Seattle Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 40

BWW Reviews: Balagan's NEXT TO NORMAL; A Killer Show Missing a Spark (No Pun Intended)
by Jay Irwin - February 09, 2013

The highly anticipated local production of the hit Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey show "Next To Normal" has finally opened at Capitol Hill's Balagan Theatre. And while still an incredibly evocative and powerful show, the current production, while technically superb, didn't quite manage that same hard hi...

BWW Reviews: Science and Chemistry in Seattle Rep's PHOTOGRAPH 51
by Jay Irwin - February 07, 2013

When looking back on the history of the human race it always shocks me on how backwards a people we really can be. For example, why would a people restrict half of their fully functioning and intelligent members from trying to create advancements in their chosen fields? Yes, that's what we did and...

BWW Reviews: How Showtunes' FALSETTOS Made Me a Weepy Mess
by Jay Irwin - February 04, 2013

I should really start off by apologizing, dear readers, as I'm about to share with you a production that you cannot see. Alas it only showed for one weekend but for those like myself who were fortunate enough to catch Showtunes' latest production, "Falsettos" then you realize that, even though it w...

BWW Reviews: A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG at ACT Engaging But Dated
by Jay Irwin - February 03, 2013

What would you do if you had a child who couldn't run or play or really even communicate? That's the central question of Peter Nichols' 1968 play “A Day in the Death of Joe Egg” currently playing at ACT from fledgling theater group Thalia's Umbrella. And while I definitely found some moments and p...

BWW Reviews: Nicely Layered Performances in THE UNDERSTUDY at Seattle Public Theater
by Jay Irwin - February 02, 2013

Theresa Rebeck has made a name for herself with her rich and engaging characters on stage and most recently with her look into the underbelly of theater with her hit TV show, "Smash". And along those lines her play "The Understudy" currently playing at Seattle Public Theater manages a fun and illum...

BWW Reviews: A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE at Theater Schmeater Shines With Dark Intensity
by Jay Irwin - January 27, 2013

I love a good dark comedy. There's just nothing more fun than laughing at things you really shouldn't. This is probably why I like the plays (and films) of Martin McDonagh so much. Not just that they deal with people with nefarious pasts doing dark dealings but that he always puts a kind of ridic...

BWW Reviews: Forced BEATING UP BACHMAN at West of Lenin Feels Like an Early Workshop
by Jay Irwin - January 26, 2013

I'm all for complex interpersonal family dramas. "August: Osage Country" for example is one of the best. But the current production from Bash Theatre and Radial Theater Project, "Beating Up Bachman" playing at West of Lenin is not that play no matter how much it tries to be. With its competing an...

BWW Reviews: THE MOUSETRAP at Village Still Keeps 'Em Guessing
by Jay Irwin - January 19, 2013

To think that a murder mystery that's been around for 60 years such as “The Mousetrap', currently playing at Village Theatre, could still be fresh. I mean, everyone knows who the killer is by now, right? Nope. I for one couldn't remember and from the gasps in the audience many others couldn't eit...

BWW Reviews: Mesmerizing HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH from Balagan
by Jay Irwin - January 18, 2013

While on my way to catch Balagan's new production of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" at the Moore Theatre, I couldn't help but think back to the Nick Garrison production a few years back that was such a huge hit and amounted to a kind of theatrical religious experience for those that saw it including my...

BWW Reviews: Frightening Intensity in Seattle Rep's AMERICAN BUFFALO
by Jay Irwin - January 17, 2013

As with any David Mamet play, "American Buffalo" currently on stage at the Seattle Rep has a few stock elements. Clever banter, high stakes and more F-Bombs than you can shake a stick at. Yes, if you're put off by harsh language then stop reading now and plan on seeing something else. But if you ...

BWW Reviews: THE BOOK OF MORMON Brings Crass Hilarity to the Paramount
by Jay Irwin - January 10, 2013

The juggernaut has arrived! Yes the winner of nine Tony Awards including Best Musical, "The Book of Mormon", has come to the Paramount Theatre to sold out houses. But can this highly anticipated touring show live up to all the hype and deliver? Do the Elders in Africa put on fabulous tap numbers?...

BWW Reviews: Stark Consequences in Seattle Shakes' Engaging A DOLL'S HOUSE
by Jay Irwin - January 05, 2013

I have to say that I was already a fan of the storytelling prowess of local director Russ Banham especially since his recent production of "Superior Donuts". Which is why I was all the more optimistic when I heard he was taking on Seattle Shakespeare Company's new translation of Henrik Ibsen's "A D...

BWW Reviews: WISEMEN Returns to ACT with Irreverent Holiday Fun
by Jay Irwin - December 14, 2012

We've all been suspicious of how Mary really became pregnant with Jesus. I mean, Immaculate Conception? Come on! Well last year's sold out hit "Wisemen" is back to investigate just that. And while structurally it felt like it droned a bit, the sacrilegious hilarity is the perfect departure to th...

BWW Reviews: Two Very Different Holiday Treats With BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT and SANTALAND at SPT
by Jay Irwin - December 10, 2012

Not to let Christmas go by unscathed, Seattle Public Theater has cooked up two somewhat off kilter Christmas shows this year. Each containing something for theater goers of all ages, they may not be your typical holiday fare but they are a breath of fresh air from the norm and both left this jaded ...

BWW Reviews: Adorable Joy at 5th Avenue's ELF Abounds
by Jay Irwin - December 07, 2012

I'll admit I was one of the first to roll their eyes in disdain when I heard they made a musical of the Will Ferrell movie "Elf", back in 2010. "Oh Good," I thought, "another overly sweet yet bland movie adaptation designed to get families in the theater and sell merchandise (in this case, elf hats...

BWW Reviews: Seattle Rep's INSPECTING CAROL Delivers Some Laughs But Doesn’t Hold Together
by Jay Irwin - November 29, 2012

It's always a risk when a professional company such as the Rep dusts off an old chestnut such as "Inspecting Carol". I mean, it's kind of become a go to Christmas show for hundreds of regional theaters and might be a little dated. But I can understand why since it was created at the Rep back in 19...

BWW Reviews: THE HABIT Brings Inspired Sketch Comedy to The Bathhouse
by Jay Irwin - November 24, 2012

When I think of the truly great sketch comedy out there I immediately look to those Monty Python boys or The Carol Burnett Show. Those were true masters of taking ordinary situations and turning them on their head to make them absolutely hilarious. Well, I think we can add The Habit to that list. ...

BWW Reviews: Technical Magic Shines in Seattle Children’s Theatre’s THE WIZARD OF OZ
by Jay Irwin - November 24, 2012

It's tough taking on an icon, especially an iconic movie and trying to translate that onto stage. But that's exactly what Seattle Children's Theatre is attempting with their current stage production of the iconic 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz" based on L. Frank Baum's 1900 book. And while the techni...

BWW Reviews: Scandalously Polite Hilarity at Theater Schmeater in FALLEN ANGELS
by Jay Irwin - November 18, 2012

Manners and tawdry secrets collide at Theater Schmeater with their current production of Noel Coward's "Fallen Angels". And Coward's signature send-up of the upper crust combined with some stunning characterizations and timing from the cast add up to one delightfully funny and slightly naughty even...

BWW Reviews: Naughty Puppet Goodness at Balagan's AVENUE Q
by Jay Irwin - November 18, 2012

There's a certain amount of pressure when a theater company becomes the first in the area to produce a big name show locally. Yes, it's a coup to be the first to get the rights (and Balagan seems to be cornering the market on that this season) but they also need to do the show justice or else, why ...

BWW Reviews: Village Brings the Charm and Heart with FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
by Jay Irwin - November 09, 2012

When your first introduction to a show is a bad one it can color your perception of the show for years to come if not forever. Such was the case of my experience with "Fiddler on the Roof" which I have always looked upon as just being long. Luckily Village Theatre currently has a production that i...

BWW Reviews: Riveting Lovers in Seattle Shakespeare Company's ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA
by Jay Irwin - November 03, 2012

A Shakespearean tale of one of the most famous couples in all of history performed by some of the best actors in town and directed by one of Seattle's best directors. You'd think it'd be a slam dunk success wouldn't you? Well, you'd be right. And even with a few moments that missed the mark for m...

BWW Reviews: Seattle Rep's THE GLASS MENAGERIE Shines with Tragic Honesty
by Jay Irwin - November 01, 2012

The problem I've always faced in the past with productions of Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" is no matter how engaging the story is I just don't find myself invested in the characters. The show is a memory play and with that most productions fall into the trap of over accentuating the ob...

BWW Reviews: THE ADDAMS FAMILY Needs More Trick But Still A Treat
by Jay Irwin - October 26, 2012

It's Halloween time and so the 5th Avenue Theatre has chosen to fill up our candy bags with a spooky little treat with "The Addams Family". And while this may not be the equivalent of the house on the block that's giving out the full size chocolate bars, it's far from the house that's handing out t...

BWW Reviews: Self Indulgent THE SKRIKER at Erickson Lacks Coherence
by Jay Irwin - October 25, 2012

Do you know what a paraplegic, a wolf, a fairy, two pregnant teens and a dancing hooker have in common? Neither do I! But that's what the current show "The Skriker" at the Erickson Theatre offered up in director Janice Findley's imagining of Caryl Churchill's creepy look at a world filled with mag...