ill-mannered aristocrats being put through their paces. Now let's take one of those, spice it up with a bit of modern flair, pepper in some of the funniest damn people in town, and a hilariously ridiculous three person band with some original songs and what you'll have is the joyous, bound to go off the rails at any minute, high-speed train ride that is Seattle Shakespeare Company's current production of "She Stoops to Conquer".

Can a practical joke go too far? What if you're clever enough to use it to your advantage? Seattle Shakespeare Company presents a Restoration Comedy mashup of ska music, hipster bars, gender dynamics, and mistaken identities in Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer. Makaela Pollock directs the production which begins previews on March 19, opens March 22, and runs through April 14 at the Center Theatre at Seattle Center.

Seattle's critics' circle announces Nominees of Excellence in Seattle theatrical productions. Spanning dozens of theater companies and productions, from large and prominent to small and humble, the Gypsy Rose Lee Awards honor the excellence found in the myriad of professional theater productions that we reviewers attend in a year.

For as long as there have been living spaces people have had points of contention with their neighbors, whether it's the people upstairs, next door, or on the other side of the fence. Maybe they're too noisy, or they shoot off fireworks right outside your bedroom window on the fourth of July, or they like to stack up their garbage by their front door rather than taking it to the dumpster (you guessed it, I once had the neighbors from hell). But no matter the differences the hope is that people can work them out (or just let them seethe inside for years) without resorting to pesticides and chainsaws as the folks in Karen Zacarias' play "Native Gardens" did, currently being offered from Intiman Theatre.

Today, Intiman Theatre announced the casting for its third mainstage production of its 2018 WILD, WICKED, WOKE Season: NATIVE GARDENS by Karen Zacarias, one of the most produced Latina playwrights in the nation. Intiman's production of NATIVE GARDENS will be directed by Seattle-based director Arlene Martinez-Vazquez and will play at The Jones Playhouse from September 6-30, 2018.

If you're going to put up Shakespeare (or any play really) with a different time or locale or, as is the case with the current Seattle Shakespeare Company production of Timon of Athens , with cross gender casting then have a reason for it. Have the shakeup mean something. With cross gender stuff, it can be as simple as wanting to give the female actors of the area a chance to play the meatier parts since Shakespeare is traditionally light on those for women. But if that is your reasoning, and I suspect it was in this case no matter what the program says (but we'll get to that in a minute) then be well sure that you put up an engaging production especially with a seldom done play (and for good reason) such as Timon of Athens . Unfortunately, the minor cross casting here lent nothing to this production and the production itself suffered from a dreadful droning pace in a play that already has the tendency to drone.

The popular and wealthy Timon has hordes of friends, but only when the wine is flowing. When the money runs out, Timon turns to friends for help.

Are we made by the company we keep? Shakespeare peels away a dark layer to expose human selfishness in a whole new light in the rarely-staged drama Timon of Athens. John Kazanjian directs the play for Seattle Shakespeare Company which runs January 9 through February 4, 2018 at the Center Theatre.

ArtsWest has announced three young, celebrated Seattle directors who will bring their talent and vision to the 2017-2018 I AM Season - Samip Raval will direct Ayad Akhtar's THE WHO & THE WHAT, Sara Porkalob will direct Jiehae Park's PEERLESS, and Brandon J. Simmons will direct Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' AN OCTOROON.

Mounting something as complex as a Chekov play is not an easy undertaking and should only be handled by professionals. Luckily, in Seattle, we have the Seagull Project who has been tackling these works the last few years including the absolutely incredible "Three Sisters" they put up a few years back. But as crystal clear the intent of the characters in their current production of "The Cherry Orchard" at ACT is, thanks to the stellar performances and direction, I wonder if the translation they chose isn't doing them any favors as I was never quite certain who many of these people were.

 Spectrum Dance Theater, in association with Seattle Repertory Theatre, presents the 'genre obliterating' world premiere dance theater production A Rap On Racebased on the iconic 1970 conversation on race between James Baldwin and Margaret Mead. Co-created by TONY-nominated and Bessie Award-winning director/choreographer Donald Byrd and Pulitzer-nominated and MacArthur Award-winning actress/playwright Anna Deavere Smith, A Rap on Race enlivens the current conversation around race and equity, mixing dance and theatre to create a fully original, groundbreaking artistic work. Tickets are on sale now through the Seattle Rep Box Office at (206) 443-2222 and online at SeattleRep.org.

Dear Readers, I hope you've all fared well over the holidays and had a good time with your families. It's been a tumultuous year with lots of great theater for us to take in. And so I'm pleased to share with you some of the best things I saw this past year and the ones that I felt worthy of getting my Critic's Choice Awards for 2015. So settle in and allow me to expound on all the amazing I saw over the year. The envelope please.

As a kid I remember being absolutely thrilled when the stars would align and something wonderful would come on to the afternoon movie like "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" or "The Wizard of Oz" or the magical "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang". Well that fantasmagorical, fuel burning oracle is back and on stage at Seattle Children's Theatre and it's just as magical as ever. And before you ask, yes, the car flies.

THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, a fast and funny farce filled with mixed up mayhem, leads off Seattle Shakespeare Company's 25th Anniversary Season. Directed by Jane Nichols, THE COMEDY OF ERRORS will play at the Leo K. Theatre at Seattle Repertory Theatre, tonight, September 17-October 11, 2015.

THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, a fast and funny farce filled with mixed up mayhem, leads off Seattle Shakespeare Company's 25th Anniversary Season. Directed by Jane Nichols, THE COMEDY OF ERRORS will play at the Leo K. Theatre at Seattle Repertory Theatre, September 17-October 11, 2015.

Every season productions come along that are so good that they remind me why us theater folk perform, produce and see theater. Personally, these are the shows that recharge my theatrical batteries so I can sit through the not so great ones (I'm looking at you "Flashdance: The Musical"). Such a show is the latest installment from The Seagull Project, Chekhov's "The Three Sisters" which manages such clarity of story, intent and meaning that you can practically feel the pain and frustration in the character's lives along with them.

Oh my! It's been a hell of a year for the Seattle Theatre scene and I can say we've been quite fortunate to see the incredible shows we have. So many amazing shows in fact that picking just a few stand outs (let alone a "best") is a near impossibility. But I have searched the deep dark recesses of my memory to find the shows and performances that really stood out and stuck with me beyond the evening and throughout the year. And so, without further ado, I'm thrilled to present the BWW 2014 Seattle Critic's Choice Awards (or Jay's Picks). Let the awesomeness flow!