Gabriel Corey

In the musical theater world, there are classics and then there are Classics (with the big “C”). Jerry Herman’s “Hello, Dolly!” is certainly a big “C” Classic and I’m here to fight anyone who says different. It’s a delicious throwback to the Golden Age of musicals and certainly a star vehicle for the right star. And speaking of the right star, the current production of “Dolly”, currently playing at Village Theatre, shows just how good this Classic can be with the incredible Bobbi Kotula in the title role who proves that she’s not a star, but a Star!

Starring the incomparable Bobbi Kotula as Dolly Gallagher Levi, Hello, Dolly! triumphantly comes to Village Theatre this summer.

I recently sat down with Shileah Corey, director of Ballyhoo’s production of Fun Home to talk about the show and its significance in our society today.

Performances From July 15th to July 17th at The Phoenix Theatre.

I am aware, Dear Readers, that for some the ABBA jukebox musical “Mamma Mia” is not for them. Maybe they aren’t fans of ABBA or maybe they just don’t like fun but whatever the case, I can unabashedly state that I am NOT one of them.  

Village Theatre's 'You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown' opened on Friday last week. It will run through May 22 in Issaquah before moving the Everett, May 27-June 19. 

Dear Readers, if you’re going to do a show, any show, you need to have confidence in what you’re putting up on that stage. And while the current production of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” at Village Theatre has a bunch of fun moments, the show as a whole seemed to lack the confidence to go for it, just like its title character.

Don’t get me wrong, Dear Readers, I love a good sitcom. But it has to be a GOOD sitcom. And while the current offering from Village Theatre, “The Book Club Play” by Karen Zacarías, is basically a sitcom, it’s not necessarily a good one. It’s not a bad one either, for that matter, just kind of mediocre which made for a mediocre evening.

If you’re familiar with Jason Robert Brown’s song cycle, “Songs for a New World” then you know it needs a few crucial elements to be a success. You need killer voices, as there’s only four of them, but more importantly you need clear voices as the show is all sung through, and the stories are within the lyrics. Without that it could just be a muddled mess. Luckily the folks at Village were quite aware of this and cast four powerhouses who could carry the load. There were a few minor issues that we’ll get to but for the most part, four soaring voices. But beyond the talent, director Devanand Janki managed to tell these tales in such a way as to put a very relevant spin on them, making the evening all the more evocative.

I was recently reminded that this time eight years ago I was opening one of my favorite holiday experiences: Elf: The Musical at The 5th Avenue Theatre.

West Side Story is running now through June 23 at 5th Avenue Theatre.

BroadwayWorld has a first look at The 5th Avenue Theatre's West Side Story, the sweeping musical version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet set in the turbulent streets of New York City, where a star-crossed love blossoms between rival gangs.

BroadwayWorld has a first look in rehearsals for The 5th Avenue Theatre's West Side Story, the sweeping musical version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet set in the turbulent streets of New York City, where a star-crossed love blossoms between rival gangs. 

The 5th Avenue Theatre has announced the full cast for West Side Story, the sweeping musical version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet set in the turbulent streets of New York City, where a star-crossed love blossoms between rival gangs. William Branner (National Tour: Bat Out Of Hell, Off-Broadway: Kragtar: An American Monster Musical) joins the cast to star as Tony, replacing the previously announced CJ Eldred.

Tickets are now available for The Un-Common Theatre Company's Young Adult Summer Production of Disaster! The Musical being presented at the Orpheum Theatre, Foxboro from Thursday July 19 - Sunday, July 22, 2018! 

I was speaking with a friend the other day about the current show from Showtunes Theatre Company, "The Boys from Syracuse". He's a somewhat new, fledgling musical theater geek and I said, that it was filled with great Rodgers and Hart songs many of which are standards now. I went through a few and got nothing but blank stares. And that, Dear Readers, is why Showtunes is so important. We need someone to keep bringing us these underdone, and often times older shows such as "The Boys from Syracuse" so established geeks like me can sit there and … well … geek out, and for a place for newbies to come and be exposed to these grand old shows so they might actually learn what a "standard" is.

Tickets are available for shows on Friday, April 6th at 7:30 pm, Saturday, April 7th at 7:30 pm and Sunday, April 8th at 2:00 pm.

Showtunes Theatre Company will return to the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya Hall, March 23-25, 2018 with a concert production of The Boys from Syracuse, with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart, and book by George Abbott. The show is produced by Showtunes in association with Village Theatre, directed by Steve Tomkins in his final year as Artistic Director of Village and is being presented as part of the city-wide "Seattle Celebrates Shakespeare" festival. With Kim Douglass music directing, the show will have four performances over one weekend. Performances are Friday, March 23 at 8:00 pm, Saturday March 24th at 2 pm and 8pm and Sunday, March 25th at 2 pm.

Tickets are now available for The Un-Common Theatre Company's Fall Production of Disney's Mary Poppins being presented at the Orpheum Theatre, Foxboro on November 17-19, 2017.

This holiday season Lorna Luft, the beloved performer and daughter of film and television icon Judy Garland, will star as Louise in The 5th Avenue Theatre's new production of Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn, which began rehearsals this week.