Downtown Seattle is Neighborhood 3’s Latest Setting
Coming to a neighborhood exactly like your own… Theater Schmeater’s latest endeavor, “Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom” written by Jennifer […]
Downtown
14/48: The World’s Quickest Theater Festival Closing Weekend
[Note: This is a review of the closing performances of the festival on Jan 13th and 14th. R.E. Parker reviewed
The Holler Sessions: Jazz Athlete Sheds Blood, Sweat and Tears
Jazz DJ spins plates and jangles the marrow in your bones. The Holler Sessions was flawless: a mind-bending, soul-stretching deep-dive
The Royale
The Royale Packs a Profound Punch ACT’s production of The Royale, the story of a black boxer from the Jim
Sandbox Radio: The Words and the Bees
Come out and join the Sandbox Radio Players for a spot of local humor a la “Grand Ole Opry” or
‘Buzzer’ will Get You Talking
Buzzer by Tracy Scott Wilson and directed by Anita Montgomery is one of a cluster of plays this winter that hold a mirror and magnifying class up to their audiences on the fraught territory of race, class, sexuality, and property rights. Jackson (Andrew Lee Creech) has found a renovated condo in his former neighborhood to buy. He invites his white girlfriend Suzy (played by Chelsea LaValley) to move in with him. Apparently the relationship hadn’t gone to that level before because she hesitates a moment before agreeing. No sooner than they finish unpacking boxes than Don (Spencer Hamp) arrives. He’s white and Jackson’s best friend who is making his 8th or 9th try to rehabilitate
In Arabia We Would all Be Kings is a Cautionary Tale
Mr. Guirgis has a gift for dialogue, The Ear. It’s bar and street dialogue, what you might hear in Hell’s Kitchen in New York in the late 90s, where this play is set. The language is rhythmic, even poetic at times, yet grating to middle-class sensibilities. Theater Schmeater’s Director Julia Griffin says the characters resonate with her and the script has been “living in her” for over ten years. With this northwest premiere of In Arabia we would all be Kings she has fulfilled her vision quite well.
14/48 Festival—”No Regrets” & “Silent but Deadly”
Michael Neff and Jodi-Paul Wooster organized their first 14/48 Festival in 1997 as a one-time event. Wooster is still at it, and 2 years from now this festival will be old enough to buy alcohol. Here’s a quick review of each play written to Saturday’s theme of “No Regrets.”
Four Dogs And a Bone is a Snarly Delight
What Theater Schmeater has done with John Patrick Shanley’s 4 Dogs and a Bone should be enshrined as a movie. It begs for permanence so that one can return and savor its delights. Alas, this sharp, biting, witty, and funny gem is theater, not a movie, so go see it live. Be alert to all the clever funny nuances director Julie Beckman unearths in the script. This isn’t too hard, when the audience laughs or gasps—that’s your cue to join in.
Who are the four dogs, what are they fighting for and what are they fighting over?
Fail Better—Beckett As a Circus Act
The UMO Ensemble gave themselves the task of discovering the essence of Beckett by focusing on his prose. The results are up and running at the ACT Theatre downtown. Written by Maria Glanz and Lyam White and directed by Elizabeth Klob, UMO found the genius both in Beckett and themselves. The mash-up sparkles.