Sexual Politics of the ancien régime in France.
The Marriage of Figaro, one of the most popular operas ever written opened to an almost full house Saturday night at McCaw Hall. Adapted from French playwright Pierre Beaumarchais’ equally popular but highly controversial 1778 play of the same name by Librettist Lorenza Da Ponte with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, its reputation is well deserved. 
“He thinks he was conceived by a credit card and Fed Ex.”
Patrimony, a premiere by Duane Kelly, explored some very topical themes, if I am to trust the syndicated advice columns in the Seattle Times. The great conflict in this play, which opened at 18th and Union, was how to deal with the consequences of keeping the facts of a child’s conception secret or shrouded in plausible lies.
Escape from Spying-Become a Playwright Theater 22’s newest production, OR by Liz Duffy Adams, opened at Seattle Public Theater’s space
Much Ado about Nothing was really SOMETHING
In spite of having been given free tickets to the RSC every Monday night for a year, I can safely say that Seattle Shakespeare’s production of Much Ado about Nothing was the best Shakespeare show I have ever seen. This was due to director Allison Narver’s skillful creativity as it was incredibly enjoyable while at the same time honoring the text. 
What good is sitting alone in your room. Come to Reboot’s adaptation of Cabaret.
Yes indeed, Reboot’s production of Cabaret delivered everything Sally Bowles’ song promised music: laughter, escape but also shrewd political commentary, which is as relevant today, as it was in the last years of the Weimar Republic. 
UNITY-A Concert for Ukraine
Funds to support Ukrainian artist refugees at Poland’s Poznań Opera House.
Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra and Seattle Opera have collaborated to present a benefit concert for Ukrainian artists. The PNB Orchestra, conducted by PNB music director Emil de Cou and Alevtina Ioffe (currently making her Seattle Opera debut with The Marriage of Figaro), will be joined by Ukrainian mezzo- soprano Olga Syniakova and others, for a performance featuring Ukrainian folk songs, A Prayer for Ukraine (Silvestrov), music by Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Delibes, and more. One hundred per cent of the proceeds will be donated to the Pegaz Cultural Association, which is working closely with the Poznań Opera House in Poland and other local organizations to host artist residencies by providing housing, food, rehearsal space and performance opportunities for Ukrainian artists who have taken refuge in Poland.[caption id="attachment_12961" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
USA and Ukraine Flags Crossed And Waving Flat Style. Official Proportion. Correct Colors.[/caption]
Gaslighting :psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one’s emotional or mental health
Although the term “gaslighting” only came into use in the 1960’s, it originally derived from the British psychological thriller, Gaslight by Patrick Hamilton, first performed in 1938 in London, on the brink of the outbreak of World War II, when two nasty dictators, Hitler and Stalin were gaslighting the populations of their respective countries. Seattle’s esteemed theater; Sound Theatre Company has opened a production of Gaslight, directed by the equally esteemed Theresa Thurman at 12th Ave Arts.
Ukrainian Benefit Concerts-Klezmer Music
The Klein Party is organizing a series of benefit concerts, in Seattle, Kirkland, Vashon and Taco, to raise funds for organizations working on the ground in Ukraine and surrounding countries to aid refugees from the war. The concerts will feature klezmer and other music from Ukraine and will benefit five different highly rated charities: Direct Relief, Doctors Without Borders, Global Giving/Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund, HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), and Save the Children Ukraine. 
Macabre and sardonic tales!
If you ever thought that modern technology and high-tech CGI special effects had killed the magic of old-fashioned art of story-telling, the performance of three highly talented, Seattle based story-tellers will change you mind! Scott Auguston, Bret Fetzer and Kelleen Conway Blanchard delighted the audience at 18th and Union with three different tales ostensibly about animals, but essentially were tales about the foibles of human beings and their misadventures.
“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
Leo Tolstoy
Although the title would suggest otherwise, God Said This, now running at Dukesbay Theater in Tacoma, is not a religious play. It is a play about how an alcoholic family reacts when the mother is dying from cancer. Despite the fact that the father is in recovery, it was not of his choosing; his liver and the onset of sclerosis chose it for him.
