Centerstage Theatre – Shows I've Seen

El Coquí Espectacular & the Bottle of Doom – Play – Centerstage Theatre

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom play at Centerstage Theatre. Puerto Rican (super?) hero battles with gentrification, ethnic pandering/commercialization, and racial identity in NYC. #superhero #comic #hispanic #latino #Latin #PuertoRican

Synopsis from the Theatre: Comic-book-artist Alex combats writer’s block by secretly dressing up as his creation, El Coquí Espectacular. Alex’s brother Joe struggles to fit in at work. And Yesica, the curious photographer, is following El Coqui around New York City. Together, they fight supervillains while hatching a plan to prove themselves to the world at the Puerto Rican Day Parade! El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom is a new theatrical extravaganza that explores the ways we define our heritage, our family, and ourselves.

Reviewed Performance: 3/25/23 Evening Opening Weekend – Sorry for the late review!

Type: Play

World Premiere: No

Several or Few Scenes: Several

Several or Few Settings: Several

Defined Plot/Storyline: Mostly yes

Recommendation: See it if you like supporting community theatre

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

Equity Actors: 0

Total Number of Actors: 7

Length (Including Any Intermission): 2.25 hours

Intermission: Yes

Theatre Company: Centerstage Theatre

Venue: Dumas Bay Centre

Venue Physical Address: 3200 SW Dash Point Rd, Federal Way, WA 98023

Price: Cheap

Dates: March 24 to April 16, 2023

Seating: Assigned Seating

Parking: Free and plentiful parking in lot on-site

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Buy a Ticket or Learn More:

https://centerstagetheatre.com/el-coqui/

Other Video +/- Pictures: See pictures in video and under video below

Cast and Production Team: See after pictures and video below

@showsiveseen "El Coquí Espectacular & the Bottle of Doom" #play at Centerstage Theatre by Matt Barbot. Puerto Rican (super?) #hero battles w/ gentrification, ethnic pandering/commercialization, & racial identity in NYC. Review: showsiveseen.com/4631 #superhero #comic #hispanic #latino #Latin #PuertoRican #theatre ♬ Heroes (Live) – Jail maiden

Role	Name
Alex	Nick Marston
Joe	Luis Ciccia
Yesica	Viviana Garza
El Chupacabra/Junior	Rolando Cardona-Roman
Patricia	Deanna Martinez
Buzzkill/Swing	Aimee Coronado
Announcer’s Voice	Michael D. Blum
Understudy	Travis Martinez
—	—
Director	Jeanette Sanchez-Izenman
Playwright	Matt Barbot
Rehearsal Stage Manager	Madeline Hiller
Scenic Designer	Taylor Kuehm, Trista Duval
Costume Designer	Morgan Morgans, Trista Duval
Costume Construction Assistant	Adrienne Chodnowsky
Lighting Designer	John Chenault
Sound Designer	Dylan Twiner
Props Designer	Sam Izenman
Scenic Artist	Jasmine Johnson
Assistant Scenic Artist	Emi Gormley
Stage Manager	Chelsea “Mo” Moniz
Assistant Stage Manager	Theresa Byrd
Comic Book Artists	Tyler Arns, Sam Izenman
Puerto Rican Culture and Language Consultant	Richard Cubi

The Hatmaker’s Wife – Play – Centerstage Theatre

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): The Hatmaker’s Wife play at Centerstage Theatre. Surprisingly symbolic, abstract, & time bending with child-like dialogue and Slavic accents. #theatre #hat

Synopsis from the Theatre: Hetchman the retired hatmaker loves his hat – and his wife. When both go missing, he vows to find them. But first he needs to muster the strength to leave the comforts of his beloved armchair. The Hatmaker’s Wife is a surreal time-bending fable set in a home where walls talk, words magically appear, and a sweet unexplainable love triangle develops between a man, his wife, and his hat.

Reviewed Performance: 1/29/23 on Opening Weekend – Sorry for the late review. I’ve been busy with my dad in town.

Type: Play

World Premiere: No

Defined Plot/Storyline: Not really. It alternated between past and present occupants of a home.

Live Band/Orchestra: Yes

Recommendation: See it if you’re into shows with lots of symbolism that are open to interpretation

Was This the First Time I Saw a Production of this Show: Yes

Equity Actors: None

Number of Actors: 14

Length (Including Any Intermission): 90 mins

Intermission: Yes

Theatre Company: Centerstage Theatre

Venue: Dumas Bay Centre

Venue Physical Address: 3200 SW Dash Point Rd, Federal Way, WA 98023

Price: Cheap

Dates: January 27 – February 19, 2023

Seating: Assigned Seating

Parking: Free and plentiful lot parking in adjacent lot

Like/Comment/Share my Social Media Posts About this Performance:
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Buy a Ticket or Learn More:

https://centerstagetheatre.com/hatmakers-wife/

Other Video +/- Pictures: See below pictures under video and in video

Cast and Production Team: See below video

@showsiveseen "The #Hatmaker's Wife" #play at Centerstage Theatre. Surprisingly symbolic, abstract, & time bending w/ child-like dialogue & Slavic accents. Review: showsiveseen.com/3779 #theatre #hat ♬ In the Bosom – Sweet After Tears

Role	Name
Voice	Andreya Pro
Gabe/Golum	Van Lang Pham
Hetchman	Peter Cook
Hetchman’s wife	Brynne Garman
Meckel	Scott W. Pinkston
Wall	Brittany Lael
—	—
Playwright	Lauren Yee
Director	Angela Bayler
Stage Manager	Madeline Hiller
Scenic Designer	Niclas Olson
Costume Designer	Marie Morgans
Light Designer	Michelle Weingarde-Bandes
Sound Designer	Patrick Fuhrman
Props Master	Henry Behrens
Scenic Artist	Jasmine Johnson
Hat Music Composer	Ryan Rumery
Assistant Stage Manager	Dean Marshall

Cinderella – Pantomime – Centerstage Theatre

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Cinderella pantomime at Centerstage Theatre. 1st time seeing a British panto & was pleasantly surprised there was singing w/ a band. Even included #drag. Awesome Cinderella and Button actresses. Witty jokes. Feel-good family-friendly experience. #campy

Synopsis from the Theatre: Celebrate the most magical time of year with the most magical fairy tale of them all – Cinderella! For fifteen years Centerstage has enchanted audiences with its traditional holiday pantomime (the Panto). Young and old enjoy the sparkle, glitter, and chaos of this family-friendly laugh-a-minute traditional British treat. Audience participation is encouraged and enhances the cleverly choreographed mayhem. The Fairy Godmother, Cinderella, Prince Charming and, of course, the Wicked Stepsisters deliver holiday joy to everyone–from age 5 to 95!

Reviewed Performance: 11/26 Afternoon – Opening Day

Type: Pantomime

World Premiere: Yes? I think this theatre produces their yearly pantomimes new in-house. Please let me know in my social media post if you have information.

Live Band/Orchestra: Yes

Recommendation: See it if 1) you’ve never attended a pantomime, 2) you like pantomime, 3) or you want to take kids to a show.

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:
4.25 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)

Equity Actors: 1 actor out of 20-ish. The non-Equity main characters were very good.

Length: 2.75 hours – I’m surprised the kids in the audience were okay this long!

Intermission: Yes

Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts

Cleaver Quips: I smiled and laughed a lot during this show. Maybe it was the funny jokes. Maybe it was the novelty of panto.
High Kicks: Dandini (Jasmine Wright) performed impressive kicks!
Songlist: Included songs from musicals (like The Wiz, Hairspray, & Les Misérables) and pop culture.

Rant(s)

Time to Cure: This production could use more time to solidify and tighten up the performance. However, I attended the opening day and this problem will certainly improve as they continue to perform this show.
Microphones: They need to increase the volume of the minor characters and reduce the crackles from various microphones.

Other Thought(s)

Pantomime: This was my first time seeing a British “panto.” I’m very curious how this novel experience compares to pantos performed in the UK. It was interesting how they frequently broke the 4th wall and encouraged the audience to yell things out. I know the kids certainly loved that.
Dress Transformation: This was the first time I’ve seen a costume transformation like how this production turned Cinderella’s rags to a gown. It was definitely more cost-effective than what I’m used to seeing. However, it was still effective since the kids sitting behind me were trying to figure out how the trick was done. I won’t spoil the stage magic for you though!
Wardrobe Malfunction: Someone’s pants fell during a song and I don’t think it was intentional. Fortunately, they weren’t the focus during the scene. Oh, the magic of live theatre!
Kid Performers: I’m usually not a fan of seeing kids on-stage especially if they’re not in a professional Equity production. That being said, it was refreshing to see this production mix amateur kids with older more experienced actors. I’d like to think that it’s a good mentoring experience for the child performers and a better experience for the kids in the audience.

Theatre Company : Centerstage Theatre

Venue: Dumas Bay Centre

Venue Physical Address: 3200 SW Dash Point Rd, Federal Way, WA 98023

Price: Cheap

Dates: November 26 to December 18, 2022

Seating: Assigned

Parking: Free and plentiful lot parking.

Social Media Posts About this Performance from Shows I’ve Seen: Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

Buy a Ticket or Learn More:

Cast and Production Team: See under the multimedia below.

Other Video +/- Pictures: Pictures in video and under video are by Michelle Smith-Lewis.

@showsiveseen #Cinderella #pantomime at Centerstage #Theatre. 1st time seeing a British #panto & was pleasantly surprised there was singing w/ a band. Even included #drag. Awesome @jrselleck & Buttons actors. Witty jokes. Feel-good family-friendly experience. Review + Photo Credit: showsiveseen.com/2334 #campy ♬ Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo – From “Cinderella” – Verna Felton

Aimee Coronado, Jonathan Martin, Colleen Bjurnstrom, Kyle Sinclair, Jasmine Wright, Jessie Selleck, Leila Neidlinger, Jamie Martin, Dean Marshall

Leila Neidlinger, Brad Cerenzia, Bob DeDea

Jasmine Wright, Dale Bowers, Maghan Ames

Role	Name
Cinderella	Jessie Selleck
Prince	Kyle Sinclair
Stepsister Kourtney	Brad Cerenzia
Stepsister Khloe	Bob Dedea (Equity Actor)
Fairy Godmother	Carrie Sleeper-Bowers
Buttons	Meghan Ames
Dandini	Jasmine Wright
Baron Hardup	Dale Bowers
Featured Ensemble	Leila Niedlinger (Dance Captain) Dean Marshall Colleen Michelle
Ensemble	Aimee Coronado Keith Ordonez Maddie Carlson Will Johnson
Juvenile Ensemble	Matiya Searing (Young Cinderella) Jonathan Martin Jamie Martin
Juvenile Ensemble Understudy	Miriam Clark
Keyboard	Deborah Armstrong
Drums	Tai Taitano
Guitar	Cameron Schneider
Bass	Darren Olson
—	—
Director & Playwright	Vince Brady
Assistant Director	Helen Marion-Rowe
Stage Manager	Samuel Osborn
Assistant Stage Manager	Madeline Hiller
Choreographer	Cassie Jo Fastabend
Music Director	Deborah Armstrong
Arranger	Sam Peters
Scenic Designer	Niclas Olson
Costume Designers	Morgan Morgans Trista Duval
Sound Designer	Benjamin Symons
Props Designer	Henry Behrens
Scenic Artists	Tori Dewar Jasmine Johnson
Set Construction	Niclas Olson Will Johnson

Ghost Train – Play – Centerstage Theatre

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Ghost Train play at Centerstage Theatre. Great scary show for Halloween. So much chilling anticipation. Wished the dreadful crabby ole spinster had more lines. Unexpected ending reminiscent of Scooby Doo. #spooky #theatre

Type: Play

Recommendation: See it if you like scary theatre with limited number of scenes.

Rating (Out of 5 Stars): 4 stars

Theatre Company : Centerstage Theatre

Venue: Dumas Bay Centre – 3200 SW Dash Point Rd, Federal Way, WA 98023

Price: $$ (Medium)

Dates: October 7-30, 2022

Seating: Assigned Seating

Social Media Posts: Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

Link(s):

https://centerstagetheatre.com/ghost-train/

Other Media:

@showsiveseen "#Ghost #Train" #play at Centerstage #Theatre. Great #scary show for Halloween. So much #chilling anticipation. Wished the dreadful crabby ole spinster had more lines. Unexpected ending reminiscent of #ScoobyDoo. #spooky ♬ Ghosts – Alexis Lynn

The Oregon Trail – Play – Centerstage Theatre

“The Oregon Trail” play opening night at Centerstage Theatre. Inspired by the classic video game complete with dysentery! Encapsulates the purposeless jobless quiet desperation & depression millenials felt after the 90s.

@showsiveseen “The Oregon Trail” #play opening night at Centerstage Theatre. Inspired by the classic #OregonTrail #videoGame complete with dysentery! Encapsulates the purposeless jobless quiet desperation & #depression millenials felt after the 90s. #game ♬ Video Game – 8 Bit Game Adventures (soundtrack, keygen) – mooqa