SEATTLE THEATER REVIEWS

What happens when you take an already wonderful show and, due to popular demand, remount it in a larger venue? Well, sometimes the results can be disastrous. But Balagan Theatre's remount of their production of "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog", which sold out back in August, manages to take what w...

Theater Schmeater kicks off their 2011 season with the West Coast Premiere of "Crooked" by Catherine Trieschmann, a show filled with teen angst, sexual awakenings, revealed secrets and invisible stigmata. With some powerhouse performances the show is a fresh look at the trials of the American teena...

Every season there are those few shows that absolutely blow you away, shows that you think about for days, weeks, even months afterward and that you annoy your friends with even longer by saying things like "You mean you didn't see that?!" Last season for me it was "Equivocation" and "An Iliad" at ...

Big hair and dreams have come to the Paramount. No, it's not "Hairspray" or even "Hair" (since we just had that one). No, fast forward about 20 years from that one and you have the 80's rock musical "Rock of Ages". And while no one could accuse the show of being deep or important, it's certainly ...

Showtunes Theatre Company presents their latest tribute to what makes musical theater great with "The Melody Lingers On: The Songs of Irving Berlin". Celebrating the works of one of America's greatest composers, the cast certainly knows how to take some wonderful songs and bring out the fun!...

Open Circle Theater continues their track record of bringing slightly off theater to the Seattle area with the world premiere of "The Cut" by local playwright Dustin Engstrom. Even though the show's subject matter, a very specific sexual fetish, might make some people shy away, the show takes this ...

Seattle Shakespeare Company continues their 20th Anniversary season with one of Shakespeare's last and seldom produced plays, "Cymbeline". And while one can see why this play is not so often dusted off, the Chamber production the company has put forth has some wonderful moments and performances. ...

What happens when you take an already wonderful show and, due to popular demand, remount it in a larger venue? Well, sometimes the results can be disastrous. But Balagan Theatre's remount of their production of "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog", which sold out back in August, manages to take what w...

Theater Schmeater kicks off their 2011 season with the West Coast Premiere of "Crooked" by Catherine Trieschmann, a show filled with teen angst, sexual awakenings, revealed secrets and invisible stigmata. With some powerhouse performances the show is a fresh look at the trials of the American teena...

ArtsWest is presenting the Seattle premiere of fresh new playwright Lauren Gunderson's, "Emilie: La Marquise Du Chatelet Defends Her Life Tonight". Initially having a little trouble finding its way, this Stoppard-esque exploration of life and love ultimately turns in an evening of humor and heartbr...

Seattle Musical Theatre is presenting their inaugural "Second Season" production with a brand new musical rendition of Mozart's opera of the same name with "Don Giovanni: A New Musical" in conjunction with Cornish College's student interest group Fruition Productions. And while there were glimmers ...

Village Theatre breaks out its magnifying glass with a change of pace from the usual musical fare with the Tony award winning "Sleuth" by Anthony Shaffer. And what can I tell you about this production? Well, not a lot so as not to give it away. But I can say that it's a viciously fun game from be...

Seattle Repertory Theatre presents Laura Schellhardt's haunting fairy tale, "The K of D, an urban legend". Effortlessly filled with melancholy and wonder, this one woman show is all at once creepy, funny, poignant and moving....

Open Circle Theater continues their track record of bringing slightly off theater to the Seattle area with the world premiere of "The Cut" by local playwright Dustin Engstrom. Even though the show's subject matter, a very specific sexual fetish, might make some people shy away, the show takes this ...

Seattle Musical Theatre is presenting their inaugural "Second Season" production with a brand new musical rendition of Mozart's opera of the same name with "Don Giovanni: A New Musical" in conjunction with Cornish College's student interest group Fruition Productions. And while there were glimmers ...

Seattle Shakespeare Company continues their 20th Anniversary season with one of Shakespeare's last and seldom produced plays, "Cymbeline". And while one can see why this play is not so often dusted off, the Chamber production the company has put forth has some wonderful moments and performances. ...

Theater Schmeater is currently presenting a departure from the typical holiday fare with the World Premiere of local playwright Marcy Rodenborn's tale of middle aged punkstresses making a comeback, "Vestal Virgins". The show, while not groundbreaking, is a fresh, funny and wicked twist on a typical...

Those wacky residents from Tuna, TX are back to spread a little holiday cheer as ArtsWest presents "A Tuna Christmas". And while the show had moments of absolute hilarity, it was really only half a good show....

The 5th Avenue Theatre is presenting a brand new addition to holiday theater offerings with the new adaptation of the classic 1983 film, "A Christmas Story: The Musical". And while half the show harkened fond memories of the film and left me with a wonderful sense of hope for this new piece of musi...

Lisa Koch and Peggy Platt are back once again this holiday season with the tenth installment of their irreverent Christmas show, "Ham for the Holidays: Wham Bam, Thank You Ham!" And if you think you've seen everything these comedic mavens have to offer then you don't know pork! ...

The Seattle Rep is currently presenting Brian Friel's Irish familial saga, "Dancing at Lughnasa". And while the show has some lovely moments, the play as a whole seemed sluggish and uneven....

Seattle Shakespeare Company is currently coupling their powerhouse production of "Hamlet" with an amusing look into Hamlet's college days with "Wittenberg" by David Davalos. And while it may not pack the punch of the main event it is a smart and funny view into the formation of the attitudes of the...

Seattle's Intiman Theatre is closing out their main stage season with the adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic morality tale, "The Scarlet Letter". In "The Scarlet Letter" the letter in question is an "A" but with this production I can really only give it a C-....

Seattle Shakespeare Company launches their 20th anniversary season with the uber-Shakespeare classic, "Hamlet". I'll admit I was hesitant to go see it. "Yet another production of 'Hamlet'." But, this production with its "less is more" mentality is a near note perfect production and one to be reme...

Seattle's Paramount Theatre is currently letting the sun shine in with the national tour of the Tony Award winning revival of the 60's rock musical "Hair". And while I've never been a fan of the show that much before, I can tell you that with this production I left the theater with what I can only ...