Luchadora! – Play – Review – Seattle Children’s Theatre

@showsiveseen Alvaro Saar Rios's "Luchadora!" #play at Seattle Children's Theatre starring Jordi Montes & Beth Pollack. Rousing fight choreography. Vibrant set, props, lighting, & costumes. Well-written and well-executed. Not just for kids! Get your tickets now since it closes this weekend on 3/17/24! Review: showsiveseen.com/8148 Photos: Truman Buffett Director: Johamy Morales  Stage Manager: Elizabeth Yvette Ramirez #theatre #showsiveseen #girlPower #feminism #wrestler #wrestling #LuchaLibre #Mexican ♬ Miedo – Rommel Hunter

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Luchadora! play at Seattle Children’s Theatre starring Jordi Montes & Beth Pollack. Rousing fight choreography. Vibrant set, props, lighting, & costumes. Well-written and well-executed. Not just for kids!

Recommendation
See it!


Synopsis from the Theatre: Transport yourself to the world of lucha libre—Mexican wrestling, with this inspired adaptation of the Chinese legend Hua Mulan. The discovery of a worn pink wrestling mask prompts Nana Lupita, a Washington grandmother, to share her coming of age story growing up in 1960s Texas. As we follow Lupita’s journey, we witness her life as a daring teen tomboy; bike riding with her friends, working at her father’s flower stand, and lucha libre. When a World Championship match is announced, Lupita’s excitement explodes; she anticipates seeing it until she discovers her ailing father is one of the wrestlers. With the help of a magical mask maker, Lupita secretly trains to take her father’s place. She soon finds it difficult keeping her secret from her friends and, most importantly, her father.

Attended Performance Date: Opening Night 2/23/24 – 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 it closes this weekend on 3/17/24!

Type: Play

World Premiere: No

Several or Few Scenes: Several

Several or Few Settings/Locations: Several

Static (Stationary) Set? It was a static set with many dynamic elements.

Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: No, but it helps to know some Spanish expressions.

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

Equity Actors: 2

Total Number of Actors: 7

Perceived Pace of the Show: Medium speed

Length (Including Any Intermission): 80 minutes

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? Probably not, but it was good.

Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned Above

  • Universal Age Suitablity: While this play targets the teen/tween demographic, adults and younger kids can definitely enjoy it. Honestly, the show could have easily been reworked into a grown-up play. I love finding jewels like this that universally attract all ages similar to Seattle Children’s Theatre’s previous The Boy Who Kissed the Sky musical.

Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)

  • Magic Potion: My cynical adult side thinks the potion’s magic was just placebo effect. Either that or amphetamines!

Theatre Company: Seattle Children’s Theatre

Venue: Seattle Children’s Theatre

Venue Physical Address: 201 W Thomas St, Seattle, WA 98109

Price: Medium

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

Ticket Affordability Options: Each performance has a value option available online. Also check out the theatre’s discount page.

Dates: February 21 to March 17, 2024

Seating: Assigned Seating

Parking: Paid street parking or various paid parking lots/garages. Street parking is sparse when there’s a major Seattle Center or Climate Pledge Arena event. I usually find good luck with street parking around Lenny Wilkins Way next to the theatre on non-event days. I try to take the bus on event days since even the event street parking costs more than $12.

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Pictures: See pictures below and in video above by Truman Buffett.

James Schilling and Christian Zumbado in Luchadora! Photo by Truman Buffett.
James Schilling and Christian Zumbado in Luchadora! Photo by Truman Buffett.
Adria LaMorticella, James Schilling, Beth Pollack, Christian Zumbado, and Ana María Campoy in Luchadora! Photo by Truman Buffett.
Adria LaMorticella, James Schilling, Christian Zumbado, Beth Pollack, and Ana María Campoy in Luchadora! Photo by Truman Buffett.
Jordi Montes, Carter Rodriquez, James Schilling, Adria LaMorticella, and Beth Pollack in Luchadora! Photo by Truman Buffett.
Ana María Campoy, Carter Rodriquez, and Beth Pollack in Luchadora! Photo by Truman Buffett.
Adria LaMorticella, James Schilling, Beth Pollack, and Christian Zumbado in Luchadora! Photo by Truman Buffett.

Preview Post – Sanctuary City – Play – Seattle Rep

Sanctuary City play opening night by Seattle Rep. Performing until 3/31/24. Stay tuned for my full review! #immigrant #immigration

Tickets: https://www.seattlerep.org/plays/202324-season/sanctuary-city/

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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.

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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/

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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/

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