My Dear Miss Chancellor
Lascivious lovers engage in sapphic swordplay. My Dear Miss Chancellor is the story of a young girl debuting in London, […]
Water by the Spoonful—Love in Small Doses
When children have a long stretch with a fever or illness they can become dehydrated. To re-hydrate them requires a teaspoon for water or soup every five minutes. Perhaps the title of Quiara Alegria Hudes’s soul-searching drama, Water by the Spoonful, serves as a metaphor for all people struggling with questions of recovery, illness, loneliness, trauma, identity and loss. We all can use care, love, attention, and connection in small doses—all the time.
Reefer Madness-the Musical
The Leafy Green Assassin of Youth
Reefer Madness originally was a 1936 movie, financed by a church group, to warn parents, not about demon rum, as this was after prohibition had failed, but against marijuana use. The film coincided with an attack by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Narcotics, culminating in a Federal tax in 1937 which was opposed by the AMA, N.B. it has been listed in the United States Pharmacopeia from 1850 until 1942, during which time it was prescribed for labor pains, nausea and rheumatism.
In the 1970’s the film became a cult classic of misinformation as the baby-boomers embraced marijuana as a pathway to spiritual enlightenment. Kevin Murphy, Dan Studney turned this campy movie into a musical, which opened at Seattle Musical Theatre this past Thursday.
Thought Experiments
What will the world be like when we can control our own genetics? Turn ourselves into whoever and whatever we
Winter Bird
The Eclectic Theater is a small black box just off Broadway, which contains all the energy and soul that should be present in such a space. Clearly, this company of artists is quite passionate.
Winter Bird, written by Stephen Delos Treacy, tells the story of a simple librarian who is visited by a sultry woman and becomes transfixed by her, but not is all as it seems. Mr. Treacy clearly had a story to tell, likely inspired by his background in wilderness biology. The story seems to rest on mostly solid ground in the first few acts, but ends in a final showdown which left this reviewer perplexed.
Molly Sweeney by Brian Friel
To See or Not to See, What are the Consequences?
Six days after the death of renowned Irish playwright Brian Friel, a truly awesome production of his play, Molly Sweeney, opened in Seattle at Theatre 4, produced by KTO Productions. With an extremely strong language-based script, this three-person stage play could easily be a radio play, as the visual element is almost totally unnecessary.
Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune
Dated Courtship
Although it opened on Broadway in 1987, Terence McNally’s Frankie and Johnny at the Clair de Lune was originally written in 1982. The title and the date when it was written speak volumes. Surprisingly, it is incredibly dated, and although the author struggles to give it an optimistic ending, there has been too much mainstreaming of 12-step concepts in the intervening 30 plus years as well as knowledge about the characteristics of narcissism for me to overlook the potentially destructive aspects inherent in the budding relationship of a middle aged waitress and a middle-aged cook depicted in two-person play.
SPT at the Bathhouse’s “Bad Jews”
SPT’s production of “Bad Jews” delivers a mixed bag of entertainment. The one-act play by young Julliard graduate student Joshua Harmon features a solid premise and potentially fascinating characters, but fails to earn some of the intense conflicts it throws at us. It does present what must be one of the most dynamic performances this season from SPT rookie, Anna Kasabyan. Her monologues recall the breath taking bitter humor of the iconic Lenny Bruce. Her riveting, laser-focused performance is worth a trip to Green Lake to see.
99 Ways to Fuck a Swan
99 Ways to Fuck a Swan is a funny and disturbing tale about a man who pulls at an erotic
Nightown-Sandbox Radio
Best Live Radio in Seattle
For one night only, Seattle’s home grown radio theater, Sandbox Radio, comes to Town Hall Seattle with a brand new show. The show will include new plays, poetry and adaptations of classic literature created especially for radio, all scored with live music, featuring: Willie Weir, the Seattle Women’s Chorus, Sensible Shoes, Elizabeth Heffernon, Peggy Platt of Dos Fallopia, Wayne Rawley and of course Leslie Law and Richard Ziman. I heartily recommend Sandbox Radio to everybody, because the audience participation is part of the show, which is an awesomely joyful experience.
Nighttown. Sandbox Radio. Town Hall, 1119-8th Ave (First Hill) Seattle 98101. Oct. 5th. 8:00 pm. Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2188807, or at the door. info http://www.sandboxradio.org/sandbox_radio.html