Jay Irwin - Page 57

Dear Readers, for those that may only read the beginnings of my reviews, I must start off this by telling you to stop reading this right now and go get tickets to the new musical "Come From Away" currently at the Seattle Rep. After you have done that you can come back and read the rest of this. I'll wait. Done? OK now that you've done that I can tell you that what you will be seeing is the best musical I've seen all year and possibly ever. At least it will rank in my top 10 of shows that have affected me so much with its sheer brilliant storytelling and heart. This one CANNOT be missed!

As a kid I remember being absolutely thrilled when the stars would align and something wonderful would come on to the afternoon movie like "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" or "The Wizard of Oz" or the magical "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang". Well that fantasmagorical, fuel burning oracle is back and on stage at Seattle Children's Theatre and it's just as magical as ever. And before you ask, yes, the car flies.

Attention nerds! There's now a theater company in town for us! And I don't mean musical theater nerds or drama nerds but good old fashioned Sci-Fi/Fantasy nerds. Fledgling company The Rogues Gallery has come onto the scene and promises Geek Theater. And their inaugural production, "Shoggoths on the Veldt: A Cthulhu Adventure Comedy" certainly delivers on that promise. But as fun as it was and as much as I long for more geeky fare in general, this production certainly was in need of some tightening, both in pace and in script.

Lerner and Loewe's "My Fair Lady" is one of those enduring classics that when done correctly can amount to a magical evening. But to do it correctly there's a shopping list of elements you must have such as a terrific and upbeat pace, lively and fun choreography, breathtaking costumes and of course a superb cast especially a sweet, strong, and loveable Eliza with the voice that can hit those impossible Julie Andrews notes. Without those elements, really, why bother? Well lucky for us director Brian Yorkey and the folks at Village Theatre seem to have gotten ahold of my shopping list and confidently checked off each item as their current production of the classic amounts in some ways to one of the best I've seen.

The works and style of Bertolt Brecht, such as "Mother Courage and Her Children" currently being offered from Seattle Shakespeare Company, is not for everyone nor is it always easy for the audience. With his distanced and jarring style and bleak narratives, Brecht is not what you would call a fun night at the theater. But even if it's not your thing you should still be able to come away with decent performances. And while there were some outstanding performances in the Seattle Shakes production, on the whole it left me flat.

When I first saw "If/Then" in New York I thought the same thing I think now, "Cute show but it'll never make it without Idina Menzel since the show is basically a vehicle for her." Well, I guess the producers of the tour agreed with me since more than half of the original leads including Menzel are on tour with the show currently at the Paramount Theatre.

New Century Theatre Company, hot off their Gregory Award win for Theatre of the Year, has once again shown why they're one of the best in town with their truly affecting production of "Festen". Where other companies might have put on a passable show, New Century Theatre Company gives a gripping and sometimes disturbing production showing off the insane amounts of talent they have at their disposal.

We've all had demanding bosses over the years. Hell I had a manager who insisted I go around the office and set all the clocks to the exact same time. But what happens when you're working for an actual Diva? Well, Jonathan Tolins' hilarious play "Buyer & Cellar", currently playing at the Seattle Rep, takes that on brilliantly and the Rep production completely shines.

In these turbulent and overly permissive times, we need shows like 'Reefer Madness' to show us the way. The show itself is a wonderful and very funny spoof that when done right can have you laughing more than if you were high on 'the reefer' yourself. Unfortunately the production currently performing at Seattle Musical Theatre is so unfocused and under produced that it couldn't save anyone. In fact I question whether or not they were all high while they were making it.

Let me start by saying, Dear Readers, that "Little Shop of Horrors" is one of my all time favorite shows. In fact I was fortunate enough to see the incredible Encore's version with Ellen Greene back in July. In my opinion, Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's show is one of those near perfect musicals. So you'll understand when I say that I'm pretty picky about the show when people attempt to put it up. And that is why I'm thrilled to say that the current production from SecondStory Rep, filled with fantastic voices and tons of fun completely gets how the show needs to be done.

Anne Washburn's hit play "Mr. Burns, a post-electric play", currently playing at ACT, does a fine job at exploring the genesis of mythology and still keeps itself very funny. But that exploration tends to draw itself out a little too long with too little payoff for the time spent.

From the moment you set foot into Cafe Nordo for their current production of "Sauced" you're struck with the wonderful sense of being transported back to the 1930's. But then, with all their ambience and commitment to tone you're no longer in Cafe Nordo but in the Diamond Club. And once there you should prepare yourself for mystery, intrigue, love, lust and betrayal all set to some gorgeous 30's tunes and served up with a five course meal and drinks for which every new bite causes an "oh my God!" moment.

I'm all for a tribute to a wonderful composer such as Stephen Schwartz. But the new musical 'Snapshots' currently playing at Village Theatre feels less like a tribute and more like theft. OK, maybe theft is too strong of a word since Schwartz is aware of the show and has given his blessing but it's definitely appropriating someone else's good works with not much new to say.

With the creative team of Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire at the helm, I had high hopes for the new musical 'Waterfall' currently playing at the 5th Avenue Theatre. With a pedigree like those two have there would have to be something to grab onto in the show, right? Unfortunately this adaptation of the Thai musical 'Behind the Painting' based on the novel by Siburapha offered nothing but a clunky story and nuance free music and lyrics that elicited no passion or romance, which for a love story is deadly.

There's a reason why Joshua Harmon's play "Bad Jews", currently playing at Seattle Public Theater, has been such a hit all over the country. Because it manages a trifecta with its wonderful script as it takes a sensitive subject of religion and infuses it with rich characters, hilarious language and heart. And the cast and crew over at Seattle Public Theater have grabbed onto this with both hands to make this a fantastically vicious and funny show.

From the title of Book-It Repertory Theatre's current production, “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love”, you might think this could be a lovely and romantic date night possibility. Well, nothing could be further from the truth as this collection of four Raymond Carver stories seem to focus on the more mundane, banal and vicious elements of relationships and come across more like Carver exorcising his own demons. So not only is it someone else's therapy on stage but on page as well and was, frankly, boring.

Arguably one of the greatest American playwrights, Arthur Miller rarely goes in for the flash or quirky with his works but simply tells a story. And those stories, such as 'A View From the Bridge' currently performing at the Seattle Rep, build with a sublime slow burn and sneak up on you until, before you know it, have you in their grip and won't let go. And the cast and crew of this current production truly understand that and deliver some finely layered and complex performances making Miller's work shine all the more.

Kim Rosenstock's play "99 Ways to F**k a Swan" currently being offered from Washington Ensemble Theatre is not going to be everyone's cup of tea with its outrageously bizarre themes and extremely dark and twisted humor. But if you can see your way past its surreal nature, the language, the nudity and (as the title would suggest) some frank discussions on bestiality what you have left is a stunningly performed and beautifully crafted twisted love story that deserves attention.

World War II soldiers trying to survive in a POW camp, we've seen this story many times before. But in Vincent Delaney's "The Art of Bad Men", currently being offered from MAP Theatre, we see a different side of the POW experience, from the point of view of the German soldiers being held in America. And while the play was filled with superb performances and some quite powerful moments it lacked a unifying thread to draw its disparate stories together.

Tennessee Williams' 'Suddenly Last Summer', currently performing at Theater Schmeater, is not often produced, but why? Maybe because it's a one-act or maybe because it feels like it lacks an ending or maybe because it's even a little too dark and twisted for fans of Williams. Whatever the case, Schmeater's production manages to take on this dark journey and thanks to some committed and focused performances, make it seethe with power and intrigue.