Jay Irwin - Page 56

The 5th Avenue Theatre started off their season with the world premiere, pre broadway engagement of the musical 'Catch Me If You Can' based on the Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio film. And as one who has been very vocally against the trend of turning movies into musicals, I have to back pedal on that a bit and admit that when it's done well, it can be an amazing experience. And this show is the closest thing to a perfect new show that I?ve seen in awhile.

Shakespeare's classic tale of jealousy, envy and revenge has slithered it's way into the Intiman to whisper thoughts of betrayal in your ear. This production put on by The Theater for a New Audience, direct from their recent sold out run in New York, shows what a solid professional company who really understands the story can do.

Ian Bell's Brown Derby Series is back at Seattle's Re-bar with a hilarious staged reading of the 80's classic, 'E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial' for three performances only.

Marc Bamuthi Joseph's hip-hop inspired show 'the break/s: a mixtape for the stage' is performing now at Seattle's ACT (A Contemporary Theatre). And while it may not be the thing for everyone, it certainly has something to say.

The Broadway Tour of Jonathan Larson's masterpiece, 'Rent', starring original cast members Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp has hit the Paramount and the show is still a powerhouse of all that's good about Musical Theater.

Seattle's ACT (A Contemporary Theatre) presents Richard Dresser's take on corporate drudgery with 'Below the Belt'. Starring TV and stage comedy veteran Judd Hirsch, they are billing this as 'The Office' meets Samuel Beckett. But it plays more like a cliché sitcom than a social commentary.

Herb Gardner's comedy 'A Thousand Clowns' at Seattle's Intiman theater, while not a brilliant evening of not to be missed theater, is definitely an enjoyable night out with a funny yet introspective show. Plus it demonstrates Gardner's gift with wonderfully witty dialogue.

The national tour of the latest revival of the 1972 hit 'Grease' is at the 5th Avenue Theatre with American Idol's Taylor Hicks as Teen Angel, and while it's still silly, campy fun and a good time, it lacks the charm of other productions.

Why go see the Paramount's production of 'Frost/Nixon' when the movie version just came out on DVD this week? Because it's LIVE theater and in this live theater production you can practically feel the tension emanating from Stacy Keach's amazing performance.

The 5th Avenue Theatre's production of 'Sunday in the Park with George' proved what it says, 'art isn't easy', mostly since they never quite achieved 'art'. The production lacks the heart of the story that it so needs.

Jeffrey Hatcher's intriguing new adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale of duality, 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' brings a wonderful tone of the creepy to Seattle's ACT.

The touring production of '3 Redneck Tenors' played the Temple Theater in Tacoma for one night and it was one night too many.

Kevin Kling's latest collection of stories from his life, 'Breakin' Hearts & Takin' Names', playing at the Seattle Rep, is less and evening of theater and more an evening with an old friend who has great stories to tell.

Carrie Fisher's one woman show, 'Wishful Drinking', certainly comes through with the laughs. But at times, her in your face performance proved to be a little too much for some.

The Intiman's 90 minute adaptation of Dostoyevsky's classic suspense tale, 'Crime and Punishment' is as thought provoking as it is fresh and original. Portrayed by only 3 actors, this morality tale adapted by Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus at times feels more like film noir than a novel from 1866.

The hilarious spoof on the fictional Christian boy band, 'Altar Boyz' is heading to the Pantages Theater in Tacoma and pray you don?t miss it.

The 5th Avenue Theatre's production of 'Hello, Dolly', while holding onto the charm of the show, at times felt like it was marching through Jello. Starring the always wonderful Jenifer Lewis, the show was, on the whole, enjoyable, but really seemed like it could have used another week of rehearsals.

The Seattle Rep's production of Conor McPherson's Tony Nominated play, 'The Seafarer' only goes to show that the Rep is up there with the best of them and can produce the goods.

Harold Pinter's play about an extra marital affair at the Rep doesn't always shine but Pinter is still always engaging. The show tells the story of a young British couple in the 1970's and their illicit affair told from beginning to end. Or rather, the play in this case is told from end to beginning.

With the massive influx of musicals based on movies (or even worse, TV shows) lately such as 'Young Frankenstein', 'Shrek', 'Legally Blonde' and the upcoming '9 to 5', 'Catch Me If You Can' and 'Spider Man', one might think that the original American Musical is dead (or at least on life support). But let's look at some other recent additions, 'In the Heights', 'Wicked', and 'Spelling Bee'. These shows have proven to be wildly successful and give us all hope that we won't be reduced to 'Speed - The Musical'. And the show I witnessed last night gives me even more hope in that regard, 'Memphis'.