Seattle Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 22

BWW Review: Village's NEWSIES Brings Intimacy to the Big Splashy Musical
by Jay Irwin - November 10, 2017

Dear Readers, I won't bore you with the rehash of how I feel about the stage adaptation of Disney's Newsies from my disappointment of the restructuring of the story and songs from the movie, to the required suspension of disbelief that any of these dancers are young newsBOYS, to the fact that Jack...

BWW Review: Rich Talent, Poor Narrative in Wall Street Satire 63 TRILLION at West of Lenin
by Amelia Reynolds - November 07, 2017

Good satire needs two things: merciless mockery, and a compelling narrative. Sandbox Radio's farcical 63 Trillion nails the mockery, but focuses so much of its attention on cramming in as many double-entendres as possible that the narrative becomes secondary to the dick jokes....

BWW Review: Firepower Performances, No-Nonsense Storytelling with Theatre22's BURN THIS at 12th Ave Arts
by Amelia Reynolds - October 31, 2017

Whether it be platonic or romantic, everyone has been in a relationship with someone who makes no sense for them, or is unhealthy for them, or both. But at the time, it satisfied a need. It's a very specific kind of relationship that, if handled poorly by the director or the actors, will be glaringl...

BWW Review: ArtsWest's THE NANCE Spotlights a Shame in our History with Tragic Beauty and Humor
by Jay Irwin - October 31, 2017

Did you know, Dear Readers, that as recently as the 1930's, gay men could be arrested for meeting in public? Maybe? But did you also know that in New York it became just as unthinkable to portray a gay character on stage? Just one of those shameful points in our history that's beautifully illumin...

BWW Review: Showtunes' BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY Wows with Voices but Not Much Else
by Jay Irwin - October 31, 2017

I'm usually a sucker for a good sappy romance but I'll admit I missed the bandwagon where The Bridges of Madison County was concerned. I never saw the movie or read the book so any kind of name recognition or nostalgic feelings for a musical of this are lost on me and the show would have to exist...

BWW Review: Seattle Shakes' THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR Bribes Us with Delicious Cartoon Farce
by Jay Irwin - October 28, 2017

There's a certain hilarious show leaving Seattle and leaving a void in the comedy that we all desperately need in these tumultuous times. But luckily for us Seattle Shakespeare Company has just the thing to fill that void with their uproarious Russian farce The Government Inspector . A production...

BWW Review: All-Women CORIOLANUS: FIGHT LIKE A BITCH at 12th Ave Arts Kicks Ass
by Amelia Reynolds - October 24, 2017

Rebel Kat did such a good job with the adaptation of 'Coriolanus' (one of Shakespeare's rarely performed later works) that it does not feel like an adaptation at all. Nay, director Emily Penick improves upon the original with a fierce cast consisting entirely of women. What's more, 'Coriolanus: Figh...

BWW Review: Seattle Immersive Theatre's AMERICAN BUFFALO Amps Up the Danger
by Jay Irwin - October 23, 2017

David Mamet's American Buffalo has never been what you might call a comfortable play laced as it is with profanity, crime, and violence. If done well the tension in Don's 2ns Hand Store should continue to build and build until it predictably results in chaos. But what Seattle Immersive Theatre h...

BWW Review: 5th Ave's RAGTIME Strikes to the Heart of its Own Story and Beyond
by Jay Irwin - October 21, 2017

Back in 1997 a somewhat younger Broadway Geek became obsessed with the musical Ragtime . I even travelled to other cities to see it as many times as I could and basically became obsessed. I tell you this so you'll understand, Dear Readers, my deep love for this show which is firmly one of my top ...

BWW Review: ACT's Searing THE CRUCIBLE Shines with all Substance and Very Little Flash
by Jay Irwin - October 20, 2017

Arthur Miller's classic The Crucible remains a kind of mainstay of theater across the country from professional productions down to the myriad high school productions. But for it to ring true it must resonate with society's repeated history with mob mentality whether that be the literal Salem wit...

BWW Review: BenDeLaCreme and ACTLab's BEWARE THE TERROR OF GAYLORD MANOR a Spooky, Kooky Cabaret
by Amelia Reynolds - October 17, 2017

BenDeLaCreme is a drag queen with a knack for the holidays--she leads the fantastic annual Homo for the Holidays (coming this Christmas!) and memorably played a craggy old lady with a disembodied head for a daughter on some TV show with RuPaul (per the Playbill). This season, in collaboration wi...

BWW Review: Chinese Gender and Economic Politics with Seattle Public's WORLD OF EXTREME HAPPINESS
by Jay Irwin - October 16, 2017

Life is hard for female children and for women in general in China. This is the basic message from Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig's play The World of Extreme Happiness currently playing at Seattle Public Theater. The big problem with this is that we all know this and so beyond that, what story do they wa...

BWW Review: Disney's ALADDIN at the Paramount Grows Up and Rediscovers its Magic
by Jay Irwin - October 14, 2017

Back in 2011 many of us here in Seattle were subjected to a very different version of Disney's Aladdin than what you might see currently playing at the Paramount Theatre. Also for many of us that previous version left a bad taste in our mouths for the property. A property that we loved in its or...

BWW Review: The Infectious Bliss of Seattle Rep's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
by Jay Irwin - October 05, 2017

There's a general rule of thumb in any theatrical production that if the cast is enjoying what they are doing then that will translate into audience connection and enjoyment. Of course, good source material like Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice doesn't hurt the issue nor does a wonderful...

BWW Review: Fantastic Z's NEXT FALL a Beautiful Play with an Uneven Emotional Core
by Jay Irwin - September 30, 2017

There are two things, Dear Readers, that drive me crazy in watching any theatrical endeavor, shmacting and not listening, we'll dive into the meanings of those more in a bit, but what they accomplish is sapping the emotional core from a show. Fantastic Z's current production of Next Fall partiall...

BWW Review: Orwelian ONERUS Sets New Standard for Sci-Fi Dinner Theatre at Café Nordo
by Amelia Reynolds - September 28, 2017

The intensely immersive experience of dining at ONERUS is perfect for fans who love and respect well-written sci-fi. Directed by Opal Peachey, this thoughtful, thought-provoking cautionary tale is science fiction at its finest (and the food ain't half bad either)....

BWW Review: Theater Schmeater's NEIGHBORHOOD 3 Confounds with Little Payoff
by Jay Irwin - September 25, 2017

Let me assure you that you need not have seen Neighborhood 1 or Neighborhood 2 in order to understand Theater Schmeater's current show Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom for two reasons. First, there are no such things as Neighborhood 1 or Neighborhood 2 as the title does not refer to an...

BWW Review: Forward Flux's Double Feature, Pt. 2: She's 32, He's 15, NO MORE SAD THINGS Is Still Worth Seeing
by Amelia Reynolds - September 24, 2017

It starts ambiguously; two actors stare lovingly into each other's eyes, knelt on the ground as a third person sound-checks their ukulele. The two lovebirds Jessiee (Kiki Abba) and Kahekili (Lance Valdez), do not look like your typical, starry-eyed couple. And that kind of becomes the joke in No Mo...

BWW Review: Forward Flux's Double Feature, Pt. 1: LAS MARIPOSAS Y LOS MUERTOS Calls Out Cultural Appropriation in Modern Music
by Amelia Reynolds - September 24, 2017

Forward Flux's hosts another double feature, currently performing at West of Lenin. Las Mariposas Y Los Muertos is one big middle finger to Pitchfork and Vampire Weekend. Rolled into a story of three jaded musicians striving for more authenticity in the cultural milieu, here lies a call to arms co...

BWW Review: THE LAST FIVE YEARS at Taproot Showcases More Talent Than You Might Expect
by Jay Irwin - September 22, 2017

The Last Five Years , that Jason Robert Brown quirky two hander gets put up quite a bit and it stands to reason, it's a fun show filled with rich songs, it's only two actors, it typically has little to no set and so everyone and their dog puts it on. I've seen it multiple times since it came on th...

BWW Review: Et Tu, Brute? is Comme Ci Comme Ça with Seattle Shakespeare Company's JULIUS CAESAR
by Amelia Reynolds - September 20, 2017

This rendition of Julius Caesar by the Seattle Shakespeare Company will offer a few surprises. It is a streamlined production with a race and gender-diverse cast. With no clear-cut villains and heroes, this epic tale of political savagery has an engaging narrative. But when said savagery feels tep...

BWW Review: TEH INTERNET IS SERIOUS BUSINESS from WET brings the Lulz and Even Some Thoughtz
by Jay Irwin - September 19, 2017

First and foremost, this is not a typo. The current show from Washington Ensemble Theatre is titled Teh Internet is Serious Business no matter how many times spell check tries to auto correct it for me. And with a title like that you might assume that this will just be a series of computer jokes...

BWW Review: Strawberry Theatre Workshop's WHY WE HAVE A BODY a Head-Scratcher
by Amelia Reynolds - September 19, 2017

Everyone has memories that feel rife with significance, but said significance does not necessarily make sense to others. And if the best depiction of said memory is beyond traditional language, then playwrights like Claire Chafee use poetic language to communicate said significance. In Chafee's Why...

BWW Review: Book-It Examines the Birth of an Icon with I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS
by Jay Irwin - September 17, 2017

Easily one of the most influential American writers of our time, Maya Angelou beyond being an amazing poet an author was also an outspoken civil rights activist and icon for our age. Book-It Repertory has done honor to this fine woman with their current production of her autobiography I Know Why t...

BWW Review: Village's INTO THE WOODS Has Moments in the Woods but No Connections
by Jay Irwin - September 16, 2017

I'll admit, Dear Readers, that when I saw the cast list for Village Theatre's current production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's classic Into the Woods I was quite excited. It was (and is) quite a list of powerhouse talent and not the usual suspects for a Village show. But Sondheim's show...