Jay Irwin - Page 24

Let me start, Dear Readers, by saying I have never had an appreciation for boxing. I've just never understood why it's important to find out who can beat up someone else the best or, alternatively, who can take a beating the best. Having said that, the current production of Marco Ramirez's stirring play "The Royale" at ACT is not about boxing. Sure the backdrop of the story is boxing but moreover it's about the choice to take personal groundbreaking victories even in the shadow of danger to your friends and family. And that is a much more interesting fight than who can punch who the hardest.

There are some productions of Shakespeare which need all the flashy costumes and sets and transplanting to non-traditional times and places in order to make the show shine. And then there are productions like the outstanding production of "The Winter's Tale" currently being offered from Seattle Shakespeare Company where they've assembled such a talented cast and crew, innately fluent with the meaning of the show, who only require a few chairs and platforms and where the flash would just get in the way. It's those shows that remind us why we love theater when a group of actors can mesmerize us with their words.

Are there any taboo subjects for musicals anymore? I mean we've had shows about serial killers and assassins, drug addicts and prisoners, demons and super powered psychotic teens, and even oversexed puppets. So I don't know why anyone should be surprised by the new musical at ACT in conjunction with ArtsWest and Circle X Theatre Co., 'Bad Apples' which takes a look at one of our countries most disgraceful moments, the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. This in your face rock musical will definitely not be everyone's cup of tea and especially not for the kids. But if you can get past all the language, sex, and horrific images then what you're left with is a killer show that looks at how easily people in power can justify appalling acts.

If you're going to put your personal problems up on stage then, please, have a reason for telling them, some kind of journey or growth, and/or make them interesting. Unfortunately the issues put forth in Sheila Callaghan's play "Scab", currently playing as the inaugural Seattle production from Many Hats Theatre, have none of those elements. Instead, the main character rambles on and waxes poetic about how depressed and confused she is for two hours and ultimately learns nothing resulting in one of my biggest pet peeves in theater, someone else's therapy on stage.

Do you have an allergy or aversion to laughter? If so, my condolences and this show might not be for you. But if not then you should get yourself down to the Center House Theatre to catch Sound Theatre Company's current production of "One Man, Two Guvnors". Get ready for two and a half hours gut busting laughter and some of the best psychical comedy around.

Tennessee Williams' 'The Glass Menagerie' is a tough piece to pull off with all its emotion and meaning in tact but luckily new to town company The Williams Project is more than up to the task. Add into that some down home cookin' from the folks at Cafe Nordo and you've got yourself an evening to satisfy all your senses.

Well it may have been hotter than blazes this past weekend but I managed to spend the weekend inside at one of my favorite events of the year, The Village Theatre Village Originals Festival of New Musicals. They presented concert stagings of five musicals still in the works. It's a great opportunity for the authors to get to see their shows in front of an audience and for us to get a sneak peak at amazing musical theater to come. Now as they are still being workshopped I can't really review any of them but I can tell you what I saw.

Dear Readers, I have some really great news for you. The Williams Project, the incredible company that gave us the scintillating 'Orpheus Descending' last year, is back in Seattle and their latest offering, 'Blues for Mister Charlie' by James Baldwin just provides further proof that this is a top notch company of theater professionals at the top of their game.

I'm seriously starting to believe that Annie Baker thinks she gets paid for her plays based on how long they are. Furthermore she finds the banal conversations of random people fascinating. She must as once again we have a play from Ms. Baker, this time from ReAct Theatre with "The Aliens", with little to no story and jam packed with lengthy pauses.

It's tough when you see a play that has some really amazing moments but also sits there and screams, "My God I need an editor!" Such is the case with Stephen Adly Gurgis' "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot" currently performing at the Center Theatre from Sound Theatre Company. Not only could Gurgis do with trimming down this piece that tends to ramble but the folks at SCT could do with tightening their performances as well. But we'll get to that in a minute.

In our current political climate where candidates regularly hurl insults at each other on things such as penis size it's hard to remember that politics used to be about the candidate's stand on issues as well. So when did that change? When did we go from building up our own candidate in an ad to tearing down the other candidate with scandal, derision and fear? ACT might have the answer to that with their world premiere play "Daisy" that takes a look into the creation of one of the most infamous political ads and one of the first attack ads ever created.

When you're catching the touring production of a show you saw with it's original cast on Broadway, you hope that the folks on tour will be up to par at least somewhat. Such was my fear catching the touring company of the Tony Award winning Best Musical "A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder" currently playing at the 5th Avenue Theatre especially for one quite daunting role where the actor must play nine different people. Well, luckily the touring company was completely up to the task especially in that one role making for a hilarious and rousing evening that only did honor to my memory of the original.

Back in 2013 Andrew Lippa sent his latest work off to Broadway. "Big Fish", based on the movie of the same name, was sure to be a big hit. But for some reason this sweet little tuner failed to catch fire and closed in just under 4 months. Sadly with such a tepid reception no tour of the show was ever planned so the only way anyone would see this lovely show would be a regional production. Fortunately we currently have one of those for "Big Fish" at Taproot Theatre. Unfortunately, while there's plenty of talent in the show, one of the leads wasn't quite up to the task vocally and for a big, ballad laden musical that can be deadly.

There's nothing like a well done David Mamet play with its verbal sparring, clever dialog and constant exchange of power. But in order to be great the performances need to be so laser focused and on point you could cut glass with them. And while the current production from Theatre9/12 of "Speed the Plow" is on its way to that level, they still need a bit more settling into the roles in order to be fully committed.

Break out your flip flops and Hawaiian shirts because it's time to head on down to the beach, "Twister Beach", the latest in culinary craziness from Mark Siano and Opal Peachey at Cafe Nordo. This modern day twist on the old Beach Blanket Bingo movies of the 50's and 60's offers up something for everyone with that Siano/Peachey brand of insanity liberally sprinkled on stop making for a super fun evening.

If you happened to be in the vicinity of The Town Hall in Seattle last night, and not fortunate enough to be inside, then you may have noticed that the atmosphere was a little cooler, a little sexier, a little more poignant and basically fabulous. Well that's due to the fact that outrageous star of stage and screen Alan Cumming was performing his 'Alan Cumming Sings Happy Songs' cabaret to promote the album of the same name. We'll get to the album in a minute but first let's talk about what it was like to be in the presence of a genius showman.

I'll admit unfamiliarity with Lerner and Loewe's "Paint Your Wagon" before recently. Never saw the original, never saw the movie, and had only a passing familiarity with the bigger songs in it. So to educate myself before seeing this production I watched the movie, which was also rewritten from the original musical version but what I had available to me. Wow, what a train wreck that is! Horrific story, songs that move nothing along and a movie that seems to be there solely for Lee Marvin to mug to the camera. So I was trepidatious to say the least about this rewritten version at the 5th Avenue Theatre and after seeing it I'm of two minds.

Sometimes you go to a show and you see what can only be described as a "Star Turn". That performance that shows just how amazing an actor is. But what do you call it when you see it over and over again? Lately I call it Conner Neddersen as, just like his previous stellar performances, his performance in Strawberry Theatre Workshop's current production of "9 Circles" shows off once again just how fine of an actor he is and how he keeps growing better and better with each role.

In this ever changing world we are getting more and more acceptable variations on love. There are still the traditional ones, man and woman, parent and child, friend to friend. But people are opening up to more with same sex unions and even polyamorous relationships becoming more common. No one can tell you who to love but people will surely try as is evident in the sweet and funny examination of 'The Mystery of Love & Sex' currently playing at ACT.

One of the reasons we love a good family drama is it appeals to that voyeur in us all. We love to peek inside someone else's world and see how it compares to our own. But as chaotic and messy as those lives may be they still speak more eloquently and at just the right moments than we could, being scripted and all. And while peeking in on the secrets and lies of the LeVay family in Lydia R. Diamond's “Sticky Fly”, now playing as part of the Intiman Theatre Festival, may be powerful and evocative it also lacked some of that ordered chaos as much of the pacing of the play and the timing of it all felt clunky and unfocused.