Leave a comment mentioning the first “real” #musical you attended and what was memorable about it. I’ll choose a winner after 6/13 11:59 PM.
Post your comment submission on my Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. This is a free SINGLE ticket for any available section B seat (worth about $60) to any remaining “Hello, Dolly!” performance at Village Theatre Issaquah or Everett. The production run ends July 2nd in Issaquah and July 30th in Everett. Read my review at showsiveseen.com/5737 #theatre #HelloDolly
Congrats Anamaria Guerzon for winning a ticket from Shows I’ve Seen to the 5th Avenue Theatre Les Misérables musical! Stay tuned for the next contest ticket giveaway soon.
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.
Other Video +/- Pictures: See pictures in video and under video by Dennis K Photography.
@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
The inmates of The Shawshank Redemption. Andy (Mason Quinn) & Red (Mark Peterson)Tommy (Darius Sakui) & Andy (Mason Quinn)Brooksie (Roger Iverson) & Andy (Mason Quinn)Tommy (Darius Sakui) and the inmates of The Shawshank RedemptionDawkins (Beau Prichard), Pinky (Jeffrey K. York), Rooster (Paul Richter) Bogs Diamond (Joshua Olver), Rico (Ton Williams), Red (Mark Peterson), Prisoner #5271 (Russ Coffey), Prisoner #7159 (Nathan Lovitt) & Prisoner #3861 (Glenn Fischer)Entwistle (Alex Vowles), Hadley (Joshua Johnson) & the inmatesRooster (Paul Richter), Red (Mark Peterson), Dawkins (Beau Prichard) & Andy (Mason Quinn)Hadley (Joshua Johnson) & Andy (Mason Quinn)Red (Mark Peterson), Warden Stammas (Joseph Grant) & Andy (Mason Quinn)
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.
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
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.
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!
Bobbi Kotula and the cast of Hello, Dolly! at Village Theatre. Photo by Angela Sterling (2023).John David Scott and the cast of Hello, Dolly! at Village Theatre. Photo by Angela Sterling (2023).Allen Fitzpatrick and Karen Skrinde in Hello, Dolly! at Village Theatre. Photo by Angela Sterling (2023).Bobbi Kotula and Allen Fitzpatrick in Hello, Dolly! at Village Theatre. Photo by Angela Sterling (2023).Bobbi Kotula and the cast of Hello, Dolly! (2023) at Village Theatre. Photo by Angela Sterling (2023).John David Scott and the cast of Hello, Dolly! at Village Theatre. Photo by Angela Sterling (2023).Sarah “SG” Garcia, Rhys Daly, Jessica Skerritt, and Markcus Blair in Hello, Dolly! at Village Theatre. Photo by Angela Sterling (2023).
