There's just two weeks left to vote for the 2019 BroadwayWorld Seattle Awards, brought to you by TodayTix! The people have spoken nominations are set, and now you can vote to make sure your favorite local theatre's achievements and performers are recognized!
There's just a few weeks left to make your voice heard and submit your votes for the 2019 BroadwayWorld Seattle Awards, brought to you by TodayTix! The people have spoken nominations are set, and now you can vote to make sure your favorite local theatre's achievements and performers are recognized!
Back in 2017, Dear Readers, Book-It Repertory Theatre brought us the highly anticipated musical adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones beloved book, 'Howl's Moving Castle', adapted by Myra Platt with music and lyrics from Justin Huertas. The show was certainly a charmer but, personally, I found the storytelling confusing and muddled. Platt and Huertas have now remounted the piece with some welcome additions. Still a few confusing bits and superfluous elements but this new adaptation brings so much more of the story to life making the evening of fantasy even more charming.
It's December! Voting is now underway for the 2019 BroadwayWorld Seattle Awards, brought to you by TodayTix! Now you can vote to make sure your favorite local theatres and performers are recognized. Check out the first set of stats below.
Voting is NOW OPEN and the first votes are in for the 2019 BroadwayWorld Seattle Awards, brought to you by TodayTix! The nominees are set, and now you can vote to make sure your favorite local theatres and performers are recognized!
Book-It Repertory Theatre is proud to announce the return of their smash hit musical Howl's Moving Castle, adapted from the novel by celebrated fantasist Diana Wynne Jones. Adapted and directed by Myra Platt with original music & lyrics by Justin Huertas and musical arrangements & orchestrations by Steven Tran, Howl's Moving Castle plays November 29 a?" December 29, 2019 (Opening/Press Night on Saturday, November 30) at The Center Theatre.
Dear Readers, let's set the way-back machine to May of 2005 when a musical theater geek got to take his first trip to New York and see his first Broadway shows on Broadway. He sat there in Circle in the Square and marveled at a new William Finn show called a?oeThe 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Beea??. Now this was during its previews so not a lot of buzz on it yet, which made it even more special, as he got to experience its greatness as it unfolded. He laughed, he cried, he fell in love with this silly little show. Obviously that geek was me. Since then I've seen numerous productions here and abroad. The show is a staple of musical theaters as it's inevitably a winner. I wouldn't say it's bulletproof but it's bullet-resistant. As long as you have a decent cast that can have fun playing kids, you're good. But few have taken me back to that original moment and evoked the tears at the end or from one particular song a?? until now.
Village Theatre is thrilled to inaugurate their 40th Anniversary Season with The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The fast-paced and irreverent Tony Award-winning comedy is set to run in at the Francis J. Gaudette Theatre in Issaquah September 12 a?" October 20, 2019 before moving to the Everett Performing Arts Center October 25 a?" November 17, 2019.
It's that time of year again. One of my favorite times of year. That time when I get to spend the weekend at Village Theatre checking out the shows brought together by the folks at Village, spotlighting new works around the country. Some amazing, some needing work, but all showing promise. Now, of course, I can't review any of these. They're all still works in progress and not fully staged. But I can share what went on over the weekend as a potential coming attraction of musicals to come to a theater near you.
Back in 2015, the Seattle theater scene was abuzz with a brand-new musical premiering at the Seattle Rep from local wunderkind Justin Huertas called 'Lizard Boy'. I even remember seeing a workshop of it in 2013. Since then the Lizard has gone on to perform all over, including San Diego and New York, and Huertas has gone on and produced even more new musicals including an adaptation of 'Howl's Moving Castle' at Book-It (which is coming back again this season) and a new one coming to the Seattle Rep next year, 'Lydia and the Troll'. And now, over at ArtsWest, Huertas has given us another of his signature quirky love stories with the World Premiere of 'The Last World Octopus Wrestling Champion'. And with his new show we can easily see that the promise of greatness abounds, not only with Huertas and this show but within the show as well.
In its World Premiere, Justin Huertas' musical THE LAST WORLD OCTOPUS WRESTLING CHAMPION will play at ArtsWest from June 20 through July 28, with ArtsWest Artistic Director Mathew Wright directing.
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.
Book-It Repertory Theatre (Book-It) is proud to announce its 2019-2020 season. For 30 years, Book-It has been staging simple and sensitive productions, from classic and contemporary literature, and in the coming season will produce four mainstage shows and three school-touring shows. All mainstage productions will be at The Center Theatre.
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.
Artistic Director Braden Abraham today announced Seattle Rep's new nine-play 2019/2020 season, which features the second Public Works Seattle production, two musical works, a world premiere, a Pulitzer-Prize nominated play, and more. To align with their vision of 'theater at the heart of public life,' Seattle Rep is also rolling out their new visual identity over the next few months, with a full campaign to be launched in August. With this announcement of the new season, Seattle will get a taste of what is coming at Seattle Rep.
CAUGHT presented by Intiman Theatre will catch you off guard and make swiss cheese of all your theories of what is art and what is theater. Christopher Chen's play combines visual art and theater into a playground of ideas. What is truth, your perception, and intention are all challenged with thought-provoking dialogue and action. Just when you think you have grasped the essence of the piece, it shifts direction and reveals a twist, another level, and leaves you once again wondering what is real.
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' play "Everybody", currently at 12th Ave Arts from Strawberry Theatre Workshop, tells us from the beginning that we're in for a show about death. The House Manager (Justin Huertas) lets us know that this is a story that has been told before, many many times. But what makes "Everybody" fascinating, other than the fact that it's superbly written, is the way that it's presented to us with the actors being given their parts lottery style right in front of our eyes making this a show you could also see again and again and never quite see the same one twice.
It's a whole new year with a whole new slate of fabulous theater coming to Seattle and the surrounding areas. So many exciting shows ready to thrill and astound us, make us laugh and cry. And so, I thought I'd let you in on the Top 10 shows coming up that I'm most excited about (actually 11 since I couldn't narrow it down to 10 but 'Top 10' sounded better) in chronological order.
Christian Duhamel, recipient of the 2018 Kleban Award for most promising musical librettist, debuts a new musical at The Pocket Theater December 7-10.
Showtunes is doing "Legally Blonde"? Don't they do obscure musicals that never get done? Yes, that's them, Dear Readers. Putting up for a few weekends, concert stagings with books in hand shows that usually don't see the spotlight. And now here they come with "Legally Blonde" that mega-hit. So why? Because they focus on rare voices and that could mean titles of shows or that could mean casting someone in a role for which they may never be considered. Enter an off-hand remark made at one of the 5th Avenue Theatre spotlight nights when Alexandria Henderson said she didn't have a dream role, just to be able to be cast without limitation and another actor on-stage shouted that she should be Elle in "Legally Blonde" and the crowd went wild. So, an African American Elle with the titular blonde locks. Why not? And that Dear Readers, is the last time we need focus on the fact that Ms. Henderson isn't your traditional Elle. For the rest of this article we'll only focus on the fact that she killed it!
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