Jay Irwin - Page 12

Nia Vardalos' stage adaptation of Cheryl Strayed's book "Tiny Beautiful Things", currently playing at the Seattle Rep, on the surface may seem like just a string of Strayed's advice columns, but when you peel back the layers and dive deeper it becomes so much more. As we get into the advice, we also get a glimpse into the woman who gave it, painting a portrait of a woman who's been through a lot and come out wiser on the other side.

Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's "Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street" is arguably a masterpiece of American Musical Theatre. It's haunting, thrilling, and heartbreaking when it's done right. But in order to do it right you need to understand and be able to convey this complex story and characters as well as sing some quite difficult music. Unfortunately, the current gender bent production from Reboot Theatre Company chose to forsake that story for comedy and sight gags leaving a confused, under baked, sloppy mess.

Dear Readers, you know when you leave a play and you just feel unsatisfied? Maybe the performances weren't up to snuff or the direction faltered, but you have trouble putting your finger on why you feel this way. Such was my experience last night at Seattle Public Theater's Northwest Premiere of Tanya Barfield's "The Call". I walked to my car wondering why this hadn't hit me harder. The performers were all top notch and the direction from Annie Lareau was lively and flowed beautifully. And then it hit me, Ms. Barfield was simply trying to tell me too many stories and with so many flying about, none of them quite stuck the landing.

Say what you want about Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber but at least he's consistent. Consistently borrowing from others as is evident in the most recent offering from the Paramount Theatre, 'his' musical version of the 2003 movie 'The School of Rock'. And while it has adorable kids, absolutely shredding it with their vocals and musical chops on stage, it also has utterly forgettable and repetitious songs (at least the ones actually written by Webber and lyricist Glenn Slater) and a lead who takes mugging to a whole new, annoying level.

'Million Dollar Quartet', that Rock and Roll spectacular, has long held a special place in the hearts of Village Theatre patrons owing to it being one of those shows that made a name on Broadway after having its beginnings in the Village Originals workshops. Well, those prodigal sons (and daughter) have returned to Village's stage and this new cast, while still paying homage to the iconic characters, are definitely putting their own spin on the roles. And it amounts to a rockin' good time!

Dear Readers, you may have never heard of the 1996 indie film "The Spitfire Grill". If so then it stands to reason you've never heard of the musical of the same name. Well, Showtunes Theatre Company is here to rectify one of those gaps in your knowledge as they've resurrected the not often done musical and are giving it their usual amazing concert treatment. And with this lovely story and the incredible talent they bring together, the result is a stirring show filled with heart, laughter, and tears and a wonderful little musical that begs to be seen.

Dear Readers, when seeing the west coast premiere of Christina Ham's "Nina Simone: Four Women", currently at the Seattle Rep, if you're expecting a light, jukebox musical about the works of Nina Simone then you may be disappointed and you probably don't know much about Nina Simone in the first place as you couldn't really call her style "light". But what you are in for is a searing look at how Simone branched out from American Songbook covers to her own distinct style of songs that spurred the civil rights movement.

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.