Seattle's critics announce the 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 as much professional theater as we reviewers can attend in a year. Named in honor of the famed theater entrepreneur and Seattle native, Gypsy Rose Lee, and in a nod to the vast numbers or theater practitioners forced to travel the country to earn their living, the Gypsys seek to acknowledge the excellence of the Seattle theater community.
This November, Wyrd Sisters Productions and 18th and Union will stage It Will Be Now, a pair of evocative and powerful solo plays written and performed by Seattle-based theatre artists Meghan Dolbey and Meme Garc a. It Will Be Now will feature Unsex Me Here by Dolbey, which explores the journey of power and the sacrifices women have to make in order to achieve it and House of Sue os by Garc a, a story of the construction and deconstruction of a house of dreams. Both pieces are inspired by the plays of William Shakespeare and grapple with his text in a modern context. Directed by Wiley Basho Gorn, performances begin on November 22 and run through November 26 at 18th and Union (1406 18th Avenue). Tickets range $15-$25 and will go on sale Monday, October 30 at www.18thandunion.org.
I'll admit, Dear Readers, that when I saw the cast list for Village Theatre's current production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's classic Into the Woods I was quite excited. It was (and is) quite a list of powerhouse talent and not the usual suspects for a Village show. But Sondheim's show, as much as it's done by every professional house, community theater, or school is by no means a bulletproof show and something egregious must have happened (or didn't happen) between then and now as the production I saw last night, while technically good with well sung songs lacked any kind of emotional resonance, heart, stakes, or even connection between the characters. And for a show like this, pretty singing is not enough.
Kicking off Village Theatre's 2017-2018 Season is the Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning musical, Into the Woods. "Happily ever after" will be just the beginning in this musical collision of the original Grimm fairytales. When Cinderella, Jack, Rapunzel, Little Red, and more venture into the woods after their heart's desire, they get a lot more than they bargained for. As princes seduce and giants roam the land, stories get intertwined and the plot thickens. With a jaw-dropping design team and a stellar cast of Village Theatre favorites, Into the Woods is sure to take you "into the woods, to get the thing, that makes it worth the journeying."
More and more we see controversies arise in the entertainment industry as people of color are overlooked for some roles or pigeonholed in other roles based on their race. Well now a group of Cornish students and alum have assembled at 18th and Union for a remounting of their show illuminating those issues from the perspectives of those affected in their thought provoking "Raisins in a Glass of Milk".
Modern adaptations of traditional texts are common, but mod adaptations of traditional texts are quite rare. Seattle Public Theater's 'The Liar' puts a 60s twist on a 17th-century farce, and it works.
Veteran local director Sheila Daniels (A Streetcar Named Desire, Crime and Punishment) returns to direct another American classic for Intiman Theatre: Lillian Hellman's The Children's Hour, featuring rising local star Hannah Mootz (Tail of Wasps, Bo-Nita) as Martha Dobie, newcomers Tiffany Yvonne Cox (Crumbs from the Table of Joy) as Karen Wright and Jasmine Jean Sim (Dirty, Grand Hotel) as Mary Tilford; and renowned local actor Suzanne Bouchard (Dear Elizabeth, Richard III) as Amelia Tilford.
Veteran local director Sheila Daniels (A Streetcar Named Desire, Crime and Punishment) returns to direct another American classic for Intiman Theatre: Lillian Hellman's The Children's Hour, featuring rising local star Hannah Mootz (Tail of Wasps, Bo-Nita) as Martha Dobie, newcomers Tiffany Yvonne Cox (Crumbs from the Table of Joy) as Karen Wright and Jasmine Jean Sim (Dirty, Grand Hotel) as Mary Tilford; and renowned local actor Suzanne Bouchard (Dear Elizabeth, Richard III) as Amelia Tilford.
When local gay softball league favorites the Seattle Fireflies go up against the champion San Francisco Hornets, an all-American pastime turns into an impromptu inquisition as one team halts the game to accuse their opponent of having too many 'straight ringers' on their roster.
When local gay softball league favorites the Seattle Fireflies go up against the champion San Francisco Hornets, an all-American pastime turns into an impromptu inquisition as one team halts the game to accuse their opponent of having too many "straight ringers" on their roster.
