SEATTLE THEATER REVIEWS

Dear Readers, hold onto your butts, they’re back! The mental patients of The Habit, the ones behind the hilarity of previous hits such as “A Very Die Hard Christmas” and “Titanish”, have once again returned to Seattle Public Theater to musically send up another hit film from the past, and ...

Melodic voices and the satisfying sound of tap shoes striking the stage are just two of the reasons why the latest addition at the 5th Avenue Theatre is a pleasure to witness. Alongside glorious set pieces and striking costumes, 'After Midnight' offers a remarkable blend of history, culture, and tra...

Dear Readers, you should know by now my disdain for the Juke Box Musical. But, as egregious as they can be (I’m looking at you “Flashdance, The Musical”), sometimes they manage to pull it off. And why? A good book and songs lovingly curated to fit the story and not jammed in. It’s really tha...

Every once in a while, a show comes along that feels like you are catching something before the rest of the world does. That is the experience with Here and Their, now performing at 12th Ave Arts. This original musical production epitomizes local Seattle theater at its finest. It is original, funny,...

Dear Readers, there are some shows that just hold a special place in your heart, even if they may not age as well as you hoped. Charles Strouse and Lee Adams’ classic “Bye Bye Birdie”, currently playing at the 5th Avenue Theatre, is one of those shows for me. I loved both movie versions, saw w...

Dear Readers, Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” is a difficult show at best. On the one hand it’s a romantic comedy, filled with love and sex and music, and on the other hand it’s a story where some characters are in mourning for loved ones and other characters are performing vicious tricks on...

There is something about Mamma Mia! that just feels like summer. Maybe it is the breezy Greek island setting, maybe it is the glittery ABBA soundtrack, or maybe it is because this show operates entirely on pure joy. The Paramount’s current production leans into that joy, delivering an experience t...

Dear Readers, if you were lucky enough to catch the circus arts troupe The 7 Fingers at the Rep back in 2023 with their thrilling “Passengers” show then you know how amazing they are, and you know why the Rep chose to bring them back. But if you missed them back then (or even if you didn’t) no...

Dear Readers, when discussing the musical of Alice Walker’s classic novel “The Color Purple”, you must acknowledge the production’s own journey from the tepidly received original 2005 Broadway production to the enthusiastically received 2015 Broadway revival which launched the career of the ...

Patsy Cline was a generational talent, her voice timeless, her stage presence commanding, and her story unforgettable. Always... Patsy Cline brings that story to life, delving into touching moments from the country music legend's tragically brief life. Taproot Theatre handles this narrative with utm...

In House of Joy, co-produced by Pratidhwani and Seattle Public Theater, the house is more than just a setting. It listens. It responds. It protects and encourages. It even moves, embodied by the stunning choreography of the guards. These dancers don’t just live in the house. They are the house. Th...

Ending the season with a memorable production of one of opera’s most tour de force masterpieces is sure to motivate audiences to return for Seattle Opera’s next season...

Dear Readers, It’s true, the Queens are back. The glorious rock show “Six” is back at the Paramount to melt our faces and maybe even teach us a little history. And while it’s still the same amazing show that, if you know, you know, I just wish the Paramount, and really all the musical theate...

There’s no escaping the kitchen in Hungry, now playing at Sound Theatre Company. Not just because the set keeps the kitchen table at center stage, no matter where in time we’re dropped. But because food, and everything it represents; culture, class, control, comfort is the simmering heart of thi...

Golden, written by Andrew Lee Creech and now playing at ACT Theater,, is a rich, character-driven drama that delivers clean, linear storytelling about what it means to live with dignity when the world feels like it’s falling apart....

Dear Readers, I want to set the not-so-wayback machine to January 2024 when I got to see the first preview of Eddie Izzard doing her one person “Hamlet” in New York. Now I want to emphasize, this was the first preview of a brand-new show, and it was rough. This is to be expected. But afterward I...

DADS doesn’t so much invite you in as dare you to stick around long enough to figure it out. Now playing at 12th Ave Arts, this messy, physical, and defiantly queer performance — created and performed by the Drama Tops duo Elby Brosch and Shane Donohue — explores grief through endurance, irony...

Dear Readers, it’s always a dangerous proposition for a playwright to put the emotion they want you to feel in the title of their play. One such show would be Alexis Scheer’s “Laughs in Spanish”, currently playing at the Seattle Rep. If you’re going to tell me there are laughs, then there ...

At its best, a one-person show invites you into the mind and heart of its creator, allowing you to walk a little in their shoes—whether through literal storytelling, experimental performance, or (ideally) a bit of both. In The Things Around Us, now playing at Intiman Theater, Ahamefule J. Oluo let...

Dear Readers, we live in divisive times. That’s no news to anyone. Our society is extremely polarized with many basing beliefs on fear, misinformation, and xenophobia while those in charge propagate that division by spreading lies. Sadly, this kind of behavior has been around forever, but if we ca...

Taking on a classic is no easy feat, especially one that has been famously adapted and loved throughout history, such as Jane Austen’s beloved Emma. Seattle’s Dacha Theatre company has proved it’s up for the task with its latest immersive on-stage adaptation of the novel. Freshly directed by S...

Dear Readers, sometimes we get magic on stage. Whether that’s in the form of a captivating performance or some brilliant tech wizardry or maybe some stunning direction, this magic is what we yearn for when we go to the theater. Lucky for you, all three have come to the Paramount with the gripping ...

Dear Readers, in the past I’ve talked about plays that are essential for your theatrical education, plays that are just good for you. If those fluff plays out there are candy, then these essentials are your vegetables. Once such play is Lorraine Hansberry’s Pulitzer Prize winning classic from 19...

Oliver! has always been a tale of survival, of the brutal systems that devour the vulnerable, and of the strange and tender communities that spring up in their margins. With Lionel Bart's reframing of Oliver!, now on stage at Theatre Off Jackson, Reboot Theatre Company takes a sharp left turn into...

Countless musical groups have risen to fame, many becoming universally known household names. There are fewer groups whose music transcends time, genre evolution, and the classic dramatics. Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons are among these precious few. Whether you immediately think of 'Walk Like a...