SEATTLE THEATER REVIEWS

A play is only as strong as its weakest link and when that link is the structure of the play then the rest will suffer immensely. Unfortunately Theater Schmeater's current show, "Lark Eden" suffers from that link and a few others. And while it has its moments, ultimately it's weighed down by some ...

I don't mean to be cruel, dear readers, but I'm about to tell you about one of the most gloriously simple and quietly profound shows that you'll probably not get to see. "Holy Days" by Sally Nemeth from New Century Theatre Company stars some of the finest performers in the Seattle area at the top o...

OK, so I'll admit I was hesitant to start reviewing at the Children's Theatre. But then at the urging of others and the insistence that they are putting up some of the better shows in town, I relented. And if their current offering, "A Single Shard", is any indication, then I seriously need to ret...

I don't mean to be cruel, dear readers, but I'm about to tell you about one of the most gloriously simple and quietly profound shows that you'll probably not get to see. "Holy Days" by Sally Nemeth from New Century Theatre Company stars some of the finest performers in the Seattle area at the top o...

Village Theatre has a tradition of bringing up new musicals (often ones showcased in their Village Originals Festival) onto the Mainstage. Sometimes it works ("Next To Normal" or "Iron Curtain") and sometimes it doesn't ("Take Me America" from earlier this season) and sometimes you have a really pr...

There are some authors who just have a complete mastery of storytelling and the English language so that their works live on forever. No, oddly enough considering the source of the production, I am not talking about William Shakespeare but George Bernard Shaw. This is never more evident than in hi...

OK, so I'll admit I was hesitant to start reviewing at the Children's Theatre. But then at the urging of others and the insistence that they are putting up some of the better shows in town, I relented. And if their current offering, "A Single Shard", is any indication, then I seriously need to ret...

What do you do with a dated overdone musical that every High School on earth has done in order to make it fresh for a professional run? Well, you could pair up with a local dance theater to punch up those outrageous dance sequences to give the audience something new. That's exactly what the 5th Av...

For musical theaters "A Chorus Line" is pretty much the holy grail of musicals. Most people love it and it has some of the most iconic and recognizable songs and characters out there. But few theaters are brave enough to tackle it especially smaller regional or community theaters, and with good re...

Theatrically the questions of "What is art?" and "Can art be commercialized" are not new ones. But that is precisely what John Logan's Tony Award winning play "Red", currently playing at the Seattle Rep, is putting out there. And while not a new issue, the play still results in an interesting look...

There are some authors who just have a complete mastery of storytelling and the English language so that their works live on forever. No, oddly enough considering the source of the production, I am not talking about William Shakespeare but George Bernard Shaw. This is never more evident than in hi...

Anyone who knows me knows of my love for Howard Ashman. I consider the time he, Alan Menken and Tim Rice worked on Disney movies to be the Golden Age of Disney Musicals with "The Little Mermaid", "Beauty and the Beast" and "Aladdin". Unfortunately, try as they may, Disney's attempts at making stag...

It's not easy coming up with a new twist on a beloved classic especially a beloved children's classic such as E.B. White's "Charlotte's Web", but that's just what writer and director Brendan Mack and the folks at STAGEright have done with their current production of "Web". And while I felt the play...

When tackling a play such as "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead", as is currently being tackled by Seattle Public Theater, you need to make sure you have two powerhouse actors in the titular roles, especially when putting in the twist of casting women rather than the traditional men in the roles...

A con-man who expounds on his own piety only to eventually be discovered as the most unscrupulous hypocrite of them all. No this is not the latest Senatorial scandal from Washington DC, but the season opener for Taproot Theatre as they present Moliere's comedy in verse, "Tartuffe". And while at ti...

What do you do with a dated overdone musical that every High School on earth has done in order to make it fresh for a professional run? Well, you could pair up with a local dance theater to punch up those outrageous dance sequences to give the audience something new. That's exactly what the 5th Av...

For musical theaters "A Chorus Line" is pretty much the holy grail of musicals. Most people love it and it has some of the most iconic and recognizable songs and characters out there. But few theaters are brave enough to tackle it especially smaller regional or community theaters, and with good re...

A German transvestite walks into a bar in communist occupied East Berlin. No, that's not the build up to some crude joke but the premise of one of the most beautifully written and intriguing plays of this century, "I Am My Own Wife" currently playing at the Seattle Rep. With over 30 characters all...

The word riveting just doesn't seem to cover the experience of watching the World Premiere of Charles Waxberg's, "A Shade of Green" currently being offered from Theatre 9/12. No, riveting doesn't cover the intense ethical debate wrapped in a gripping game of cat and mouse, nor does mesmerizing. No...

When tackling a play such as "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead", as is currently being tackled by Seattle Public Theater, you need to make sure you have two powerhouse actors in the titular roles, especially when putting in the twist of casting women rather than the traditional men in the roles...

There are certain authors whose shows I never miss if possible. Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, Terrence McNally, and Howard Ashman to name just a few. These are people whose work I rank among my favorites for the richness and compassion in their writing. Well, after yet another stunning work s...

Which is better, the idea of having children or actually having them? That's the question posed by the current show from Theater Schmeater, "Cradle and All" by Daniel Goldfarb. And while I felt the play itself lacked a solid ending, the show manages to be a fun and funny look into the joys and har...

Whether or not we are cheering for a certain character in a play needs to come from more than just being told that someone is the protagonist or good guy. We must feel something for the character based on the feelings the actors put toward that character. And ultimately I think this is why Seattle...

For certain shows there's really nothing like a big, fully realized production complete with all the professional singers and dancers that only Broadway can provide. "West Side Story" is definitely one of those shows with its killer Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim songs and Jerome Robbins ch...

Let me just start out saying that I don't like this show. Right from the moment it first came out and I first heard the cast album, I thought it was forced and a little pretentious. Then I saw a touring production and came to understand it more and I got where they were going with it but still fou...