Seattle Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 13

BWW Review: BLACKBIRD at 18th & Union Delivers Shocking Portrayal of Sexual Abuse
by Jay Irwin - June 01, 2019

Dear Readers, there are shows out there that are all dessert and give you the fun and fluff. A certain pee-soaked musical comes to mind. Then there are the shows that slip the meaningful messages or vegetables in with the yummy portions to trick you into enriching your mind and soul. There's a ba...

BWW Review: Strawberry Theatre Workshop's TAKE ME OUT Knocks it Out of the Park
by Jay Irwin - May 29, 2019

Back in 2002, Dear Readers, I became obsessed with a new play from Richard Greenberg, "Take Me Out". Already a fan of Greenberg's works, this story of a high profile Major League Baseball player coming out was quite intriguing. I got ahold of the script and my obsession grew. I annoyed all my fri...

BWW Review: KIM'S CONVENIENCE at Taproot Theatre
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - May 27, 2019

KIM'S CONVENIENCE at Taproot Theatre is full of laughs and heart. A convenience store is often the hot spot of a community, where you can find a little of whatever you need. For the Kim family, the convenience store is much more than that. It is their hope, their conduit to a brighter future. Its co...

BWW Review: TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS at the Seattle Rep Offers Up Sage Advice
by Jay Irwin - May 23, 2019

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 als...

BWW Review: Reboot's SWEENEY TODD Needs to go Back in the Oven
by Jay Irwin - May 21, 2019

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 ...

BWW Review: THE CALL at Seattle Public Theater Should Pick a Story and Stick with It
by Jay Irwin - May 19, 2019

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 T...

BWW Review: SCHOOL OF ROCK at the Paramount - A Muffled, Mugging, Mess ... With Cute Kids
by Jay Irwin - May 15, 2019

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 ...

BWW Review: MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET at Village Will Have You Rockin' in Your Seat
by Jay Irwin - May 10, 2019

'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)...

BWW Review: THE SPITFIRE GRILL from Showtunes Is Brimming with Heart
by Jay Irwin - May 05, 2019

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 mu...

BWW Review: AS YOU LIKE IT at Seattle Shakespeare
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - May 04, 2019

AS YOU LIKE IT by Seattle Shakespeare Company is a grab bag of experiences. It has moments of delight mixed with quite a few confusing bits. The show takes a while to get going, but then the comedy pulls it along with fresh energy. At times it seemed as if some of the characters were in a different...

BWW Review: Seattle Rep's Stunning NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN
by Jay Irwin - May 02, 2019

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...

BWW Review: THE LIGHTNING THIEF at the 5th Ave is Fun and Frothy ... If You're Twelve
by Jay Irwin - April 24, 2019

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 ...

BWW Review: Don't Be the Bunny, Go See URINETOWN at ACT
by Jay Irwin - April 12, 2019

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 wonderf...

BWW Review: Heartbreaking Yet Hopeful, THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK at SCT
by Jay Irwin - April 07, 2019

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, ha...

BWW Review: Ahrens and Flaherty's Stunning MARIE, DANCING STILL at the 5th Avenue Theatre
by Jay Irwin - April 06, 2019

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 ...

BWW Review: With THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS at the Triple Door, More is Just More
by Jay Irwin - April 04, 2019

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 t...

BWW Review: Book-It's RETURNING THE BONES Mesmerizes with Vivid Storytelling
by Jay Irwin - March 31, 2019

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 fro...

BWW Review: WET's Hilariously Creepy FEATHERS AND TEETH
by Jay Irwin - March 30, 2019

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...

BWW Review: Café Nordo's JITTERBUG PERFUME Fails to Find Its Base Note
by Jay Irwin - March 28, 2019

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 ...

BWW Review: CATS at the Paramount - They Sing, They Dance, That's About It
by Jay Irwin - March 27, 2019

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 whispere...

BWW Review: Seattle Public Theater's Intense DRY LAND Drowns in Gratuitousness
by Jay Irwin - March 25, 2019

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 ...

BWW Review: WE WILL NOT BE SILENT at Taproot Theatre
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - March 23, 2019

WE WILL NOT BE SILENT at Taproot Theatre is a glimpse into the heart of courage. The story of Sophie Scholl and her resistance to the Nazi regime is one of inspiration and fortitude. Without bells and whistles or fanfare, this show focuses on the heart of the matter. When the laws of the land confli...

BWW Review: Join the Party with Seattle Shakes' Uproarious SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER
by Jay Irwin - March 23, 2019

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 thre...

BWW Review: Seattle Rep's A DOLL'S HOUSE, PART 2 Fails to Connect
by Jay Irwin - March 21, 2019

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 ac...

BWW Review: JOHN at Arts West
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - March 21, 2019

JOHN at ArtsWest is an enigma wrapped in a conundrum, nestled in a puzzle. The show is peppered with interesting bits of information, side stories, tangents, and seemingly pertinent details. However most of these bits only serve to fully realize the characters rather than apply to the plot. You can ...