‘Little Shop’ Closes Lakewood Playhouse 79th Season with a Bang
When the comedy/musical/romance “Little Shop of Horrors” was released in 1986 it became an instant sensation. It was unlike anything else released […]
May 2018
Macbeth Re-imagined at Seattle Rep
In what must surely be considered Seattle’s most innovative theater concept for 2018, adapter and director Erica Schmidt offers a mind blowing new take on Shakespeare’s Macbeth. In attempting to describe the indescribable effect this play is able to conjure, let me take a cue from those weird witches we meet in the opening of the show by mixing up a magical blend fit for a charmed cauldron. Stir together themes from Mean Girls, The Crucible and an all girl-Lord of the Flies and blend with the text of one of the Bard’s most famous and violent tragedies and you might approach the feelings generated from the opening night of the remarkable Mac Beth.
It’s Wilde Time at the Taproot
The brilliance of Oscar Wilde is in good hands with Taproot’s delightful production of Lady Windermere’s Fan. The work sits firmly in the troupe’s wheelhouse, and the cast and crew hit a grand slam with it. Wilde’s subtitle for his script written in 1891 was “A Play About a Good Woman.” Co-director Karen Lund observes in her notes that the play explores such questions as “What is ‘good’? How do ‘good people’ behave? Is it all about following the rules? Whose rules?” The impressive quality about Wilde’s genius is that he is able to handle these weighty topics with such remarkable wit and ease. Imbued with the playwright’s insightful dialogue and clever plotting, this night at the theater rushes by like a cool spring breeze.
Past
Familiar Heartwarming and Sparkling
Something heartwarming, something chaotic, something surprising, something Familiar… Wedding drama amongst the Chinyaramwira family takes center stage in Seattle Repertory’s
Blanket of Fear at ACT
The 21st century challenges faced by Muslims, immigrants, people of color and their loved ones are explored in Blanket of Fear, currently on stage at the Eulalie Scandiuzzi Space in the ACT’s theatre complex. The original production debuted in 2003 and was created by a writing team emerging from the creative ensemble Tribes Project. Though the quality of the production’s acting is uneven, the taut fifty-five minute show offers a number of effective moments highlighting the difficulty of finding truth and justice within the tense arena of counter-terrorism.
‘Pajama Game’ Retro Fun at Centerstage Theatre
It is fun to look back at the way things were in the middle of the last century. The fashions we
‘My Fair Lady’ a Classic Hit at Tacoma Musical Playhouse
Broadway theatre-goers in 1956 were offered some rare and exciting treats. “The Reluctant Debutante” opened at Henry Miller’s Theatre. “Mr. Wonderful,”
‘Bent” Powerful Drama from The Changing Scene
“Bent,” a 1979 play by Martin Sherman, is a powerful piece of writing about the treatment of the gay community
Hairspray at Village Theatre
Once every sixteen years, it’s worthwhile seeing a Broadway gem, don’t you think? I’ve just had that unique experience. I
In Love with Shakespeare in Love
The Language is the Thing
The real stars of Seattle Shakespeare Company’s current production of Shakespeare in Love, the stage adaptation of the 1998 Tom Stoppard Marc Norman movie of the same name, are actually the set designer Craig B. Wollam and George Mount, the director.