BWW Review: SUNSET BABY at Arts West Presents a Slice of Life
SUNSET BABY at Arts West presents a slice of life with all its complexities, troubles, and truths. Troubled pasts, hard choices, and conflicting emotions rule the day in this show. No one has it easy, and no one escapes unscarred. Everyone has baggage, but must own their choices. They must all decide if they can find the courage to do better, to be better, or let their past rule their future.
MY ANTONIA Tells A Powerful Story About Immigration
Book-It Repertory Theatre continues its 29th season with the enchanting My Ántonia by Willa Cather. Annie Lareau, who adapted the novel and starred as Ántonia in Book-It's original 2008 production, returns to direct the 2018 production.
BWW Review: LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN at Taproot Theatre is a Tightly Woven Tapestry of a Show
Lady Windermere's Fan at Taproot Theatre is a tapestry of tightly woven threads in which all are needed to tell the story. This show, an Oscar Wilde classic, is often produced in such a way that the humor overshadows the heart. Co-directors, Karen Lund and Marianne Savell, have instead chosen to explore the genuine fears and dilemmas that women of society faced in the late nineteenth century. With little power and few choices, these women struggled to uphold the ideals imposed by their society. Lady Windermere reminds us how easily a single decision can forever change the trajectory of a life. When authenticity is the cornerstone of a show, especially one with as strong a script as this, there is no need for a circus of distractions.
BWW Review: Taproot Theatre's A CIVIL WAR CHRISTMAS: A Beautiful House, Divided
A Civil War Christmas is a nice escape for folks that are getting a bit of a toothache from the glittery, schmaltzy, and sentimental Christmas plays foisted upon us this time of year. Written by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Paula Vogel (for How I Learned to Drive ), A Civil War Christmas is historical fiction circa 1864, a birds-eye view of Civil War-torn America. Infused with hymnals, Union and Confederate songs, and Christmas carols, this musical time capsule bursts at the seams with a myriad of storylines. From slave to president, from Confederate to Union, for better or for worse, Vogel made sure to not miss anybody in this theatric nativity.
BWW Review: SPT's Thoughtful GRAND CONCOURSE Crackles with Stunning Performances
It's always the quiet ones you have to look out for. That sentiment works well for people but in this case also for a certain theater, Seattle Public Theater. They don't put on the biggest, most well-known shows and they're not always in the foreground of people's thoughts for "must go" theater but maybe they should be. They've been fairly consistent this season in putting on edgy shows with which you may not be instantly familiar but once immersed in them what you get are some stunning performances, starting the season with their killer "On Clover Road" and leading up to their current offering "Grand Concourse". I'll admit to an unfamiliarity with the piece before going but now that I have I can do nothing but recommend catching it especially in order to catch four incredibly thoughtful and engaging performances.
ArtsWest Announces Extension of PETER AND THE STARCATCHER
In response to strong ticket sales and critical acclaim, ArtsWest will extend the run of Peter and the Starcatcher through Today, December 27. The additional performances are scheduled for Monday 12/26 and Today 12/27 at 7:30pm. Tickets for the added performances can be purchased immediately at ArtsWest.org.
ArtsWest Announces Final Extension of PETER AND THE STARCATCHER
In response to continued strong ticket sales and critical acclaim, ArtsWest will further extend the run of Peter and the Starcatcher through Friday, December 30. The additional performances are scheduled for Wednesday 12/28, Thursday 12/29and Friday 12/30 at 7:30pm. Tickets for the added performances can be purchased immediately at artswest.org.
ArtsWest Announces Extension of PETER AND THE STARCATCHER
In response to strong ticket sales and critical acclaim, ArtsWest will extend the run of Peter and the Starcatcher through Tuesday, December 27. The additional performances are scheduled for Monday 12/26 and Tuesday 12/27 at 7:30pm. Tickets for the added performances can be purchased immediately at ArtsWest.org.
ArtsWest Announces PETER AND THE STARCATCHER
ArtsWest is pleased to announce PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, the Tony Award-winning musical about the early adventures of Peter Pan, opening at the ArtWest Playhouse and Gallery on November 17. PETER AND THE STARCATCHER is appropriate for all ages and most fun for ages 10 & up. The performances will run Thursday through Friday until Decemeber 23.
BWW Review: Intiman's Seething STICK FLY Feels Clunky
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.
BWW Review: Seattle Rep's BROWNSVILLE SONG Hits No Good Notes
It's all well and good to want to shine a spotlight on urban violence and inner city gangs through entertainment (theater, film, TV, etc.). It gets the issues out there in the hopes that something might get changed. But as it's been done time and time before, if you're going tell another one of these kinds of stories then have something new to say and tell it well. Unfortunately the current production at the Seattle Rep, "brownsville song (b-side for tray)" fails in both respects with bad writing, bad direction and bad performances amounting to a show that felt it was important but came across as cliche.
BWW Review: Reality Is Served in ArtsWest's MY MANANA COMES
I do not enjoy watching scary movies because I cannot remove myself from the horror that is being screened before my eyes. I can, however, appreciate a well done scary movie when thrilling realism draws me in to a point of no return. That is how I felt when I saw ArtsWest's My Mañana Comes.
Mirror Stage's 11th Season to Launch with AN ISSUE OF BLOOD
Sponsored in part by 4Culture, the 2015-16 season of Mirror Stage's popular Feed Your Mind staged reading series traces commences with An Issue of Blood by Marcus Gardley, on October 24 & 25, 2015 at the Ethnic Cultural Theatre in Seattle's University District. Directed by Suzanne M. Cohen, Feed Your Mind: An Issue of Blood features Marlette Buchanan, Ian Fraser, Reginald Andre Jackson, Pilar O'Connell, Shaunyce Omar, and Tyler Trerise.
BWW Review: Intiman's Disjointed BOOTYCANDY Ends with Power
I'll admit that during Act One of the final show for this year's Intiman Theatre Festival, "Bootycandy", I kept thinking, "What the hell am I watching?" It was interesting and funny but felt disjointed with so many disconnected scenes. But by the end when they pulled them all together and I saw where they were going I was able to grab hold of that "aha" moment that you don't always get in theater.