SEATTLE THEATER REVIEWS

Attention nerds! There's now a theater company in town for us! And I don't mean musical theater nerds or drama nerds but good old fashioned Sci-Fi/Fantasy nerds. Fledgling company The Rogues Gallery has come onto the scene and promises Geek Theater. And their inaugural production, "Shoggoths on ...

When I was young, my father told me about when his father saw The Wizard of Oz for the first time on the big screen, and how, for the first time, he, as a young boy, saw a cinematic world unfold before his eyes in technicolor. That awe, that feeling of being completely dazzled and hypnotized by some...

Lerner and Loewe's "My Fair Lady" is one of those enduring classics that when done correctly can amount to a magical evening. But to do it correctly there's a shopping list of elements you must have such as a terrific and upbeat pace, lively and fun choreography, breathtaking costumes and of course...

I do not enjoy watching scary movies because I cannot remove myself from the horror that is being screened before my eyes. I can, however, appreciate a well done scary movie when thrilling realism draws me in to a point of no return. That is how I felt when I saw ArtsWest's My Mañana Comes....

The works and style of Bertolt Brecht, such as "Mother Courage and Her Children" currently being offered from Seattle Shakespeare Company, is not for everyone nor is it always easy for the audience. With his distanced and jarring style and bleak narratives, Brecht is not what you would call a fun n...

When I first saw "If/Then" in New York I thought the same thing I think now, "Cute show but it'll never make it without Idina Menzel since the show is basically a vehicle for her." Well, I guess the producers of the tour agreed with me since more than half of the original leads including Menzel are...

When I heard that The Annex Theatre was putting on a play about a 19th century club of fencing lesbians, I figured I was in for a night of camp and euphemisms. Although that direction would have surely been entertaining, Elizabeth Hershly's world premiere of My Dear Miss Chancellor by Caitlin Gilman...

New Century Theatre Company, hot off their Gregory Award win for Theatre of the Year, has once again shown why they're one of the best in town with their truly affecting production of "Festen". Where other companies might have put on a passable show, New Century Theatre Company gives a gripping and...

We've all had demanding bosses over the years. Hell I had a manager who insisted I go around the office and set all the clocks to the exact same time. But what happens when you're working for an actual Diva? Well, Jonathan Tolins' hilarious play "Buyer & Cellar", currently playing at the Seattle ...

In these turbulent and overly permissive times, we need shows like 'Reefer Madness' to show us the way. The show itself is a wonderful and very funny spoof that when done right can have you laughing more than if you were high on 'the reefer' yourself. Unfortunately the production currently perform...

I am a sucker for multimedia storytelling, so when Theatre22's Water by the Spoonful advertised their play to have a jazz structure, I could not wait to see how director Julie Beckman interpreted the rhythm and dissonance of jazz into a narrative arc. Confusingly, Water by the Spoonful's storylines ...

Let me start by saying, Dear Readers, that "Little Shop of Horrors" is one of my all time favorite shows. In fact I was fortunate enough to see the incredible Encore's version with Ellen Greene back in July. In my opinion, Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's show is one of those near perfect musicals....

Anne Washburn's hit play "Mr. Burns, a post-electric play", currently playing at ACT, does a fine job at exploring the genesis of mythology and still keeps itself very funny. But that exploration tends to draw itself out a little too long with too little payoff for the time spent....

From the moment you set foot into Cafe Nordo for their current production of "Sauced" you're struck with the wonderful sense of being transported back to the 1930's. But then, with all their ambience and commitment to tone you're no longer in Cafe Nordo but in the Diamond Club. And once there you ...

I'm all for a tribute to a wonderful composer such as Stephen Schwartz. But the new musical 'Snapshots' currently playing at Village Theatre feels less like a tribute and more like theft. OK, maybe theft is too strong of a word since Schwartz is aware of the show and has given his blessing but it'...

With the creative team of Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire at the helm, I had high hopes for the new musical 'Waterfall' currently playing at the 5th Avenue Theatre. With a pedigree like those two have there would have to be something to grab onto in the show, right? Unfortunately this adaptati...

There's a reason why Joshua Harmon's play "Bad Jews", currently playing at Seattle Public Theater, has been such a hit all over the country. Because it manages a trifecta with its wonderful script as it takes a sensitive subject of religion and infuses it with rich characters, hilarious language an...

From the title of Book-It Repertory Theatre's current production, “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love”, you might think this could be a lovely and romantic date night possibility. Well, nothing could be further from the truth as this collection of four Raymond Carver stories seem to foc...

Arguably one of the greatest American playwrights, Arthur Miller rarely goes in for the flash or quirky with his works but simply tells a story. And those stories, such as 'A View From the Bridge' currently performing at the Seattle Rep, build with a sublime slow burn and sneak up on you until, bef...

Kim Rosenstock's play "99 Ways to F**k a Swan" currently being offered from Washington Ensemble Theatre is not going to be everyone's cup of tea with its outrageously bizarre themes and extremely dark and twisted humor. But if you can see your way past its surreal nature, the language, the nudity a...

World War II soldiers trying to survive in a POW camp, we've seen this story many times before. But in Vincent Delaney's "The Art of Bad Men", currently being offered from MAP Theatre, we see a different side of the POW experience, from the point of view of the German soldiers being held in America...

Tennessee Williams' 'Suddenly Last Summer', currently performing at Theater Schmeater, is not often produced, but why? Maybe because it's a one-act or maybe because it feels like it lacks an ending or maybe because it's even a little too dark and twisted for fans of Williams. Whatever the case, Sc...

No hip hop remixes, no ridiculous stunt casting, just good old fashioned Broadway caliber talent putting on a classic musical, that's what you get when you go see "Annie" currently playing at the Paramount Theatre. And there's a reason it's a classic, it's just that good....

I'll admit that during Act One of the final show for this year's Intiman Theatre Festival, "Bootycandy", I kept thinking, "What the hell am I watching?" It was interesting and funny but felt disjointed with so many disconnected scenes. But by the end when they pulled them all together and I saw wh...

It's one of Shakespeare's more raucous comedies so in order to do it right it's best to just let it happen and not get in its way too much. Luckily director Jane Nichols and the folks at Seattle Shakespeare Company understand that about "The Comedy of Errors" but that didn't stop them from adding i...