HONK! - Seattle Musical Theater

Honk!
Seattle Musical Theater
November 13-29, 2009
Tickets and Information

The onomatopoeically named Honk! is the story of the Ugly Duckling of Hans Christen Andersen fame, retold in a modern musical style by George Stiles (music) and Anthony Drewe (book and lyrics). The musical had its big break ten years ago, when it somewhat surprisingly won England's Olivier award, over more currently well-known shows such as The Lion King and Mamma Mia. Since then, it has been produced all over the world, and is currently showcased by Seattle Musical Theater at their stage in Magnuson Park.

The cast of local actors ably handles the light-hearted ensemble songs, the mournful moments, and the occasional quite complex harmony, conducted by musical director Paul Linnes and his small orchestra. The cast is led by Jeremy Adams as a delightfully awkward Ugly Duckling and is solidly anchored by Dawn Brazel playing Ida, Ugly's mother. Brazel shifts believably from scolding wife to surprised but loving mother, and she is at her best when the pure adoration of her strange son shows through in her singing, whether teaching him to swim or discovering he is missing from the farmyard. Also of note is a jazzy Cat (Jesse Smith), who sports a marvelous mustache and slinky footwork, and shamelessly, but hilariously, hams it up during his songs (especially “Play With Your Food,” as he becomes increasingly frustrated while trying to eat Ugly for lunch).

The entire musical is peppered with in-jokes and animal puns (“come on down and don't be strangers / in our duckyard of free rangers” is only one example). This could get old quickly, but for the fact that director and choreographer Ann Arends never hits too hard with the jokes, keeping the pace light during the humorous moments and not taking the puns seriously. While it shifts in mood and has its share of mournful moments, the play keeps continuously moving and never loses its audience.

Deane Middleton's costume designs are wonderful representations of the animals in the English farmyard and beyond: bustled skirts or tailed jackets imitate the back tail of poultry, wide-rimmed bonnets show beaks, and fluffy white skirts and sleek white suits give us the splendor of the swans, without ever a glimpse of a literal animal costume. Jason Philips' set design is a plethora of cat-tails and a movable bridge, allowing for smaller set pieces to move in and designate places on Ugly's journey with a minimum of fuss, and Richard Schaefer's lighting ably guides the action in each scene.

Honk! is a sweet story, with an almost too-pat ending for the teasing that Ugly endured as a duckling. But the play, and this production, is witty, warm-hearted and sincere, and imparts a lesson we could all stand to learn again: don't judge by appearances, because that awkward duckling just might turn out to be a beautiful swan someday.

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Opus - Seattle Rep

Opus

Seattle Repertory Theater

October 30 - December 6, 2009

Tickets and Information

Michael Hollinger’s Opus begins with the four original members of the Lazara String Quartet, in separate pools of light, each holding their instrument. They speak to us as though each is alone, but their words overlap, come one after another with perfect tempo, and occasionally are spoken in unison—their words played together in concert like their music will be just a moment later.

When the lights return to full stage, the profoundly talented but “unpredictable” violist Dorian (Todd Jefferson Moore) is gone, replaced by Grace (Chelsea Rives), who is auditioning for the empty spot. Opus is the story of that quartet, their ambitions and characters, like their music, distinct but entwined.

Carl, the cellist (Charles Leggett) is the low note, attempting to anchor the group, but with difficulties of his own; Leggett is a master at both subtle gravitas and drought-dry humor, both of which he brings to bear on Carl. Alan, the second violinist (Shawn Belyea) is the most normal of the four, punctuating Grace’s nerves with jokes and a little flirting. Elliot, the first violinist (Alan Fitzpatrick) is high-strung, ambitious and stubborn—and not-so-secretly Dorian’s lover. It is this relationship that is the beginning of the group’s breakdown, and newcomer Grace becomes the catalyst for both revisiting their past and their attempts to move forward. Moore, in his flashback and present-time scenes, invests Dorian with physical grace, slight awkwardness, and a pitch-perfect touch of melancholy, stemming from his “buggy” mind and his deep connection to the music.

Director Braden Abraham uses the Rep’s Leo K. stage and his actors’ talents to great effect. Etta Lilienthal’s simple but versatile set has the pale wood and clean lines of a concert hall, and Abraham’s staging gets the most out of it. L. B. Morse’s light design is a symphony in itself, using deep pools of light, gentle washes, or, perhaps most effectively, a color-tinted scrim against which the actors, swaying to their own music, are silhouetted at the end of scenes. In a play that revolves so closely around music, the sound designer is vastly important, and Matt Starritt rises to the challenge. All the music from the Lazara Quartet is recorded, but it sounds different in each scene, if they are in a house rehearsing or in a vast concert hall. Most impressively, during a rehearsal scene in which the quartet restarts the same five measures three times, those three recordings are subtly but clearly different (an obvious act for a sound designer, perhaps, but one much appreciated by this reviewer and her companion).

Nods must also be given to Michael Jinsoo Lim and Melia Watras, music consultants; their work showed in the obvious reverence each character had for their instrument, the movements of each actor while they “played” those instruments, and the clear understanding the actors had when they spoke of music.

Opus is a one act, but it packs a wallop in those 90 minutes; the scenes and dialogue move at a fast clip, and only slow down for the music itself—like the characters themselves, which occasionally seem to be moving too fast or in the wrong direction, and yet are able to, with their music, create something complex, intimate and beautiful in its mortality.

(Image coming soon!)

Review by Kenna Kettrick

Rock n' Roll - ACT

Rock n’ Roll

ACT – A Contemporary Theatre

October 15 – November 8, 2009

Tickets and Information

As an American city born and bred for musical explosions and dissension, Seattle holds the torch high for her citizens who understand the sentiment of the sixties and seventies. The anti-war demonstrations, the concerts in any available space, the free love and rebellion wave that crashed on the shores of the west coast and soaked every city in one way or another from Seattle to Nantucket. However, take Czechoslovakia and England at the same time and you might tend to overlook the surf of the American wave in the tsunami crashing down on Europe. Total social upheaval, the founding of a politically and socially new way of thinking, let alone living, and all of it encapsulated in some way by the music. Ladies and gentlemen, Tom Stoppard’s Rock n’ Roll.

Matthew Floyd Miller and Jessica Martin. Photo by Chris Bennion, 2009.

Kurt Beattie’s production of Stoppard’s astoundingly philosophical and political drama is a thick production that ought to be seen, read, seen again and discussed if at all possible. The play spans thirty years in the lives of several rebels and philosophers in Europe from the sixties to the early nineties in just ten minutes shy of three hours. Make no mistake: this is a challenging play that cannot be taken lightly and, incidentally, should not be missed.

Rock n’ Roll, as the title suggests, is driven by the music that drove the thinkers in their time. Matthew Floyd Miller brilliantly embodies the character Jan (pronounced like YAWN) in this essential manner. On the other side of the coin, Anne Allgood plays Eleanor and the adult Esme (pronounced like S-MET) with such heartbreaking passion as would make the stones weep. Along with Miller and Allgood is an absolutely outstanding cast of some of Seattle’s finest actors.

Behind the scenes, much work must be done on a show such as this. With a full half-page of the program dedicated to music credits, Brendan Patrick Hogan (sound design) had his work cut out for him and excels beyond expectation. Similarly, Kurt Beattie had no easy task laid out for him in directing such an ambitious piece. Not to put too fine a point on it, the script can easily read as an historical account of opposing philosophies that happens to be written in intensely passionate and clever dialogue. It takes a strong director with an energetic, intelligent and intensely dedicated cast to take a piece like Rock n’ Roll and bring it to life as Beattie and the cast and crew of this production do.

Rock n’ Roll truly is a spectacular show that will not come around often. Its relevance to our current political and socio-economic situation is irrefutable and, therefore, lends itself well to the zeitgeist we all currently share. Brush up on your Marx and Pink Floyd and put your thinking caps on because it is, very much so, a wild ride.

Review by Andrew J. Perez

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat--5th Ave

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
The 5th Avenue Theatre
October 10-November 1, 2009
Tickets and Information

The 5th Ave offers a night of care-free entertainment with the opening of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the musical brainchild of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Though the story is straight from the Bible it is told quite untraditionally through a pastiche of musical styles and references, with everything from western hoedowns to reggae.

Photo by Christ Bennion.

Joseph is clearly the favorite son of Jacob, much to the chagrin of his 11 brothers. Born with the gift of interpreting dreams, Joseph is lavished with gifts and praise by his blissfully oblivious father. The brothers have had enough, so they sell Joseph into slavery and tell Jacob his favorite is dead. Through a series of unfortunate events, Joseph ends up imprisoned by the Egyptian Pharaoh, but Joseph successfully interprets the Pharaoh's dreams and quickly rises to second in command. When his 11 brothers unknowingly come begging for mercy and food, Joseph works his way arounf to forgiveness.

Anthony Federov, a former American Idol finalist, does respectably as the ever-optimistic dreamer Joseph (singing is clearly his gift; acting, not so much). Jennifer Paz commands attention as the Narrator with crystal-clear vocals and personality galore. But the stand-out performances go to Joseph's 11 brothers (too many to name--just go see them!) who strike the perfect balance between comedy and earnestness, especially in the cigarette-filled wails of "Those Canaan Days". Rounding out the cast is a chorus of children (finely tuned and obviously excited to be onstage--Seattle theatre is in no short supply of young talent).

Photo by Christ Bennion.

A show as technically heavy as this one takes a production team with lots of skill and drive. The set, designed by Martin Christoffel, provides an efficient use of space that serves all the action and foot traffic well. mark Thompson's costumes sparkle with appropriately bright colors and are rightly influenced by the endless party that was the 1970s (or so I'm told). Tom Sturge's lights are a powerful force, gently and not-so-gently coaxing the audience into the dance party atmosphere. At the helm of this technical disco extravaganze is James Rocco, the director. Rocco showcases the performers' heart and effort, which makes the cheesiness and good-natured fun worthwhile. Jayme McDaniel's choreography is creative and entertaining.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is much like cotton candy. There isn't much need for it all the time, but it is a fun and welcome addition to any diet--not to mention its's kid-friendly. Word to the wise: those who are sensitive to strobe lights should be wary!!!

Review by Kacey Shiflet.

Abe Lincoln in Illinois - INTIMAN

Abe Lincoln in Illinois

INTIMAN

Tickets and Information

October 2 – November 15, 2009

When American citizens think of common men, Abraham Lincoln is probably the furthest thing from anyone’s mind. As the sixteenth president of our country, the man who ended slavery and a man who was gunned down by a disgruntled actor who, to this day, no one is quite sure of all of his motives, Lincoln is, by all accounts, a true American Hero. However, what of the man behind the beard? What struggles did he have as a young man and how on earth did he end up in the White House? Robert E. Sherwood answers the call in this fantastically engaging epic play.

Erik Lochtefeld and R. Hamilton Wright. Photo by Chris Bennion 2009.

No smoke and mirrors here: Abe Lincoln in Illinois is a long play. With three acts, two intermissions and clocking in as (with intermissions included) a three hour adventure, it’s a long play. However, never once does it drag and never once does it bore. Sherwood’s script is highly entertaining and, though we all know how the story will eventually end, the bumps along the way keep the audience engaged every minute of the show.

Sheila Daniels takes this seventy-year old, Pulitzer Prize winning play and runs with it. Her direction and staging with her nineteen-member cast is very effective and the vaguely-metatheatrical script lends itself well to Daniels’ somewhat presentational staging tactics. Along with Daniels is a creative team to make any theatre veteran swoon. From the highly evocative set design (Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams) to the moving original compositions (Gretta Harley, Music Direction by John Ackermann) to the gentle suggestions from the lighting design (L.B. Morse), the creative team is, in and of itself, an all star cast.

Similarly, the knock-out cast of performers is one to get any Seattle theatre-goer giddy with recognition. R. Hamilton Wright as Stephan A. Douglas, Mary Jane Gibson as Mary Todd Lincoln (the Todd with two D’s), and other outstanding performances from Hans Altwies, Kate Wisniewski and many more create a every exciting world. Erik Lochtefeld, not unfamiliar to Seattle’s theatre scene (Seattle Rep’s Metamorphoses and The Secret in the Wings) presents Abe Lincoln as no one knows him: simply a man. Born at the bottom of the barrel and working his way up, mostly against his will, from private lessons with a generous school teacher in the wee hours of the night to the front steps of the White House, Lochtefeld’s Lincoln is the kind of guy with whom no one is unfamiliar. He has no trouble entertaining a crowd but is deeply troubled by challenges with women. He is a great pacifist but will lay a man out if the need arises. He’s the kind of guy you want to have a beer with but if he gets going, you may need to find a new table. He’s fully human.

In an age when our African-American President – who is trying desperately to get our country back on track with what is important to us all, who is presented with an extremely generous Nobel Peace Prize and who is swimming completely against the wake left by his predecessor – is in office during Lincoln’s Bicentennial year, Sherwood’s play could not come at a better time.

Review by Andrew J. Perez

The 39 Steps--Seattle Rep

The 39 Steps
Seattle Repertory Theatre
September 25-October 24, 2009
Tickets and Information

The first impression is everything. As far as theatre goes, the first production in a season sets the tone for the rest of the year. This considered, Seattle audiences are in good hands this year at the Seattle Rep who began their season tonight with The 39 Steps.

Photo by Craig Schwartz.

Brought to the stage in conjunction with the La Jolla Playhouse, The 39 Steps is a fast-paced comedy based on Alfred Hitchcock’s film and the book, both of the same name. Richard Hannay (Ted Deasy) is a lonely yet charmingly handsome type who suddenly finds himself accused of a murder, on the run from police and in pursuit of unknown foreign spies who have “the answers”. Along the way he meets Irish farmers, possible love interests, and curious men standing under lampposts in trench coats, all played hilariously by Claire Brownell, Eric Hissom and Scott Parkinson. As if that weren’t recipe enough for mayhem, the play embraces every single characteristic of Hitchcock’s filmmaking in a refreshingly self-deprecating and yet reverent way.

The stellar cast of four (with a special cameo by a ninth hand in the final scene) has obvious fun blasting through this whirlwind of a play. With so much going on non-stop, it takes a lot of chemistry and trust to pull it off. Deasy is schmoozy, charismatic and daring in all the right ways as Richard Hannay. Brownell is captivating as Hanney’s various love crossings. Working in tandem, Hissom and Parkinson steal every scene with lightning-fast quick changes (some you see, some you don’t) and endless bursts of energy.

Photo by Craig Schwartz.

For all of the accents and grand gestures, the ensemble would be nothing without the support of a spot-on technical team. Peter McKintosh’s sets and costumes stand up to the beating they take through the course of the production in a stylish, 1930s fashion. The lighting, done by Kevin Adams, is a creative homage to classic noir cinema. Mic Pool’s sound design uses only period and Hitchcock film music in a soundtrack that quickly takes the audience back to another time. In the center of the controlled chaos is director Maria Aitken. Every moment is choreographed and shaped perfectly to garner maximum laughs.

The 39 Steps is a golly good choice for an evening out on the town, especially during this time where laughs are much needed. It will entertain and thrill even those who live under a rock and have never enjoyed a classic suspense thriller. Hitchcock would be pleased.

Review by Kacey Shiflet.

Runt of the Litter--ACT

Runt of the Litter

ACT

September 18-October 11, 2009

Tickets and Information

If ever football has been both warlike and poetic, it is in Runt of the Litter, now playing at ACT. Former NFL player turned writer/actor Bo Eason plays Jack Henry: the ultimate underdog who has battled adversity, a more talented older brother and four knee surgeries to get a chance at playing in the Super Bowl. While preparing for the playoff game before the Super Bowl, he tells stories of how his childhood dream of making it into the NFL transformed into a life-long quest of pushing the boundaries of physical possibility and outside expectation.

Photo by Chris Bennion.

Definitely not the typical athlete turned actor, Bo Eason commands the stage with confidence and determination, allowing the audience to experience both his inner primitive warrior and the shy and wide-eyed 9 year old within.

The technical elements of the production played a good supportive game to Eason’s storytelling. Martin Christoffel’s scenic design, in conjunction with Alex Berry’s lighting and Bruce Ellman’s sound design, created a space in which the mood could change from touching to menacing as quickly as Eason could run (25 miles an hour, he says repeatedly).

Like a good coach, director Larry Moss channels Eason’s brute strength and stamina into a powerhouse of a show. Bursts of energy are blended in with tender moments of emotion that keep the performance moving swiftly through its hour and a half entirety. Under Moss’ guiding hand, Eason’s heart and spirit are showcased right alongside his locker-room dance moves.

Photo by Christ Bennion.

Runt of the Litter looks at football not as “just a game” but as an almost Spartan lifestyle full of injuries in battle and a disregard for the point when human nature says no. Here, the hero is carted off the field on a stretcher and the hardworking everyman has already locked his sights on his next target.

Review by Kacey Shiflet.

Das Barbecu--ACT

Das Barbecü
ACT
July 31st-September 6th, 2009
Tickets and Information

When Richard Wagner created his operatic masterpiece The Ring series, the last thing he could have imagined was his tale of grandiose gods, heroic mortals, and mythical creatures being reincarnated into a honky-tonk Country Western soap opera, chalk full of catchy tunes and dance numbers. Alas, such a show not only exists but succeeds in entertaining audiences for the second time at ACT since its commissioning 18 years ago: Das Barbecü.

Don’t know the synopsis of The Ring? That’s alright; it’s too lengthy and involved to describe here, and it’s all laid out for you within the first minute and a half of the show. Basically, intertwined families and lovers struggle with getting what they want, whether that be love, peace and quiet, or a gold ring that has both great power and a great curse attached to whoever possesses it. All this is set somewhere in Texas where dwarves are conniving criminals, giants are kind general contractors, and barbecue is roasted in a six foot deep pit.

Photo by Chris Bennion.

The mood is quickly put in place by the uncompromisingly outrageous costumes and innovative set, both (amazingly) designed by David Zinn. Every vom is used and every inch of stage space is milked; not to mention the mechanical trapdoor is cleverly used for maximum efficiency and effect. Alex Berry's lighting design has its epic moments worthy of an operatic production.The costumes enhance the exaggerated characters but never steal the spotlight from the wonderful performances of the actors.

The dozens of characters that flitter across the stage are played amusingly by a cast of just five: Anne Allgood, Carter J. Davis, Jennifer Sue Johnson, Billie Wildrick, and Richard Ziman. All five manage to give a distinct flair to the handful of personas they each inhabit through the course of the evening (the costume changes and acting choices are so crisp, it’ll take you half of Act 1 to realize the people don’t just happen to look alike).

Photo by Chris Bennion.

With a show so jam-packed with harried costume switches and hurried exits and entrances, it takes a grounded director to keep the production train from going off the rails; Stephen Terrell (who also serves double duty as the choreographer) fits the bill impressively. For all the cheesiness that comes along with a slapstick country opera, Terrell exposes the heart and humanity lying just beneath the layers of tulle and teased hair.

Das Barbecü takes Wagner’s fifteen hour behemoth of an opera and affectionately molds it into an accessible, laugh-filled production that connects with its audience—even those who know little about The Ring, or opera in general.


Review by Kacey Shiflet

Catch Me if You Can--5th Ave

Catch Me if You Can
5th Avenue Theatre
July 23rd-August 16th
Tickets and Information

There’s something special about the opening night of a new show. Neither the waiting audience nor the frantic theater employees quite know what will happen. They bustle around in anticipation of the night’s surprises; hoping and dreaming about the possibilities. Tonight, the 5th Ave brought us this energy outside and inside the theater with the world premiere of Catch Me if You Can.

This new musical takes its story from the true life accounts of one Frank Abagnale Jr. who by the age of 21 had swindled over $2 million by impersonating a Pan Am pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer. After his parents’ divorce, Frank runs away from home in the hopes of finding the resources to reunite his family. In the process of pretending to be someone else he ends up discovering love, acceptance, and purpose. This show puts a new spin on a plot that has been told in Abagnale’s own words and a movie of the same name.

The whole production is built around the idea that the world is Frank’s own personal variety show. All the theatrical elements recreate the essence of the classic, all-out productions that peppered television in the 1960s and 70s. Though accurate in its homage to that era, the production never lost connection to its modern audience. David Rockwell’s cleverly simplistic set seamlessly propelled the audience along with Frank on his adventures. Bob Mackie, being a legend in himself, created costumes with flair and pizzazz. Holding it all together onstage, the band, under the direction of John McDaniel, becomes a supporting character in its own right.

The entire ensemble electrifies. It doesn’t matter if steps are missed or lines are lost due to microphone malfunctions; the energy vibrated through the theater. Aaron Tveit plays a captivating and honest Frank Jr., effectively balancing both the charismatic and troubled sides of a complicated teenager. As FBI agent Carl Hanratty, Norbert Leo Butz breathes charm and life into the character that brings reality to Frank’s fantasy. Kerry Butler shines as the sweet young nurse who finally slows Frank down long enough to see what is really important in his life.

Under the skilled direction of Jack O’Brien, the show dazzles and entertains while still maintaining a purposeful focus on Frank’s story. Jerry Mitchell’s inventive choreography shapes many of the memorable moments of the show. The artistic styling of both the directing and choreography, along with all other production elements, works cohesively to enhance the night’s experience.

In short, Catch Me if You Can is one of the best shows you will see all year. Buy your ticket now, and “catch” this premiere event in Seattle before it flies away to Broadway.


Review by Kacey Shiflet and Andrew Swanson