Memoirs of a Forgotten Man – Play – Review – Thalia’s Umbrella

@showsiveseen "Memoirs of a Forgotten Man" #play by Thalia's Umbrella at 12th Ave Arts. Fascinating premise. Descriptive script. Well-devised unexpected ending twist that brought everything together. Delightful, lively, convincing, delivery from @Patrick. Closes this weekend! Review: showsiveseen.com/8116 Playwright: DW Gregory Stage Manager: @Rik Deskin and Phillip James Randall Director: Terry Edward Moore Photos: Annabel Clark #showsiveseen #theatre #memory #USSR #soviet #sovietUnion #russia #synesthesia ♬ original sound – Shows I've Seen

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Memoirs of a Forgotten Man play by Thalia’s Umbrella at 12th Ave Arts. Fascinating premise. Descriptive script. Well-devised unexpected ending twist that brought everything together. Delightful, lively, convincing delivery from Patrick Harvey.

Recommendation
See it!


Synopsis from the Theatre: Alexei is an extraordinary man: he has a perfect memory. But he is a journalist in Stalin’s Russia, and when the State tells him to forget someone, he can’t…and then he disappears. A Soviet official is searching for him, and the official tries to enlist the help of the psychologist who studied him. But are the official’s reasons political or personal? or both? A slippery examination of the connections between memory and identity, Memoirs of a Forgotten Man is a celebration of a remarkable man–but it also counts the costs we pay when the State decides what the truth is.

Attended Performance Date: Opening Weekend 2/24/24 – Keep your eyes peeled for my preview posts on my website and social media if you want earlier notification of shows I’ve seen. Get your tickets now since the show ends this weekend!

Type: Play

World Premiere: No

Several or Few Scenes: Several

Several or Few Settings/Locations: Several

Static (Stationary) Set? Yes

Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: You should know a little general Soviet Union history like from world history class.

Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes, but it wasn’t linear. The story was presented in flashbacks.

Equity Actors: 3

Total Number of Actors: 4

Perceived Pace of the Show: The show started with a decent hook then proceeded to slow dialogue. Eventually, the script recovered its stride during the first flashback.

Length (Including Any Intermission): 2.5 hours

Was there an intermission? Yes

Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show? Yes

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now? Probably not, but it was good.

Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned Above

  • Ending (No Spoiler): For the longest time, I didn’t understand Kreplev’s (played by Jon Lutyens) motivation. Throughout the show, I thought his fixation on Alexei (played by Patrick Harvey) didn’t make sense. The playwright (D.W. Gregory) eventually brought it all together in a well-written sad ending epiphany. However, I still don’t quite understand the reason behind Alexei’s permeant actions at the end. Was it to prevent pain?
  • Favorite Line: Alexei interestingly asked if Dr Berezina (played by Sunam Ellis) wrote things down to forget (similar to a swapfile for any tech brahs reading this) or to remember.
  • Memory: Patrick Harvey (as Alexei) convincingly portrayed a person with photographic memory and perfect recall. He effectively led the audience to believe/feel that he really memorized the lines on-stage in only a couple seconds. It was so fascinating that I had to look up after the show if his character was based on a real person. When Alexei’s mother (played by Leslie Law) wanted to reminisce about the past, it was sweet (and an interesting premise) how she asked her son to vividly describe what he remembered with exact detail.

Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)

  • The Lower Depths: It was serendipidous that this script mentioned The Lower Depths on a night that Intiman Theatre was actually performing the play a couple blocks away!
  • Photo Album: Why did Alexei’s mother blot out faces in the photo album?

Theatre Company: Thalia’s Umbrella

Venue: 12th Ave Arts

Venue Physical Address: 1620 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122

Price: Cheap to medium

Tickets: https://thaliamemoirs.brownpapertickets.com/

Ticket Affordability Options: TodayTix/Goldstar

Dates: February 22 to March 9, 2024

Seating: General Admission

Parking: Paid lot or paid street parking. Street parking is extremely limited since it’s Capitol Hill. Even if you can find street parking, it often costs more than some parking lots. I highly recommend the paid lot at 1300 E Olive St with the entrance on 14th Ave.

Like/Comment/Share my Social Media Posts About this Performance:

Buy a Ticket or Learn More:

Pictures: See pictures below and in video above by Annabel Clark.

Sunam Ellis. Photo by Annabel Clark.
Patrick Harvey, Jon Lutyens, and Sunam Ellis. Photo by Annabel Clark.
Patrick Harvey. Photo by Annabel Clark.
Leslie Law. Photo by Annabel Clark.
Jon Lutyens. Photo by Annabel Clark.

Preview Post – Memoirs of a Forgotten Man – Play – Thalia’s Umbrella

Memoirs of a Forgotten Man play opening weekend by Thalia’s Umbrella at 12th Ave Arts. Performing until 3/9/24. Stay tuned for my full review! #memory #USSR #soviet #sovietUnion #russia #synesthesia

Tickets: https://www.thaliasumbrella.org/

Like/Comment/Share my Social Media Preview Posts About this Show:

Preview Post – Luchadora! – Play – Seattle Children’s Theatre

Luchadora! play opening night by Seattle Children’s Theatre. Performing until 3/17/24. Stay tuned for my full review!

Final Full Review (Posted 3/10/24): showsiveseen.com/8148

Tickets: https://www.sct.org/onstage/productions/luchadora-2/

Like/Comment/Share my Social Media Preview Posts About this Show:

Born with Teeth – Play – Review – ArtsWest

@showsiveseen Liz Duffy Adams' "Born with Teeth" #play by ArtsWest staring Ricky Spaulding & @Michael Monicatti. Nice catwalk stage. Success comes at a price … eat or be eaten! Proud that I correctly predicted the ending. Closes this weekend! Review: showsiveseen.com/8061 Photos: John McLellan Director: Mathew Wright #theatre #showsiveseen #shakespeare #gay #lgbt ♬ Loving Me – Janine

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Born with Teeth play by ArtsWest staring Ricky Spaulding & Michael Monicatti. Nice catwalk stage. Success comes at a price … eat or be eaten! Proud that I correctly predicted the ending.

Recommendation
See it if you’re familiar with the history/politics surrounding Shakespeare, Marlow, and Tudor England. Highbrow fancy literary gays would also enjoy this.


Synopsis from the Theatre: An aging authoritarian ruler, a violent police state and a restless, polarized people seething with paranoia: It’s a dangerous time for poets. Two of them — the great Christopher Marlowe and the up-and-comer William Shakespeare — meet in the back room of a pub to collaborate on a history play cycle, navigate the perils of art under a totalitarian regime and flirt like young men with everything to lose. One of them may well be the death of the other in this biting comedy about ambition, ego, and history.

Attended Performance Date: Opening Night 2/1/24 – Keep your eyes peeled for my preview posts on my website and social media if you want earlier notification of shows I’ve seen. Get your tickets now since the show ends this weekend!

Type: Play

World Premiere: No

Several or Few Scenes: Just three scenes

Several or Few Settings/Locations: Just one location

Static (Stationary) Set? Yes

Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: As I alluded earlier, you should be familiar with the history/politics surrounding Shakespeare, Marlow, and Tudor England. If not, definitely analyze the diagram on the program’s first page below.

Defined Plot/Storyline: No, this play was more dialogue with less action and less story.

Equity Actors: 1

Total Number of Actors: 2

Perceived Pace of the Show: Slow to medium speed

Length (Including Any Intermission): 1.5 hours

Was there an intermission? No

Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show? Yes

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now? No

Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned Above

  • Acting and Characterization: Ricky Spaulding’s portrayal of William Shakespeare struck me as honest. However, it was difficult to sympathize with Michael Monicatti’s Christopher Marlowe since the character was reminiscent of the tiresome stereotype of insufferable know-it-all bratty selfish Mean Girl gays with a handheld fan and with claws (proverbial or not). I will say though that the most interesting scenes in this play were when Marlow showed his vulnerable soft underbelly. Their interactions reminded me of opposite attractions … but were they really opposites in the end? 😉 Side note, kudos for crying on-demand on-stage!
  • Romantic Tension : Michael and Ricky created sizzling romantic tension without too much gratuitous visuals. It’s difficult finding this amount of visual modesty in gay art and entertainment … even gay fiction books are typically filled with sex! The only exception was the first scene. While it effectively hooked the audience and the actors looked hot shirtless, the scene felt irrelevant to the play as a whole, and it obviously pandered to sex appeal.

Theatre Company: ArtsWest

Venue: ArtsWest

Venue Physical Address: 4711 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116

Price: Medium

Tickets: https://www.artswest.org/events/born-with-teeth/

Ticket Affordability Options: The ticketing website offers honor code discount options .

Dates: February 1 to February 25, 2024

Seating: Assigned Seating

Parking: There are paid lots and free street parking. I usually park on 44th or 45th Ave behind the theatre.

Like/Comment/Share my Social Media Posts About this Performance:

Buy a Ticket or Learn More:

Pictures: See pictures below and in video above by John McLellan.

Ricky Spaulding. Photo by John McLellan.
Ricky Spaulding & Michael Monicatti. Photo by John McLellan.
Ricky Spaulding & Michael Monicatti. Photo by John McLellan.
Ricky Spaulding & Michael Monicatti. Photo by John McLellan.
Ricky Spaulding & Michael Monicatti. Photo by John McLellan.
Ricky Spaulding & Michael Monicatti. Photo by John McLellan.

The Lower Depths – Play – Review – Intiman Theatre & The Seagull Project

@showsiveseen "The Lower Depths" #play by @Intiman Theatre & The Seagull Project at Erickson #Theatre Off Broadway. Desolate portrayal of society's miserable underbelly & squalor. Closes this weekend! Adapted from Maxim Gorky's masterpiece. Review: showsiveseen.com/8027 Photos: Joe Moore Director: Gavin Reub Stage Manager: Emily Doorenbos #showsiveseen ♬ Empty – Letdown.

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): The Lower Depths by Intiman Theatre & The Seagull Project at Erickson Theatre Off Broadway. Desolate portrayal of society’s miserable underbelly & squalor. Closes this weekend!

Recommendation
See it if you enjoyed Arlington (which incidentally also featured Kiki Abba) or the dystopian aspects of Les Misérables.


Synopsis from the Theatre: In the basement of the exploitative King family live nine people on the edge of the world. Card sharps, artists, sex workers, and more make up this dynamic cast of characters, whose dreams and realities bump against the low ceiling society has built for them. When a stranger arrives with a message of hope, their situation is challenged and their lives upended. An ensemble of fourteen actors paint a vivid portrait of life in the margins of society. Love, poverty, addiction, loss, and healing play across the stage in this contemporary adaptation of Maxim Gorky’s classic play. The Lower Depths was first produced by the Moscow Art Theatre on December 18, 1902, where it was directed by Konstantin Stanislavsky. It is Gorky’s best known play and is now a hallmark of Russian realism.

Attended Performance Date: Opening Night 2/8/24 – Keep your eyes peeled for my preview posts if you want earlier notification of shows I’ve seen. Get your tickets now since the show ends this weekend!

Type: Play

World Premiere: No

Several or Few Scenes: A couple

Several or Few Settings/Locations: Two

Static (Stationary) Set? Yes

Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: No, but I imagine you’d appreciate this more if you’re familiar with the original play by Maxim Gorky.

Defined Plot/Storyline: This play was more dialogue with less action and less story.

Equity Actors: A whopping 10!

Total Number of Actors: 14

Perceived Pace of the Show: Slow to medium speed

Length (Including Any Intermission): 2.5 hours

Was there an intermission? Yes

Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show? Yes

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now? No

Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned Above

  • Dawn: I enjoyed Dawn’s (played by Esther Okech) character the most. Her visual stark transformation in the 1st act was unexpected and she said a poignant statement towards the effect of “If I’m such a burden to society, why do I feel so weighed down.” Plus, I’m always of fan of dramatic dishware smashing.

Theatre Company: The Seagull Project and Intiman Theatre

Venue: Erickson Theatre Off Broadway

Venue Physical Address: 1524 Harvard Ave, Seattle, WA 98122

Price: Cheap to Expensive

Tickets: https://www.intiman.org/depths/

Ticket Affordability Options: The ticketing website offers honor code discount options for students, military, industry, … or anybody. They also offer 20 free rush tickets 1 hour in-person before each performance.

Dates: February 6 to February 24, 2024

Seating: Assigned Seating

Parking: It’s Capitol Hill … so good luck. Try taking the bus. Ironically, the lots on Harvard Avenue across Seattle Central College are cheaper than street parking. Geeez!

Like/Comment/Share my Social Media Posts About this Performance:

Buy a Ticket or Learn More:

Pictures: See pictures below and in video above by Joe Moore.

Miguel Castellano and Alexandra Tavares in The Lower Depths. Photo by Joe Moore.
Julie Briskman and Tyler Polumsky in The Lower Depths. Photo by Joe Moore.
Charles Leggett and Julie Briskman in The Lower Depths. Photo by Joe Moore.
Amy Thone in The Lower Depths. Photo by Joe Moore.
Amy Thone and Sharva Maynard in The Lower Depths. Photo by Joe Moore.
Amy Thone, Antonio Mitchell, and Tyler Polumsky in The Lower Depths. Photo by Joe Moore.
Amy Thone, Antonio Mitchell, and Tyler Polumsky in The Lower Depths. Photo by Joe Moore.