Seattle Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 8

BWW Review: TIN CAT SHOES from Washington Ensemble Theatre
by Jay Irwin - April 16, 2022

Dear Readers, remember Mad Libs from when we were kids? That little book of puzzles where you would ask for random items from a group in order to fill out a story. And remember how when we got the final result we would laugh and laugh at the ridiculousness of it all? Ever tried to read those agai...

BWW Review: 9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL from Showtunes
by Jay Irwin - April 11, 2022

Dear Readers, if you’ve ever been to a Showtunes show, you know the amount of joy and fun that floods off the stage from those insanely talented performers. And their current production of “9 to 5: The Musical” is no exception....

BWW Review: BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL at The Paramount Theatre
by Jay Irwin - April 09, 2022

Jukebox musicals are a mainstay of the American Musical Theater. They have recognizable hit songs built in and instant appeal for fans. But they’re difficult to get right, needing a good book to incorporate the songs into a cohesive story. Even more difficult is the jukebox bio-musical where they...

BWW Review: DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE at Nordo
by Jay Irwin - April 08, 2022

In the past, Dear Readers, when I’ve attended shows at Nordo there’s been a definite story to accompany the fine dinner within the theme of the show. But last night’s sojourn to their latest show, “Down the Rabbit Hole” brought a few changes I wasn’t expecting....

BWW Review: GHOSTS at the Seattle Rep
by Jay Irwin - April 07, 2022

To say that Henrik Ibsen’s play “Ghosts”, currently playing at the Seattle Rep as translated from the Norwegian by Paul Walsh, is bleak is an understatement to say the least. A play filled with secrets, lies, infidelities, sexual assault, venereal disease, incest, and euthanasia to mention just a f...

BWW Review: MRS. CALIBAN from Book-It Repertory Theatre
by Jay Irwin - March 27, 2022

Dear Readers, I’ve said it before, a good ending of a play can forgive a multitude of sins that came before. But how about a cute beginning of a story that finishes off laying there like a dead fish? Unfortunately, that’s the case with “Mrs. Caliban”, the current offering from Book-It Repertory Th...

BWW Review: THE SPITFIRE GRILL at Taproot Theatre
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - March 26, 2022

Most people associate springtime with hope, a time when things can begin anew. But in Gilead, Wisconsin, the people at the Spitfire Grill look to the majestic beauty of fall colors for their hope. For them the vibrant colors are a reminder that good things come, even when it seems like the chance fo...

BWW Review: THE THIN PLACE at ACT
by Jay Irwin - March 25, 2022

Do you like a good ghost story, Dear Readers? I do. I love it when a creepy tale can make my flesh crawl and jump out of my seat. But there are so few creepy tales on stage. Well, enter Lucas Hnath’s “The Thin Place” currently performing at ACT. Not only is this a truly terrifying tale but it’s...

BWW Review: PIPELINE at Seattle Public Theater
by Jay Irwin - March 22, 2022

Dear Readers, if you’re familiar with Dominique Morisseau’s play, “Pipeline”, currently playing at Seattle Public Theater, you know what a striking play it is. Filled with resonant themes and high intensity moments, the show can knock you off your feet. But more than anything, it’s about real peop...

BWW Review: THIS GIRL LAUGHS, THIS GIRL CRIES, THIS GIRL DOES NOTHING at ArtsWest
by Jay Irwin - March 21, 2022

Dear Readers, I’ve often commented on the basics of any good show, storytelling. Without good storytelling, the ability to spin an engaging tale, then what’s the point of putting up a show? ArtsWest’s current season purports itself to be all about, myths and legends and telling a good story. Well...

BWW Review: TEENAGE DICK at The Seattle Rep
by Jay Irwin - March 10, 2022

The provocative title, “Teenage Dick”, for the current show at the Seattle Rep is giving some people pause while others just find it hilarious. Yes, I’m sure it’s intentionally provocative to get attention and yes, it’s funny. But it’s just the nickname for the main character, Richard, and he is a...

BWW Review: THE BAND'S VISIT at The Paramount Theatre
by Jay Irwin - March 09, 2022

Dear Readers, I want to tell you a story about a show. You probably never heard of it because it’s not very important. Wait! No, it is important, and you should have heard of it. At least since the show in question is the winner of 11 Tony Awards including Best Musical, “The Band’s Visit”, curre...

BWW Review: HOLMES & WATSON at Driftwood Theater
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - March 06, 2022

HOLMES & WATSON at the Driftwood Theater has twists and turns enough to intrigue and laughs enough to delight. With a mystery to solve and suspicious characters at the ready, the audience has plenty to chew on throughout this show. Jeffery Hatcher’s HOLMES & WATSON has the flavor and feel of the ori...

BWW Review: THE BOOK CLUB PLAY at Village Theatre
by Jay Irwin - March 05, 2022

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 med...

BWW Review: SHAKESPEARE: DRUM & COLOURS - AS YOU LIKE IT at Seattle Shakespeare Company
by Jay Irwin - February 27, 2022

Dear Readers, after last week’s less than stellar “Hamlet” from Seattle Shakespeare Company’s “Drum and Colours” series, I was trepidatious to say the least, for this week’s premiere of “Shakespeare: Drum & Colours – As You Like It”. And while there were still some issues I had with the show, thank...

BWW Review: SHAKESPEARE: DRUM & COLOURS - HAMLET from Seattle Shakespeare Company
by Jay Irwin - February 20, 2022

Who? What? Where? Why? These are the questions I wish the current production of “Hamlet” from Seattle Shakespeare Company had been able to answer but sadly did not. As part of their “Drum & Colours” series, which muddied things even more, this “Hamlet” lacked pacing, intent, interesting or effe...

BWW Review: FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME at The Seattle Rep
by Jay Irwin - February 17, 2022

Take the genius that is Lin-Manuel Miranda, add in some delicious improv and shake well and you get the absolute joy that is “Freestyle Love Supreme” currently playing at the Seattle Rep. Think of it like “Hamilton” and “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” had a baby. From the creative minds of Thomas Kail,...

BWW Review: JERSEY BOYS at 5th Ave Theatre
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - February 17, 2022

Friendship, struggles, heartache, and triumph, JERSEY BOYS has it all. The story of four young men from New Jersey that were seeking something beyond the lives their neighborhood afforded, this show takes you through the hills, valleys, and to the mountaintop of success right along with them. And th...

BWW Review: ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE at Tagney Jones Hall
by Erica Miner - February 14, 2022

Bold new production of Christoph Willibald Gluck’s iconic rendering of the classic Greek tragedy...

BWW Review: THE FIFTH WAVE from Macha Theatre Works
by Jay Irwin - February 12, 2022

Like so many others, Macha Theater Works was in their final rehearsals back in March of 2020 when the pandemic shut everything down. Now, almost two years later they are back at West of Lenin and ready to give us this intense look into a “me too” incident with their World Premiere play “The Fifth W...

BWW Review: THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP at Intiman Theatre
by Jay Irwin - February 11, 2022

There’s certainly a lot than can be said for Intiman Theatre’s current production of Charles Ludlam’s “The Mystery of Irma Vep”. It’s a classic bit of camp from a bygone era starring two very funny performers (Jesse Calixto and Helen Roundhill), and directed by Jasmine Joshua, a fantastic performer...

BWW Review: HOTTER THAN EGYPT at ACT
by Jay Irwin - February 04, 2022

Seattle has been honored with a number of new works from Seattle based author and ACT Core Company member Yussef El Guindi. Each one examining cultural differences that face immigrants especially Arab-Americans and Muslim Americans. And while his current World Premiere at ACT, “Hotter Than Egypt”,...

BWW Review: DISNEY'S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST at The 5th Avenue Theatre
by Jay Irwin - January 30, 2022

There are two words that explain why “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” worked so well as the stunning animated film it is and why it was able to be transferred so well to the stage, Howard Ashman....

BWW Review: SEE HOW THEY RUN at Taproot Theatre
by Kelly Rogers Flynt - January 30, 2022

In a world full of conflict, division, and uncertainty, there is a lot to worry about. As the pandemic continues, we wonder if we will ever get back to normal. It’s been a very hard couple of years and now more than ever, I’m feeling the need for a reprieve - just a moment to forget all of the outsi...

BWW Review: MALA at Seattle Public Theater
by Jay Irwin - January 29, 2022

A one-woman show is not easy. A show chronicling the loss of a loved one is even harder. To put the two together is a herculean task. But Melinda Lopez’s “Mala”, currently playing at Seattle Public Theater, attempts just that. And while at times it comes off as a little overly profound, Lopez an...