Jay Irwin - Page 30

You might not think that a play from the 1930's would be so resonant today. But in our world where it's so easy to slander someone and spread malicious rumors at the click of a mouse, a play like "The Children's Hour", currently playing from Arouet, feels like an ominous precursor of things to come. And while the attitudes about the situations may have changed, the hurtful nature of gossip remains the same and Arouet's production deftly examines what that kind of hurt can do.

If you're going to tell a story about a journey to hell and back then you need to have a reason. Some kind of moral or message or even just an engaging character that the audience can grab ahold of to root for success. Unfortunately the new musical “Jasper in Deadland”, currently at the 5th Avenue Theatre, offers none of those things. On top of that it fails to offer any kind of memorable or plot-moving songs leaving me to wonder who this show was written for since it obviously wasn't the audience.

When going to see a show you hope for at least one aspect of the show be something good that you can hold onto. The acting, directing, sets, lights, something to make the night worthwhile. Lucky for all of us the current production of Shakespeare's tragic tale of betrayal and lies "Othello", currently playing from Seattle Shakespeare Company, is firing on so many levels that you're just not sure where to focus your attentions. But then, this should be no big surprise as it's from director John Langs whose name attached to a piece is usually the harbinger of "this one's gonna be good!"

John Patrick Shanley may be best known for his incredibly thought provoking play 'Doubt' but there's an almost romantic comedy side to his writing as well. I say 'almost' as I would never want to put his quirky, flawed characters looking for love (like the ones in his Oscar winning screenplay 'Moonstruck') in the same boat as standard romantic comedy. And that off kilter romance has found its way onto the Seattle Rep stage with his latest piece 'Outside Mullingar', showing that his adorably bittersweet style is alive and well.

Sometimes not even Batman can save you from the atrocities of the world. Such is the case in Book-It Repertory Theatre's current production of Chris Cleave's "Little Bee". With a brutal and visceral tone at times the show manages to show off how the innocent lives of those trod upon in foreign countries can affect the lives of those in Western Civilization.

It's been quite some time since everyone's favorite Mom-laden punk band has graced a Seattle stage, but those "Angry Housewives" are back at ArtsWest. And while appearing to need a little more rehearsal and settling in time and still with a script that feels a bit hackneyed at times, the show with its ridiculous and infectious personalities still makes for a very fun night. Set the way back machine to the mid 80's as we find four suburban women looking to break free from their hum drum lives. Bev (Heather Hawkins) is newly widowed and broke. Carol (Ann Cornelius) is divorced, almost just as broke and desperate for love. Jetta (Chelsea LeValley) is a new Mom with an uptight and controlling husband (Mark Tyler Miller). And Wendi (Janet McWilliams) is a bit of a dreamer who's just looking for her next big thing. So when Bev's money problems become too much, the four band together to do the only thing they can do to make some money, enter a contest for the best punk rock band at a local club, of course. The show with book by A.M. Collins and music and lyrics by Chad Henry has a few script problems. The dialog can get a bit cliche and the story is about as predictable as a sit-com. And the production itself looked to need a bit more rehearsal time as its musical numbers were killer but its scene work and transitions were rocky at best. But I'm sure that will settle in time. But beyond all its problems the show is still fun and it's clear to see why it continued to run for so long back in the 80's and 90's. The ensemble is terrific and obviously having a blast up there. The four male counterparts to the ladies are superb. Miller is delightfully out of touch and chauvinistic. So much so that I felt the audience turning on him at one point but he managed to get them back during his song of redemption. Jeff Orton as Wendi's sailboat obsessed boyfriend and Brian Lange as the club owner Lewd Fingers each nailed their characters and their duet reminiscing on their past love was a real crowd pleaser. And Trent Moury as Bev's teenage son and his lamenting doo wop number about his too cool Mom practically stopped the show. But it's the ladies who completely kill in the show with their hilarious Mom-centric punk style. Especially LeValley's amazing lead vocals and dimwitted character and Cornelius' sultry ode to her lacking love life. Sure, the show wasn't rock solid the night I saw it but I have faith it'll get better with time and it still managed to be a sublimely silly rockin' good time. And so with my three letter rating system I'm giving "Angry housewives" a YAY on credit (which I'm sure they will live up to with all that potential). So go "eat your f***ing Cornflakes" and get out to catch the Angry Housewives before we lose them for another decade. "Angry Housewives" performs at ArtsWest through May 24th. For tickets or information contact the ArtsWest box office at 206-938-0339 or visit them online at www.artswest.org.

Tennessee Williams' searing southern drama, 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' currently playing at ACT, opens with Brick (Brandon O'Neill) and his wife Maggie (Laura Griffith) in a heated conversation about the disintegrating state of their marriage and is filled with sexual tension. Or at least it should be. Unfortunately the relationship of Griffith and O'Neill's Maggie and Brick feels so stale and desperately one-note that there's nowhere for the characters to go. In fact it wasn't until Act Two that the play held much interest for me and really got into the richness of some of these characters.

Back in 2011 some friends told me about this amazing production of "Robin Hood" going on over at Seattle Children's Theatre and like a dolt I missed it. (Bad theater reviewer!) Well luckily for me and for all of us that amazing production, complete with the same cast, director and set, is back and fairly well blew me away as to how incredible it is for both young and old.

All too often in musical theater the performers have pretty voices but do the standard "park and bark" and just belt out those tunes with no character or story behind it. Such is not the case with the 12 person ensemble of STAGEright's current production of "Into the Woods" who not only sang the Sondheim score beautifully but also managed a ton of both comedic and dramatic timing to actually convey their characters (many of whom had multiple characters) making this one of the best productions I've seen.

Sondheim's "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" has been a go to for theaters for years. It's big and loud and can be a crowd pleaser. But should it be? Yes, it can be a very funny show if it's done right. But, as is the case with Seattle Musical Theatre's current production, when it's not done right it can be a plodding mess.

Character studies of two disparate people thrown together are all well and good. The conflict between the two can amount for high drama and/or comedy gold. And the characters in Seattle Public Theatre's current production of "Slowgirl" are quite different from each other. But for that conflict to amount to something, one or both of the characters needs to grow or discover something about themselves otherwise you're left with a great big "And …?" And unfortunately in "Slowgirl" I didn't really see much of a change by the end leaving me somewhat interested in them but less than satisfied.

It's always exciting when the new bit of awesomeness to hit the theater scene comes to Seattle first. Such is the case with the brand new musical "Lizard Boy" written, composed and starring the uber-talented Justin Huertas currently playing at the Seattle Rep. This 90 minute journey of love, acceptance and scales embodies so much promise, potential and genuine love of storytelling that I can easily see this going far beyond Seattle. So you'll want to catch it now for some theater nerd bragging rights.

I've never quite understood why Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit's "Nine" is so under produced regionally. It's fun, flirty and sexy with some of the most stunningly beautiful songs that unfortunately too few are familiar with. It could be that in order to produce it correctly you need one killer ensemble of women (and Guido of course) who can handle the piece. Well, as is their way, Showtunes Theatre Company has taken this underdone gem and dusted it off and thankfully found that stellar ensemble to tackle it in their current concert version. Too bad it's only for two performances.

Let's set the way back machine to September 2011 and we'll visit a time when Theatre Schmeater's production of a new play from Wayne Rawley kind of took Seattle by storm. It sold out houses and won several local awards. Now 3 ½ years later and Theatre22 has tried to recreate the magic by remounting the show with the same cast and much of the same crew. And Doug Sample (Ryan Higgins) and the rest of the cast may look a bit older but they're also more seasoned and focused performers as they manage to not only rediscover much of that magic but in some ways surpass it.

It has no huge morally important message to deliver. It won't be stopping wars or fixing societal unrest. But what "Mamma Mia!", currently playing at the Paramount Theatre, does do and has always done is to be fun. A fluffy, bubblegum, rockin' good time and seriously that's enough.

The current production from Pony World Theatre may not be everyone's cup of tea. I mean it's already got a few things that may make people shy away. One of the longest titles in theatrical history to start, “We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915” by Jackie Sibblies Drury. Or how about that it's about a little known genocide? In fact I wasn't sure how I was feeling about it as it tended toward a little preachy and esoteric. But this odd and very hard hitting play ended up having so much going for it, not the least of which was it's cast, that it amounted to quite a moving experience.

How do you decide what is deserving to be considered as art both monetarily and sociologically? Yes, it's all very subjective and depending on the person but for me, especially with theater, it needs to convey some sort of message or at least an engaging story. Unfortunately the current production of "The Most Deserving" at Theater Schmeater missed the mark in those regards as it failed to engage me on a number of levels and came across more as watching a bland Lifetime Original movie mixed with the Government Access Channel.

Moliere's "Tartuffe" is already a classic drink from the comedy well from which many have drawn. But what director Makaela Pollock and the folks at Seattle Shakespeare Company have done with their current production is to take that comedy and reinvigorated it with a kind of screwball comedy style making the already funny downright giddy hilarity.

A serial killer being hunted by the police sounds like ripe fodder for a musical comedy, right? No? Well then you need to expand your perception and get out to Village Theatre to catch their current production of "No Way to Treat a Lady" which not only manages to amuse while it horrifies but also boasts a killer ensemble each of whom slays their roles.

You know when you're in a store or restaurant or even a movie theater and you overhear the conversations of the workers and take that little peak into their lives? Well now there's a nearly three hour play about that, "The Flick" by Annie Baker currently performing from the folks at New Century Theatre Company. And it's only slightly more interesting than the real thing.