Seattle Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 21

BWW Review: Sound Theatre Company's GOBLIN MARKET a Feast for the Eyes and Ears
by Amelia Reynolds - August 16, 2017

'Goblin Market' is a macabre fairytale about two women struggling to fight against temptation. Based on the narrative poem by Christina Rossetti, this one-act musical is a world-premiere written by Polly Pen and Peggy Harmon. As a musical production, 'Goblin Market' tells the bulk of the narrative t...

BWW Review: Pony World's Collaborative AMERICAN ARCHIPELAGO is Bizarre, and Works as a Comedy
by Amelia Reynolds - July 30, 2017

Pony World's world premiere 'American Archipelago' is a collaborative examination of American culture and values. Written by Holly Arsenault, Kelleen C. Blanchard, Tre Calhoun, Vincent Delaney, Brendan Healy, Maggie Lee, Sara Porkalob, and Seayoung Yim, 'American Archipelago' feels more like an incu...

BWW Review: CURIOUS INCIDENT at the Paramount – A Brilliant Gut Punch
by Jay Irwin - July 26, 2017

A few years back I had the great fortune of seeing Simon Stephens' brilliant play, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" on Broadway. By intermission I was visibly shaken and by the end I was an emotional mess. But seeing it again last night for its current run at the Paramount Theat...

BWW Review: ACT's Stirring ALEX & ARIS Relies Too Much on Advance Knowledge
by Jay Irwin - July 23, 2017

There are certain shows out there that, while being engaging and performed well, make you feel like you're missing something. Many of the plays of Tom Stoppard are that way for me in that, unless you've taken a master class on that particular subject matter, you may not get the full impact. The Wo...

BWW Review: Café Nordo's SUNDOWN AT THE DEVIL'S HOUSE is Anything But Hellish
by Jay Irwin - July 22, 2017

Don't let this worry you but it's time to summon the Devil. Well that's the conceit of the current show at Cafe Nordo, "Sundown at the Devil's House". And while they may not summon up THE Devil they do summon up some delicious food, hilarious and touching antics and rockin' music making for a devi...

BWW Review: Sound Theatre Company's Unapologetic HOODOO LOVE Doesn't Romanticize
by Amelia Reynolds - July 19, 2017

Sound Theatre Company's 'Hoodoo Love' is an important piece that's neither romantic nor for the faint of heart. In collaboration with The Hansberry Project, the fabric of Katori Hall's depression-era tragedy is original blues music, folk magic, and the dismal realities of being a black woman in 1930...

BWW Review: Taproot's Sweet PERSUASION Brims with Potential
by Jay Irwin - July 15, 2017

There are certain things that spring to mind when thinking of a Jane Austen story. Blistering on again, off again romances. Sweeping emotions. And of course, Colin Firth emerging from a lake. Well the new musical adaptation of Jane Austen's "Persuasion", currently playing at Taproot Theatre, may...

BWW Review: Gripping and Beautiful FUN HOME at the 5th Avenue
by Jay Irwin - July 14, 2017

It's not a revival of an old classic. It doesn't have the cache of a recognizable movie title. And it's got a synopsis that may make some people weary. All of these reasons could be why there were far too many empty seats at last night's opening night of "Fun Home" at the 5th Avenue. And that fa...

BWW Review: MAP Theatre's GREENSWARD Exposes the Cutthroat World of Grass
by Jay Irwin - July 08, 2017

I always hated mowing the lawn as a kid but it was one of the chores with which I was saddled. So, if someone told me they invented a grass that only needed mowing once a year I'd be all over that. But some might not appreciate this new revelation and do anything to stop it. This utterly absurd p...

BWW Review: Intensity and Anger Abounds in Theatre22's DOWNSTAIRS
by Jay Irwin - June 18, 2017

Some plays are light bits of fluff, perfect for an evening's entertainment filled with laughs and warm fuzzy feelings. Others, however, take you to a dark and intense place filled with foreboding and anger and, if you're lucky, some gripping performances. Theatre22 and ACTLab's west coast premiere...

BWW Review: 5th Ave's Cute ROMY AND MICHELE Isn't Lyrical or Catchy
by Jay Irwin - June 17, 2017

Take a silly yet beloved movie that breeds nostalgia in all who love it and turn it into a musical. It's the way of the world of musical theater anymore. Sure, we still get some original pieces but the safe money for producers is on the recognizable name. Sometimes it works and sometimes it crash...

BWW Review: ACT's LEGEND OF GEORGIA MCBRIDE Struts and Sashay's into Seattle
by Jay Irwin - June 16, 2017

Are you adverse to fun or having a good time? If so, then just stop reading now and move on. If not, keep reading and then get yourself down to ACT to catch "The Legend of Georgia McBride" for some fabulous numbers, fake boobs and hell on heels all wrapped up in a fun and engaging story....

BWW Review: Fantastic.Z's Short Play Series FAMILY Modern and Sweet
by Amelia Reynolds - June 16, 2017

Keeping it brief, since the show only runs through this Saturday, LGBTQ theater group Fantastic.Z has a series of short plays currently performing at The Eclectic Theater called 'Family'. The six-play series has a family motif, each story showcasing modern examples of what it means to be a unit in t...

BWW Review: Tarnished CABARET at Paramount Shows How Good This Classic Can Be
by Jay Irwin - June 14, 2017

The 1998 Sam Mendes staging of Kander and Ebb's classic "Cabaret" has come through the Paramount several times. And why not? It's a great show and a big crowd pleaser. But it requires a cast that gets the show and the tone to be done right. Fortunately for us the current tour at the Paramount is...

BWW Review: New Century's THE REALISTIC JONESES is Clever but Unsatisfying
by Jay Irwin - June 12, 2017

Give me a good old fashioned play with a good old fashioned structure; a beginning, a middle and an end. Or if not, if you insist on a slice of life play, at least have something interesting to say about said life. Instead, what Will Eno's play, "The Realistic Jones", the current offering from New...

BWW Review: Powerful and Biting WELCOME TO BRAGGSVILLE Comes to Book-It
by Jay Irwin - June 11, 2017

In our current society where the issues of race and education are everywhere it's refreshing when a story comes along that still brings up those issues and provokes the conversation but without lecturing. T. Geronimo Johnson's book "Welcome to Braggsville" is such a story with its gripping story an...

BWW Review: ArtsWest's SWEENEY TODD Sounds Good but Inconsistent
by Jay Irwin - June 09, 2017

The Sondheim classic "Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" is one of those shows that everyone wants to put their own stamp on. It's an incredibly rich show and quite difficult to perform requiring a killer cast (pun intended). There have been concerts, productions where the actors play...

BWW Review: Intiman's BARBECUE Sizzles with Familial and Racial Tension
by Jay Irwin - June 03, 2017

It's going to be very tough, Dear Readers, to tell you about the latest offering from Intiman Theatre, 'Barbecue', as I don't want to give anything away. The show is packed full of twists, turns and misdirections that for me to tell you much would be tantamount to writing up a review of certain mov...

BWW Review: MAIDEN VOYAGE at West of Lenin is All Greek to Me
by Amelia Reynolds - May 30, 2017

A well-intentioned show is sometimes just that, and unfortunately, Parlay company's first full-length production 'Maiden Voyage' falls under that category. This modern adaptation of Homer's 'The Odyssey' (Or is it a reworking? Or is it a hypothesized retelling of 'herstory'?) has two primary differe...

BWW Review: SPT's Thoughtful GRAND CONCOURSE Crackles with Stunning Performances
by Jay Irwin - May 21, 2017

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 bu...

BWW Review: GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL! Slays with Historical Fiction
by Jay Irwin - May 13, 2017

Attention all you Broadway producers out there … or even you wanna-be producers … or just people who love to laugh, you'll want to head on down to the Jewelbox Theater at the Rendezvous to catch two comedy savants educate us with some historical fiction with "Gutenberg! The Musical!" But maybe don'...

BWW Review: Village Has Your DREAMGIRLS, Boys. And They'll Make You Happy!
by Jay Irwin - May 12, 2017

Back in the day when I was a mere fledgling musical theater geek I was introduced to the show 'Dreamgirls'. You might say this was my gateway cast album that put me on the path toward the musical addict I am today as I practically wore out the CD. So you'll understand if I'm a little picky about t...

BWW Review: Sweepingly Beautiful AN AMERICAN IN PARIS at Paramount
by Jay Irwin - May 10, 2017

'An American in Paris' is one of those films that, when you mention it, people who have seen it give a contented little sigh. And those people, and many more, can add the stage version to give them that warm fuzzy feeling as the tour, currently playing at the Paramount, brings in much of the same m...

BWW Review: Reboot Theater's PRIVATE LIVES Very Witty, Slightly Wonky
by Amelia Reynolds - May 09, 2017

Elyot (Kit Lascher) and Sybil (Alysha Curry) are on honeymoon in the French Riviera. It's 1930. They're sipping cocktails, calling each other 'dahling' in that quintessential, leftover-from-Britain way of speaking. Sybil has already mentioned Elyot's ex wife, Amanda, but Elyot reassures Sybil that s...

BWW Review: Seattle Shakes Musical MIDSUMMER Hits Several Bad Notes
by Jay Irwin - May 07, 2017

I've never been a fan of transplanting classic works such as Shakespeare to "new and exciting" locales and time periods but I have seen it work as long as the adaptation enhances the existing story somehow or at the very least makes sense with the story. Unfortunately, Seattle Shakespeare Company's...