Alan Sydney, Author at Drama In The Hood

Taproot Closes Season with The Fabulous Lipitones

Alan Sydney / September 23, 2014

A tuneful concoction, as light as a lemon meringue pie, is served up as Taproot’s concluding production for their 2014 Mainstage Season. The Fabulous Lipitones was co-written by John Markus and Mark St. Germain; both worked together years ago on The Cosby Show. Act one in particular utilizes the sitcom recipe of stock characters volleying one-liners back and forth, but before the night is over the show finds a more solid footing as it addresses racism and ageism in 21st century America.

Past

ACT’s The Invisible Hand Can Really Grab You!

Alan Sydney / September 14, 2014

The ACT’s west coast premiere of Ayad Akhtar’s The Invisible Hand rolls with an unsettling energy from opening scene to final curtain. Set in a dreary bunker in remote Pakistan, we meet Nick Bright, a successful investor now kidnapped by an Islamic militant group. The subject could not by more timely and important.

Past

Balagan Theatre Presents Urinetown

Alan Sydney / August 12, 2014

Urinetown has to be one of the quirkiest musicals ever to grace Broadway theatre. It debuted in 1999 at the New York International Fringe Festival, but by 2001 it had flowed (sorry that will be my only bathroom pun, promise) right up to Broadway. It is a wacky potpourri, throwing together political and social commentary, environmentalism, love stories and Broadway musical parodies. Director Jake Groshong somehow is able to have his troops pull the whole thing off in a spirited combined effort from Balagan and Seattle Musical Theatre.

Past

An Evening of One Acts–Martin, Allen and Shepard’s Visions of Life in America Explored at the ACT

Alan Sydney / July 29, 2014

Three unique American voices are featured in ACT’s evening of one-acts. To be sure Steve Martin, Woody Allen and Sam Shepard are as different from one another as can be; however, this seemingly random sampling of modern theater smoothly flows together, providing a lively summer night.

Past

Fiddler on the Roof at Snoqualmie Falls Forest Theater

Alan Sydney / July 24, 2014

The Snoqualmie Falls Forest Theater, nestled in a canyon in a lovely wooded area about thirty-five minutes from Seattle, makes for a wonderful summer destination for theatergoers. While the show’s vibrant chorus numbers were sung effectively, the troop had some minor problems pulling off an entirely successful Fiddler on the Roof.

Past

GreenStage Achieves Rare Goal With Its Summer Production of Othello

Alan Sydney / July 14, 2014

Only a handful of professional groups in the US have accomplished what GreenStage has now done with its Shakespeare in the Park production of Othello. It has produced Shakespeare’s complete canon. In its 26th year, the troop finally tackles one of the Bard’s most harrowing tragedies.

Past

Wooden O Heats Up Our Summer with an All Women Julius Caesar

Alan Sydney / July 13, 2014

A quick paced, enthralling Julius Caesar has begun its tour of local venues through the Wooden O’ Free Shakespeare in the Parks program. At a matinee in Volunteer Park, the all women cast crackled with energy despite having to deal with temperatures that hovered near 90 degrees.

Past

Theater Schmeater Reopens with Gala Schmala

Alan Sydney / June 10, 2014

Rising from the ashes in a smaller but comfortable venue in Belltown, Theater Schmeater hit the boards with a collection of six quirky one acts

Past

Taproots’ Diana of Dobson’s–Romantic Comedy with a Twist

Alan Sydney / May 18, 2014

Imagine a scrumptious high tea complete with scones and strawberries and cream served with a bowl of lima beans. It certainly isn’t to everyone’s taste, but a light frothy repast augmented with some down to earth substance just might work for many. Taproots’ Diana of Dobson’s mixes a whimsical 1908 British drawing-room romantic comedy with a dash of socio-economic commentary, making for a unique evening of theater in Greenwood.

Past

Seattle Takes the Spotlight in Book-Its’ Truth Like the Sun

Alan Sydney / April 29, 2014

Rarely has a setting played such an important role in a novel or play as Seattle does in Book-It’s Truth Like the Sun. The crazy quilt ingredients of our town, “with such a short history it is all future,” form the maze through which all of the play’s characters must traverse. For here Seattle is polite and smug, innocent and sexy, insecure and brash.

Author name: Alan Sydney