All Her Earthly Tales
All Her Earthly Days (And Other American Tales), written and performed by Bret Fetzer filled 18th and Union’s small stage […]
Past
The Moonshine Revival Tent: Revives Story Telling
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
Zombie Cheerleaders from Hell
October is now upon us and with it comes not just the rain but Halloween season. The Can Can Caberet’s
The Diabolical Elixir-A Live Radio Show of the Gothic Variety
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
Three Days of Rain Forecast: A Quality Production
After one of the driest summers on record, Albatross Theatre Lab’s inaugural production, Three Days of Rain by Richard Greenberg,
William Shakespeare (Abridged) a Raucous Hit at Centerstage Theatre
You came to this page to read a review of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), and so you
The Good Woman of Setzuan
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.
ArtsWest Begins a Promising Season with the Excellent Skeleton Crew
Skeleton Crew, the latest in Dominique Morisseau’s 2016 entry in her Detroit Cycle, is a natural character-focused piece, well-adapted by
The Luring Well did not Lure me in
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.
Thrilling Richard III Weaves Magic Spell
Remarkably, this gem of a show was not supposed to happen. The Seattle Shakespeare Company had no plans for a Richard III after they had completed reimagining the Bard’s Henry VI trilogy in last year’s Bring Down the House. Yet, the overwhelming momentum engendered by the strength of that production, in particular the outstanding work of Sarah Harlett as young Richard, convinced Artistic Director George Mount and the upstart crow collective to create a sequel. Lucky Seattle! This powerful Richard III is a major highlight for our fall theater season.