Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Once On This Island musical at Tacoma Musical Playhouse w/ the 1st live band since the 2019! Novel tribal-like choreography. Excellent Mother. Refreshing diverse tropical vibes desperately needed in the cloudy PNW winter.
Synopsis from the Theatre: From the Tony Award-winning songwriting team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Seussical, Ragtime), comes the Olivier Award-winning Once on This Island. This highly original and theatrical Caribbean adaptation of the popular fairy tale, The Little Mermaid, garnered eight Tony nominations for its Broadway run, including Best Musical, Book and Score.
Reviewed Performance: 1/13/23 Opening Night
Type:Musical
World Premiere: No
Awards: Olivier Award
Live Band/Orchestra: Yes – This was the first live band at TMP since the beginning of the pandemic. It significantly improved the caliber of the production compared to the shows that utilized an accompaniment recording.
Recommendation: See it if you like tropical genres like Tarzan or The Jungle Book
Was This the First Time I Saw a Production of this Show: No, I previously saw this from Ludus Performing Arts
Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now: Yes, if it was an Equity production
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: Zero
Length: 2 hours
Intermission: Yes
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
Voices: LaNita Hudson Walters was my favorite performer from this production especially with her distinct voice. She portrayed Mama Euralie, a gristly old Caribbean peasant woman. Honorable mention to Chanel Finnie (Asaka godess of Earth) and Jadyn Muralt (Ti Moune the main character) as well.
Rant(s)
Death Explanation: The script doesn’t adequately explain a how a significant death occurred. I won’t say more to avoid spoiling the plot for readers who haven’t seen the musical yet.
Other Thought(s)
Scenic Design: Great hotel facade especially with the closing front gates. It was a little weird though seeing the hotel behind the peasant scenes. The hotel facade should only appear during the townsfolk scenes. The peasants needed their own more primitive backdrop. But I regonize the constraints of community theatre budget.
Blind Love: Can I just say that love makes you do stupid things? As a pragmatic person who has never fallen in love, I’m appalled at the nonsensical decisions in this story for the sake of love.
Theatre Company: Tacoma Musical Playhouse
Venue: Tacoma Musical Playhouse
Venue Physical Address: 7116 6th Ave, Tacoma, WA 98406
Price: Cheap
Dates: January 13 to February 5, 2023
Seating: Assigned Seating
Parking: Free parking is available in the Park-and-Ride lot directly across Sixth Avenue from the theater.
Jeffery Wallace II (Daniel) and Jadyn Muralt (Ti Moune) In the back on the left is Chanel Finnie as Asaka and on the right is Loucas T. Curry as Papa GeClover Curry (Little Girl) with the full company behind herFull company of Once on this IslandLaNita Hudson Walters (Mama Euralie), Jadyn Muralt (Ti Moune) and Jeffery Wallace II (Daniel)Jeffery Wallace II (Daniel), Clover Curry (Little Girl) and Jadyn Muralt (Ti Moune)Full company of Once on this IslandJadyn Muralt as Ti Moune singing “Waiting For Life” Darryin Cunningham, LaNita Hudson Walters, Anton johnson Jr. behind her from left to right.
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Scenes & Songs: An Improvised Concept Musical at Unexpected Productions. Opening night theme was about petty lawbreaking. Audience supplied piracy, jaywalking, & tray sledding examples as inspiration for the vignettes. Quick-thinking seemingly-telepathic performers! #theatre #improv
Synopsis from the Theatre: One piano, one pianist, a handful of improvisers, and YOU. Created right before your eyes, from themes provided by the audience, our imaginative performers weave together entertaining and touching songs, stories, and characters all centered around one main concept. This improvised concept musical show is a genuine musical collaboration between the audience, improvisers, and the musician. Inspired by concept musicals like Company, Assassins, and Working.
Reviewed Performance: 1/6/23 Opening Night
Type: Improvised Comedy Musical
World Premiere: Technically, every performance in this improvised musical is a world premiere
Live Band/Orchestra: One Pianist
Recommendation: See it if you like improv
Was This the First Time I Saw a Production of this Show: Yes, this is also actually the first time I attended a performance at this theatre. I wanted to see where many of Book-it Repertory Theatre’s Austen Unbound actors usually perform.
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value: 4 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: There was no program to check this.
Length: 60 mins
Intermission: No
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
Hive Mind: It was sometimes impressive how in-tune the performers were with each others’ next intentions. It’s like they had telepathy!
Rant(s)
Songs: The number of songs in this opening night performance was significantly less than what I’d expect from a musical. Hopefully, their subsequent performance will include more. Update 1/10/23, one of the actors messaged me that the cast will focus on adding more songs. 🙂
Theatre Company: Unexpected Productions
Venue: Unexpected Productions
Venue Physical Address: 1428 Post Alley, Seattle, WA 98101 at the gum wall
Price: Cheap
Dates: January 6 to February 11, 2023
Seating: General Admission
Parking: I usually walk or transit anywhere near Pike Place Market. Street parking is typically difficult around here. I think the cheapest evening garage lot is Pike Place garage (1531 Western Ave P, Seattle, WA 98101).
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Moulin Rouge! The Musical w/ Broadway at The Paramount & Seattle Theatre Group. Ostentatious dazzling scenic design. Fabulous costumes. Endless catchy modern pop culture song mashups not in the movie. Dances set to exciting heart-pounding beats. Truth, beauty, freedom, love! #bohemia #extravaganza #theatre #jukebox
Synopsis from the Theatre: Enter a world of splendor and romance, of eye-popping excess, of glitz, grandeur, and glory! A world where Bohemians and aristocrats rub elbows and revel in electrifying enchantment. Welcome to Moulin Rouge! The Musical! Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film comes to life onstage, remixed in a new musical mash-up extravaganza. Directed by Tony Award® winner Alex Timbers, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is a theatrical celebration of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and — above all — Love. With a book by Tony Award® winner John Logan; music supervision, orchestrations, and arrangements by Tony Award® winner Justin Levine; and choreography by Tony Award® winner Sonya Tayeh, Moulin Rouge! is more than a musical — it is a state of mind.
Reviewed Performance: 12/16 Opening Press Night – There were major call outs that required the understudies. Denzel Tsopnang portrayed the Duke, which was usually David Harris. Andrew Brewer portrayed Christian, which was usually Conor Ryan. And Adéa Michelle Sessoms portrayed La Chocolat, which was usually Harper Miles.
Type: Musical
World Premiere: No
Live Band/Orchestra: Yes
Recommendation: See it whether or not you watched the movie. I’m still in awe at how breathtaking and entertaining the show was.
Was This the First Time I Saw a Production of this Show: Yes but I’ve seen the movie
Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now: Yes!
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value: 5 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: The program doesn’t mention this but I assume all of them are Equity.
Length: 2.5 hours
Intermission: Yes
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
Song Mashups: I’m simply amazed at the number of pop culture songs they fit into this jukebox musical. They must pay through the nose in royalties! The original classic songs in the movie (like “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend”) were outnumbered by reimagined mashups of more modern songs written after the film was released. There were times I couldn’t determine if the heavy thump in my chest was from the orchestra’s strong driving beat or my excitement from hearing songs like Britney Spears’s “Toxic” and Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.” The chorus in Katy Perry’s “Firework” was also particularly spectacular. A couple other favorites include Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” Regina Spektor’s “Fidelity,” Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn,” & Sia’s “Chandelier.”
Scenic Designs: Gorgeous, stunning, gaudy, and glamorous! There were lots of diamonds, hearts, and saturated colors everywhere. At times, it felt like Valentines Day and Lisa Frank exploded on stage … in a good way! The sets of the Parisian scenes outside the Moulin Rouge establishment were starkly opposite and it definitely shows the range of talent from the scenic designers.
Male Lead Understudy: Andrew Brewer, the understudy for Christian, had such a nice voice.
Opening Scene: The performers effectively hooked the audience early on with the glitz and glamour of the Moulin Rouge establishment. This is in contrast to other musicals like Wicked and The Wiz that honestly start out a little boring.
Absinthe: Novel green-lit props showed absinthe’s eerie properties and the amount the characters consumed.
Breakup Scene: Maybe it’s the “Mean Girl” in me but the way Satine (Courtney Reed) cut Christian at the knees for his safety was particularly delicious.
Costumes: They were extravagant, interesting, and intricate. Two favorites were the tuxedo tutu dresses and the headpiece that looked like fallopian tubes.
Favorite Lines: A couple include “Gaga ooo la la? Hmmm … we might want to rethink that” and “I want to make desperate love to each and every one of you.” The double entendre scene where Satine was talking about sex while Christian was talking about singing was also particularly funny. When Baby Doll replied, “Tell me about it” to Satine saying, “This corset hurts like hell, I’m all tied down,” were they making a drag queen joke about tucking? Let me know in my social media links below!
Rant(s)
Trumpets: The actors playing the trumpets should make it look more realistic.
“Shut Up and Dance” Song: I was pleasantly surprised to hear them include this Walk the Moon song in the Moulin Rouge! The Musical repertoire since it’s often played in my car playlist. But I was a little disappointed with the weak execution. I think it’s an inherant problem with the composition since the original Broadway cast recording of this song sounds weak too.
Other Thought(s)
Tuberculosis: As a healthcare professional especially in the COVID era, I couldn’t stop thinking about how Satine was just spreading her consumption to all her friends. Mask up gurl!
Sword Trick: What stage magic allowed the actors to swallow swords in the beginning? Leave a comment in my social media links below if you have any ideas!
Theatre Company: Broadway Across America Tour and Seattle Theatre Group
Venue: Paramount Theatre
Venue Physical Address: 911 Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101
Price: Expensive
Dates: Dec 14, 2022 – Jan 1, 2023
Seating: Assigned Seating
Parking: Paid street parking and paid garage parking. The best parking garage is under the convention center w/ the entrance on Pike around the Pike and Terry intersection. Last I checked, this is one of the cheapest, least busy, and closest garages. Alternatively, you can probably find street parking as you get closer to the West Precinct (810 Virginia St, Seattle, WA 98101). Do NOT park where the Paramount subscribers park. Last I checked, the usually park in the garage attached to the Cheesecake Factory. It’ll take you at least 30 minutes to exit that garage after the show.
Courtney Reed and Conor Ryan in the North American Tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMadeThe cast of the North American Tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMadeThe cast of the North American Tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMadeCourtney Reed and David Harris in the North American Tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMadeCourtney Reed and Conor Ryan in the North American Tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMadeThe cast of the North American Tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMadeAustin Durant and the cast of the North American Tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMadeConor Ryan in the North American Tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMadeCourtney Reed in the North American Tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMadeConor Ryan as Christian and Courtney Reed as Satine in the North American Tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMadeThe cast of the North American Tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMadeHarper Miles, Libby Lloyd, Nicci Claspell and Andres Quintero in the North American Tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMadeThe cast of the North American Tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMadeThe cast of the North American Tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMadeGabe MartÍnez as Santiago and Libby Lloyd as Nini in the North American Tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMadeThe cast of the North American Tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMadeConor Ryan as Christian, Gabe MartÍnez as Santiago, André Ward as Toulouse-Lautrec and Austin Durant as Harold Zidler in the North American Tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMadeDavid Harris as The Duke of Monroth in the North American Tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMadeAdéa Michelle Sessoms and Jennifer Wolfe in the North American Tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMadeCourtney Reed as Satine in the North American Tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMadeConor Ryan as Christian and Courtney Reed as Satine in the North American Tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical at Village Theatre by developing youth actors. Interesting to see how a 6-7 person show works w/ 15 people. Favorite line was something like “He met a fury. No you’re a furry!” #percyJackson #greekMythology #musical #theatre
Synopsis from the Theatre: As the half-blood son of a Greek god, Percy Jackson has newly discovered powers he can’t control, a destiny he doesn’t want, and a mythology textbook’s worth of monsters on his trail. When Zeus’s master lightning bolt is stolen and Percy becomes the prime suspect, he has to find and return the bolt to prove his innocence and prevent a war between the gods. To succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the thief. He must travel to the Underworld and back; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and come to terms with the father who abandoned him. Adapted from the best-selling book The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan and featuring a thrilling original rock score, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical is an action-packed mythical adventure “worthy of the gods” (Time Out New York). –Concord Theatricals
Type: Musical
World Premiere: No
Live Band/Orchestra: Yes
Recommendation: See it if you like supporting developing actors in high school. Many talented major Seattle actors participated in Village Theatre’s Kidstage program growing up. For example, I think the Kataka Corn, who played Dorothy (lead role) in 5th Ave Theatre’s The Wiz, is a Village Theatre Kidstage alumnus.
Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now?: Yes if it was an Equity production. This is actually the second time I’ve seen this musical. The first time was the national tour.
Equity Actors: 0
Length: 2 hours
Intermission: Yes
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
Playbill: Loved their new upgraded glossy playbill. In the past, Village Theatre Kidstage productions didn’t print color graphics or actor headshots.
Favorite Actors: Powerful steady voice from Mia Basulto (Clarisse – Ares’ Daughter) and good acting from River DeJong (Ares/Gabe/Ensemble)
Other Thought(s)
Deviations from the Original Productions: Did the tour or original production refer to the Oracle as a “mummy?” I don’t remember that. Was the Medusa scene in the original productions or was that a new?
Theatre Company: Village Theatre Kidstage
Venue: Village Theatre First Stage
Venue Physical Address: 120 Front St N, Issaquah, WA 98027
Price: Cheap
Dates: December 2 to December 18, 2022
Seating: Assigned Seating
Parking: Free street parking and free lot parking. If you park in the lot, make sure the spot is not reserved for a business. As a last resort, I think you can always find parking at the library (10 W Sunset Way, Issaquah, WA 98027) but it’s a little far. Remember, there’s a bottom floor parking lot under the library’s main parking lot that most non-locals don’t know about.
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Q Brothers Christmas Carol hip hop musical at ArtsWest. Clever lyrics. Funny cast doubling. Loved the pitiful gangsta Tiny Tim segments. Chriss-my-ass-mas! #theatre #rap #christmas #xmas #CharlesDickens #Scrooge #AChristmasCarol
Synopsis from the Theatre: In this hip-hop remix of Dickens’ classic tale, Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the Ghosts of Hip-Hop Past, Present, and Future…and a Jamaican Jacob Marley. As Scrooge is shown the path of rhythm and redemption, will he throw off his selfish chains and join the beat? Q BROTHERS CHRISTMAS CAROL mixes everything from reggae to rock, updating and funkifying this beloved tale of love, forgiveness, and Christmas spirit – and transforming it into something altogether new.
Reviewed Performance: 12/1 Evening
Type: Hip Hop (or Rap?) Musical
World Premiere: No
Live Band/Orchestra: No
Recommendation: See it if 1) you’re familiar with A Christmas Carol, 2) you want to see something different than the traditional play of this story, 3) and you like Hamilton, rap, or hip hop.
Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now?: I’d be curious to see Q Brothers from Chicago perform this.
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value: 4.75 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: 0 but they were all good
Length: 85 mins
Intermission: No
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
Set and Scenic Design: I’m surprised this is the first time I’ve seen a show set designed like a department store. It reminded me of Target. However, the story only briefly took place at the department store. Side note, someone should really make play or musical with the story staged mostly in a department store.
Tiny Tim: I’m actually not a fan of the Tiny Tim character in the book or traditional plays. He’s usually portrayed as too cute, too sentimental, and too pitiful, which I find really annoying. Similarly, Gretl von Trapp from the Sound of Music annoys me too. I LOVED how this musical poked fun of the traditional Tiny Tip portrayal and depicted him as a pitiful hard rapper in a plush gangsta coat w/ a cane instead of a crutch.
Belle and Young Scrooge: The romantic scenes with Belle and Ben (aka eBENnezer Scrooge) were hilarious especially the parody “Let’s Get Fiscal” instead of the Olivia Newton-John song “Let’s Get Physical.”
Ghost Light: I don’t know if it was intentional but it was cleaver using a theatre ghost light-looking prop as part of the ghost of Christmas past segment.
Scrooge Dances: It looked cool when the spirits used their magic to make Scrooge dance
Rant(s)
Pitch: In the first number, I could hear someone going out of pitch, which worried me for what was in store for the rest of the show. Fortunately, those pitch issues eventually resolved after that opening number when the lyrics became more rap-like. Or maybe the offender just needed one song to warm up their voice.
Accompaniment: A live band would significantly elevate this show. Had I known that there was no live band, I might not have given this show a chance since pre-recorded accompaniment tends to make musicals more karaoke-like. Plus, I can usually hear when the singers aren’t in-sync with the recorded accompaniment as opposed to a live band making impromptu timing adjustments to follow the singer’s rhythm. Despite the recorded accompaniment, I did not notice these two common problems in this show, and I have no regrets attending. It probably helped that the music was hip hop (or rap?) which tends to have more synthesized sounds that don’t typically require a traditional musical band. Plus, rappers tend to focus more on rhythm than typical singers in a musical, so synchronization problems are probably less.
Other Thought(s)
Burp: Will someone leave me a comment in my social media links below telling me what the burping thing was in the Cratchit household? Was it their youngest baby? Were they talking about eating it? Thanks Corinne (@tigersandgold) and Hannah (@paintastory) for clarifying in Instagram. Yes, the burps were from their other kid and yes they were talking about eating him. LOL, weird!
Christmas Light Necklace: There were Christmas light necklaces (see my video below) placed on random chairs. It’s a fun idea but I was a little confused if we were supposed to wear them during the performance, turn them on during the last number, turn them on after the “curtain call,” and/or or take them home as a gift, etc. Let me know your ideas on the intention in my social media comment links below! I think the most fun scenario would have been for the performers to tell the audience during the last song “Let me see your lights yall! If you don’t have a necklace, wave your phones in the air!” or something.
Theatre Company : ArtsWest
Venue: ArtsWest
Venue Physical Address: 4711 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116
Price: Cheap to Medium – They have easy pay-what-you-can options in the online ticketing portal so you don’t need to shamefully verbally tell the box office you can’t afford regular-priced tickets.
Dates: November 25 – December 23, 2022
Seating: Assigned
Parking: There are paid lots and free street parking. I usually park on 44th or 45th Ave behind the theatre.
