Seattle Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 5

Review: WOLF PLAY at ACT
by Jay Irwin - May 12, 2023

Dear Readers, just as theater professionals have unique ways of communicating a story, so too do children have their own ways of communicating their issues, especially when traumatized. Now take those two unique perspectives and combine them and you get the singular “Wolf Play” by Hansol Jung, curre...

Review: LYDIA AND THE TROLL at The Seattle Rep
by Jay Irwin - May 11, 2023

He’s a Seattle favorite. He inspires magic and wonder and just brings a smile to the faces of those who see him. No, I’m not talking about Justin Huertas, composer of the locally (and beyond) renowned musical “Lizard Boy” (about to make its Off-Broadway premiere in NYC, by the way), although I might...

Review: TWELFTH NIGHT at Seattle Shakespeare
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - April 30, 2023

TWELFTH NIGHT at Seattle Shakespeare is loaded with music, mischief, and magic. With the Bard’s trusty plot devices of mistaken identity and a prank gone awry, the show traipses its way through the lives of the Illyrians on the way to their happy endings. Clever lyrics embellish the story, touch the...

Review: SWEENEY TODD at The 5th Avenue Theatre
by Jay Irwin - April 29, 2023

Dear Readers, I’m baaack! It’s been months since we’ve spoken or even since I’ve been in a theater due to a medical issue that’s kept me homebound. So, one of my favorite shows, Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s bloody masterpiece “Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”, currently playing...

Review: I HATE HAMLET at Phoenix Theatre
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - April 09, 2023

I HATE HAMLET is a delightful romp for Shakespeare aficionados and newbies alike. The witty repartee just keeps coming as playwright Paul Rudnick dishes out great dialogue and some killer one liners. Nothing is funnier than actors making fun of actors, and I HATE HAMLET does it well. Despite its foc...

Review: HAIRSPRAY at Paramount Theater
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - April 05, 2023

HAIRSPRAY is a toe-tapping, dance in your seat, good time show with a message we still need to hear. With an audience who came ready for a party, the show hummed along with enthusiastic support from the crowd. With catchy tunes, over-the-top characters, and energetic dance numbers, HAIRSPRAY is a wh...

Review: 110 IN THE SHADE at Reboot Theatre & Seattle Public Theater
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - April 02, 2023

The theater scene has been as parched as a midwestern prairie waiting for a show like this. And Paris Manzanares is a tall drink of water during a drought. With a magnificent score by composer Harvey Schmidt and lyricist Tom Jones, Reboot Theatre and Seattle Public Theater have found new meaning in ...

Review: EVERY BRILLIANT THING at ACT Theatre
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - March 24, 2023

WEVERY BRILLIANT THING is a show about awareness - awareness of yourself, of others, of obstacles and challenges, of feelings and emotions, and the beauty of life right down to the smallest detail. While framed within the story of darkest depression, the show illuminates how much joy there still is ...

Review: SUITE SURRENDER at As If Theatre
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - March 17, 2023

With a parade of mismanaged guests, lurking press, and plucky staff, SUITE SURRENDER at As If Theatre offers us a classic farce for your enjoyment. The show is a treasure trove of classic tropes and exemplary comedy. With the weight of winter receding into memory, this show invites you in for a good...

Review: BETWEEN TWO KNEES at Seattle Repertory Theatre
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - March 09, 2023

BETWEEN TWO KNEES at Seattle Rep is unlike any other show, mixing shame with amusement into a piece that uses comedy as resistance. The 1491s make the voices of Native Americans heard and choose to do so through comedy. With humor as their weapon, the show takes aim at the violence, abuse, and manip...

Review: DEAR EVAN HANSEN at Paramount Theater
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - March 09, 2023

Powerful, touching, and painfully relevant, DEAR EVAN HANSEN sweeps into Seattle for another run. With haunting melodies, a tight cast, and a modern digital set, the show continues to be the right story at the right time. The messages of love and loss, lies and misunderstanding, and of loneliness an...

Review: A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS at Seattle Opera
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - February 26, 2023

Expectation and electricity spark the air and light the eyes of everyone waiting to witness this moment. With a collaboration of talents from around the world and spanning years of work, Seattle Opera presents the world premiere of A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS. Haunting and beautiful, the story and musi...

Review: INTO THE WOODS at 5th Avenue Theatre
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - February 18, 2023

INTO THE WOODS at 5th Avenue Theatre is loaded with surprises and modern flair. From floor to ceiling and head to toe, this production gives a new look to this timeless fairytale. With humor and heart leading the way, INTO THE WOODS provides a night of intricate storytelling. Whether it is your firs...

Review: THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD at Book-It Repertory Theatre
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - February 13, 2023

WTHE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD at Book-It Repertory Theatre is a delightful romp through the mysterious world of Agatha Christie. The characters are sly with many hidden agendas. The clues are both interwoven in the dialogue and hidden in plain view. Connecting the dots has never been more fun. Audien...

Review: THE SIGN IN SIDNEY BRUSTEIN'S WINDOW at Intiman Theatre
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - February 11, 2023

THE SIGN IN SIDNEY BRUSTEIN’S WINDOW is a complicated story about complex people dealing with complex issues that reveals some simple truths. Ideals and reality clash with reverberating effects. The play forces you to consider your beliefs, commitments, the value of honesty, and what we bring and ta...

Review: SENSE AND SENSIBILITY at Village Theatre
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - February 05, 2023

Love and longing, mistakes and matches, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY pairs all the ups and down and ins and outs of love and marriage in one show. Village Theatre’s production of this Kate Hamill adaptation also pairs the traditional story with exaggerations of the humor and sarcasm. It is light and divert...

Review: HISTORY OF THEATRE: ABOUT, BY, FOR, AND NEAR at ACT Theatre
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - February 03, 2023

A new work by ACT Theatre and the Hansberry Project, HISTORY OF THEATRE: ABOUT, BY, FOR, and NEAR will take you on a journey through time and space to meet the people who forged the foundations for Blacks in theater. The show dispels myths about minstrelsy, delves into the hows and whys of black fac...

Review: METAMORPHOSES at Seattle Repertory Theatre
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - February 02, 2023

Compelling storytelling is the focus of METAMORPHOSES at Seattle Rep. Every choice is made with intention, and every facet of the show is a work of collaboration. The gods, the humans, and the demigods are all shown to have strengths and weaknesses. With stories that reach back into the eons of the ...

Review: THIS BITTER EARTH at Seattle Public Theater
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - January 30, 2023

THIS BITTER EARTH is a story of troubles: a troubled time, troubles in a relationship, but mostly trouble in seeing outside of one’s own perspective. In our modern world where issues of social justice dominate the headlines, our actions and reactions are as varied as the individuals that make up our...

Review: A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE at Taproot Theatre
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - January 28, 2023

A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE is ironically an important work by none other than the esteemed Oscar Wilde. A thinking man’s comedy, Wilde imbues this work with witty banter while challenging society’s norms. The clips along with a steady stream of laughs punctuated by occasions of loud guffaws and eye-po...

Review: AIN'T TOO PROUD at Paramount Theater
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - January 25, 2023

The road to fame is long and hard. AIN’T TOO PROUD guides you through the journey of The Temptations as they reach for the stars. The music is soulful, and the moves are sublime. The journey itself is full of potholes and obstacles, and the show hits a few bumps along the way. The show is a fun nigh...

Review: I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER at Seattle Repertory Theatre
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - January 19, 2023

Every so often a show comes along that moves you in such a way that you are changed. There are some characters that you wish were real and could be part of your life. There are stories that are so good that you don’t want them to end. I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER is that show, has those ch...

Review: BECOMING OTHELLO: A BLACK GIRL'S JOURNEY at Seattle Shakespeare Company
by Jay Irwin - January 07, 2023

Dear Readers, you know I find one person shows to be problematic. Often, they get into maudlin territories and end up being someone else’s therapy on stage. So, I was dubious when Seattle Shakespeare Company announced Debra Ann Byrd’s one woman show “Becoming Othello: A Black Girl’s Journey” to star...

Review: MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL at The Paramount Theatre
by Jay Irwin - December 17, 2022

More. That, Dear Readers, is the watchword the creators of the stage adaption of the 2001 Baz Luhrmann film, “Moulin Rouge!”, subscribed to. They threw in more sparkle wherever they could in this stage musical, currently playing at the Paramount. Unfortunately, they also threw in more songs, more li...

Review: THE FLIGHT BEFORE XMAS from Macha Theatre Works
by Jay Irwin - December 04, 2022

Dear Readers, we all know that travelling during the holidays can be a nightmare. Delayed flights, family drama, not to mention dealing with others attempting their own travels. But as frustrating as it can be, what’s not frustrating is the delightful cast of characters created by Maggie Lee in her ...