Amelia Reynolds

Finally! In collaboration with Deaf Spotlight Presents, Sound Theatre Company has produced a bilingual "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with English and American Sign Language. This performance, now at 12th Avenue Arts, may have a streamlined aesthetic, but the incorporation of ASL makes the original Shakespearean spoken language even more poetic.

ArtsWest does it again with another cool, cutting-edge production about identity with their latest show, 'An Octoroon'. Many modern adaptations of antiquated productions pointing out racism, though well-intended, are comparatively watered-down to Brandon J. Simmons' razor-sharp adaptation of 'An Octoroon'. Thanks to the commitment of the actors and the creativity of the set design, this all-out production apologizes to noone, and uses shock value in an intentional, effective way.

It did not surprise me in the least to discover that Horse in Motion's immersive “Hamlet” is completely sold out for the remainder of its run. On the evening of my attendance, the waitlist was twenty people deep. If you get lucky enough to see the production, whether from showing up at 6:30PM on the nose to put yourself on the waitlist or having bought your tickets in advance, you will not be disappointed. Complemented by some powerhouse performances, Horse in Motion's unorthodox locale--the century old Stimson-Green Mansion--makes seeing this production a wholly unique experience. Horse in Motion's transportive, intimate “Hamlet” makes those three hours go by all too quickly.

“Crowns” is a feel-good musical about hats. But it's also so much more than hats, in the way “The Vagina Monologues” is about more than just the female anatomy. Now performing at the Taproot Theatre, “Crowns” delights in this colorful production about history, experience, and culture.

Theater Schmeater's 'The Country Wife' satirizes an appalling production from 1675 by the same name. Adapted by Rachel Adkins, this restored Restoration comedy keeps the story from the original roughly the same, but with some modern components and adaptations to gussy up the satire. 'The Country Wife' is an innuendo-rich satire of a satire with a faint hint of social critique. It's another modernized production of an old-fashioned show that has some good comedy, but needs a little more time to edit and sharpen directorial choices.

'The Happiest Song Plays Last' puts two dissonant narratives side by side. Former marine Elliot (Joshua Chessin-Yudin) puts his wartime experience to practical use for motion pictures, acting as an on-set wartime expert for a docu-drama shot in Jordan. Moments in the script trigger his PTSD, but he pushes through as they make their way to Egypt with the help of his co-star Shar (Lexi Chipman) and his sprightly right-hand man Ali (Agastya Kohli). Meanwhile, his cousin Yaz (Aida Leguizamon) is in his home in Philadelphia, tirelessly feeding her neighborhood with her love-rich cooking, and helping a simple, transient man name Lefty (empathetically portrayed by Rich Hawkins).

There are not a lot of people that I would encourage folks pay to watch lip sync and exercise for an hour. But Woody Shticks is one of those people. Performing this Friday and Saturday only at 18th & Union, Shtick's latest solo production 'Maniac' has little to no plot, a meager set design of some free weights and a stationary bike, and lots of audience berating, and it's a fabulous way to spend an evening. Watch as Butch Woods (Woody Shticks) jazzercises his way to stardom and hopefully not have a nervous breakdown in the process.

Luigi Pirandello's 1917 "Cosi e (se vi pare)", or "You Are Right, If You Think", playfully toys with subjectivity as one gossipy family tries to get at the truth. Theatre9/12 presents a delightful and streamlined adaptation of "You Are Right, If You Think", now performing at the Trinity Episcopal Church, that packs a punch in a humble environment. Charles Waxberg's adaptation of this gossipy romp is pure, classic fun.

Three isolated people deal with loneliness and its companion, despair, in the intensely felt and deeply moving 'Swallow', now performing at Theater Schmeater. This all takes place in an undefined city setting, preventing any familiarity from the start. Sam (played by Jasmine Joshua) is male-presenting, assigned female at birth, who not-so-gracefully hits on the ex-husband of their friend, Rebecca (played by Mahira Zook). Rebecca's husband cheated on her, and she self-soothes with alcohol. She's also recently had an accident, rendering her face conspicuously scarred, causing extra anguish to the already superficial Rebecca. Anna (played by Jasper Katie Driscol) lives in the apartment above Rebecca, and she's a bit unhinged. She spends all of her time on bizarre, unsanitary 'projects,' and she refuses to leave her apartment. After an evening where Rebecca finds herself intoxicated and hiding from her ex-husband, she scratches at Anna's door for help, and the two strike up an unlikely acquaintance speaking exclusively through Anna's mail slot.

Would you murder to get into college or could you at least empathize with someone who would? Peerless re-imagines the violent world of Macbeth as a modern struggle fought by anxious over-qualified teens for limited college admission spots. Directed by Sara Porkalob, this adaptation makes collegiate acceptance feel life-or-death.

'The Gin Game' is a two-act, two person play about two septuagenarians playing cards together, bored in their retirement home. Neither Weller Martin nor Fonsia Dorsey have visitors on Visitor's Day, so they find themselves outside together, and kill time by playing gin rummy. They make polite conversation about their families both divorcees without family nearby and bond over mutual complaints about the retirement home's food. But round after round of gin, Fonsia, a gin rummy novice, beats Weller, and Weller gets increasingly frustrated with Fonsia's improbable winning streak. How could Fonsia keep beating him when he was the one who taught her how to play?

Can a Christmas noir be both gripping and funny? Can it succeed at all? Well, we know it can, because Christmastown returns to Seattle Public Theater as the second half of their holiday double feature. Not only does director Kelly Kitchens avoid cheesiness (which something like this could so, so easily have in spades), but she creates a yuletide, hard boiled mash-up that works both as a comedy and as a noir. Ring-a-ding-ding, we got us a perfect parody!

It's the most wonderful time to be queer, sings BenDeLaCreme, drag queen of both local and international fame (you may remember her from RuPaul's Drag Race Season 6 and now Drag Race All Stars 3! ). Silly as that parody lyric may be, for many, seeing Homo for the Holidays makes this season truly the most wonderful time of the year. Celebrating its tenth year, DeLouRue's Homo for the Holidays is back and better than ever.

As part one of Seattle Public Theatre's featured holiday double-header, The Flight Before Xmas manifests many peoples' worst nightmare: being stuck in an airport terminal when you need or want desperately to get to the final destination. Thankfully, audiences can laugh at other people dealing with this very stressful situation in Maggie Lee's sweet holiday comedy.

A Civil War Christmas is a nice escape for folks that are getting a bit of a toothache from the glittery, schmaltzy, and sentimental Christmas plays foisted upon us this time of year. Written by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Paula Vogel (for How I Learned to Drive ), A Civil War Christmas is historical fiction circa 1864, a birds-eye view of Civil War-torn America. Infused with hymnals, Union and Confederate songs, and Christmas carols, this musical time capsule bursts at the seams with a myriad of storylines. From slave to president, from Confederate to Union, for better or for worse, Vogel made sure to not miss anybody in this theatric nativity.

A musical adaptation of the 2003 Christmas movie 'Elf' makes a lot of sense: the movie has all of the joy, sweetness, glitz, slapstick, and happily-ever-after for a crowd-pleasing production. This adaptation, now performing for a brief stint at The Paramount Theatre, stays loyal to the vast majority of the content in the movie. Many of the lines are verbatim. Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin's adaptation has tweaks here and there to leave room for elaborate musical numbers (many of which have some fun choreography), but the premise is the same: Buddy is on a quest to find his dad, reconnect with him, and, in the process, revive New York City's (and, indirectly, the world's) lost Christmas spirit.

Don't be fooled by the understated title: Teatro ZinZanni's Love, Chaos & Dinner is an entertainment extravaganza. Replicating the beloved environment from its former home, Love, Chaos & Dinner feels like a quintessential ZinZanni production, even for Teatro ZinZanni first-timers.

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.

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 glaringly unconvincing, given how wrong the two people are for each other. However, through Corey McDaniel's pristine direction and such a talented cast, Theatre22's Burn This is an example of high-caliber theatre. There are no gimmicks, there's no fuss, even the music is stripped down to a single saxophone played between scenes. If you're looking for quality, Burn This will provide (now at 12th Ave Arts).

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: Fight Like a Bitch' has all of the pronouns switched so that the actors performing in the show get to play female characters. Unlike Shakespeare's 'Coriolanus', which, ultimately, is a play about high-ranking men clawing and back-stabbing their way to attain political power (boring!), 'Coriolanus: Fight Like a Bitch' flips the script on a gendered political system. Finally, women get to be power-hungry monsters!