Seattle Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 25

BWW Review: Dark Gritty Infidelity in Sidecountry's MURDER BALLAD
by Jay Irwin - October 24, 2016

Sometimes some of the best shows out there are the cult followed ones, the ones that are really only known by niche groups or musical theater nerds. While mainstream audiences may go to shows about green girls or founding fathers, there are other audiences who travel off the beaten path to see show...

BWW Review: BEAUTIFUL at the Paramount Lives Up to Its Name
by Jay Irwin - October 20, 2016

The major problem I have seen with jukebox musicals is they may have the music to entertain with a nostalgic value but not the book. Then there's the pitfall of the music itself being so focused on one artist that, unless you're a die-hard fan, you can get bored ('Jersey Boys' falls into both traps...

BWW Review: The Dream is Impossible with 5th Ave's MAN OF LA MANCHA
by Jay Irwin - October 19, 2016

Dale Wasserman, Mitch Leigh, and Joe Darion's "Man of La Mancha" is a bona fide classic. It's a sweeping epic filled with power, pathos, romance, and tragedy … when it's done right. The show is by no means bulletproof. I've seen incredible productions and I've seen mediocre productions. And afte...

BWW Review: Teatro ZinZanni's Exuberant WELCOME TO WONDERLAND
by Jay Irwin - October 14, 2016

I don't think I've ever seen a bad Teatro ZinZanni show. I mean I really don't think there could be one unless they inexplicably decided to sit on the stage and blankly stare at the audience for three hours while serving us large plates of runny eggs and sour milk. Teatro ZinZanni shows are always...

BWW Review: Gender Roles Examined Through Music, Dance, and Word in SANS
by Jay Irwin - October 10, 2016

My regular readers know of my distaste for performance art. Mostly this is due to the fact that I usually just don't get what they're trying to convey or find the way they are conveying it gratuitous and self-gratifying. On the other hand I love music and dance and of course good theater. And so ...

BWW Review: Classic RAISIN IN THE SUN at Rep Spotlights How Far We Haven't Come
by Jay Irwin - October 06, 2016

There are certain plays out there that remain enduring classics. Maybe they're just that good. Or maybe they still pack a punch all these years later and resonate with attitudes of today. Well the Seattle Rep is presenting one on those classics with Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun" and ...

BWW Review: Experience the Savory and Spooky at HOTEL NORDO
by Jay Irwin - October 02, 2016

Who doesn't love a good ghost story? Myself, I've always been drawn to shows like 'The Twilight Zone' or 'American Horror Story'. Now how about a ghost story coupled with some fantastic music and a sumptuous meal? Well prepare yourself for a fabulous evening out perfect for these autumn months wi...

BWW Review: Seattle Public Theater's Blisteringly Intense ON CLOVER ROAD
by Jay Irwin - October 02, 2016

Hang with me here, Dear Readers, as there are only a few things I can tell you about Seattle Public Theater's current production of 'On Clover Road' lest I give away any surprises. In fact when I arrived to the theater the management asked me not to open the press packet they gave me to keep the se...

BWW Review: Ibsen's GHOSTS at ArtsWest: A Haunting Triumph
by Amelia Reynolds - October 02, 2016

Henrik Ibsen's lesser-known drama 'Ghosts' should be just as prolific as 'A Doll's House.' This 19th-century societal criticism is one to check off your classical theater bucket list, and Richard Eyre's masterful adaptation at ArtsWest is impressively close to the original. On top of casting two the...

BWW Review: Fantastic Z's DEVIL BOYS FROM BEYOND a Bit Too Campy
by Jay Irwin - September 30, 2016

Fantastic Z Theatre is closing out their season of gay comedy with the campy take on 50's sci-fi, Buddy Thomas and Kenneth Elliott's 'Devil Boys From Beyond'. And while this crazy romp certainly has the fun of their previous shows, at times the camp gets to be a bit much to the point of lacking foc...

BWW Review: Alien Charades in Gilded Armor in Forward Flux's THE WEDDING GIFT
by Amelia Reynolds - September 28, 2016

What do you get when you cross a science fiction slavery parable with a game of charades? You get Forward Flux's production, 'The Wedding Gift' by Chisa Hutchinson....

BWW Review: Hell is Other College Students in Forward Flux's Harrowing THE SUMMER HOUSE
by Amelia Reynolds - September 26, 2016

There lies an insidious nature beneath excessive indulgence, and three college students' summer break perfectly captures how dark too much fun can get in 'The Summer House'....

BWW Review: Schmeater's TRUMP THE KING Mimics Current Political Events a Bit Too Much
by Jay Irwin - September 26, 2016

It would be fairly difficult to not know what's going on with the political campaign these days especially all the asinine things a certain candidate keeps saying which have been fodder for every news cycle and comedian for months. So I guess it was just a matter of time before we get a bit of thea...

BWW Review: WET's REVOLT. SHE SAID. REVOLT AGAIN. Hits Hard but Not Always Coherently
by Jay Irwin - September 26, 2016

I've never been a fan of performance art as it tends to lose its message amidst the blur of being odd. I mean I'll never forget the piece I saw where a woman gave birth to herself only to be followed by a group of men beating her with pillows. Having said that, Washington Ensemble Theatre's curren...

BWW Review: Off-Putting Narrative in a Pretty Box with Book-It's A TALE FOR THE TIME BEING
by Amelia Reynolds - September 26, 2016

Dear Readers, Can you imagine reading your diary from when you were 16-years-old out loud, in front of an audience? Now, can you imagine doing it not for laughs, but to recreate those precious, documented moments with emotional integrity? Superimposing emotion over words such as 'My mom just does...

BWW Review: STAGEright's TOXIC AVENGER – Fun but as Solid as Toxic Waste
by Jay Irwin - September 19, 2016

There's nothing wrong with a bit of mindless fun at the theater. Some of my happiest memories are sitting in a darkened theater laughing hysterically at Mormons or man eating plants or oversexed puppets. But while the fun in those instances may be base and mindless they were all still backed up by...

BWW Review: Hard Hitting ROYALE at ACT Examines Consequences of Being First
by Jay Irwin - September 16, 2016

Let me start, Dear Readers, by saying I have never had an appreciation for boxing. I've just never understood why it's important to find out who can beat up someone else the best or, alternatively, who can take a beating the best. Having said that, the current production of Marco Ramirez's stirrin...

BWW Review: Stark and Informative WEDDING BAND from Intiman
by Amelia Reynolds - September 13, 2016

Alice Childress' 'Wedding Band' is an important show-but can feel a bit academic. It isn't overwritten with clever gags or attention-grabbing circumstances, and while this can make the play feel slow, the creative skill of the cast and crew elevates the production....

BWW Review: Strawberry Theatre Workshop's RHINOCEROS: Funny, but Too On The Nose
by Amelia Reynolds - September 12, 2016

It makes sense that Strawberry Theater Workshop would put on a production of Eugene Ionesco's 'Rhinoceros' right now. Ionesco's allegorical post-WWII production was far from ambiguous when it came to political stance. Directed by Jess K. Smith, this modern adaptation both soared and, at times stumbl...

BWW Review: Sweet Yet Powerful WINTER'S TALE from Seattle Shakes
by Jay Irwin - September 12, 2016

There are some productions of Shakespeare which need all the flashy costumes and sets and transplanting to non-traditional times and places in order to make the show shine. And then there are productions like the outstanding production of "The Winter's Tale" currently being offered from Seattle Sha...

BWW Review: BAD APPLES at ACT Shocks, Disturbs, Potentially Offends, and Kills It!
by Jay Irwin - September 10, 2016

Are there any taboo subjects for musicals anymore? I mean we've had shows about serial killers and assassins, drug addicts and prisoners, demons and super powered psychotic teens, and even oversexed puppets. So I don't know why anyone should be surprised by the new musical at ACT in conjunction wi...

BWW Review: Bountiful Storytelling in Surreal DUELS at 12th Avenue Arts
by Amelia Reynolds - August 22, 2016

There are dozens of different ways to tell a story, and budding production team amador/stokes may have used all of them in their vibrant, surreal production "DUELS", currently playing at 12th Avenue Arts....

BWW Review: Frothy Fun from Sound Theatre Company's ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS
by Jay Irwin - August 20, 2016

Do you have an allergy or aversion to laughter? If so, my condolences and this show might not be for you. But if not then you should get yourself down to the Center House Theatre to catch Sound Theatre Company's current production of "One Man, Two Guvnors". Get ready for two and a half hours gut ...

BWW Review: Sumptuous Feast for All Senses with Williams Project GLASS MENAGERIE
by Jay Irwin - August 19, 2016

Tennessee Williams' 'The Glass Menagerie' is a tough piece to pull off with all its emotion and meaning in tact but luckily new to town company The Williams Project is more than up to the task. Add into that some down home cookin' from the folks at Cafe Nordo and you've got yourself an evening to s...

Village Theatre's 16th Annual Village Originals Festival of New Musicals
by Jay Irwin - August 17, 2016

Well it may have been hotter than blazes this past weekend but I managed to spend the weekend inside at one of my favorite events of the year, The Village Theatre Village Originals Festival of New Musicals. They presented concert stagings of five musicals still in the works. It's a great opportuni...