Friday, January 30, 2009

Weekly Update - 1/30/2009

Seattle University
Tickets On Sale Now!
Romeo and Juliet (directed by Stephanie Shine, Artistic Director for Seattle Shakespeare Company) >February 19 - March 1, 2009

Seattle Shakespeare
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
The Servant of Two Masters >January 8 - February 1, 2009
The Turn of the Screw >January 13 - 28, 2009
The Merchant of Venice >March 12 - April 5, 2009
The Tempest >June 4 - 28, 2009

Taproot Theater Company
SEASON TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Gee's Bend >January 28 - February 28, 2009
Tuesdays With Morrie >March 25 - April 25, 2009
Around the World in 80 Days >March 20 - June 20, 2009
Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming >July 18 - August 15, 2009
Enchanted April >September 25 - October 24, 2009

Seattle Children's Theater
SEASON AND SINGLE TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Tomas and the Library Lady >January 9 - March 1, 2009
Pharaoh Serket and the Lost Stone of Fire >January 30 - March 7, 2009
The Tale of Two Cities >March 20 - April 12, 2009
Goodnight Moon >April 10 - June 14, 2009
I Was a Rat! >May 1 - June 14, 2009

Intiman Theater
ALL ON SALE NOW
The Year of Magical Thinking
Crime and Punishment
Othello
A Thousand Clowns
American Cycle II

Seattle Repertory Theatre
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
The Road to Mecca >January 15 - February 14, 2009
Betrayal >February 19–March 22, 2009
The Seafarer >February 26 - March 28, 2009
Wishful Drinking >April 2, 2009 - May 3, 2009
Breaking Hearts and Taking Names >April 9-May 10, 2009

ACT Theater
Information Available
2009 SEASON ANNOUNCED:
Rock N Roll
The Break/s
Das Barbecii
Runt of the Litter
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Seattle Opera
ALL ON SALE NOW
Pearl Fishers >January 10 - 24, 2009
Bluebeard's Castle & Erwartung >February 21 - March 7, 2009
Marriage of Figaro >May 2 - 16, 2009

Paramount
TICKETS AVAILABLE
The Lion King >February 11 - March 16, 2009
CATS >April 15 - 19, 2009
Frost Nixon >May 6 - 10, 2009
RENT >June 16 - 21, 2009
Wicked >September 2 - October 4, 2009
August: Osage County >October 27 - November 1, 2009
Fiddler on the Roof >November 27 - December 5, 2009

The 5th Avenue Theatre
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Memphis >January 27 - February 15, 2008, 2009
Hello, Dolly! >March 8 - 29, 2009
Sunday in the Park With George >April 21 - May 10, 2009
Grease >May 12 - 30, 2009 - on sale Feb. 6

__________________________________________________________

Dimitrou's Jazz Alley
Tickets and Information

Want Salon Quality Hair Services for a Fraction of the Cost?
Gary Manuel Aveda Institute

Looking for a Great Read?
Brett Dean McGibbon's Different Fish Bookstore

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Weekly Update - 1/22/2009

Seattle University
Information on Tickets
Romeo and Juliet (directed by Stephanie Shine, Artistic Director for Seattle Shakespeare Company) >February 19 - March 1, 2009

Seattle Shakespeare
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
The Servant of Two Masters >January 8 - February 1, 2009
The Turn of the Screw >January 13 - 28, 2009
The Merchant of Venice >March 12 - April 5, 2009
The Tempest >June 4 - 28, 2009

Taproot Theater Company
SEASON TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Gee's Bend >January 28 - February 28, 2009
Tuesdays With Morrie >March 25 - April 25, 2009
Around the World in 80 Days >March 20 - June 20, 2009
Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming >July 18 - August 15, 2009
Enchanted April >September 25 - October 24, 2009

Seattle Children's Theater
SEASON AND SINGLE TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Tomas and the Library Lady >January 9 - March 1, 2009
Pharaoh Serket and the Lost Stone of Fire >January 30 - March 7, 2009
The Tale of Two Cities >March 20 - April 12, 2009
Goodnight Moon >April 10 - June 14, 2009
I Was a Rat! >May 1 - June 14, 2009

Intiman Theater
ALL ON SALE NOW
The Year of Magical Thinking
Crime and Punishment
Othello
A Thousand Clowns
American Cycle II

Seattle Repertory Theatre
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
The Road to Mecca >January 15 - February 14, 2009
Betrayal >February 19–March 22, 2009
The Seafarer >February 26 - March 28, 2009
Wishful Drinking >April 2, 2009 - May 3, 2009
Breaking Hearts and Taking Names >April 9-May 10, 2009

ACT Theater
Information Available
2009 SEASON ANNOUNCED:
Rock N Roll
The Break/s
Das Barbecii
Runt of the Litter
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Seattle Opera
ALL ON SALE NOW
Pearl Fishers >January 10 - 24, 2009
Bluebeard's Castle & Erwartung >February 21 - March 7, 2009
Marriage of Figaro >May 2 - 16, 2009

Paramount
TICKETS AVAILABLE
The Lion King >February 11 - March 16, 2009
CATS >April 15 - 19, 2009
Frost Nixon >May 6 - 10, 2009
RENT >June 16 - 21, 2009
Wicked >September 2 - October 4, 2009
August: Osage County >October 27 - November 1, 2009
Fiddler on the Roof >November 27 - December 5, 2009

The 5th Avenue Theatre
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Memphis >January 27 - February 15, 2008, 2009
Hello, Dolly! >March 8 - 29, 2009
Sunday in the Park With George >April 21 - May 10, 2009
Grease >May 12 - 30, 2009 - on sale Feb. 6

__________________________________________________________

Dimitrou's Jazz Alley
Tickets and Information

Want Salon Quality Hair Services for a Fraction of the Cost?
Gary Manuel Aveda Institute

Looking for a Great Read?
Brett Dean McGibbon's Different Fish Bookstore

The Road to Mecca-- Seattle Rep

Seattle Repertory Theatre
January 15- February 14 2009
Tickets and Information


As the replacement of Waiting for Godot, the Seattle Rep’s production of The Road to Mecca, written by renowned South African playwright Athol Fugard, successfully opened with a full house and a week of previews under its belt.

The Road to Mecca is a relational drama about a reclusive folk artist and the friendships she has left in 1970s apartheid South Africa. Widowed Miss Helen (Dee Maaske) has spent the last 15 years of her life turning her home into an eccentric collage of beautiful art and statues. While slowly pushing herself further away from the very religious community of Nieu-Bethesda, she has retained companions in two opposing forces: the willful city schoolteacher Elsa (Marya Sea Kaminski) and the traditional village preacher Marius (Terry Edward Moore). In the course of one night, all three very strong personalities collide as they struggle with the question of whether the elderly Helen is still capable of taking care of herself.

Dee Maaske, Terry Edward Moore, Marya Sea Kaminski - Photo by Chris Bennion

As director, Leigh Silverman effectively zooms in on the character’s relationships to highlight the ever-evolving nature of friendship. Each performer is given their due time to develop and react. Dee Maaske’s Helen is the perfect blend of angelic youth and worn stubbornness. Maaske performs with a sincerity that enlivens every moment of tenderness. Marya Sea Kaminski’s Elsa is the definition of the headstrong modern feminist, and she is very proud of it. She somehow strikes a balance between brutal honesty and soft vulnerability. Terry Edward Moore’s Marius is as solid and multifaceted as the religious community he represents. Although moments come when he infuriates us, there are equally as many moments when he touches our hearts.

With so many vivid and accurate pictures of the real Owl House, it would have been easy for the set to have literally outshone the production. Rachel Hauck successfully created a space full of wonder and beauty without upstaging the equally shining performances going on within it. Mary Louise Geiger’s lighting brilliantly enhanced the live candlelight without being over the top. The gradual visualization of the sunset in the background is so subtle and natural that you will temporarily forget you are indoors.

The Road to Mecca is a touching drama that at times may break your heart, but will find a way to mend it—and even make it sparkle. It is a wonderful story about life, and the beauty we can create if we finally decide to live it fully.

Review by Gwynn Garland

Saturday, January 17, 2009

14/48 at ACT's Bullitt Cabaret

Don't forget, ladies and gents, that TONIGHT and SUNDAY are your last chances to see

14/48 The World's Quickest Theater Festival

playing at ACT's Bullitt Cabaret!

Tickets Here!

Weekly Update

Seattle University
Information on Tickets
Romeo and Juliet (directed by Stephanie Shine, Artistic Director for Seattle Shakespeare Company) >February 19 - March 1, 2009

Seattle Shakespeare
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
The Servant of Two Masters >January 8 - February 1, 2009
The Turn of the Screw >January 13 - 28, 2009
The Merchant of Venice >March 12 - April 5, 2009
The Tempest >June 4 - 28, 2009

Taproot Theater Company
SEASON TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Gee's Bend >January 28 - February 28, 2009
Tuesdays With Morrie >March 25 - April 25, 2009
Around the World in 80 Days >March 20 - June 20, 2009
Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming >July 18 - August 15, 2009
Enchanted April >September 25 - October 24, 2009

Seattle Children's Theater
SEASON AND SINGLE TICKETS ON SALE NOW
The Wizard of Oz >November 21, 2008 - January 17, 2009
Tomas and the Library Lady >January 9 - March 1, 2009
Pharaoh Serket and the Lost Stone of Fire >January 30 - March 7, 2009
The Tale of Two Cities >March 20 - April 12, 2009
Goodnight Moon >April 10 - June 14, 2009
I Was a Rat! >May 1 - June 14, 2009

Intiman Theater
ALL ON SALE NOW
The Year of Magical Thinking
Crime and Punishment
Othello
A Thousand Clowns
American Cycle II

Seattle Repertory Theatre
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
The Road to Mecca >January 15 - February 14, 2009
Betrayal >February 19–March 22, 2009
The Seafarer >February 26 - March 28, 2009
Wishful Drinking >April 2, 2009 - May 3, 2009
Breaking Hearts and Taking Names >April 9-May 10, 2009

ACT Theater
Information Available
2009 SEASON ANNOUNCED:
Rock N Roll
The Break/s
Das Barbecii
Runt of the Litter
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Seattle Opera
ALL ON SALE NOW
Pearl Fishers >January 10 - 24, 2009
Bluebeard's Castle & Erwartung >February 21 - March 7, 2009
Marriage of Figaro >May 2 - 16, 2009

Paramount
TICKETS AVAILABLE
The Lion King >February 11 - March 16, 2009
CATS >April 15 - 19, 2009
Frost Nixon >May 6 - 10, 2009
RENT >June 16 - 21, 2009
Wicked >September 2 - October 4, 2009
August: Osage County >October 27 - November 1, 2009
Fiddler on the Roof >November 27 - December 5, 2009

The 5th Avenue Theatre
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Memphis >January 27 - February 15, 2008, 2009
Hello, Dolly! >March 8 - 29, 2009
Sunday in the Park With George >April 21 - May 10, 2009
Grease >May 12 - 30, 2009 - on sale Feb. 6

__________________________________________________________

Dimitrou's Jazz Alley
Tickets and Information

Want Salon Quality Hair Services for a Fraction of the Cost?
Gary Manuel Aveda Institute

Looking for a Great Read?
Brett Dean McGibbon's Different Fish Bookstore

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

The Turn of the Screw - Seattle Shakespeare Company

The Turn of the Screw

Seattle Shakespeare Company

January 13 – January 31, 2009

Tickets and Information


Henry James’ terrifying classic ghost story, The Turn of the Screw (written in 1898) has come to life in many forms. The story has sparked films such as The Innocents, The Nightcomers, In a Dark Place and Turn. Benjamin Britten’s opera The Turn of the Screw has been critically acclaimed since its premier in 1954 and was performed at the Seattle Opera’s Young Artists program in 2006. There has even been a ballet by William Tuckett of this chilling story of reborn lust, abuse and one woman who has to take it all on alone.


John Bogart and Jennifer Sue Johnson. Photo by John Ulman.


Before discussing the production itself, I would like to spend a moment on Jeffery Hatcher, the translator and adaptor of both of Seattle Shakespeare’s current shows. He has worked on and off-Broadway with his adaptation of Tuesdays with Morrie (with Mitch Albom) and many other shows such as Worksong (with Eric Simonson) and Smash based on a George Bernard Shaw novel An Unsocial Socialist. His adaptation of The Turn of the Screw (I cannot speak for The Servant of Two Masters for I have not yet had the pleasure of seeing it) is an amazing feat of textual juggling. In his script, there is a man and a woman. The woman (Jennifer Sue Johnson) plays the Governess assigned to watch over the children Flora and Miles. The man (John Bogart) plays the bachelor who sends her to his niece and nephew, the maid, Mrs. Grose, the boy Miles and the narrator.


Bogart’s switching among the four characters he juggles is amazing. There is never a moment when one wonders who he is at any given moment. The slightest adjustment in his physical presence make it known who he is at any time. Similarly, Johnson’s performance and transformation throughout the show is incredible to watch. As the Governess has to take on more and more of the terror that is the haunted mansion, Johnson’s transformation is palpable. Rita Giomi is much to thank for the magnificent nature of this production. Her direction brought this much beloved and feared story to life in a new way that will chill the audiences.


Technically speaking the show is beautiful from beginning to end. The doubling set (Jason Phillips) is used for both The Turn of the Screw and The Servant of Two Masters and it does its job with grace and practicality. In a city where overzealous sets often cloud the horizon so much that one can hardly see the play that’s happening on stage, Phillips’ set sets the scene, conveys the message and functions wonderfully to house the world of James story as seen through the eyes of Hatcher and Giomi.


Review by Nigel Andrews

Weekly Update 1/13/2009

Seattle University
Information on Tickets
Romeo and Juliet (directed by Stephanie Shine, Artistic Director for Seattle Shakespeare Company) >February 19 - March 1, 2009

Seattle Shakespeare

TICKETS ON SALE NOW
The Servant of Two Masters >January 8 - February 1, 2009
The Turn of the Screw >January 13 - 28, 2009
The Merchant of Venice >March 12 - April 5, 2009
The Tempest >June 4 - 28, 2009

Taproot Theater Company
SEASON TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Gee's Bend >January 28 - February 28, 2009
Tuesdays With Morrie >March 25 - April 25, 2009
Around the World in 80 Days >March 20 - June 20, 2009
Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming >July 18 - August 15, 2009
Enchanted April >September 25 - October 24, 2009

Seattle Children's Theater
SEASON AND SINGLE TICKETS ON SALE NOW
The Wizard of Oz >November 21, 2008 - January 17, 2009
Tomas and the Library Lady >January 9 - March 1, 2009
Pharaoh Serket and the Lost Stone of Fire >January 30 - March 7, 2009
The Tale of Two Cities >March 20 - April 12, 2009
Goodnight Moon >April 10 - June 14, 2009
I Was a Rat! >May 1 - June 14, 2009

Intiman Theater
ALL ON SALE NOW
The Year of Magical Thinking
Crime and Punishment
Othello
A Thousand Clowns
American Cycle II

Seattle Repertory Theatre
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
The Road to Mecca >January 15 - February 14, 2009
Betrayal >February 19–March 22, 2009
The Seafarer >February 26 - March 28, 2009
Wishful Drinking >April 2, 2009 - May 3, 2009
Breaking Hearts and Taking Names >April 9-May 10, 2009

ACT Theater
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
A Christmas Carol >November 28 - December 27, 2008
2009 SEASON ANNOUNCED:
Rock N Roll
The Break/s
Das Barbecii
Runt of the Litter
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Seattle Opera
ALL ON SALE NOW
Pearl Fishers >January 10 - 24, 2009
Bluebeard's Castle & Erwartung >February 21 - March 7, 2009
Marriage of Figaro >May 2 - 16, 2009

Paramount
COLOR PURPLE ON SALE NOW
MORE TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THIS LINK
The Lion King >February 11 - March 16, 2009
CATS >April 15 - 19, 2009
Frost Nixon >May 6 - 10, 2009
RENT >June 16 - 21, 2009
Wicked >September 2 - October 4, 2009
August: Osage County >October 27 - November 1, 2009
Fiddler on the Roof >November 27 - December 5, 2009

The 5th Avenue Theatre
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers >December 3 - 28, 2008
Memphis >January 27 - February 15, 2008, 2009
Hello, Dolly! >March 8 - 29, 2009
Sunday in the Park With George >April 21 - May 10, 2009
Grease >May 12 - 30, 2009 - on sale Feb. 6

__________________________________________________________

Dimitrou's Jazz Alley
Tickets and Information

Want Salon Quality Hair Services for a Fraction of the Cost?
Gary Manuel Aveda Institute

Looking for a Great Read?
Brett Dean McGibbon's Different Fish Bookstore

New Upcoming Works and News!

14/48 The World's Quickest Theater Festival
January 16 - 17 at 8 and 10:30pm at ACT's Bullitt Cabaret

Taproot Theater
Gee's Bend by Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder, Directed by Karen Lund
January 28 - February 28, 2009
A spiritual journey of several women in Gee's Bend, Alabama where discarded rags and scraps are pieced together into magnificent works of art.

Ear to the Ground with Theater Off Jackson
Not All Clowns Are Bozos: an evening of theatrical clown performances
January 15, 16, 17 at 8:00pm

ACT Central Heating Lab
p2: Project Two
January 22 - 24 at 8:00pm

5th Avenue
Memphis
January 27 - February 15, 2009
Hello, Dolly!
March 7 - 29, 2009

_____________________
ACT Announces 2009 Season!
Mainstage Season:
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde >April 10 - May 10, 2009
Below the Belt >May 22 - June 21, 2009

Hansberry Project:
the break/s >June 17 - July 12, 2009

Das Barbecii >July 31 - September 6, 2009
Runt of the Litter >September 18 - October 11, 2009
Rock 'n' Roll >October 9 - November 8, 2009

Special Offer to Subscribers Only!
(Playing at the Paramount)
August: Osage County >October 27 - November 1, 2009
_______________________________
Seattle Shakespeare Company announces that Groundlings get Great Deals!
> Groundings can acquire day-of rush tickets or extremely low-priced Subscription Packages! this will become available on January 17th! Here's how it works:
a patron can purchase a limited, pay-what-you-will Groundling subscription ($20 minimum) that includes a Sunday evening ticket to the remaining fou productions in the season.
Or
For $5 they can sing up to beocome a Groundling member who can purcahse $10 day-of rush tickets. Both options, of course, have limited availability.
Visit www.seattleshakespeare.org for more information!