Jay Irwin - Page 11

Eighty percent of having a successful show is casting. If you have the right cast, even the dullest show can shine. However, that means the opposite is also true. You can have a good play, such as Eisa Davis' a?oeBulrushera??, currently being offered from Intiman Theatre, but if the cast isn't there, then neither is the decent storytelling. In the case of Intiman's show, the cast is mostly there, but one glaring weak link sapped the energy and emotion from a piece that should be filled with energy and emotion.

Dear Readers, you've often heard me extoll the prowess and brilliance of The Williams Project. Just last week I raved about how dedicated and tight their ensemble was when presenting the other show they have running in repertory, a?oeSmall Craft Warningsa??. But now that insanely talented ensemble has come in with William Saroyan's 1939 Pulitzer Prize winning drama a?oeThe Time of Your Lifea?? and taken things a step beyond simply performing the play, but deconstructing it with a rotating ensemble.

Dear Readers, remember way back in December when the crazy minds of The Habit showed up at Seattle Public Theater with one of the most hysterical parodies ever, a?oeA Very Die Hard Xmasa??? Well I'm thrilled to tell you that they're back, this time tackling the a?oeRaiders of the Lost Arka?? movies (minus a?oeCrystal Skulla?? since that one was an abomination) and showing off how amazing they are at the lost art of satire with the brilliant a?oeIndy Jones and the Raiders of the Last Temple of the Doomed Arka??.

It's that time of year again. One of my favorite times of year. That time when I get to spend the weekend at Village Theatre checking out the shows brought together by the folks at Village, spotlighting new works around the country. Some amazing, some needing work, but all showing promise. Now, of course, I can't review any of these. They're all still works in progress and not fully staged. But I can share what went on over the weekend as a potential coming attraction of musicals to come to a theater near you.

The Williams Project, that small theater company that burst onto the Seattle theater scene in 2014 with their incredible a?oeOrpheus Descendinga?? is back with the first of two shows within their a?oeBar Playsa?? series. This time it's Tennessee Williams' a?oeSmall Craft Warningsa?? and with this, they once again show what a dedicated company, committed to actually paying their actors, can do with an interesting space, a little money, and a lot of talent.

If you're like me, Dear Readers, you grew up with that indelible classic film, a?oeWilly Wonka and the Chocolate Factorya?? starring the amazing Gene Wilder (and hopefully not that abomination with Johnny Depp). Or maybe you found yourself getting lost in the pages of the Roald Dahl novel, a?oeCharlie and the Chocolate Factorya??. Whichever it is you probably found yourself longing for an Everlasting Gobstopper, or wanting to meet an Oompa Loompa, or terrified of that nightmare infused boat ride in the original film. Whichever version you preferred, rest assured there's something for everyone in the current musical incarnation, bearing the same name as the novel, currently on tour and at the Paramount Theatre. There are a few sound issues, and they've taken a few liberties with the characters to punch it up to modern day, but the whimsy and yearning for a?oePure Imaginationa?? is still quite present.

a?oeThis will happen to you.a?? That's one of the opening sentiments of Joan Didion's a?oeThe Year of Magical Thinkinga??, currently playing at ACT. a?oeThis will happen to you.a?? She's referring, of course, to the fact that everyone, sometime in their life, will have to deal with the death of a loved one. Maybe you already have. Maybe you're dealing with it right now. Or maybe you've been lucky enough to avoid it thus far, but it will happen to you. How you will deal with it, well, that's the question. But how Didion dealt with it and the eloquence she used in conveying her personal tragedy to the world is the crux of the play and the folks at ACT handle that with honesty, vulnerability and openness.

Whenever I see a play, Dear Readers, I want that play to just tell me a story. I want it to flow nicely, build at a steady pace, and have a good payoff. I don't necessarily need the trappings of superfluous gimmickry. If the added bits lend themselves to the piece or the story, that's great, but when they interrupt the flow of the show, that's when I have issue. The current piece from Intiman Theatre, "The Events", certainly has a powerful message and is performed by two very gifted actors, but the "gimmicks" only allowed for the show to feel disjointed and the sustained tension to be lost.

Sound Theatre Company, with their season theme of "Un-Erasable" focusing on diversity and "hyper invisibility" of some in America, have started off their season with a stunning piece, "Citizen: An American Lyric" based on the poetry of Claudia Rankine and adapted for the stage by Stephen Sachs. But beyond keying in perfectly to their theme and kicking off the season with a bang, they've coincidentally presented a piece that has tremendous resonance to what's happening in the news today, with the incidents between Serena Williams and Billie Jean King as well as Hurricane Barry in New Orleans giving an all too harrowing reminder of the events of Hurricane Katrina.

Edie Brickell and Steve Martin's 'Bight Star', currently playing at Taproot Theatre, has a lovely and heartbreaking story, but is a musical that suffers from two things. First, it can never quite come to terms with which era it's in, and second (and most importantly) it's a musical that doesn't have very good songs.

Back in 2015, the Seattle theater scene was abuzz with a brand-new musical premiering at the Seattle Rep from local wunderkind Justin Huertas called 'Lizard Boy'. I even remember seeing a workshop of it in 2013. Since then the Lizard has gone on to perform all over, including San Diego and New York, and Huertas has gone on and produced even more new musicals including an adaptation of 'Howl's Moving Castle' at Book-It (which is coming back again this season) and a new one coming to the Seattle Rep next year, 'Lydia and the Troll'. And now, over at ArtsWest, Huertas has given us another of his signature quirky love stories with the World Premiere of 'The Last World Octopus Wrestling Champion'. And with his new show we can easily see that the promise of greatness abounds, not only with Huertas and this show but within the show as well.

The folks at the Can Can are back and ready to knock your spurs off in an all new, decidedly Western style show with "The Legend of El Dorado" and once again they've upped their game. First, they brought us sexy ass dancers and comedy to bust a gut over, then they brought in fabulous singers, recently they added those gorgeous 4K video screens for their backdrops, and now they've brought in some culinary delights with their new chef Monica Seward. So, there's good food, entertainment, and sex. You'll never need to leave, but why would you want to?!

Finish strong and they'll forgive a multitude of sins. This old adage of the theater rings truer than ever in this TV-binging, short attention span world in which we live. Unfortunately, the folks at Book-It Repertory Theatre didn't take that into account with their current production of "Behold the Dreamers" which started off slow, then picked up and really engaged in the middle and then ended with a whimper.

Well before that founding father refused to throw away his shot, even before those Mormons made us giggle with their irreverence, the hot ticket in town was "Wicked". Well, Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman's witches have returned to the Emerald City and the bloom is still quite firmly attached to that bright pink rose in Glinda's hair.

Anna Ziegler's play 'Boy' gives an unflinching look at gender identity. I was fortunate enough to see it's Off-Broadway premiere back in 2016 and found it quite moving and engaging. But it's a tough one to get into and requires some top-notch performances to grab the audience as it's all talk. I say this because that's exactly what we do not have with the current production from Fantastic.Z Theatre. What we have here is a series of flat and at times strange line readings from an ensemble that are each in their own play and not connecting with the others with whom they share the stage.

Cafe Nordo has come to be known in town for their sumptuous meals and fun, frothy and fascinating shows but this time they've outdone themselves with "The Champagne Widow". With a book by Opal Peachey and Music by Annastasia Workman and Lyrics by Peachey, Workman as well as director Billie Wildrick, this wholly new and original work goes beyond their usual good time and adds heartbreak and even a bit of an education, not only about the creation of Champagnes but the unsung women responsible for many of the great achievements in Champagne.

I used to hate Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein, and Stephen Sondheim's "West Side Story". My only exposure was the movie and I found the story flat and unconvincing. I mean, an entire song just repeating her name? Geeze, learn how to write a lyric. But then a touring production came through town and they got it. They understood what they were singing about and knew how to convey it. And then I got it too. He only needs the one word because it's all he wants to hear. And I fell in love with the show but only when it's done well. Since then I've seen many productions of varying levels of quality. Now comes the current production from the 5th Avenue Theatre and Spectrum Dance Theatre and while it has some moments and some good dance sequences thanks to choreographer Bob Richards who did his darnedest to reproduce the original Jerome Robbins choreography, it lacks the ability to convey the story and the love thanks to some lackluster lead performances and staging and intent from director Bill Berry that just didn't get it.

Dear Readers, back in 2011 I was fortunate enough to see a play entitled "The Brothers Size" at a local theater. It was an evening that shook me to my core theatrically. I mention this, not to compare it with Antoinette Nwandu's "Pass Over", currently being offered at ACT, but to explain that not from that day to this has a show destroyed me emotionally as "Pass Over" did last night. Now you may say it's because I'm a sap or due to some "white liberal guilt" and to that I say, "yeah, probably." But also, it's entirely due to the insanely brilliant play and performances bringing to light such prevalent injustice.

Dear Readers, there are shows out there that are all dessert and give you the fun and fluff. A certain pee-soaked musical comes to mind. Then there are the shows that slip the meaningful messages or vegetables in with the yummy portions to trick you into enriching your mind and soul. There's a baseball show currently running that fits that bill. And then there are the shows that are all nutrition. Shows that are so meaningful and full of raw significance that some may not be ready to handle them. Such is "Blackbird" currently running at 18th & Union produced by White Rabbits Inc and Libby Barnard. That's not to say you can't enjoy those nutritious morsels on some level especially considering the stirring performances but know that while your mind and soul may be richer at the end, the rest of you may walk away feeling not so great. Or, as happened with one patron the night I saw it, you may not be able to handle it and may need to leave. But with the subject matter, the theater knows this may happen and even encouraged it.

Back in 2002, Dear Readers, I became obsessed with a new play from Richard Greenberg, "Take Me Out". Already a fan of Greenberg's works, this story of a high profile Major League Baseball player coming out was quite intriguing. I got ahold of the script and my obsession grew. I annoyed all my friends about it until they too found out about its glory. And then a local production hit town and my obsession was locked, and this Tony Award winning play has since become one of my all-time favorites. So, if you know my work, you know how picky I'll be about this. And I'm thrilled to say that my favorite play has been done absolute justice in the current production from Strawberry Theatre Workshop over at 12th Ave Arts and you all NEED to go see it.