Sunday, January 28, 2007

Travesties - Seattle Public Theater

Travesties
Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse
Runs Through February 11, 2007
Tickets and Information

What is art? What is an artist? And what does it mean to be an artist in wartime? Tom Stoppard’s wittily profound play Travesties tackles this pertinent question through the somewhat confused memories of Henry Carr, an elderly man who served as a British government official in Zurich, Switzerland in 1917. His memories of the political and historical events of that time, however, are irrevocably intermixed with his memories of playing “the other one” (that is, Algy), in Oscar Wilde’s Importance of Being Ernest.

Cecily and Gwendolen appear of course, a little different from their roles in Wilde; Gwendolen is Henry’s sister, and is helping James Joyce, the limerick writer from Dublin, compose his masterpiece. Cecily is the communist librarian at the Zurich library, intent on assisting Lenin with his own research. Henry’s friend Tristan Tzara, the Dadaist, is courting Gwendolen, though pretending to be his older brother Jack when at the library, because Lenin hates Dada. Henry, in disguise as “Jack’s” younger brother Tristan, attempts to seduce Cecily into giving up political secrets on Lenin. The plot of Ernest, clearly, is used liberally, but always with Stoppard’s own twist, that adds layers of meaning. Shakespeare is quoted and alluded to with abandon, as is Dada, Marx, Joyce, and postmodern theory, to name just a few.

It is a complex play, not only for the language and ideas, but for the impeccable timing needed, both onstage and off, to make it work. Although Seattle Public Theater is small, it is always up to the task of challenging theater, and this is no exception. The technical aspects of the play need to support the script faultlessly, and they do. Sean P. Begley’s colorful light design, and Evan Middlesworth’s sound design and composition, play into the production exactly as they should—to support and help tell the story. (A kudos should also be thrown in for the people who run the lights and sound during the shows, who are a vital part of it.) Pete Rush’s costume design and Richard Lorig’s set design are not too detailed, but are evocative (to the right extent; too much detail would overwhelm in such a small space).

The actors are a talented group, every one of them throwing themselves into the play with gusto under Susanna Wilson’s capable and sharp direction. Gavin Cummins, as Henry Carr, leads the audience through the play as a bumbling but loveable character, the perfect foil for the rest of the odd group. Cecily (Tracy Repep) and Gwendolen (Hana Lass), particularly during the play’s oddly fitting musical number (parodying Ernest’s tea scene), create full, crisply acted characters; and Repep’s commitment to her character shows during Cecily’s striptease in the library, to a recitation of Marxist ideals—it could easily become ludicrous, but Repep keeps it within the admittedly hilarious bounds of the play. Frank Lawler as Tristan Tzara and Jon Lutyens as James Joyce argue constantly about the nature of art—from completely different positions, but so convincingly that one wants to believe both. Therese Diekhans, as Lenin’s wife Nadya, lightens up Dennis Kleinsmith’s stern but impassioned Lenin. Kleinsmith also plays Carr’s butler Bennett, a completely different character—crisp, scornful, and hilarious, a perfect parody of, and homage to, every all-too-knowing butler in English literature.

Ultimately it is a play about the veracity of memory (and whether it matters); about what things mean, and whether we, using language, can change that meaning; and about the place of the artist in the world. To get full enjoyment out of the evening you may want to not only brush up on your Shakespeare, but also your Wilde, and possibly your World War One history. Stoppard writes very witty plays for highly literate people; he demands attention and awareness from an audience, but if you give that attention, you will be amply rewarded with a cleverly written and admirably acted play.

Review by Lia Morgan

Friday, January 26, 2007

Weekly Update 1/26/2007

The Moore Theater
Tickets and Info
Altar Boyz >February 6 - 11, 2007

ACT Theater

Home page for Ticket Info
Menopause the Musical >running through May 28, 2007
Late Night Catechism >running through August 2007

Seattle Shakespeare Company
Tickets and Info
The Comedy of Errors >January 4 - January 28, 2007

Seattle Repertory Theater
Tickets and Info
The Lady from Dubuque >January 11 -– February 10, 2007
The Blue Door >February 1 - March 4, 2007

Seattle Opera
Tickets and Info
Don Giovanni >January 13 - 27, 2007

University of Washington
Tickets and Info
The Bacchael >January 28 - February 11, 2007

Friday, January 19, 2007

Weekly Update 1/19/2007

ACT Theater
Home page for Ticket Info
Menopause the Musical >running through May 28, 2007
Late Night Catechism >running through August 2007

Seattle Shakespeare Company
Tickets and Info
The Comedy of Errors >January 4 - January 28, 2007

Seattle Repertory Theater
Tickets and Info
The Lady from Dubuque >January 11 -– February 10, 2007

Seattle Opera
Tickets and Info
Don Giovanni >January 13 - 27, 2007

University of Washington
Tickets and Info
The Bacchael >January 28 - February 11, 2007

Thursday, January 18, 2007

The Lady From Dubuque - Seattle Repertory Theatre

Seattle Repertory Theatre
Runs January 11 - February 10, 2007
Tickets Online or by phone at 206-443-2222

The ultra naturalism of Edward Albee's The Lady from Dubuque floors the audience with a terribly tense situation of friends and enemies disguised as whatever the others decide that they are while everyone accepts the fact that no one is happy with one another, yet no one tries to change anything. As Sam (Charlie Matthes) and his wife Jo (Carla Harting) attempt to entertain their friends, everyone's not-so-well-hidden hatred of each other comes out in frighteningly accurage gushes. Jo's experience, however, is much more viceral as will be shown throught the duration of the production.

Edward Albee's script is a remarkably precise depiciton of pseudo-friends pretending not to hate each other while trying to play trivial drinking games during a tense night of inevitable drunken outbursts that had previously only minimally been held back. The truth of the lines and the truth in the delivery of them on the part of the actors brings this play to a kind of life that is rarely seen on the stage. David Esbjornson's direction electrifies this play with simple honesty. After directing Tony Award-winning The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?, The Play About the Baby and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (all by Edward Albee), his experience with the naturalistic honesty of Albee's writing is very evident and appreciated.

Elizabeth Hope Clancy's costumes with set and lights by (respectively) John Arnone and James F. Ingalls give a somewhat sterilized hospital-like feeling to the environment while popping each character out of the simple world of the set with very specific costumes. The use of certain colors can be followed throughout the play as a constant theme (such as the use of pink and white) and the very subtle changes in the lighting, though nearly imperseptible, give the play a very at-home feeling, adding greatly to the realism of the performance.














Carla Harting and Charlie Matthes Photo by Chris Bennion 2007


Myra Carter, playing Elizabeth, and Frank X, playing Oscar, leap forth from the unknown outside world of The Lady From Dubuque in the transition from Act one to Act two. Their outlandish lines may confuse at first, but once one begins to see their identities, one can begin to see their honesty. Carla Harting as Jo and Charlie Matthes as Sam also stand out a great deal in their portrayal of the struggle against time. Fighting to go in different directions, their battle against the unstoppable inevitabile is both painful and breattaking to witness.

If you're feeling like seeing a play that will make you think hard and will show you all of the hidden truths that we've all felt about some of the people in our lives, then The Lady from Dubuque is the one to see.

Review by Nigel Andrews

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Weekly Update - 1/12/2007

ACT Theater
Home page for Ticket Info
Menopause the Musical >running through May 28, 2007
Late Night Catechism >running through August 2007

Seattle Shakespeare Company
Tickets and Info
The Comedy of Errors >January 4 - January 28, 2007

Seattle Repertory Theater
Tickets and Info
The Lady from Dubuque >January 11 -– February 10, 2007
The Blue Door >February 1 – March 4, 2007

Seattle Opera
Tickets and Info
Don Giovanni >January 13 - 27, 2007

Paramount Moore Theater
Tickets and Info
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee >January 9 - 14, 2007

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Don Giovanni - Seattle Opera

Seattle Opera at McCaw Hall
January 13 - 27, 2007
Tickets Online
or by Phone at: Local: (206) 389-7676 or Toll-Free (out of area only): (800) 426-1619

The classic story of Don Juan, the sexcapading prankster of lore, comes to life in a myriad of manners in Seattle Opera's Don Giovanni. Mozart's operatic creation brings four complete opposing love stories together to challenge and devour each other in a lustful and ongoing battle. Don Giovanni, Mozart's Don Juan, continues his molestation of the women of the world while his servant, Leporello, keeps tracks of the thousand plus women with whom Don Giovanni has made love. After a thrilling turn of events, Don Giovanni is chased by a forlorn past lover, Donna Elvira, still in love with her runaway bridegroom. Add into the equation Donna Anna, the broken-hearted daughter of one of Don Giovanni's slain victims, and her one-track-minded fiance, Don Ottavio, the story gets wild. It's not done there, though. After crashing a wedding, Don Giovanni and Leporello now have Masetto, the jealous husband of Don Giovanni's new attraction, Zerlina, and Zerlina after Don Giovanni's head. How can it all end? Only the powers that be can, and will, tell.

As has been proven to be expected in the past, the set for Don Giovanni is absolutely outstanding. Robert A. Dahlstrom's construction keeps the foreboding darkness of the Don's sexual reign overshadowing the stage throughout the performance. With glimmers of light, whether for show or for poignancy, the set brings the characters and the arena in which they are held to life. Marie-Therese Cramer's costume design augments the gorgeous set remarkably well. The way the colors all blend and burst illuminates each and every character in a fully caricaturized and yet realistic manner.

Chris Alexander's direction of the cast brings the third point to the trifecta of creators mentioned here who collaborated on this production. The subtleties of certain lines and the overbearing sexual visuals given to the audience repeatedly and blatantly balance the show in an unexpected way. With such a strong sexual theme in the plot and libretto, one need not necessarily put it on stage. However, Alexander does not hold back for prudence's sake . He allows the audience to see the terror that Don Giovanni inflicts upon his lust's targets, adding an increased sense of urgency and violence to the mood of the play, much to the delight of the audience.

With talent on stage to be celebrated with "Brava's!" and ovations lifted, every element of this production comes together. Although, at times, a duet may loose its fire or an aria may fall momentarily emotionally flat, the vibrancy and life of these characters is a marvelous spectacle.

Review by: Nigel Andrews

Teenspeak: Please Hold

Seattle Repertory Theatre & Roosevelt High School

Four Shows. One night. This is what the enthusiastic audience of students, parents and faculty experienced. However, for a group of students at Roosevelt High School, this show meant a great deal more. Beginning in October, four students applied and were chosen to join the Rep in a playwright program. This collaborative project between the Seattle Repertory Theatre and Roosevelt (now in about its 7th year) gives talented students the opportunity to write plays, see them through the rehearsal process and then watch their fellow students actualize their works onstage.

The plays performed, each very unique and artistically different, successfully used minimal set, effective lighting, and clever scriptwriting to convey their story. For one play, the humor of Hades as a compassionate soul and his eventual ejection from hell was effectively presented using a table, chairs, bench and specific props. Lighting took emotional and narrative form in a dramatic portrayal of a family’s dealings with the father’s death. In a play about a women’s fight with her conscious, a set consisted of partitioning the stage into two distant rooms, which instituted an interesting character dynamic and creative space use as she and she traveled between the office and her therapist. Unique and thought provoking scripting techniques were used in the fourth play where deep life issues were influenced by media in the form of TV and literature. In so many ways these dynamic playwrights (Elizabeth Snyder, Lilli Cantwell, Nicky Davis, Hannah Hoffmeyer), the 17 talented actors, and the many others involved in directing, stage-managing, and completing the technical aspects of the show, created a hilarious and moving production.

After the months they spent on Please Hold, and the long, final day at the Rep, beginning at noon, a post show interview expressed the pride and accomplishment that the writers felt having experienced their work produced, onstage, by such a respected theatre. This program is a testament to Roosevelt’s dedication to theatre and will hopefully continue for years to come. Sadly, the 9th was the only chance to see this show; however, the performers from Roosevelt look forward to their spring musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie, which runs May 24th – June 3. Be sure to check it out.

Review By Rick Skyler

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - Paramount

The Paramount Theater
Runs through 1/14
Tickets Online or by Phone: 206-292-ARTS (2787)

If you've seen Spellbound, then you know the extreme stress and intense competition of spelling bees. But what if the spellers were suddenly to break into song? Then you'd have William Finn's (with Rachel Sheinkin and Rebecca Feldman) The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. With a cast of children ranging from chronically congested to chronically arrogant, Spelling Bee, brings out the best and worst in all of the competitors. This show is so much more than spelling words; each word and the bee itself has such powerful significance in each of the childrens' lives - very poignantly illustrating their growth within as people. The emotional rollercoaster of this show takes the audience for a ride in which everyone can relate to many of the unscheduled stops.

However, this show sticks vehemently to no script. Though it is mostly scripted, there is enough ad libbing to keep any improv artist working for days. Every night is a different show with different audience members spelling along side the actors, some even outshining the dictionary itself!

On stage, there are no weak links in this ensemble production. Each character's arc comes through loud and clear to each audience member, occasionally, directly to some audience member or another. Lauren Worsham's work as Olive Ostrovsky brings forth such emotion as the shy, trusting individual that her character embraces that she elicits from the audience the utmost sympathy. Meanwhile, Alan H. Green's performance as Mitch Mahoney the Comfort counselor brought a sense of true enjoyment in doing his work as a performer. One can easily see that he has a lot of fun with this role and especially with the music, allowing the audience to have as much fun as he does.












(from left to right, top to bottom: Sarah Stiles, Miguel Cervantes, Eric Petersen, Katie Boren, Michael Zahler, Lauren Worsham.) Photo Credit: Joan Marcus

James Lapine's directing, as is to be anticipated, is incredible. The subtleties and minutiae of his direction allows the characters to be as real as any person in the audience and yet as pristine and pointed as Jean Valjean's soliloquies. He is supported, of course, by an orchestra led by such a conductor that the orchestra is a second show itself. Jodie Moore's tireless conducting and playing are a feat to be envied by any musician.


Seeing this show is not simply watching players on stage, but experiencing with them the trials with which they struggle and the feats that they must accomplish to live up to expectation, or in some cases, not. The roulette of audience participation adds a great deal to this show and the actors onstage carry the weight of the ad-libbing and their roles with panache. This show is definitely a worthwhile one to espy.

Review By: Nigel Andrews and Jack Jarden

Saturday, January 06, 2007

The Comedy of Errors -Seattle Shakespeare Company

Seattle Shakaespeare Company
@ The Center House Theatre
January 4 - 28, 2007
For Tickets: 206-733-8222 or Online

An enjoyable classic erupts in a pirate-oriented world of absurd comedy amid a myriad of talented actors, unique music and complementing technical aspects. Seattle Shakespeare Company’s portrayal of The Comedy of Errors does exactly what its title implies, creating a world in which characters tumble and stumble through ridiculous situations, much to the delight of the audience. Within the first ten minutes of the play, the exposition is presented. Two sets of twin brothers, separated during a childhood shipwreck, are now inadvertently present in the same town of Ephesus where mistaken identity creates confusion and mayhem for the populace.

This chaos manifests itself in the hilarity of many stylistic choices, beginning with the entrance of the actors in a clamor of music, swords and unique lighting. The original music (Don Darryl Rivera) also brings an air of humor to situations, complimenting the actors and enhancing the story. This music is joined with the actor’s uniquely exaggerated facial expressions and specific movements to leave the audience in a roll of laughter, notably the hilarious moments captured by Adriana (Deborah Fialkow). Each scene finds a way to work simultaneously and artfully with the audience’s reactions.

Photo by John Ulman













The Caribbean style set (Jason Phillips), with its numerous entrances and vantage points, has as many quirks and characteristics as the actors themselves. Many scenes are reminiscent of a Hanna Barbara cartoon, with characters running to and fro, crashing into each other, and peeking out of balcony windows. At the same time, the lights (Tim Wratten) are used to enhance moments, such as Aegeon’s (Gregg Loughridge) storytelling, in which lights dim and flash, complemented by crashing sounds, to give the illusion of stormy night. All of these elements are used to enhance the comedic timing of the piece.

Inherent in every aspect is the unmistakable absurdity of the characters’ circumstances, which bring a hilarity that ties the events together. From a slap-stick chase scene to perfectly timed movements the characters present a world of mayhem culminating in an even more shocking and absurd finale. Join the merriment in the Center House Theatre through January 28th, and don’t miss a special late night cabaret performance in which the actors sing popular songs completely in character.

Reviewed By Jack Jarden and Rick Skyler

Friday, January 05, 2007

Weekly Update 1-5-2007

Happy New Year to all and welcome back to the Seattle Reviews at The Broadway Hour! Here's the weekly update of shows in the Seattle Area coming up soon!

ACT Theater
Home page for Ticket Info
Menopause the Musical >running through May 28, 2007
Late Night Catechism >running through August 2007

Seattle Shakespeare Company
Tickets and Info
The Comedy of Errors >January 4 - January 28, 2007

Seattle Repertory Theater
Tickets and Info
The Lady from Dubuque >January 11 – February 10, 2007

Seattle Opera
Tickets and Info
Don Giovanni >January 13 - 27, 2007

Paramount Moore Theater
Tickets and Info
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee >January 9 - 14, 2007