Contest Winner – Les Misérables – 5th Avenue Theatre
Category: Theaters, Performance Spaces, and Production Companies
The Shawshank Redemption – Play – Tacoma Little Theatre
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): The Shawshank Redemption play based on the Stephen King novel. Starring Mason Quinn & Mark Peterson. Directed by Blake R York. Must be awful at the mercy of fellow inmates & the prison system. So much potential for abuse of power!
Synopsis from the Theatre: Based on the novella by Stephen King, this adaptation of The Shawshank Redemption hearkens to the 1994 critically acclaimed film, bringing audiences to the edge of their seats. Andy Dufresne is convicted of the murder of his wife and her lover and sentenced to life imprisonment at Shawshank prison. While at Shawshank, Andy befriends some of the other inmates, namely a character known as Red. Over time Andy finds a way to live out life with as much relative ease as one can find in prison, leaving a message for all that while the body may be locked away in a cell, the spirit can never be truly imprisoned.
Reviewed Performance: 6/3/23 – Opening Weekend
Type: Play
World Premiere: No
Several or Few Scenes: Several
Several or Few Settings/Locations: Several locations at a prison facility
Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: No, but I assume you’d appreciate it more if read the book or watched the movie. I saw neither but I was still able to enjoy it.
Defined Plot/Storyline: Mostly yes, but there’s only so much plot that can occur in a single penitentiary
Recommendation: See it if you like prison dramas or dystopian stories
Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show: Yes
Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now: Probably not
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value:
4 stars (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: 0
Total Number of Actors: 15
Perceived Pace of the Show: Medium speed
Length (Including Any Intermission): 2.25 hours
Intermission: Yes
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
- Scenic Design: Nice harsh utilitarian design of an austere prison. I’m glad Tacoma Little Theatre didn’t rely heavily on the projections during this production. While Tacoma Little Theatre usually produces decent-quality projections, the previous shows this season seemed to start leaning a little too generously on the stage technology.
Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)
- Male Nudity: For a play with a warning about “some adult male nudity,” I was surprised how little nudity was shown … at least for a PNW show. Coming from Texas, I noticed y’all love nudity here in the PNW! I was promised full wang! 😛
Theatre Company: Tacoma Little Theatre
Venue: Tacoma Little Theatre
Venue Physical Address: 210 N I St, Tacoma, WA 98403
Price: Cheap
Dates: June 2 to 18, 2023
Seating: Assigned Seating
Parking: Mostly street parking. I usually like to park one block away on North Yakima Ave. Season ticket holders and donors can access a free parking lot.
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@showsiveseen “The #Shawshank Redemption” #play based on the #StephenKing novel. Directed by Blake R York. Relying on the mercy of fellow inmates & the prison system must be awful. So much potential for abuse of power! Photos by Dennis K Photography. Review: showsiveseen.com/5782 #theatre ♬ Great Escape
Free Ticket – Les Misérables – 5th Avenue Theatre
Update (6/11/23): Congrats to Anamaria!
Leave a comment mentioning a musical (other than “Les Misérables”) you haven’t seen but want to see and why. I’ll choose a winner after 6/7 11:59 PM.
Post your comment submission on my Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. This is a free SINGLE ticket for any available seat worth about $189-219 (depending on your chosen date) to any remaining “Les Misérables” musical performance at the 5th Avenue Theatre. The production run ends next weekend. Read my review at showsiveseen.com/5665.
Hello, Dolly! – Musical – Village Theatre
Giveaway: I’m giving away a free ticket to this show. See details here. Congrats Anthony!
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Hello, Dolly! musical at Village Theatre starring Bobbi Kotula as the iconic matchmaker. Light, classic, traditional musical. Reminiscent of The Music Man.
Synopsis from the Theatre: Starring the incomparable Bobbi Kotula as Dolly Gallagher Levi, Hello, Dolly! triumphantly comes to Village Theatre this summer. Often revered as one of the greatest collections of songs in all of musical theatre history, this legendary musical follows the romantic and comedic exploits of Dolly Gallagher Levi, turn-of-the-century matchmaker and “woman who arranges things.” Hello, Dolly! celebrates a brilliant pioneering woman forging her own path in a world that constantly underestimates her. Through a cavalcade of joy, glorious song, and stunning dance, this is classical musical theatre at its best! “Put On Your Sunday Clothes” and catch this definitive musical “Before The Parade Passes By!”
Reviewed Performance: 5/27/23 – Opening Weekend
Type: Musical
World Premiere: No
Several or Few Scenes: Several
Several or Few Settings/Locations: Several
Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: No
Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes
Live Band/Orchestra: Yes
Recommendation: See it, especially if you like old-timey musicals like The Music Man.
Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show: Yes
Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now: Maybe if it was on Broadway or if it was a national tour
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value:
4 stars (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: 11
Total Number of Actors: 24
Perceived Pace of the Show: Medium speed
Length (Including Any Intermission): 2.75 hours
Intermission: Yes
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
- Business Cards: When Dolly handed business cards throughout the show, it reminded me of Village Theatre’s beta musical ZM. I wonder if Hello, Dolly! inspired the hillarious business card bit in ZM.
- Advertising Theme: Cary Wong uniquely designed the stage with a vintage advertising theme. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that on-stage. Almost every scene background was designed like a newspaper ad. Coupled with the warm bright lighting, the scenic designed conveyed a wonderful nostalgic feel.
- Costumes: Just like the scenic design, the intricate costume design by Esther Garcia transported the audience back to a different era where people actually dressed up … as opposed to “Seattle casual!” See stunning costumes in the pictures at the end of this article.
- Favorite Line: As an increasingly-cynical (male) feminist, I loved the line “marriage is a bribe to make a housekeeper think she’s a householder.”
Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)
- Tap Dance: I sooo wish they included a tap dance number in the “Hello, Dolly” theme song. The performers moved their feet as if they were tap dancing but they weren’t wearing tap shoes!
Theatre Company: Village Theatre
Venue: Village Theatre
Venue Physical Address:
- Issaquah: 303 Front Street North, Issaquah, WA 98027
- Everett: 2710 Wetmore Avenue, Everett, WA 98201
Price: Medium
Ticket Affordability Options: Check out their discount tickets page. TodayTix and Goldstar usually offer good options too.
Dates:
- Issaquah: May 24 to July 2, 2023
- Everett: July 7 to July 30, 2023
Seating: Assigned Seating
Parking:
- Issaquah: Free street parking and some free parking lot. Lot parking availablity is pretty difficult to find though. I’ve basically given up on that. I usually end up parking on Rainier Boulevard North. As a last resort, I think you can always find parking at the library 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.
- Everett: Free street parking and some paid parking lots/garages.
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Other Video +/- Pictures: See pictures in video and under video by Angela Sterling.
@showsiveseen "Hello, #Dolly!" #musical at Village Theatre starring Bobbi Kotula as the iconic #matchmaker. Light, classic, traditional musical. Reminiscent of "The Music Man." Unique vintage ad-themed scenic design by Carey Wong. Directed by Timothy McCuen Piggee. Photos by Angela Sterling. Review: showsiveseen.com/5737 #theatre ♬ Hello, Dolly!
Les Misérables – Musical – The 5th Avenue Theatre
Giveaway: I’m giving away a free ticket to this show. See more details here. Congrats to Anamaria!
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Les Misérables musical at the 5th Ave Theatre. Glorious, exciting, thrilling, and grand with a diverse cast. Nick Cartell’s voice (as Valjean) reminded me of Aaron Tveit.
Synopsis from the Theatre: Cameron Mackintosh presents the acclaimed production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s Tony Award®-winning musical phenomenon, Les Misérables. This brilliant staging has taken the world by storm and has been hailed as “Les Mis for the 21st Century” (Huffington Post), “a reborn dream of a production” (Daily Telegraph) and “one of the greatest musicals ever created” (Chicago Tribune). Set against the backdrop of 19th century France, Les Misérables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice, and redemption–a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. This epic and uplifting story has become one of the most celebrated musicals in theatrical history. The magnificent score of Les Misérables includes the songs “I Dreamed a Dream,” “On My Own,” “Bring Him Home,” “One Day More,” “Master of the House” and many more. Seen by over 130 million people worldwide in 53 countries and 22 languages, Les Misérables is undisputedly one of the world’s most popular musicals.
Reviewed Performance: 5/26/23 – Opening Night
Type: Musical
World Premiere: No
Several or Few Scenes: Several
Several or Few Settings/Locations: Several
Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: No
Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes
Live Band/Orchestra: Yes
Recommendation: See it! – Especially if you like grand musicals like Phantom of the Opera
Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show: No, I saw this 3 times already at the Paramount a couple years ago, a Houston community production (awful), and the movie theater
Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now: I’m not sure … 4 times is already quite a lot for me
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value:
5 stars (Out of 5 Stars) and that’s saying a lot since this is not my preferred genre
Equity Actors: All of them
Total Number of Actors: A whooping 40!
Perceived Pace of the Show: Fast, which is surprising for a 3 hour show
Length (Including Any Intermission): 3 hours
Intermission: Yes
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
- Glorious Songs: From the prologue’s opening moments, this musical was filled with many gloriously-executed songs. I don’t remember feeling this impressed at the first Les Mis national tour I attended at the Paramount a couple years ago. It was particularly thrilling when the entire ensemble joined in song, especially in “At the End of the Day,” “Lovely Ladies,” “Master of the House,” “Look Down, “One Day More,” “Wedding Chorale,” and “Do You Hear the People Sing?”
- Voices: Obviously in a national tour, the cast was filled with amazing voices. Many reminded me of golden voices from classic Disney masterpieces. Haley Dortch’s (as Fantine) pure voice w/ a slight vibrato in “I Dreamed a Dream” was enchanting. Devin Archer (as Enjolras) showcased his rich voice in “Red and Black.” Nick Cartell’s voice (as Valjean) reminded me of Aaron Tveit. Kudos on that long last note in “Bring Him Home.”
- Projections: This production utilized projections well without overdoing it like how Anastasia went overboard on the projections. I like how the actors moved in place while stumbling in the sewers or while marching on the streets as the projection background zoomed in and created the illusion of movement progression. The projections also provided a neat transition from the battleground to the sewers. I loved how actors emerged mysteriously from the projected background from an obscured door in the screen. It took me a while to figure out that stage magic! Additionally, the projections coupled with suspending/flying cables provided novel suicide scene effects.
- Shot Scene: They dramatically executed (no pun intended) how one of the lovable characters was shot on the barricade. The lights suddenly converged on the actor, and they fell.
- Balcony Scene: Strangely, I don’t remember this scene from the last 3 productions I saw. Gregory Lee Rodriguez (as Marius) played a likably-awkward “Romeo” here.
- Air Conditioner: Thank you 5th Avenue Theatre for turning the A/C on full blast! 🙂 Coming from Texas (yeehaw!), I hate how stingy Seattle is with the A/C.
Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)
- Tatoo: Why didn’t Javert look for the chest tattoo on his mistaken Valjean? That’s bad detective work.
- Ballroom Scene: I wish this musical was more like the bright ballroom scene. But I guess bright scenes don’t go well with a show title that literally means “The Miserable Ones.”
- Cute Kids: Call me a Scrooge but I’m annoyed by overly-cute kids on-stage … even if they’re good performers. They remind me of the ridiculously sentimental Tiny Tim from A Christmas Carol. Cute kids on-stage are too pandering to the audience and their cuteness distracts from their performing abilities.
Theatre Company: National Tour
Venue: The 5th Avenue Theatre
Venue Physical Address: 1308 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101
Price: Expensive
Ticket Affordability Options: $49 day-of-show rush tickets at the box office are available for in Zones 3, 4, and 5. Contact the theatre directly for organizational discount affiliation possibilities like from your job. Goldstar or TodayTix usually offer good options too.
Dates: May 24 to June 17, 2023
Seating: Assigned Seating
Parking: When I don’t walk to the theatre or park on the street, I park in the paid garage at the Motif hotel NW of the theatre. The entrance is on 5th Ave. Do NOT park in the Hilton garage (entrance on 6th ave). That’s where most of the audience parks, so it’s a nightmare to leave. However, the Hilton garage is the closest garage to the theatre and it has underground access to the theatre if you want to avoid the elements. But this benefit is not worth it in my opinion.
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Other Video +/- Pictures: See pictures in video and under video by Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.
@showsiveseen "Les Misérables" #musical at 5th Ave Theatre. Glorious, exciting, thrilling, & grand w/ a diverse cast. @Nick Cartell voice (as Valjean) reminded me of Aaron Tveit. Photos by @Matthew Murphy. Review: showsiveseen.com/5665 #lesMis #lesMiserables #victorHugo #theatre ♬ At the End of the Day (Live)
