Jay Irwin - Page 15

Dear Readers, remember Mad Libs from when we were kids? That little book of puzzles where you would ask for random items from a group in order to fill out a story. And remember how when we got the final result we would laugh and laugh at the ridiculousness of it all? Ever tried to read those again? They’re not that funny. Now imagine reading those for 90 minutes. Unfortunately, the current show from Washington Ensemble Theatre, “Tin Cat Shoes” feels as if it were written by a series of Mad Libs as it’s a mishmash of ridiculous elements thrown together in a manic way for 90 minutes and the awkward laughs that it might have elicited from the start of the show quickly waned.

Dear Readers, if you’ve ever been to a Showtunes show, you know the amount of joy and fun that floods off the stage from those insanely talented performers. And their current production of “9 to 5: The Musical” is no exception.

Jukebox musicals are a mainstay of the American Musical Theater. They have recognizable hit songs built in and instant appeal for fans. But they’re difficult to get right, needing a good book to incorporate the songs into a cohesive story. Even more difficult is the jukebox bio-musical where they’re trying to tell the story of the artist’s life with their own songs. Read our critic's review.

In the past, Dear Readers, when I’ve attended shows at Nordo there’s been a definite story to accompany the fine dinner within the theme of the show. But last night’s sojourn to their latest show, “Down the Rabbit Hole” brought a few changes I wasn’t expecting.

To say that Henrik Ibsen’s play “Ghosts”, currently playing at the Seattle Rep as translated from the Norwegian by Paul Walsh, is bleak is an understatement to say the least. A play filled with secrets, lies, infidelities, sexual assault, venereal disease, incest, and euthanasia to mention just a few, sounds like enough bleak to bring anyone down. And while this sounds like a horrible evening at the theater, the superb cast including a couple of notable powerhouses, make the bleakness engaging and, dare I say, entertaining.

Dear Readers, I’ve said it before, a good ending of a play can forgive a multitude of sins that came before. But how about a cute beginning of a story that finishes off laying there like a dead fish? Unfortunately, that’s the case with “Mrs. Caliban”, the current offering from Book-It Repertory Theatre. This fishy love story has a good hook but lacked a decent tail to swim it on home.

Do you like a good ghost story, Dear Readers? I do. I love it when a creepy tale can make my flesh crawl and jump out of my seat. But there are so few creepy tales on stage. Well, enter Lucas Hnath’s “The Thin Place” currently performing at ACT. Not only is this a truly terrifying tale but it’s from one of the hottest new playwrights around today, author of “Dana H” and “A Dolls House, Part 2”. Add into that a stellar cast and you have a frightfully fun evening on your hands.

Dear Readers, if you’re familiar with Dominique Morisseau’s play, “Pipeline”, currently playing at Seattle Public Theater, you know what a striking play it is. Filled with resonant themes and high intensity moments, the show can knock you off your feet. But more than anything, it’s about real people and real situations in our all too real, and all too troubled world. So, it needs to feel real. And while most in the SPT production were up to that task, there were some that I didn’t feel the commitment to being real which took me out of the piece.

Dear Readers, I’ve often commented on the basics of any good show, storytelling. Without good storytelling, the ability to spin an engaging tale, then what’s the point of putting up a show? ArtsWest’s current season purports itself to be all about, myths and legends and telling a good story. Well, I’m happy to assert that with their current show, “This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing” by Finegan Kruckemeyer, they have honored that claim as this fable is overflowing with some first class, simple, and effective storytelling. So, let’s gather around the campfire and listen to the tale.

The provocative title, “Teenage Dick”, for the current show at the Seattle Rep is giving some people pause while others just find it hilarious. Yes, I’m sure it’s intentionally provocative to get attention and yes, it’s funny. But it’s just the nickname for the main character, Richard, and he is a teenager, so let’s get the giggles out of our system now. I’ll wait. All good now? OK, Dear Readers, now I can tell you all about this incredible show and how I was left super excited for “Teenage Dick”. Dammit! I guess it wasn’t all out yet.

Dear Readers, I want to tell you a story about a show. You probably never heard of it because it’s not very important. Wait! No, it is important, and you should have heard of it. At least since the show in question is the winner of 11 Tony Awards including Best Musical, “The Band’s Visit”, currently playing at the Paramount Theatre. But sadly, too few do know this show but let’s try and remedy that, shall we?

Don’t get me wrong, Dear Readers, I love a good sitcom. But it has to be a GOOD sitcom. And while the current offering from Village Theatre, “The Book Club Play” by Karen Zacarías, is basically a sitcom, it’s not necessarily a good one. It’s not a bad one either, for that matter, just kind of mediocre which made for a mediocre evening.

Dear Readers, after last week’s less than stellar “Hamlet” from Seattle Shakespeare Company’s “Drum and Colours” series, I was trepidatious to say the least, for this week’s premiere of “Shakespeare: Drum & Colours – As You Like It”. And while there were still some issues I had with the show, thank the Theatre Gods it was far better, and managed to engage and entertain throughout.

Who? What? Where? Why? These are the questions I wish the current production of “Hamlet” from Seattle Shakespeare Company had been able to answer but sadly did not. As part of their “Drum & Colours” series, which muddied things even more, this “Hamlet” lacked pacing, intent, interesting or effective staging, and coherence, making this one of the worst productions I’ve ever seen.

Take the genius that is Lin-Manuel Miranda, add in some delicious improv and shake well and you get the absolute joy that is “Freestyle Love Supreme” currently playing at the Seattle Rep. Think of it like “Hamilton” and “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” had a baby. From the creative minds of Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Anthony Veneziale comes this 90-minute, made up on the spot, bullet train that will leave you wanting more and more and more.

Like so many others, Macha Theater Works was in their final rehearsals back in March of 2020 when the pandemic shut everything down. Now, almost two years later they are back at West of Lenin and ready to give us this intense look into a “me too” incident with their World Premiere play “The Fifth Wave” by Jenn Ruzumna and Lisa Every. A topic that is, unfortunately, still all too relevant.

There’s certainly a lot than can be said for Intiman Theatre’s current production of Charles Ludlam’s “The Mystery of Irma Vep”. It’s a classic bit of camp from a bygone era starring two very funny performers (Jesse Calixto and Helen Roundhill), and directed by Jasmine Joshua, a fantastic performer in their own right and the producer who brought us that fantastic gender bent production of “Little Shop of Horrors” a few years back. So much going for it that it even made my “Top 10 Seattle Productions to Look Forward To in 2022” list. Unfortunately, as much as it had going for it, it also had plenty going against it. A script definitely from a bygone era and a company that kept getting mired in their own jokes, making this a fun show but not the gut buster I was hoping for.

Seattle has been honored with a number of new works from Seattle based author and ACT Core Company member Yussef El Guindi. Each one examining cultural differences that face immigrants especially Arab-Americans and Muslim Americans. And while his current World Premiere at ACT, “Hotter Than Egypt”, certainly deals with those cultural divides, it also wonderfully shows the cultural similarities between the races and does it with tons of humor.

There are two words that explain why “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” worked so well as the stunning animated film it is and why it was able to be transferred so well to the stage, Howard Ashman.

A one-woman show is not easy. A show chronicling the loss of a loved one is even harder. To put the two together is a herculean task. But Melinda Lopez’s “Mala”, currently playing at Seattle Public Theater, attempts just that. And while at times it comes off as a little overly profound, Lopez and performer Pilar O’Connell manage to engage the audience beyond a simple tale of woe.