SEATTLE THEATER REVIEWS

What does it take for women to be accepted as equals and succeed in the business world? Do they just need to be as ruthless and cutthroat as men or is there another way? The Seattle Rep's world premiere of Laura Schellhardt's "The Comparables" takes a look at these very questions and while we may ...

The message of a cultural divide, sometimes hilarious and sometimes tragic, is there in ArtsWest's current production of David Henry Hwang's "Chinglish" but it just needs to settle into a more concise telling of the story. I'm sure it will settle in over time but there was just a lack of pacing as ...

Arouet is currently presenting two very dark and bleak one act plays with "Nine" and "The Long Road". Now don't get me wrong. Bleak and dark can work as long as they engage and don't preach. Unfortunately only one of these plays somewhat manages that. But we'll get to that in a minute....

There are two main problems with doing a show about therapy, such as ACT's world premiere of "Seven Ways to Get There" currently playing. First, that someone else's therapy on stage can be good for the author but often times deadly for the audience. Luckily Bryan Willis and Dwayne J. Clark's new p...

Sometimes a little retooling and freshening up of an old classic isn't such a bad thing. I mean I was a little dubious when I heard they were remounting the classic of "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella" especially when I heard it was getting an all new book. But the tour of this new version st...

If you read my previous review, Dear Readers, of SMT's production of 'Sweet Charity' you'll know that I already had the occasion this weekend of a show where the leading lady just didn't connect for me. Well, that seems to be a trend as the 5th Avenue Theatre's current production of 'Carousel' also...

Cy Coleman, Dorothy Fields and Neil Simon's "Sweet Charity", currently playing at Seattle Musical Theatre, is not a perfect musical. There's plenty that it has going for it but it's loaded with plenty of extraneous things as well. The story is fairly depressing, the book is too wordy and there are...

Buckle your seat belts as Book-It Repertory Theatre is about to take you to funnytown with the world premiere of their adaptation of Charles Portis's "The Dog of the South". And with its stellar cast and charm and sweetness for days, this is one road trip you don't want to miss....

Hollywood icons Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have been the butt of many jokes ever since they burst on the scene after winning the Oscar for writing "Good Will Hunting". And one of the high points of that adoring mockery had to be when Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers took it upon themselves to portra...

Every now and again it's nice to have an evening with a quiet little play such as the Seattle Rep's current offering of "Dear Elizabeth". A play with no grand reveal, or overarching conflict to resolve. Just a simple story about a relationship. That may sound uninteresting and it could be but in ...

There are some plays that are just kind of done to death. Everyone and their brother, high school and dog have done them. Thornton Wilder's "Our Town" is one of those shows. But there's a reason for that, it's a classic. And when these classics are tackled with style and heart as is the case wit...

Every season productions come along that are so good that they remind me why us theater folk perform, produce and see theater. Personally, these are the shows that recharge my theatrical batteries so I can sit through the not so great ones (I'm looking at you "Flashdance: The Musical"). Such a sho...

Charlotte Jones' "Humble Boy", currently playing at Seattle Public Theater, may not rock your world or alter your perceptions on life or anything like that but this sweet family dramedy has plenty of charm and humor. True it's a bit long winded at times but with such engaging performances and inter...

Get ready to let your inner kid loose in the circus while the adult in you marvels at the death defying feats as you take in the wonder that is "Cirque du Soleil: Kurios". And while the cohesive story of it all wasn't the most solid, the acts involved more than make up for it as they fly, contort a...

Here in Seattle we are blessed with a ton of theatrical choices. I mean of course there are the big boys, the Rep, ACT, 5th Ave, etc. But we also have those small companies that may not have the funds for a helicopter to land on stage but instead invest their time and tiny amounts of money into tu...

A series of journal entries may work well as a literary device but as a theatrical endeavor it tends to fall flat. Unfortunately, Village Theatre's current stage interpretation of Jules Verne's famous novel "Around the World in 80 Days" falls into the latter category as the storytelling gets itself...

The Seattle Rep continues their long standing relationship with the works of one of America's greatest playwrights with their current production of August Wilson's "The Piano Lesson". As usual the show comes alive with a rich and stirring history only made more poignant through the stunning directi...

Not since 'Flashdance' has a more ill conceived, and forced 80's movie turned stage show been forced upon the unsuspecting theater goers in Seattle. But unlike 'Flashdance', in 'Dirty Dancing' currently playing at the Paramount there weren't quite as many WTF moments to make it somewhat entertainin...

Take the murderous rampage of "Heathers", the violent cultish attitudes of "Caged Heat" and the hair and clothes of "Working Girl" and you'd have the dark twisted romp of "The Secretaries", currently playing at Theater Schmeater. This macabre cautionary tale goes all out and over the top to give yo...

Hello Possums! Everyone's favorite Dame is back for one final goodbye (potentially) with "Dame Edna's Glorious Goodbye, The Farewell Tour" currently at the Moore Theatre. And as usual she puts on a hilarious show that reminds us all why she's risen to the level of Megastar over her 60 years in the...

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I typically have two main sticking points when it comes to Shakespeare productions. First that if you must transplant the time or locale of the piece, make it meaningful and second don't just say the pretty words but convey the intent behind them. And whi...

Oh my! It's been a hell of a year for the Seattle Theatre scene and I can say we've been quite fortunate to see the incredible shows we have. So many amazing shows in fact that picking just a few stand outs (let alone a "best") is a near impossibility. But I have searched the deep dark recesses o...

You know how those 'Saturday Night Live' skits are where it's a fantastic premise and really funny to start out but then they have no idea how to end it so it drones on and on. Well the current off-kilter holiday production out at ArtsWest is like that. Filled with gut busting laughs and wonderful...

Sometimes a bit of greatness, when combined with an equally great companion can form something so amazing that they surpass the heights to which they've already achieved. Such is the case with Tony Kushner's "Angels in America", the cycle of plays from August Wilson and, in my opinion, even Taranti...

Considering the notes in the program say they have been working on Theatre22's World Premiere musical "The Hours of Life" for four years, I can only assume there have been a number of workshops of the piece. But in all that time did no one let the author, Paul Lewis, know that the framework for the...