A play of mine called Hostages, written almost thirty years ago … I’m curious to see how it stands up after all these years…….Yussef El Guindi

Hostages, by Yussef El Guindi, which opened this weekend at 18th and Union is only tangentially about the political situation in the Middle East, the essence of Hostages is the relationship between two individuals, who do not like each other, stuck in an isolated situation for an unbearably long period of time.

It could have been written yesterday to remind us that even though the initial perpetrators of the current Middle East crisis, the two Bush presidents, have been out of office for a long time, presidents Clinton, Obama and the 45th have all been unable to create peace and stop the bombing of innocent civilians.

But, it also could have been written 100 years ago during the Russian civil war, about an aristocrat and a liberal democrat being imprisoned by the Bolsheviks, or 72 years ago when disgraced ex-concentration camp commandant Nazis were imprisoned with generals involved in the Stauffenberg plot to assassinate Hitler, because the play spoke about universal human emotions. I predict that this play will be just as relevant in 500 years as Shakespeare is today.

For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. Walt Whitman

I and You, an utterly fascinating two person play, inspired by Walt Whitman’s poems in Leaves of Grass, opened at Theater Schmeater this weekend. The author, Lauren Gunderson, is currently the most produced playwright in the U.S., having won numerous awards; judging by this play, the awards seem well deserved. Varsha Raghavan, who played Caroline, is possibly the most accomplished actress currently working in Seattle.

You want to know what the soul is like
This one’s in shreds. José Rivera

Written by Oscar nominated José Rivera, produced by Seattle’s Latino Theatre Projects, Brainpeople, an extremely interesting play, opened this weekend at Theatre off Jackson, complete with exceptional production values and a cast to match.

Modern Storytelling

Two delightful Storytelling shows are running this weekend at 18th and Union, Why the Moon Hides his Face and All Her Earthly Days (and other American Fairy Tales) both by Bret Fetzer’s The Moonshine Revival Tent crew, which is a unique fusion of storytelling and a cappella choral singing. Written by the eloquent Bret Fetzer, his fairy tales take place in a world half-Appalachian, half-Dust-Bowl, where magic springs from coal mines and cigarettes, where there is always a morality, wit, superb writing, delightful singing and an excellent performance from Bret and singer Sari Breznau, Mike Gilson, Christine Longé and Jillian Vashro

The Diabolical Elixir

Thanks to Garrison Keiller and the downloadable internet, radio shows and radio plays i.e plays written specifically for radio, have had a revival. N.B. Competition with television made radios shows and plays dinosaurs in the U.S. in the ‘50s and ‘60s. In Seattle, there is not only Sandbox Productions, which has quarterly productions, but also Madcap Melodrama. On Tuesday, September 23, Madcap performed a live original radio play The Diabolical Elixir, a spoof of 19th Century melodrama, with an outstanding cast and exquisite sound effects

Erst kommt das Fressen,
Dann kommt die Moral

(First ya gotta have a full belly,
Then morality follows.) Bertholdt Brecht

Bertolt Brecht’s Der gute Mensch von Sezuan, (imperfectly translated as The Good Woman of Szechuan, instead of the Good Person or more literally the Good Human Being ) opened at ACT Lab this weekend. It poses the great moral question of all time: “Is it possible for a morally good person to survive in a society ruled by egotism, corruption, exploitation and greed.” The answer Brecht, who died in 1956, would have given would be “not under Capitalism.” In 2018, knowing about the corruption of various Capitalist, Communist and Religious regimes, it seems there is no answer.

Too much Angst,

K. Brian Neel’s solo performance world premier The Luring Well, opened at 18th and Union this weekend. Termed a “Ukele Horror Song Cycle,” in which “Two Midwest kids discover a bottomless well in the woods and proceed to throw bad things into it: a feral cat, a menacing bully, a cruel teacher, a true love” had its merits but was just too ängstlich (full of angst) for me.

Battle of the sexes: A Nouveau Riche woos a Do-Gooder.

The date, 1995, when David Hare’s play Skylight, now playing at ACT theatre, first opened in London is highly significant, being the twilight years of the glorious reign of Thatcherism. In many ways, the play, ostensibly about whether a couple will rekindle their relationship, is actually a metaphor for two different perspectives to the Thatcher years. Right down to the Tesco “carrier bag” the details and especially the wit are very English, but it has universal resonance

An Evening of Improv, Sketch and a One Man Show

Seattle’s French language improv troupe, Les Seagulls, will present a double bill, Soirée HUMOUR (An Evening of Comedy) on Sat June 16 in Kirkland. The first part will be a new creation at the cutting edge of improvisation and sketch comedy featuring Sebastien Plisson, Clarisse Podalin, Katya Samoylenko, Julien Bouétard, Cédric “Caribou” Barnet, Jérôme Vasseur, and Jonathan Garcia.

La compagnie d’improvisation de Seattle, Les Seagulls, présente Soirée HUMOUR’ deux performances dans une soirée en français à Kirkland, samedi le 16 juin. La première moitié de la soirée, Les Seagulls présentent leur nouvelle création à la frontière entre improvisation et sketchs. Entrez dans un univers insolite et original, avec une distribution de francophones: Sébastien Plisson,, Clarisse Podalin, Julien Bouetard, Katya Samoylenko, Jérôme Vasseur et Cédric Barnet, et Jonathan Garcia.