Seattle Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 15

BWW Review: A VERY DIE HARD CHRISTMAS at Seattle Public Theater - Come Out to the Bathhouse, Have a Few Laughs
by Jay Irwin - December 02, 2018

Dear Readers, I need you to stop what you're doing right now (including reading this review) and go to www.seattlepublictheater.com and get your tickets to the most ridiculous fun you'll have this holiday season, 'A Very Die Hard Christmas'. Seriously tickets are going fast so do it now and then co...

BWW Review: JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT at SMT Filled with Talent ... When it Gets Through
by Jay Irwin - December 02, 2018

Seattle Musical Theatre has taken on Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" for the holidays, that bright and frothy, crowd-pleaser of a tuner. And while for this production they've managed to gather up some stellar talent, that talent sometimes has a hard...

BWW Review: Leapin' Lizards, The 5th Ave's ANNIE is a Heartfelt Joyride!
by Jay Irwin - December 01, 2018

You may say, Dear Readers, that it's impossible to have a bad production of the Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse, and Martin Charnin classic "Annie". Throw some precocious kids on stage, belt out those recognizable tunes and you're gold. Well, I beg to differ as I've seen my share of "Annie" product...

BWW Review: Seattle Rep's IN THE HEIGHTS Will Bring You Home
by Jay Irwin - November 30, 2018

Before there was "Hamilton" there was "In the Heights". I know I'm a nerd, but it floors me how many people don't know that. Most theater aficionados know of "Hamilton" and by extension of Lin-Manuel Miranda but have a blind spot for "In the Heights" the Tony winning show that put Miranda on the m...

BWW Review: MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY at Taproot Theatre
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - November 24, 2018

Taproot Theatre's production of MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY offers a holiday diversion of wit, charm, and heart. Mary Bennet, the middle sister, steps from the shadows to take command of her own story. With a gathering of family and a visit from a distant cousin, the recipe is ripe for misun...

BWW Review: JANE EYRE at Arts West
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - November 20, 2018

ArtsWest gives new life to an old story with its production of JANE EYRE. The musical is presented in an updated chamber version in its West Coast premier. The story is a classic. The lessons of following your heart and forgiveness are universal. But above it all is the music. The glorious music wil...

BWW Review: Village's MATILDA Big on Talent and Charm but Short on Magic and Flow
by Jay Irwin - November 09, 2018

A few years ago, Dear Readers, Seattle audiences were treated to the tour of Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin's lovely musical version of Roald Dahl's "Matilda". A clever little tuner that managed to go beyond simply adding songs to a beloved book and find the heart of the story. Unfortunately, the co...

BWW Review: PARLIAMENT SQUARE at Pony World Theatre
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - November 03, 2018

PARLIAMENT SQUARE by Pony World Theatre pulls at your heart and gut but leaves your intellect unengaged. The show is a feast of tension, activism, and drama with a side of emotional manipulation. The story falls to match the actors or design in terms of inspiration and fizzles from lack of specifici...

BWW Review: Seattle Children's Theatre Amps Up the Awww Factor with THE VELVETEEN RABBIT
by Jay Irwin - November 03, 2018

We all have those special toys that became real to us as children. I still have my old teddy bear (who's older than I am) who sits in a place of honor in my living room. This is probably why Margery Williams' classic story "The Velveteen Rabbit" resonated with so many of us. I know it did for me....

BWW Review: ARMS & THE MAN at Seattle Shakespeare
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - October 31, 2018

Seattle Shakespeare's ARMS & THE MAN visits the past and finds the present. With wit, humor, and richness of production, the show presents a classic tale of a chance encounter that changes everything. From the pithy dialogue to the talented cast, Seattle Shakespeare has chosen well for its second sh...

BWW Review: The Williams Project's A BRIGHT ROOM CALLED DAY - When Will We Learn?
by Jay Irwin - October 29, 2018

Dear Readers, today I want to talk to you about one of the most exciting companies in town and their latest show, The Williams Project's 'A Bright Room Called Day' by Tony Kushner. Specifically, I want to focus on three aspects of why they and their current show are so exciting and by the end I exp...

BWW Review: Seattle Rep Examines Raw America with Mike Daisey's A PEOPLE'S HISTORY
by Jay Irwin - October 25, 2018

Welcome class, I'm going to need you to put your phones away and open your minds to learn about the history of our country. No, I mean REALLY open your minds to learn about the REAL history of our country … and then some. It won't be an easy night for some but what Mike Daisey puts forth with his ...

BWW Review: Paramount Gets You ON YOUR FEET! with Gloria and Emilio Estefan
by Jay Irwin - October 24, 2018

Who hasn't danced around their home to the fabulous tunes of Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine knowing that the 'Rhythm is Gonna Get You'? I know I have. (Don't judge.) And really if you too have any kind of affinity for their hot Latin rhythms then their bio-musical 'On Your Feet!', cur...

BWW Review: Can Can's THIS IS HALLOWEEN Gives a Bawdy Take on a Beloved Spooky Classic
by Jay Irwin - October 22, 2018

I know I could get lynched for stating this out loud, but I was never that much of a fan of the original film "The Nightmare Before Christmas". I appreciate the cute story and the animation but being a musical theater snob, the songs in it just don't do it for me. But now, after seeing Can Can's b...

BWW Review: Lesser Known Players' CASA VALENTINA Feels Tentative at Best
by Jay Irwin - October 21, 2018

One of our best living playwrights, in my opinion, is Mr. Harvey Fierstein. With his rich, vibrant characters and crackling dialog, he never ceases to surprise with his works and his raw honest approach to storytelling. Well back in 2014 he came out with a new piece, "Casa Valentina", and I was lu...

BWW Review: ACT Negotiates a Stunningly Solid Piece with OSLO
by Jay Irwin - October 19, 2018

In 1993 a few Norwegian politicians managed the impossible, to get the Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate a peace. What sounds even more impossible is that they all kept it secret. Now this may not sound like the riveting topic for a three-hour play but what J.T. Rogers' 'Oslo', currently play...

BWW Review: PFP and REBATEnsemble's NIGHT PARADE Lacks Focus or Intent
by Jay Irwin - October 18, 2018

Dear Readers, if you've been reading my reviews for a while then you may know of my disdain for performance art. Whether it's naked women being birthed from goo-sacks on stage, random men from the audience beating an actress with pillows, or actors on a seesaw reciting Becket I think it's largely p...

BWW Review: FADE at Seattle Public Theater
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - October 16, 2018

FADE at Seattle Public Theater is a quiet little show that's worth making a lot of noise about. The play by Tanya Saracho is both a witty and scathing examination of classism, racism, and sexism. An immigrant looks to climb the corporate ladder in Hollywood, but the price of success may be more than...

BWW Review: SMT's LEGALLY BLONDE Could Be 'So Much Better'
by Jay Irwin - October 15, 2018

Recently (and I do mean recently) another company in town did a concert staging of "Legally Blonde" utilizing actors of color in roles that they might not normally be cast including an African American "Elle". So, I questioned the logic when I heard that Seattle Musical Theater was doing the same t...

BWW Review: COME FROM AWAY Nat'l Tour at 5th Ave Still One of the Best Shows I've Seen ... Ever!
by Jay Irwin - October 15, 2018

Dear Readers, as many of you know, back in November of 2015 Seattle was blessed with being one of the first cities to see 'Come From Away' before it ventured on to be the hit it still is on Broadway. And if you recall my review you'll remember how I implored you to drop everything you were doing, i...

BWW Review: Seattle Rep's A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS Shimmers with Tragic Beauty
by Jay Irwin - October 11, 2018

Dear Readers, in the past you may have heard me refer to what I call "theatrical alchemy". It's where all the right elements seem to magically come together in just the right ways to form pure theatrical gold. Well, the Seattle Rep currently has a bunch of alchemists working with them with their j...

BWW Review: Fantastic.Z's SEVEN HOMELESS MAMMOTHS WANDER NEW ENGLAND Wanders a Bit Too Much
by Jay Irwin - September 29, 2018

When any playwright sits down to their notepad/typewriter/computer I would hope they have pinned to their workspace a note which, in very large, bold letters reads, "Is this germane to the story I'm trying to tell or is it only interesting/funny to me?" Without that question we get plays like "Seve...

BWW Review: Café Nordo's Spell Goes a Bit Awry in THE WITCHING HOUR
by Jay Irwin - September 28, 2018

I'm certainly a fan of the creepy and the crawly and the things that go bump in the night which is one reason Halloween is my favorite holiday. So, a spooky Cafe Nordo show entitled "The Witching Hour" should be right up my alley. And while it is and there's still all the delicious food and fabulo...

BWW Review: Forward Flux and Pratidhwani's A SMALL HISTORY OF AMAL, AGE 7 Sweet but Doesn't Connect
by Jay Irwin - September 25, 2018

Dear Readers, I know you've heard me talk before about taking the air out of a scene or earning your pauses or pauses you could drive a truck through. Well the latest offering from Forward Flux and Pratidhwani, Lindsay Joelle's "A Small History of Amal, Age 7", while being a sweet and sometimes tou...

BWW Review: Showtunes Gives Us the LEGALLY BLONDE We Didn't Know We Needed
by Jay Irwin - September 23, 2018

Showtunes is doing "Legally Blonde"? Don't they do obscure musicals that never get done? Yes, that's them, Dear Readers. Putting up for a few weekends, concert stagings with books in hand shows that usually don't see the spotlight. And now here they come with "Legally Blonde" that mega-hit. So ...