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
Leave a comment w/ your favorite play and why. Then I’ll choose a winner 48 hours from now.
Post your comment submission on my Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. This is a free SINGLE ticket for any available “Section B” seat (worth about $56) to any of the remaining “Sense and Sensibility” performances at Village Theatre in EVERETT, Washington. The production run ends this weekend. This show is a play and not a musical. Read my review at showsiveseen.com/3773
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): As It is in Heaven play at Taproot Theatre. Interesting glimpse into the repressive & austere #Shakers culture from the women’s perspective. Reminded me of a catholic nunnery. Great vision (or hallucination?) scenes. “The emperor has no clothes!” #shaker #quaker #quakers
Synopsis from the Theatre: “Tis a gift to be simple,” sing the Shakers of Pleasant Hill. But as the young women in the community claim new spiritual gifts, Sister Hannah and the other elders must judge whether these gifts are real or rebellion. Set during America’s surge of Utopian communities, the play wrestles with belief and doubt in a swiftly changing world.
Defined Plot/Storyline: Seemed more like loosely-connected chronological vignettes than an actual defined plot
Recommendation: See it especially if you grew up in a conservative church
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
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: 2
Total Number of Actors: 9
Length (Including Any Intermission): 2 hours
Intermission: Yes
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
Songs: The actresses sang traditional Shaker hymns/spirituals occasionally between scenes in chant-like unison a cappella. Apparently, harmony was sinful!
Diction and Accents: The playwright and performers recreated how the Shakers might have sounded like back then. For example, “it wasn’t a dream” became “weren’t not a dream.”
Visions: My favorite scenes were when “the chosen” congregation members experienced hallucination-like “shaking” visions that reminded me of Pentecostals speaking in tongues. The claims of experiencing these visions were also reminiscent of The Crucible play.
“Pray for Me” Scene: Good commentary on when the pious only tritely say they’ll pray for someone but doesn’t make any effort to actually help them. It reminded me of abortion protestors who don’t support welfare programs that help mothers who can’t afford to raise the children they’re forced to carry.
Favorite Line: “I was prideful of my new apron” uttered during public confessional
Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)
Religious Repression: The depictions of religious repression reminded me of one reason why I left the church. However, the oppressive austerity in As It is in Heaven was extreme compared to what I grew up with. The Shakers in the play weren’t even allowed to draw, laugh, or enjoy life. It made me think of something NSFW Samantha said about conservative Charlotte in Sex and the City.
Social Welfare: An interesting conversation in the play alluded that a character didn’t believe in the Shaker faith, but religion was their “social security” and “Medicare” plan for when they become elderly. If I don’t have kids, maybe I need to join a congregation like this!
Fears of Obscurity: The play frequently touched on the universal irrelevancy/inadequately feeling elders might experience when replaced by up-and-coming youth.
Moral of the Story: I couldn’t grasp what message the playwright was conveying to the audience. Was it just a depiction of Shaker life and nothing more?
Theatre Company: Taproot Theatre
Venue: Taproot Theatre – Jewell Mainstage
Venue Physical Address: 212 N 85th St, Seattle, WA 98103
Other Video +/- Pictures: See pictures in video and under video below by Robert Wade Photography
@showsiveseen “As It is in Heaven” #play at @taproottheatre by Arlene Hutton. Interesting glimpse into the repressive & austere #Shakers culture from the women’s perspective. Reminded me of a Catholic nunnery. Great vision (or hallucination?) scenes. “The emperor has no clothes!” Photos by Robert Wade. Review: showsiveseen.com/4573 #shaker#quaker#quakers#theatre♬ Enough – Dylan Rockoff
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Every Brilliant Thing one-person storytelling play w/ Ian Bell written by Duncan Macmillan & Jonny Donahoe. Feel-good show that ironically explores depression w/ the help of audience participation. First time I sat front row at ACT Theatre!
Synopsis from the Theatre: The color yellow. Sunsets. Things with stripes. Wearing a cape. Ice cream! There are a million brilliant things. Can you name them all? The hit play and international sensation Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe is a one-of-a-kind storytelling experience blending comedy, improv, and audience interaction to tell the story of an adult growing up in the shadow of mental illness and learning to grapple with their own experiences of love, loss, and a finding a new way forward, one brilliant thing at a time.
Reviewed Performance: 3/23/23 Opening Night
Type: Play
World Premiere: No
Several or Few Scenes: Several
Several or Few Settings: Several
Defined Plot/Storyline: Seemed more like a collection of related vignettes than an actual plot
Recommendation: See it if either
You like one-person plays
You’re not a cynic
You like the quirky, basic, hipster millennial, whimsical, cutesy vibes of Zooey Deschanel in New Girl
You like sentimentality
You like plays that explore depression and suicide (but remember this is a feel-good play)
You like the private “dance it out” scenes in Grey’s Anatomy w/ Meredith and Christina
You like dancing in the rain
You like seeing audience participation
Or you like participating from the audience
Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show: Yes
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value: 4 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: 1
Total Number of Actors: 1
Length (Including Any Intermission): 75 minutes
Intermission: No
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
Playlist: The overhead stage playlist before and after the show was a nice selection of retro feel-good songs
Live Band: There was a live band in the lobby before and after the show. I hope they performed for more than just opening night…
Rant(s)
“Why?” Scene: For some reason, I really hate scenes on on-stage or on-screen when kids incessantly ask “Why?” in response to everything an adult tells them. It is not cute at all.
Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)
Audience Participation: There was a ton of audience participation in this production. I was a little worried when Ian Bell (the solo actor of this performance) passed out cards throughout the audience a couple of minutes before the show began. Be careful if you’re on the front row like I was! Fortunately, he didn’t choose me to participate. While I’m usually not a fan of extensive audience participation in shows (total theatre “pillow princess” here), I thought it was a novel cost-effective way to add additional actors/characters to a one-person show. There were scenes where an audience member euthanized a coat, proposed marriage to Ian Bell, or hosted a therapy session with a sock puppet! I always wonder what’s the contingency plan in shows with such extensive audience participation if a chosen person is an absolute psycho and derails the intended trajectory of the performance.
Theatre Company: ACT Theatre
Venue: ACT Theatre – Allen Theatre
Venue Physical Address: 700 Union St, Seattle, WA 98101
Price: Cheap to Expensive
Ticket Affordability Options:
Pay What You Can: You can self-select ticket prices as low as free for the value seats on the ticketing website. The value seats are just about the same view as the non-value seats.
Parking: Paid lot or paid street parking. If I don’t walk to this theatre, I park in the Convention Center garage with the entrance between Seneca and Pike. There is indoor access from the garage to the ACT Theatre going through the convention center.
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Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde w/ Dukesbay Productions at Merlino Arts Center. Interesting to see Edward Hyde as more of a person than a monster and vice versa w/ Henry Jekyll.
Synopsis from the Theatre: In one man’s inner battle between good and evil, the lines are often blurred. Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde comes to life on the Dukesbay stage with an adaptation rarely seen, and with a few unexpected twists. With one actor portraying Henry Jekyll and four actors (including one woman) playing the many aspects of Edward Hyde, this is not your grandfather’s Jekyll & Hyde. Instead, it’s a psychological thriller about what can result when man’s darker side is left unrestrained. Don’t worry. It’s not a psychology lecture. You will be thrilled and entertained.
Reviewed Performance: 3/18/23
Type: Play
World Premiere: No
Several or Few Scenes: Several
Several or Few Settings: Several
Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes
Recommendation: See it if you like supporting community theatre
Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show: Yes, this was actually also the first time I attended a Dukesbay Productions show
Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now: Maybe if it was a full-blown professional Equity production
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value: 4.25 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: 0
Total Number of Actors: 6
Length (Including Any Intermission): 2 hours
Intermission: Yes
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
Injured Actor: One of the actors hurt their foot or leg at the end of the first act. Oh, the magic of unexpected surprises in live theatre! Kudos for powering through the pain during the second act!
Blurring the Duality of Man: It was interesting to see a conscience, feelings, and (maybe?) a soul peek out various times in Edward Hyde. Usually, he’s portrayed as the fully evil side in the binary duality of man.
Rant(s)
Beddings: There was a scene where an actor was making a bed with no bedding props. I know this is community theatre, but let’s bring some linens from home or buy some at Goodwill for $10!
Lighting: During the first few minutes of the show, the lighting was either inadequate or late. However, I recognize that this play does require some degree of darkness to convey the feeling of mystery and evil.
Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)
Corpse: I’m surprised they how naked they designed the corpse dummy! But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised in the granola PNW.
Edward Hyde Characters: There was no single actor who portrayed Edward Hyde exclusively. Nearly every performer cast doubled as him throughout the show.
Spontaneous Personality Change: What caused Dr. Jekyll to sometimes spontaneously transform into Mr. Hyde without a potion/serum? Was it love? I know this also occurs in the original novella, but I don’t remember if the novella addresses the cause. Leave a comment in my social media posts below if you have any ideas!
Theatre Company: Dukesbay Productions
Venue: Merlino Art Center
Venue Physical Address: 508 S 6th Ave, Tacoma, WA 98402