Author: Allan

Rocky Horror Show – Musical – Red Curtain Foundation for the Arts

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): The Rocky Horror Picture Show musical sold out night at Red Curtain Foundation for the Arts. Complete w/ audience props & heckling. Energetic audience & cast. Great talent from Magenta, Frank, & Columbia. Brad & Rocky definitely looked the part. Awesome community theatre production! #cultClassic #camp

Synopsis from the Theatre: Oh, Rocky! In this cult classic, wholesome sweethearts Brad and Janet take refuge from a storm in the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter. As their innocence is stripped away, Brad and Janet meet a houseful of wild characters, including Frank-N-Furter’s latest creation — a muscle man named Rocky. This deliberately kitschy rock ‘n roll sci-fi gothic musical by Richard O’Brien encourages audience participation.

Type: Musical

World Premiere: No

Recommendation: See it! Especially if you like supporting community theatre.

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now?: Of course!

Rating (Out of 5 Stars): 4.25 stars

Other Rant(s)

  • Sound balancing between the actors and the band needed improvement.
  • One of the main characters was a bit tone deaf.
  • The heckling wasn’t in-sync enough so it was a little hard to understand. I also suggest the actors on stage not do it. It’s better if there are audience plants so it seems more spontaneous for those who haven’t seen the movie or musical.

Other Rave(s)

  • Maybe I’m a little biased since it’s my favorite song in the show but Magenta (Lauren Hayes) did a great job on “Science Fiction, Double Feature.”

Theatre Company : Red Curtain Foundation for the Arts

Venue: Red Curtain Foundation for the Arts

Venue Physical Address: 9315 State Ave #J, Marysville, WA 98270

Price: Cheap

Dates: October 21 to November 6, 2022

Seating: General Admission

Parking and Cost: Free lot parking in the strip mall where the theatre is located.

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

Link(s):

Other Video/Pictures: Scroll under the table below. Photos in video and photos below video are by Kenny Randall.

Cast and Production Team Leadership:

Narrator Ivan Hodder
Brad Majors Layton Gaskins
Janet Weiss Katie Wallace
Riff Raff Kendall Collins
Magenta Lauren Hayes
Columbia + Dance Captain Krista Patt
Dr. Frank N Furter Josiah C Miller
Eddie & Dr. Scott Garrison Whaley-shartp
Phantoms (Ensemble) Daniel Hanlon, Ely Skywater, Briar Scott, Andi Leach, Gayle D Staker
Director Robert Bogue
Music Director Stephanie Phillips
Stage Manager Kate Wallington
Assistant Stage Manager Andy Wallington
Choreographer Gayle Staker
@showsiveseen “#RockyHorror Show” #musical sold out night at @redcurtainarts. Complete w/ audience props & heckling. #Energetic audience & cast. Great talent from Magenta, Frank, & Columbia. Brad & Rocky definitely looked the part. Awesome community #theatre production! Review & Photo Credit: tinyurl.com/5fw6c3dh #campy #cultclassic ♬ original sound – Shows I’ve Seen
Columbia (Krista Patt), Magenta (Lauren Hayes), Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Josiah C. Collins), and Riff Raff (Kendall Collins)
Handyman Riff Raff (Kendall Collins), mad scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Josiah Miller) and crazed domestic Magenta (Lauren Hayes)
Frank-N-Furter (center, played by Josiah Miller) leads guests Janet Weiss (left, played by Katie Wallace), Brad Majors (right, played by Layton Gaskins), and creation Rocky (far right, played by Kennan Miller)

The Glass Menagerie – Play – The Original Theatre Black Dog

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): The Glass Menagerie play by The Original Theatre Black Dog at eXit SPACE NOD Theatre. Artsy almost poetic piece capturing several universal human experiences like escapism, aimless inadequacy, regretful loss, longing, & dashed hope. Unusual that the 2nd act was better than the 1st (usually the opposite).

Type: Play

World Premiere: No

Other Rant(s)

  • There was no heat in the theatre space. Turn on the A/C!
  • The stage was huge! I suggest adding a curtain closer to the audience to fill the area.
  • Arguments between the son and mother had so much more potential for dramatic forceful dialogue.
  • The restaurant/bar next door was too noisy. Although, I overheard some attendees mistakenly thought it was an intentional audio track of the city!
  • Since the stage is originally a dance studio and since the studio is so big, the space doesn’t have good acoustics to project the actors’ lines. I suggest giving the actors microphones or choosing a smaller theatre space.

Theatre Company : The Original Theatre Black Dog

Venue: eXit Space – NOD Theatre

Venue Physical Address: 1621 12th Ave Seattle WA 98122

Price: Cheap

Dates: October 21 to November 12, 2022

Seating: General Admission

Parking and Cost: Paid lot or paid street parking. Street parking is extremely limited since it’s Capitol Hill. Your best luck would be East of Cal Anderson Park on 11th or 12th Ave. You may also find luck in the streets southeast of the theatre. Cheapest paid lots are on 11th Ave across from the park.

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

Link(s):

Other Media: Photos in video and photos below video are by Anthony Floyd.

@showsiveseen “The Glass Menagerie” #play by the Original Theatre Black Dog at eXit SPACE NOD Theatre. Artsy almost poetic piece capturing several universal human experiences like #escapism, aimless inadequacy, #loss, #longing, #regret, & dashed hope. Unusual that the 2nd act was better than the 1st (usually the opposite). #GlassMenagerie #Theatre ♬ Everybody – Spencer Sutherland

La Tofana’s Poison Emporium – Play – Macha Theatre Works

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): La Tofana’s Poison Emporium play by Macha Theatre Works at West of Lenin Theatre. Based on a fascinating true story. Timely piece for women’s agency & Roe vs Wade. Wonderful costumes, set, & props. Loved seeing my profession represented. Packed audience on a Thursday evening. #arsenic #apothecary #feminism #pharmacy

Type: Play

World Premiere: Yes but don’t let that discourage you from going. This play ranked highly among the many world premieres I’ve seen.

Recommendation: See it!

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now?: Yes

Rating (Out of 5 Stars): 4.75 stars

Theatre Company : Macha Theatre Works

Venue: West of Lenin

Venue Physical Address: 203 N 36th St #204, Seattle, WA 98103

Price: Sliding scale pay-what-you-can-ish. Tickets as low as $10.

Dates: October 14-29, 2022

Seating: General Admission

Parking and Cost: Paid lot or free street parking. Tons of street parking closer to the water.

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

Link(s):

Other Media: Photos in video and below video are by Joe Iano Photography.

@showsiveseen “La Tofana’s #Poison Emporium” #play by Macha Theatre Works at West of Lenin Theatre. Based on a fascinating true story. Timely piece for women’s agency & #RoeVsWade. Wonderful costumes, set, & props. Loved seeing my profession represented. Packed audience on a Thurs evening. #arsenic #apothecary #feminism #pharmacy ♬ Poison – Astero & Matvey Emerson

Black and Tan – Musical – Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Black & Tan musical at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute. BiPOC perspectives on Seattle’s history centered around a famous interracial jazz nightclub. Promising dancers w/ graceful silhouettes & moves. #black #POC

Type: Musical-ish Show

Other Rant(s)

  • Needs better lighting placement and timing.
  • Awkward scene transition pauses.
  • Vocals and music were recorded which is more drag show than musical.
  • Needs more backstage staff so the actors don’t move props and contribute to scene pauses.

Other Rave(s)

  • It was free to the public! 🙂

Theatre Company : Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute

Venue: Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute

Venue Physical Address: 104 17th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98144

Price: Free!

Dates: October 15 – 16, 2022

Seating: General admission

Parking and Cost: Free on either the Langston Hughes Performing Arts parking lot or the street

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

Link(s):

Other Media:

@showsiveseen "Black & Tan" #musical at #Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute. #BiPOC perspectives on #Seattle's history centered around a famous interracial jazz nightclub. Promising dancers w/ graceful silhouettes & moves. #black #theatre #POC #langstonhughes ♬ Coming Back Home – WEARETHEGOOD & Scootie Wop

To Kill a Mockingbird – Play – Paramount Theatre

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): To Kill a Mockingbird on Broadway play at Paramount Theatre & Seattle Theatre Group. Delightful accents. Loved the 3 precocious young narrators esp Dill. Powerful commentary on racism especially when naive Atticus broke the 4th wall. Reminds me that there are far worse areas than woke PNW.

Type: Play

Recommendation: See it!

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now?: Yes if it was done professionally again.

Rating (Out of 5 Stars): 4.5 stars

Other Thought(s) – Full disclosure, I didn’t read the book. Gasp!

  • Who was the killer? Did the author leave it open-ended on purpose or did I just miss that detail?
  • Who was the crazy guy? They needed to give him or or his background more airtime for those who didn’t read the book.

Theatre Company : Seattle Theatre Group and Broadway at the Parmount

Venue: Paramount Theatre – 911 Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101

Price: $$$$ (Expensive)

Dates: October 11 – 16, 2022

Seating: Assigned Seating

Parking: Street or Garage. I like the old convention center garage w/ the entrance on Pike and 9th.

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

Link(s):

Other Media: Clips of performance in the video are provided by the touring company and Seattle Theatre Group.

@showsiveseen "To Kill a Mockingbird" #play at Paramount Theatre & Seattle #Theatre Group. Delightful accents. Loved the 3 precocious young narrators esp Dill. #Powerful commentary on #racism especially when naive #Atticus broke the 4th wall. Reminds me that there are far worse areas than woke PNW. #South #mockingbird ♬ original sound – Shows I've Seen
Melanie Moore (“Scout Finch”) and The Company of To Kill a Mockingbird. Photo by Julieta Cervantes
Anthony Natale (“Link Deas”), Melanie Moore (“Scout Finch”), Steven Lee Johnson (“Dill Harris”) and Justin Mark (“Jem Finch”). Photo by Julieta Cervantes
Melanie Moore (“Scout Finch”) and Jacqueline Williams (“Calpurnia”). Photo by Julieta Cervantes
Yaegel T. Welch (“Tom Robinson”), Stephen Elrod, Jacqueline Williams (“Calpurnia”) and Richard Thomas (“Atticus Finch”). Photo by Julieta Cervantes
Justin Mark (“Jem Finch”), Richard Thomas (“Atticus Finch”), Melanie Moore (“Scout Finch”) and Steven Lee Johnson (“Dill Harris”). Photo by Julieta Cervantes
Jacqueline Williams (“Calpurnia”). Photo by Julieta Cervantes
Melanie Moore (“Scout Finch”) and Richard Thomas (“Atticus Finch”). Photo by Julieta Cervantes
Arianna Gayle Stucki (“Mayella Ewell”), Richard Thomas (“Atticus Finch”), Stephen Elrod (“Bailiff”), Richard Poe (“Judge Taylor”), Greg Wood (“Mr. Roscoe”) and Joey Collins (“Bob Ewell”). Photo by Julieta Cervantes
Travis Johns (“Boo Radley”), Melanie Moore (“Scout Finch”), Steven Lee Johnson (“Dill Harris”) and Justin Mark (“Jem Finch”). Photo by Julieta Cervantes
Jacqueline Williams (“Calpurnia”). Photo by Julieta Cervantes
Richard Thomas (“Atticus Finch”), Yaegel T. Welch (“Tom Robinson”) and The Company of To Kill a Mockingbird. Photo by Julieta Cervantes
Melanie Moore (“Scout Finch”). Photo by Julieta Cervantes
Mary Badham (“Mrs. Henry Dubose”). Photo by Julieta Cervantes