Shanna Allman News

The latest standings as of Monday, December 5th, have been released for the 2022 BroadwayWorld Seattle Awards! Nominations were reader-submitted and now our readers get to vote for their favorites.

The first live standings have been announced for the 2022 BroadwayWorld Seattle Awards! Nominations were reader-submitted and now our readers get to vote for their favorites.

In a world full of conflict, division, and uncertainty, there is a lot to worry about. As the pandemic continues, we wonder if we will ever get back to normal. It’s been a very hard couple of years and now more than ever, I’m feeling the need for a reprieve - just a moment to forget all of the outside problems and things beyond my control. I have a deep-seeded need to just laugh. Taproot Theatre’s first show of 2022 just might be the tonic we all need. SEE HOW THEY RUN reminds us that laughter really is the best medicine.

Seattle Theater Writers Seattle's theater reviewers circle announces the Winners 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 across the area.

Seattle's critics' circle announces nominees for the 2020 Gypsy Rose Lee awards celebrating excellence in Seattle theatrical productions.

While viewing the opening night of Seattle Shakespeare Company's production of Richard Brinsley Sheridan's a?oeThe Rivalsa??, one old adage kept springing to mind. a?oeThrow it against the wall and see if it sticks.a?? Well, aside from a few standout performances, not much stuck. But that wasn't from lack of trying as director George Mount seemed to throw everything but the kitchen sink at that wall whether it fit within the play or not.

Duels, dandies, deceptions, and dudes with daddy issues stir up a comic frenzy in Richard Brinsley Sheridan's witty gem The Rivals at Seattle Shakespeare Company. George Mount directs the production which begins previews on Jan. 7, opens Jan. 10 and runs through Feb. 2 at the Center Theatre at Seattle Center.

Revelry Theatre is proud to announce their upcoming production of Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!), running December 13 to December 22, 2019 at Taproot Theatre's Isaac Studio Theatre. With a team of all female and non-binary artists, Revelry Theatre brings you a hilarious send-up of as many beloved holiday classics as they can fit into 90 minutes.

EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED is packed to bursting with stories, journeys, memories, and realizations. The show occurs in three different time periods and slowly reveals how two families were shaped by historical events. The show explores how family histories both known and unknown can shape our own self-perceptions.

Book-It Repertory Theatre (Book-It) kicks off their 30th season with Jonathan Safran Foer's Everything is Illuminated. Adapted and directed by Josh Aaseng, Everything is Illuminated plays September 11 a?" October 6, 2019 (Opening/Press Night on Saturday, September 14) at The Center Theatre.

 An all-male Twelfth Night and a Romeo and Juliet comprised of female and non-binary artists have been cast for Seattle Shakespeare Company's free Wooden O productions which start performances on Thursday, July 11.

Book-It Repertory Theatre (Book-It) kicks off their 30th season with Jonathan Safran Foer's Everything is Illuminated Adapted and directed by Josh Aaseng, Everything is Illuminated plays

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.

Taproot Theatre's production of MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY offers a holiday diversion of wit, charm, and heart. Mary Bennet, the middle sister, steps from the shadows to take command of her own story. With a gathering of family and a visit from a distant cousin, the recipe is ripe for misunderstandings between people who manage to talk so much and say so little. Taproot Theatre has provided a show that should be on everyone's holiday wish list.

One thing I've found with Paula Vogel's plays is that they never cease to surprise. You may think you know what you're in for but then she pulls back layer upon layer giving you so much more than you bargained for. This is certainly true with her Pulitzer Prize winning play "How I Learned to Drive", currently being offered from Strawberry Theatre Workshop at 12th Avenue Arts as you're given a truly horrifying subject and left unsure how to feel about those perpetrating it.

There's a certain hilarious show leaving Seattle and leaving a void in the comedy that we all desperately need in these tumultuous times. But luckily for us Seattle Shakespeare Company has just the thing to fill that void with their uproarious Russian farce The Government Inspector . A production with some very over-the-top and almost cartoonish sensibilities that truly earns the moniker farce .

When small town officials mistake an inventive clerk for an undercover inspector sent to root out corruption, the whole village flies into a tailspin. A comic web of bribery, lies, and rampaging self-delusion entangles everyone in chaos.

When today's headlines about Russia involve potential political meddling, corruption, and cover-up, it's nice to know that some things don't change and that you can laugh about them.

I've never been a fan of transplanting classic works such as Shakespeare to "new and exciting" locales and time periods but I have seen it work as long as the adaptation enhances the existing story somehow or at the very least makes sense with the story. Unfortunately, Seattle Shakespeare Company's current musical adaptation of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with a 1930's movie musical bent fails on both respects and then some. It's got a few elements in it that work but overall it makes little sense and the added music adds nothing but confusion.