SEATTLE CRITIC'S CHOICE AWARDS (JAY'S PICKS) 2022
What shows rose to the top in 2022?
Dear Readers, I don't need to tell you, it's been a crazy year. Many theaters just coming back to life or ramping up again post pandemic. But even with all the chaos, Seattle still comes up with some amazing shows from theaters large and small. Here's a list of my personal picks for outstanding shows and performers from the past year, 2022.
Photo credit: Mark Kitaoka
Best Costume Design
Jarrod Barnes - THE WIZ - The 5th Avenue Theatre
Honorable Mention
Alissa Cattabriga - TITANISH - The Habit and Seattle Public Theater
Best Lighting Design
Andrew Smith - CHOIR BOY - 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT
Honorable Mentions
Jeff Croiter - BRUCE - Seattle Rep
Geoff Korf - SELLING KABUL - Seattle Rep
Connie Yun - THE THIN PLACE - ACT
Photo credit: Lindsay Thomas
Best Scenic Design
Jason Sherwood - BRUCE - Seattle Rep
Honorable Mentions
Lex Marcos - SELLING KABUL - Seattle Rep
Carey Wong - HOTTER THAN EGYPT - ACT
Best Sound Design
Matthew Starritt and Erin Bednarz - THE THIN PLACE - ACT
Honorable Mentions
Brian Hsieh - BRUCE - Seattle Rep
D.R. Amromin - SELLING KABUL - Seattle Rep
Best Choreography
Juel D. Lane - CHOIR BOY - 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT
Honorable Mentions
Katy Tabb - MAMMA MIA - Village Theatre
Kathryn Van Meter - BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - The 5th Avenue Theatre
Photo credit: Scott Breitbarth
Best Musical Direction
Chris DiStefano - LIZZIE - Just Us Girls & Co.
Honorable Mentions
Aaron M. Davis Norman and Andrew Pang - MAMMA MIA - Village Theatre
Nathan Young - 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL - Showtunes
David Coulter - GHOSTS - Seattle Rep
RJ Tancioco - BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - The 5th Avenue Theatre
Titanish at Seattle Public Theater.
Photo credit: Truman Buffett
Best New Play or Musical
TITANISH by Jeff Schell, Ryan Dobosh and Mark Siano - The Habit and Seattle Public Theater
Honorable Mentions
BRUCE by Robert Taylor and Richard Oberacker - Seattle Rep
HOTTER THAN EGYPT by Yussef El Guindi - ACT
LA TOFANA'S POISON EMPORIUM by Joy McCullough - Macha Theatre Works
Best Direction of a Musical
Jay Woods - BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - The 5th Avenue Theatre
Honorable Mentions
Faith Bennett Russell - MAMMA MIA - Village Theatre
Donna Feore - BRUCE - Seattle Rep
Kelly Kitchens - 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL - Showtunes
Best Direction of a Play
Jamil Jude - CHOIR BOY - 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT
Honorable Mentions
John Langs - SWEAT - ACT
Valerie Curtis-Newton - SELLING KABUL - Seattle Rep
Carey Perloff - GHOSTS - Seattle Rep
Brandon J. Simmons - THE THIN PLACE - ACT
Malika Oyetimein - TEENAGE DICK - Seattle Rep
Photo credit: Chris Bennion
Best Ensemble
9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL - Showtunes
Honorable Mentions
LIZZIE - Just Us Girls & Co.
TITANISH - The Habit and Seattle Public Theater
CHOIR BOY - 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT
LOLA - The Can Can
Best Supporting Performer in a Musical
Brandon Felker - TITANISH - The Habit and Seattle Public Theater
Honorable Mentions
Karen Skrinde - 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL - Showtunes
Jaysen Wright - BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - The 5th Avenue Theatre
John David Scott - BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - The 5th Avenue Theatre
Nate Tenenbaum - THE WIZ - The 5th Avenue Theatre
Photo credit: Truman Buffett
Best Supporting Performer in a Play
Reginald André Jackson - SWEAT - ACT
Honorable Mentions
Julie Briskman - THE THIN PLACE - ACT
Brandon G. Stalling - CHOIR BOY - 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT
Best Performer in a Musical
Sarah Russell - 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL - Showtunes
Honorable Mentions
Justine Stillwell - TITANISH - The Habit and Seattle Public Theater
Kooper Campbell - TITANISH - The Habit and Seattle Public Theater
Porscha Shaw - BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - The 5th Avenue Theatre
in Choir Boy at ACT Theatre.
Photo credit: Tracy Martin
Best Performer in a Play
Nicholas Japaul Bernard - CHOIR BOY - 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT
Honorable Mentions
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio - GHOSTS - Seattle Rep
David Strathairn - GHOSTS - Seattle Rep
MacGregor Arney - TEENAGE DICK - Seattle Rep
Jen Taylor - HOTTER THAN EGYPT - ACT
Best Musical
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - The 5th Avenue Theatre
Honorable Mentions
TITANISH - The Habit and Seattle Public Theater
LIZZIE - Just Us Girls & Co.
9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL - Showtunes
LOLA - The Can Can
Rebecca Cort in Beauty and the Beast at the 5th Avenue.
Photo credit: Tracy Martin
Best Play
CHOIR BOY - 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT
Honorable Mentions
GHOSTS - Seattle Rep
TEENAGE DICK - Seattle Rep
SELLING KABUL - Seattle Rep
HOTTER THAN EGYPT - ACT
From This Author - Jay Irwin
Born and raised in Seattle, WA, Jay has been a theater geek for years. He attends as many shows as he can around the country and loves taking in new exciting... (read more about this author)
Review: BECOMING OTHELLO: A BLACK GIRL'S JOURNEY at Seattle Shakespeare CompanyJanuary 7, 2023
Dear Readers, you know I find one person shows to be problematic. Often, they get into maudlin territories and end up being someone else’s therapy on stage. So, I was dubious when Seattle Shakespeare Company announced Debra Ann Byrd’s one woman show “Becoming Othello: A Black Girl’s Journey” to start off their 2023. As Byrd stepped onto stage at the Center Theatre, I took it as a good sign that we didn’t get the cliché, “Oh, I didn’t see you there” as if we’d intruded on her private moments. Instead, we got not words but song and movement offering up prayers to her ancestors who got her to where she is today. And then what followed was 90 minutes of a raw, well-paced, well-constructed look into this amazing woman who broke down the barriers erected in front of her by centuries of selfish oppression. Also, what followed was a hell of a way to start off 2023.
SEATTLE CRITIC'S CHOICE AWARDS (JAY'S PICKS) 2022January 6, 2023
Dear Readers, I don’t need to tell you, it’s been a crazy year. Many theaters just coming back to life or ramping up again post pandemic. But even with all the chaos, Seattle still comes up with some amazing shows from theaters large and small. Here’s a list of my personal picks for outstanding shows and performers from the past year, 2022.
Review: MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL at The Paramount TheatreDecember 17, 2022
More. That, Dear Readers, is the watchword the creators of the stage adaption of the 2001 Baz Luhrmann film, “Moulin Rouge!”, subscribed to. They threw in more sparkle wherever they could in this stage musical, currently playing at the Paramount. Unfortunately, they also threw in more songs, more lights, and certainly more bass in this spectacle that loses the heart and charm of the original in favor of assaulting the audience’s senses.
Review: THE FLIGHT BEFORE XMAS from Macha Theatre WorksDecember 4, 2022
Dear Readers, we all know that travelling during the holidays can be a nightmare. Delayed flights, family drama, not to mention dealing with others attempting their own travels. But as frustrating as it can be, what’s not frustrating is the delightful cast of characters created by Maggie Lee in her play, “The Flight Before Xmas”. A wonderful and heartfelt diversion from the usual holiday fare currently playing at West of Lenin from Macha Theatre Works.
Review: MR. DICKENS AND HIS CAROL at The Seattle RepDecember 1, 2022
Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” is an enduring classic. We all know this. It’s never been out of publication since its first publishing in 1843. It has spawned numerous movie, TV, and stage adaptations from the serious to the Muppets. Now the Seattle Rep has come along with a World Premiere of Samantha Silva’s “Mr. Dickens and His Carol”, based on her book of the same name. Taking a supposed look at the creation of this classic tale, this historical fiction is heavy on the fiction and light on the history, cutting a wide swath with its poetic license about the author and turning him into a pompous buffoon in a story and a production in desperate need of an editor.
