Jay Irwin - Page 37

Holy Crap! That's really the most emphatic sentiment I can use to describe the internal battles I had when trying to pick my top picks for this past year. There were so many amazing performances and achievements that to pick just one was almost an impossibility (and as you'll see, WAS an impossibility for one category). But the battle is over and it's my distinct pleasure to announce my picks for the 2013 Broadway World Seattle Critic's Choice Awards (or Jay's Picks, if you prefer).

Holiday theatrical traditions are alive and well at ACT but the two shows playing couldn't be more different from each other. First off with their 38th annual production, ACT presents the classic “A Christmas Carol” with all the polish and flash that you've come to expect. And then with their 13th installment, Peggy Platt and Lisa Koch (AKA Dos Fallopia) present their irreverent sketch comedy show “Ham for the Holidays: Close Encounters of the Pork Rind”. I managed to see both in one night (it's possible but it's tight) and I went from sobbing to belly laughs that amounted to a lovely evening of holiday treats.

It seems everything is coming up Jinkx lately. What with winning "RuPaul's Drag Race", a sold out run of his "Vaudevillians" show in New York, and his award winning performance of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" here in Seattle (click here for my review of last January's production), Jerick Hoffer (a.k.a. Jinkx Monsoon) has a lot to crow about. And now with three upcoming shows in December (including a remount of the aforementioned "Hedwig"), it seems Jinkx is taking over the Holidays as well. I recently had a conversation with Jerick in between his many rehearsals to see how his whirlwind life has been going since the win.

Take equal parts Dickens and Shakespeare, add in a healthy spoonful of historical tom-foolery, the zest from a bawdy queen and stir it up til you don't know one play from another and you'll have the latest outing from one of the more impressive small theater companies in town, Sound Theatre Company, with their World Premiere of "Holiday of Errors". And while it may get slightly muddled at times and take just a bit to get started, if you sit back and let the ridiculousness of it wash over you, you're bound to have a good time.

Any Charles Dickens' tale basically has the same theme, working through adversity to get to hope. But even with that simplistic theme his characters are extremely nuanced and complex. And any production of a Dickensian play needs those nuances lest the show just turn into melodrama. Unfortunately the current production of "Oliver!" at the 5th Avenue Theatre is lacking in that nuance as well as much spark so that it mostly comes across as going through the motions.

It's the day after Thanksgiving and suddenly I feel myself getting attacked from a Thanksgiving turkey. No, it's not my Sister's cooking but the world premiere offering from Balagan Theatre of "Thankskilling, The Musical". It's still the completely offensive and hilarious show I saw in the summer as part of Balagan's Summer New Works readings but now a little more fleshed out. And while the humor is still there the production felt it needed a little more cooking time. The bird was just a tad underdone.

When casting my reviewers eye to the world premiere musical version of Roald Dahl's "James and the Giant Peach", currently playing at Seattle Children's Theatre, I am forced to look upon the show from two perspectives. From the kid perspective, as this is children's theatre, will this be entertaining and accessible enough for kids? And from the adult musical theater lover perspective, as this is a brand new musical from some up and comers in the musical theater scene Justin Paul, Benj Pasek and Timothy Allen McDonald, is this something that can make a musical theater lover squeal with delight at the thought of it getting a wider audience (like maybe Broadway)? And while from the kid perspective this was a lovely and thoroughly fun time for any age, the musical theater snob in me felt the show just needs a little more work to be truly great. But it's certainly on its way.

I love it when a production manages to actually make me giddy with its technical aspects whether that be the gorgeous set, the intricate staging or the storytelling lights and sound. It appeals to the theater geek in me. So, Dear Readers, you can imagine how much I was in geek heaven at the Seattle Rep's current production of "The Hound of the Baskervilles" which managed all four of those elements. And when coupled with a fresh fun new script and equally fun cast, this new production makes for a chilling romp through the world of Sherlock Holmes.

Someone left the gate open on the asylum again as the not-quite-right-in-the-head boys of The Habit are back with their next round of outside the box sketch comedy with "The Habit 13" at The Bathhouse Theater. And really, what better way can you start off the holiday season than a visit with some crazy people you're not related to before you're stuck with the ones you are?

The year was 1996, it was the second time "Les Miserables" was coming through town and I was finally going to see it live. I sat there in the dark and let that incredible score and story flow through me and was such a weepy mess that my friends questioned if I was going to be alright. That experience cemented "Les Mis" as one of my favorites and although I've seen it several times since, no production has come close to that one. How could it, right? That is until now as the current production playing at Village Theatre stunned me by turning me into that weepy mess from 17 years ago all over again and reminded me just how good this show can be.

OK Broadway Producers, we need to have a chat. I understand your need to turn every mildly successful movie into a big flashy Broadway Musical in hopes that the name recognition will sell tickets. And I understand that "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert", currently on tour and playing at the Paramount, was ripe for the picking to be a huge spectacle on stage. But if you're going to take a beloved film with tons of pride and heart then at least do the story justice when you do it instead of the pandering and forced version of the story I saw last night.

It's not the happiest or most easily accessible of shows, which is probably why it's not often done. But those that know it and can allow the score to wash over them know "Floyd Collins" is an absolutely beautiful score with a somewhat hopeful yet heart aching story. And the folks over at STAGEright have once again taken their outside-the-box look at things and taken this piece on; a daunting task to stay the least. And while at times some of the power of the piece and performers was a bit lacking, they still manage some stunning moments in a solid production of an under sung gem.

"You know we're going to talk about sex tonight, right?" Those are some of the first words spoken by Isabella Rossellini (with a devilish twinkle in her eye) after she walked onto stage the other night at the Moore Theatre for her "Green Porno" performance letting the audience know we were in for one hell of a night. But don't think she was trying to scandalize or titillate. She was just informing us on what our education for the night entailed and what an education it was. A hilarious, illuminating and all together wonderful night of naughty education.

There are some aspects of life that most of us don't delve into. Dark aspects that are all too common in the world but we've been fortunate enough to avoid. But it seems as dark and unseemly as these areas of life are, Azeotrope is determined to pull back the rug and take a good look at what skitters out whether it be prostitutes and infidelity or meth and murder, as is evident in their current offerings in repertory over at ACT, "Red Light Winter" and "25 Saints". And while we may not want to look straight into the maw of these seedy underbellies, what results are two stirring and intense bits of theater put on with Azeotrope's usual intelligence and power.

Dear Readers, have you lost that innocence and exuberance of youth? Are you no longer fascinated by the wonder of flying boys, singing mermaids and maniacal pirates? Well then I have the cure for you. If you're a kid at heart or just a kid then you need to get out and catch the current touring production of 'Peter and the Starcatcher' at the Moore Theatre brought to you by Seattle Theatre Group. Not only will it revitalize your sense of childlike wonder but it's also one of the best all around pieces of theatrical genius you could ask for.

OK, so I've seen it several times. I mean there are the movies plus countless productions about town. It's done a lot as it's one of Shakespeare's more accessible plays with its quick wit and very clear heroes and villains (one hero is even called Hero). But that doesn't mean I don't still love it. I always tend to find something new and appealing in most productions of what has become my favorite of his canon. And the current production of 'Much Ado About Nothing' from Seattle Shakespeare Company is no exception as they have tapped into much of the comedy of the piece as well as infused it with some wonderful jazz renditions of the Shakespearean songs from the piece.

No, it's not "Sybil", just one 13 year old girl with a lot to say about the crazy people in her life. That's the central premise for the World Premiere of Elizabeth Heffron's "Bo-Nita" currently playing at the Seattle Rep. And while the ending left me wanting a little, what comes before is a fascinating look at some very interesting characters all coming out of the mouth of one very gifted actress.

Newborn theatre company Theatre22 has stumbled into the light of the world with its inaugural production of Lanford Wilson's post Vietnam War drama, "Fifth of July". And while the production and play itself took awhile to find its rhythm, the level of professionalism of the production launches this fledgling theater company off to an outstanding start.

Do ya hear that playin'? Do ya know what's playin'? Why it's one of the best interpretations of a classic musical I've seen. The current touring production of Cole Porter's "Anything Goes", on stage now at the 5th Avenue Theatre, has three major things going for it; a director who understands the style and point of the show, a cast working their butts off while making it all look effortless and fun, and Rachel York. And all that amounts to perma-grin for two hours, leaving the theater with the uncontrollable urge to hum the tunes and a killer evening.

Any true Broadway Geek knows of the infamous flop that is "Carrie: The Musical". Having only run for 16 previews and 5 actual performances back in 1988, some believed it to be one of the worst shows around while others still proclaimed its merits and longed for its return. So when the show was retooled by authors Michael Gore, Dean Pitchford and Lawrence D. Cohen and an Off-Broadway run was announced for 2012, the news was met with excitement and skepticism. The modest run was enough to remove some of the stigma of the show and made the show ripe for regional productions to put their stamp on it. And this leads us to 2013 as powerhouse company Balagan Theatre mounts their production with none other than Tony Award Winner Alice Ripley in the role of Carrie's Mother, Margaret White. And while the show itself is now about half good, the Balagan Production manages enough stellar moments to make the show into something special but they still have a ways to go to achieve greatness.