Review: THE FANTASTICKS at Village Theatre
Pop quiz, Dear Readers. What is the world’s longest running musical? No, it’s not “Phantom”, that’s the longest running Broadway musical. But if we include Off-Broadway we get the longest run of 42 years and 17,162 performances with Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt’s “The Fantasticks”. And while the current production at Village Theatre dragged a bit at times, this enduring classic still has some fun to offer.
Review: THE HELLO GIRLS at Taproot Theatre
How do you know when a show is really, really good? Often it is something beyond the story, the performance, and the staging that takes you to a place that can only be described as magic. Less than twenty minutes into the show, I leaned over to my theater companion and quietly whispered, “I’m already planning when I can come back.” THE HELLO GIRLS at Taproot Theatre brings the magic in so many ways that you are left breathless with goosebumps on your skin, a tear in your eye, and a song in your heart.What did our critic think of THE HELLO GIRLS at Taproot Theatre?
Review: SWEENEY TODD at The 5th Avenue Theatre
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 at the 5th Avenue Theatre, felt like a great choice to dip my toes back in the theatrical waters. And I’m happy to report it was a mostly fantastic return. I say, “mostly” as while it was a super solid production, especially from a tight and gifted ensemble, there was one element, and a rather large one at that, that kept me from being truly immersed in this macabre world. But we’ll come to that in a bit.
SEATTLE CRITIC'S CHOICE AWARDS (JAY'S PICKS) 2022
Dear Readers, I don’t need to tell you, it’s been a crazy year. Many theaters just coming back to life or ramping up again post pandemic. But even with all the chaos, Seattle still comes up with some amazing shows from theaters large and small. Here’s a list of my personal picks for outstanding shows and performers from the past year, 2022.
BWW Review: MAMMA MIA! at Village Theatre
I am aware, Dear Readers, that for some the ABBA jukebox musical “Mamma Mia” is not for them. Maybe they aren’t fans of ABBA or maybe they just don’t like fun but whatever the case, I can unabashedly state that I am NOT one of them.