Theatre 22

Past

Theatre 22 Offers a Moving “Nonsense and Beauty”

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If the production of the award winning Nonsense and Beauty is indeed Theatre 22’s swan song, they are leaving us a delightful and thoughtful parting gift.  Upon hearing the opening lines, written by playwright Scott C. Sickles, who was in the opening night’s audience, we know we are in good hands.  We meet British author E.M. Forster and his best friend J.R. Ackerley attending a boating match between Cambridge and Oxford back in April, 1930.  The two are quite enchanted watching the hard working young male boaters rocket down the river.  The dialogue is witty and concise and deftly delivered.  Before long, Forster will meet the love of his life, Bob Buckingham, a young British policeman.  The nearly overwhelming romantic difficulties facing Forster and his much younger partner make for the basic conflict of the play.  Upon this simple premise, Sickles constructs a moving story exploring a theme so important to Forster in his novels: in our crazy spinning world, nothing is more vital than making emotional and intellectual connections with our fellow man.

Past

The Revolutionists-

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Liberté, Egalité, Sororité

Although French women were not given the vote until 1946, women played a huge role in the French Revolution of 1789, as active participants in the rioting, in the political clubs and intellectually as authors and salon hostesses. Produced by Theater22, the play The Revolutionists by Lauren Gunderson, which runs in repertory at 12th Ave Arts, deals with four women: Queen Marie Antoinette, wife of Louis XIV the king at the beginning of the revolution, assassin Charlotte Corday, playwright and pamphleteer Olympe de Gouges and a Black free woman from the Caribbean Marianne Angelle, each of whom played roles in the French Revolution, one of the most important events in Western Civilization.

Past

WHITE-Hilarious and Enlightening

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Laughter and comedy are more powerful than diatribes!

Much to my joy and delight Seattle’s venerable Theatre 22 is back in action, enlightening us through humor and authenticity. WHITE, by James IJames, opened in repertory, Friday night at 12th Ave Arts, as an exposé of “the ugly reality…of being a non-white commodity, a marketing gimmick, where people, organizations, and corporations prove how woke they are, only to appeal to new generations for popularity and revenues.” said Tayo Talabi, Co-Director.

Due to the outstanding performance and talent of its star Shermona Mitchell, and the incredible dialogue by the author, it was also one of the most hilarious plays I have seen in a long time, although the topic is very serious indeed. Like Molière, it highlighted the absurdity of pretentious attitudes and people, and although highly topical, it spoke to universal themes.

Past

LIVE!From the Last Night of My Life.

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To Be or Not to Be-that literally was the question.

LIVE! From the Last Night of My Life by Wayne Rawley, was not only the most amusing show I have seen in a long time but also the most profoundly tragic as it dealt with the very basic question of existence: should I keep living or should I put an end to everything. Both the Theatre 22’s production and the script itself were masterpieces which simultaneously served to enlighten the audience and provide the best psycho-therapy there is: laughter.

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