Jay Irwin - Page 11

Dear Readers, I am not the intended audience for 'The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical', currently playing at the 5th Avenue Theatre, and if you're over the age of twelve and a musical theater aficionado like me, I suspect it's not for you either. However, if you are indeed a pre-teen or younger or a parent looking for something to thrill your kids or maybe even give them an introduction to theater, this may be perfect for you. Because of that, we're going to have two reviews in one here. One to point out why I think it appealed to kids and one to explain why I couldn't leave the theater fast enough.

Since the joint production between the 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT of "Urinetown" was announced I heard far too often from people that they wouldn't want to see that. A stupid musical about pee? "I don't care for shows that are all bathroom humor," I would hear. And I'd have to defend this wonderful show explaining that it's a super funny, well written show, yes with peeing as the basic setting, but that it was so much more as it pokes fun at government corruption and is an homage to famous musicals who came before. I guess Little Sally from "Urinetown" was right that nothing can kill a show faster than bad subject matter or a bad title. But then her stating that is why this self-referential, meta show works so well. It knows it's ridiculous and it embraces it. And the same could be said for this wonderful production that went for every bad joke with brilliant comic timing and then some.

Sit in a crowded attic room, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You never get to go outside, and during the day you can't make any noise. If you do, monstrous people will find you can take you away to be killed simply because you're different from them. Do this for two years. Now, one last thing, have a positive attitude the entire time. Such is the ordeal Anne Frank, a 13-year-old girl, her family and others had to endure during the German occupation of Amsterdam between 1942 and 1944 and, of course, the subject of one of the most famous accounts during World War II, "The Diary of Anne Frank", currently being presented in play form at Seattle Children's Theatre. But beyond the lovely performances and impactful presentation, hopefully viewers will come away realizing how fortunate we are for the freedoms we still have and how important it is to look out for those that are being marginalized.

Dear Readers, in my capacity as a reviewer and as a musical theater geek at large, I've been privileged to witness more than a few out of town tryouts, those plucky wanna-be Broadway shows taking a shot in another city. Both here at home and abroad, I occasionally get a glimpse at greatness in the making, and yes, some at the 5th Avenue Theatre. I remember marveling at the glory of 'Memphis' and not being able to contain my enthusiasm or stay in my seat during the curtain call of 'Hairspray'. But not all are winners. (I'm looking at you, 'Princesses'.) So, each and every time the 5th Avenue announces their next great new musical, I'm a little trepidatious even when the show is from two of my favorite composers, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, not to mention directed and choregraphed by the indomitable Susan Stroman. So along came 'Little Dancer' which many whom I mentioned it to thought was an Elton John jukebox musical. (Wrong lyric, guys. That's 'Tiny Dancer'.) Then the show was changed to 'Marie', possibly owing to such confusion and finally to 'Marie, Dancing Still'. But whether they want to call it 'Little Dancer', or 'Marie, Dancing Still' or 'How Degas Got His Groove Back', what they have is a bona fide, must see, must cry throughout, accept no substitutes, hit in the making and a definite addition to my list of shows I was honored to catch early on.

Lily Verlaine and Jasper McCann return to the Triple Door for their 11th season with their adaptation of Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland", "Through the Looking Glass, The Burlesque Alice in Wonderland". And while "Wonderland" might seem a perfect setting for a Burlesque show, since the whole thing can be looked at as a giant drug trip, any adaptation should use more than just the characters and name as a backdrop. Unfortunately, that's not the case here as the evening is simply a series of numbers, strung together with the loosest of Wonderland threads holding it together, and so much thrown at the audience in order to obscure the downfalls of the show that it really only serves to spotlight the downfalls.

Dear Readers, when I hear those three potentially terrifying words "one person show" I imagine a self-indulgent ride through self-aggrandizing memories that begin with the cliche "Oh hey, I didn't see you there…". But Gin Hammond's "Returning the Bones" currently playing at the Erickson Theatre from Book-It Repertory Theatre could not be further from that stereotype with an absolutely mesmerizing piece that demands to be seen.

From the moment you set foot inside the theater at 12th Ave Arts to catch Washington Ensemble Theatre's current production of Charise Castro Smith's "Feather's and Teeth" you'll be struck with two things. First, the desperately trying to be idyllic 1970's family home that's slightly off kilter from the brilliant set by Pete Rush, and second, the earworm of Nancy Sinatra's insistent "It's Such a Pretty World Today" boring its way into your head thanks to the pitch perfect sound design from Maggie L. Rogers, both setting a delightfully askew tone for what's about to happen. And both setting up the fantastic journey with a fantastic design team and fantastic actors and fantastic staging making for a … say it with me … a wonderfully creepy show. (I told you things were a little off, right? Don't expect the expected.)

Cafe Nordo is known for their sumptuous meals combined with fun, lighthearted shows and rollicking music. A Nordo show basically promises a good time, or so I thought. While I didn't have a terrible time at their most recent offering, "Jitterbug Perfume", since I don't think it's possible to have a terrible time at a Nordo show, I will say I feel they bit off a little more than they could chew (pun intended). With a convoluted story and an overpowering band, the show failed to offer their usual evening that you could melt away into, but instead I found myself having to work way too hard.

Dear Readers, let me start off by saying, I am not a fan of "Cats". Neither the musical nor the animal (it would seem I'm allergic to both). Way back, when I was a young musical theater geek, I saw one of the early tours and I remember sitting there during the opening number perplexed. I whispered to my theater companions who adored the show, "They keep saying a word. What is it?" "Jellicle," they responded with pride. "Great," I said, "what the hell is a jellicle?!" "It's a made-up word. It's from the T.S. Eliot poems that the show is based on." And thus, my disgust for the show began as the entire thing is about a word that has no real meaning. In the opening song they even point to the audience (and I swear they were pointing at me) and comment that there's still someone who doesn't know what it means. "What does it mean?" they ask brightly. And they never answer their own question! But it won several Tony Awards and many people love it so I'm going to try and slog through this but forgive me if my disdain peeks through.

The word that springs to mind when I think of Seattle Public Theater's current production of Ruby Rae Spiegel's "Dry Land" is "gratuitous". That's the first thing I think of. Not "intense" or "gripping" as the climactic scene was, or "raw" or "honest" as much of the dialog between the young girls felt, but "gratuitous" as all of that is overshadowed by a production that felt the need to, I don't know, shock or fill time? The play is already shocking, and the filler just diluted that shock, so I am only left with "gratuitous".

Ah, the restoration comedy. Those bawdy little comedies from the 1600's and 1700's with ill-mannered aristocrats being put through their paces. Now let's take one of those, spice it up with a bit of modern flair, pepper in some of the funniest damn people in town, and a hilariously ridiculous three person band with some original songs and what you'll have is the joyous, bound to go off the rails at any minute, high-speed train ride that is Seattle Shakespeare Company's current production of "She Stoops to Conquer".

A few years back I was fortunate enough to see Lucas Hnath's wonderful play, "A Doll's House, Part 2" on Broadway and was blown away. So, when the Seattle Rep announced it as part of their season I was absolutely thrilled. Then when they announced the powerhouse cast of some of Seattle's finest actors, Pamela Reed, Michael Winters, Khanh Doan, and Laura Kenny in the play, I was over the moon. This should be a slam dunk! Which then begs the question from me, "What happened?" as the performance I saw last night felt stiff and disjointed at times as if the actors were simply reading from the script. It picked up a bit by the end, but this is certainly not what I've come to expect from the Rep.

Dear Readers, as I'm sure you're aware, we are blessed with an abundance of riches here in Seattle with the local talent who grace our stages, if you know where to look. Well, currently the treasure map leads right over to Taproot Theatre and X marks the spot on the Isaac Studio Theatre where they are producing "Always… Patsy Cline" starring two gems, Cayman Ilika and Kate Jaeger who will rock you, crack you up, and maybe even bring a tear to your eye with their absolute brilliance.

K.I.S.S. It's the best advice you can give anyone in acronym form; meaning, Keep It Simple Stupid, and it's the mantra that the folks at Village Theatre should have taken to heart when attempting to stage Simon Stephens' brilliant play, 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time'. Now, you may say, 'But Jay, the Broadway and touring productions were anything but simple.' And that's true, but unless you can pull off that level of stage wizardry, then you need to go in another direction. Unfortunately, Village went in another direction but also kept everything quite complex throwing everything they could think of on stage, none of which really worked completely, resulting in a mish mash of inconsistencies and a play that didn't communicate what it should.

When the basis of your play, such as Nick Jones' "Trevor" currently being offered from MAP Theatre, is a real-life story, the gist of which could probably fill up a report on the news and was probably germinated from there, the journey to get to that inevitable conclusion is everything. And while some of the dialog in Jones' journey tended to meander a bit, the journey the MAP Theatre performers took us on with their performances made us really care for these characters and root for their success even as we could see the oncoming train barreling down on them. And it's that caring, that empathy that keeps us with them and watching even though we want to look away from what we know is coming, heartbreak.

Over the years, Dear Readers, I've seen many productions of Shakespeare's oft-produced tragedy 'Romeo + Juliet'. So many productions from so many levels of professionalism with so many different takes on how to tell the story. And to be honest, only one of them even came close to bringing the story of the star-crossed lovers to life. That is until now. ACT's current production with its vibrant staging and top-notch cast incorporating Deaf and hearing actors using American Sign Language in conjunction with the Shakespearean text has created a new standard by which all other R+J's must be judged from here on.

Are you in the mood for a good scare? A creepy tale that will stay with you all the way home and make you turn on every light once you get there. No? Then you'd better stay away from the Seattle Rep and their current production of "The Woman in Black" on tour from London. Sure, this production has plenty of giggles and lighter moments but there's also a severe creep factor and several moments to make you jump out of your chair.

With any luck most of us will bypass any connection to opioid or heroin addiction. I know going into Book-It Repertory Theatre's current production of Tom Hansen's "American Junkie", I knew nothing of that world except what you might catch on TV. But what this gritty memoir and gripping performances do is give a much more intense and visceral look into this world while still mixing in humor and hope making this a fascinating ride.

Before any theater company even considers attempting Elton John and Tim Rice's rock musical "Aida", they need to have, at the very least, four things in place. An awesome band to back up the amazing ensemble. A dashing Radames and a larger than life Amneris, both with fantastic pipes of their own, and of course a killer Aida who can handle the powerful, belt your face off in the back-row songs she has to sing throughout. Enter Seattle Musical Theatre who has had a rocky time of it as of late but has been struggling to make a comeback. And with their current production of "Aida" and I'm thrilled to report from that list; check, check, check, and CHECK!!! Now before we move on I must inform you that thanks to Snowmageddon 2019, Seattle Musical Theatre had to cancel their entire opening weekend of this production, and by the time this is up after me seeing it over the second weekend you'll only have one weekend left. Start making plans for seeing it during that weekend while you read the rest of this.

Yes, Dear Readers, it's "Uncle Vanya" … again. Now, don't get confused. I know I just reviewed this a few weeks ago but this is a different production. This is Theatre9/12, those plucky actors who pour over scene work week after week until they come up with a full play they'd like to present, this time it's Annie Baker's adaptation of Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya". They're all about the performance and not so much on the frills since there's usually little in the way of sets or elaborate costumes and they perform at the Trinity Church Parish Hall. And while they usually bring in a fantastic piece, this time it felt they focused a bit too much on individual scene work and not so much on connecting with each other as the play felt like so many performances in a vacuum.