SEATTLE THEATER REVIEWS

Dear Readers, in my capacity as a reviewer and as a musical theater geek at large, I've been privileged to witness more than a few out of town tryouts, those plucky wanna-be Broadway shows taking a shot in another city. Both here at home and abroad, I occasionally get a glimpse at greatness in the ...

Lily Verlaine and Jasper McCann return to the Triple Door for their 11th season with their adaptation of Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland", "Through the Looking Glass, The Burlesque Alice in Wonderland". And while "Wonderland" might seem a perfect setting for a Burlesque show, since the whole t...

Dear Readers, when I hear those three potentially terrifying words "one person show" I imagine a self-indulgent ride through self-aggrandizing memories that begin with the cliche "Oh hey, I didn't see you there…". But Gin Hammond's "Returning the Bones" currently playing at the Erickson Theatre f...

From the moment you set foot inside the theater at 12th Ave Arts to catch Washington Ensemble Theatre's current production of Charise Castro Smith's "Feather's and Teeth" you'll be struck with two things. First, the desperately trying to be idyllic 1970's family home that's slightly off kilter from...

Cafe Nordo is known for their sumptuous meals combined with fun, lighthearted shows and rollicking music. A Nordo show basically promises a good time, or so I thought. While I didn't have a terrible time at their most recent offering, "Jitterbug Perfume", since I don't think it's possible to have ...

Dear Readers, let me start off by saying, I am not a fan of "Cats". Neither the musical nor the animal (it would seem I'm allergic to both). Way back, when I was a young musical theater geek, I saw one of the early tours and I remember sitting there during the opening number perplexed. I whispere...

The word that springs to mind when I think of Seattle Public Theater's current production of Ruby Rae Spiegel's "Dry Land" is "gratuitous". That's the first thing I think of. Not "intense" or "gripping" as the climactic scene was, or "raw" or "honest" as much of the dialog between the young girls ...

WE WILL NOT BE SILENT at Taproot Theatre is a glimpse into the heart of courage. The story of Sophie Scholl and her resistance to the Nazi regime is one of inspiration and fortitude. Without bells and whistles or fanfare, this show focuses on the heart of the matter. When the laws of the land confli...

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 thre...

A few years back I was fortunate enough to see Lucas Hnath's wonderful play, "A Doll's House, Part 2" on Broadway and was blown away. So, when the Seattle Rep announced it as part of their season I was absolutely thrilled. Then when they announced the powerhouse cast of some of Seattle's finest ac...

JOHN at ArtsWest is an enigma wrapped in a conundrum, nestled in a puzzle. The show is peppered with interesting bits of information, side stories, tangents, and seemingly pertinent details. However most of these bits only serve to fully realize the characters rather than apply to the plot. You can ...

Dear Readers, as I'm sure you're aware, we are blessed with an abundance of riches here in Seattle with the local talent who grace our stages, if you know where to look. Well, currently the treasure map leads right over to Taproot Theatre and X marks the spot on the Isaac Studio Theatre where they ...

K.I.S.S. It's the best advice you can give anyone in acronym form; meaning, Keep It Simple Stupid, and it's the mantra that the folks at Village Theatre should have taken to heart when attempting to stage Simon Stephens' brilliant play, 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time'. Now, you...

When the basis of your play, such as Nick Jones' "Trevor" currently being offered from MAP Theatre, is a real-life story, the gist of which could probably fill up a report on the news and was probably germinated from there, the journey to get to that inevitable conclusion is everything. And while s...

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 though...

Over the years, Dear Readers, I've seen many productions of Shakespeare's oft-produced tragedy 'Romeo + Juliet'. So many productions from so many levels of professionalism with so many different takes on how to tell the story. And to be honest, only one of them even came close to bringing the stor...

Are you in the mood for a good scare? A creepy tale that will stay with you all the way home and make you turn on every light once you get there. No? Then you'd better stay away from the Seattle Rep and their current production of "The Woman in Black" on tour from London. Sure, this production h...

Seattle Children's Theatre brings another classic book to life in their production of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. The book by Kate DiCamillo tells the story of a china rabbit that is given as a gift to a young girl, Abilene, by her grandmother. The girl adores the rabbit and names him E...

With any luck most of us will bypass any connection to opioid or heroin addiction. I know going into Book-It Repertory Theatre's current production of Tom Hansen's "American Junkie", I knew nothing of that world except what you might catch on TV. But what this gritty memoir and gripping performanc...

Before any theater company even considers attempting Elton John and Tim Rice's rock musical "Aida", they need to have, at the very least, four things in place. An awesome band to back up the amazing ensemble. A dashing Radames and a larger than life Amneris, both with fantastic pipes of their own,...

Yes, Dear Readers, it's "Uncle Vanya" … again. Now, don't get confused. I know I just reviewed this a few weeks ago but this is a different production. This is Theatre9/12, those plucky actors who pour over scene work week after week until they come up with a full play they'd like to present, t...

The idea of stunt casting, the practice of taking a big name and putting them in a role just to get butts in seats, has always terrified me. And I've seen it result anywhere from the sublime such as Neil Patrick Harris killing it as "Hedwig" to the shudder inducing Molly Ringwald completely out of ...

OK, so putting up a dark and moody production of Anton Chekhov's 'Uncle Vanya' may sound redundant but remember, this is The Seagull Project. They've spent the last eight years killing it with all things Chekhov and now with the completion of the main plays, the dark and moody tone isn't so much th...

If you're going to put up a new musical, such as Annex Theatre's current world premiere 'The Devil and Sarah Blackwater' you need a few things on board. First, an editor, to make sure that the show and the story is as tight and clear as you can make it. And second, a music director to present the ...

Seattle Public Theater is currently offering a play you've probably never heard of, "Fire Season". And you've never heard of "Fire Season" because it's a World Premiere having been written by author Aurin Squire under the auspices of having won the inaugural Emerald Prize, Seattle Public Theater's ...