Shows I've Seen | Theatre Reviews
Musicals, Plays, Concerts, Oh My! (and other Performing Arts)
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Packed closing weekend show to “Dancing at Lughnasa” play at SecondStory Repertory. One more show left tomorrow! Thanks Mary Guthrie for the suggestion/ticket! Stay tuned for my full review/video. #showsiveseen #theatre #ireland
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Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): “Hedda Gabler” Ibsen play by new theatre company General Gabler’s Theatre at West of Lenin staring Natalie Schmidt and a cast of only female or non-binary actors. There’s something alluring about an antihero.
Synopsis from the Theatre: Join us in 19th century Christiania (Oslo) at the spacious home of a woman with plenty of will but no room to exact it. She thought she made a wise deal with the man she just married. She would be his wife, and he would provide her with the safe and respectable means to occupy her active mind. But when it becomes clear that her husband can’t fulfill his end of the bargain, her active mind quickly turns toward the dangerous.
Attended Performance Date: 8/11/23 (Closing Weekend)
Type: Play
World Premiere: No
Several or Few Scenes: I think it was just 3 scenes
Several or Few Settings/Locations: One
Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: No
Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes, but there’s only so much that can occur in a single room and 3 scenes. Most of the storyline was conveyed through storytelling and not action.
Recommendation: See it if you’re okay with plays that contain few scenes and locations
Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show: Yes
Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now: I’d consider seeing an Equity production
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value:
4 (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: 0
Total Number of Actors: 7
Perceived Pace of the Show: Slow to medium
Length (Including Any Intermission): 2 hours
Intermission Included: Yes
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)
Theatre Company: General Gabler’s Theatre
Venue: West of Lenin
Venue Physical Address: 203 N 36th St #204, Seattle, WA 98103
Price: Cheap
Ticket Affordability Options: Pay-what-you-can … even free!
Dates: August 4 to 12, 2023 – Sorry, for the late post! I attended a closing weekend performance.
Seating: General Admission Seating
Parking: There’s paid lot parking or free street parking. I can usually find street parking behind the theatre closer to the water.
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Other Video +/- Pictures: See pictures in video and under video by Joe Iano.
Cast and Production Team: See after pictures and video below
@showsiveseen "#Hedda Gabler" #Ibsen #play by new #theatre company General Gabler's Theatre at West of Lenin staring Natalie Schmidt & a cast of only female or non-binary actors. There's something alluring about an #antihero. Directed by Helen Mariam. Photos: Joe Iano. Review: showsiveseen.com/6360 #showsiveseen #heddagabler ♬ Undertow (Sped Up) – Flight School & XIRA
| Role | Person |
| Hedda Gabler | Natalie Schmidt |
| Jörgen Tesman | Ann Pielli |
| Judge Brack | Joyce Thi Brew |
| Thea Elvsted | Danny J. Hassett |
| Ejlert Lövborg | Aarti Tiwari |
| Juliane Tesman | CaroIynne Wilcox |
| Berte | Rebecca Pugh Parker O’Neil |
| — | — |
| Playwright | Henrik Ibsen |
| Translator | Eva Le Gallienne |
| Director | Helen T. Mariam |
| Stage Manager | Bailey Dobbins |
| Assistant Stage Manager | Indira Rampersad |
| Scenic Designer | Garrett Dill |
| Lighting Designer | Dani Norberg |
| Props Designer | Jessamyn Bateman-Iino |
| Sound Designer | Lisa Finkral |
| Costume Designer | Zoé Tziotis Shields |
| Choreographer | Rachel Blaze Ferguson |
| Composer | Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel |
| Production Photographer | Joe lano |
| Poster Designer | Adriana Lippy |
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): “Champagne + Sodomy: The Art & Crime of Oscar Wilde” show by The Williams Project at Base: Experimental Arts + Space featuring “Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde” play by Moisés Kaufman and “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde. Directed by Ryan Guzzo Purcell & starring Grant Chapman. Photos by Truman Buffett.
Synopsis from the Theatre: At Champagne + Sodomy: The Art and Crime of Oscar Wilde, a new immersive theatrical event, you’ll be thrust from the decadent drawing room to the reactionary courtroom with a champagne flute still in your hand. Pairing Wilde’s beloved comedy The Importance of Being Earnest with the story of his persecution by the state, as told in Moisés Kaufman’s docu-play Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, The Williams Project presents an evening-length, genre-defying performance exploring how our culture is obsessed with queer art but terrified of the queers who make it.
Performance Date: 8/5/23 (Closing Show)
Type: Immersive Theatrical Event/Play
World Premiere: Yes and no – It was a developmental workshop featuring two combined plays. Because of the show’s developmental nature, the theatre company requested no reviews and I did not include any opinion elements in this post.
Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show: Yes
Length (Including Any Intermission): 2.5 hours
Intermission Included: Yes
Theatre Company: The Williams Project
Venue: Base: Experimental Arts + Space
Venue Physical Address: 6520 5th Ave S #122, Seattle, WA 98108
Price: $0-$60
Dates: July 28 to August 5, 2023 – Sorry, for the late post! I attended the closing performance.
Seating: General Admission Seating/Standing
Parking: Free street parking on 5th Ave South in front of the art space entrance.
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Other Video +/- Pictures: See pictures in video and under video by Truman Buffett Photography.
Cast and Production Team: See after pictures and video below
@showsiveseen "#Champagne + #Sodomy: The Art & Crime of Oscar Wilde" closing show by The Williams Project at Base: Experimental Arts + Space featuring "Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde" #play by Moisés Kaufman & "The Importance of Being Earnest" by #OscarWilde. Directed by Ryan Guzzo Purcell & starring Grant Chapman. Photos by Truman Buffett. Post: showsiveseen.com/6318 #theatre #showsiveseen ♬ Dress – Charlotte Sands
| Name | Role |
| Nicholas Japaul Bernard* | Lady Bracknell, Clarke, Lockwood, Narrator 2, and Others |
| Grant Chapman* | Algernon, Oscar Wilde |
| Rebecca Gibel* | Jack, Harris, Carson, Gill, Narrator 3, and Others |
| Ricky Spaulding | Gwendolyn, Lord Alfred Douglass, Parker, Atkins, Narrator 1, and Others |
| Jomar Tagatac* | Lane, Queensberry, Wood, Mavor, Narrator 4, and Others |
| — | — |
| Oscar Wilde for The Importance of Being Earnest Moisés Kaufman for Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde | Playwrights |
| Ryan Guzzo Purcell | Director |
| An-lin Dauber† | Production Designer |
| Nick O’Leary | Video Designer |
| Robin Macartney | Props Designer |
| Brandon David Riel | Associate Set and Lighting Designer |
| Briana Schwartz | Assistant Costume Designer |
| Tori Thompson* | Stage Manager |
| Nicola Krause | Assistant Stage Manager |
| Charlinda Brewster | Graphic Design |
| Photographer | Truman Buffett |
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Julia Izumi’s play “Sometimes the Rain, Sometimes the Sea” by Dacha Theatre at the lawn/park behind UW’s Glenn Hughes Penthouse Theater. Later at Port Townsend’s Chetzemoka Park. Directed by Kate Drummond. Playful ode to Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid.” Complete with a sentient cloud & a talking cow. #littleMermaid #theLittleMermaid #HansChristianAndersen
Synopsis from the Theatre: The Little Mermaid is Hans Christian Andersen’s most beloved and well-known fairy tale, which is why it’s NOT the story our friend, Dolan, is going to tell you today. No, he’s going to tell you the story about a Little Rain Cloud who falls in love with a human. They are not the same story at all, he swears. Julia Izumi’s brilliant play is a collision of multiple narratives, framed as a sort-of retelling of The Little Mermaid that erupts into a voyage through Hans Christian Andersen’s tempestuous real-life relationships. Brimming with heartfelt candor, Sometimes the Rain, Sometimes the Sea is a deep-sea dive into what love really looks like.
Reviewed Performance: 7/21/23 (Opening Night) – Sorry for the late review! Work has been completely bonkers.
Type: Play
World Premiere: No
Several or Few Scenes: Several
Several or Few Settings/Locations: Several
Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: You’d probably appreciate this more if you’re familiar with Disney’s or Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid.”
Defined Plot/Storyline: Mostly yes, but it was 2-3 concurrent stories.
Recommendation: See it if either
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: 8
Perceived Pace of the Show: Medium to fast
Length (Including Any Intermission): 1.75 hours
Intermission: No
Theatre Company: Dacha Theatre
Venue Physical Address:
Price: Cheap to Medium
Ticket Affordability Options: Pay-what-you-will options as low as $5
Dates:
Seating: General Admission
Parking:
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Other Video +/- Pictures: See pictures in video and under video by Brett Love.
@showsiveseen Julia Izumi's #play "Sometimes the Rain, Sometimes the Sea" by Dacha Theatre at the lawn/park behind @UW Glenn Hughes Penthouse Theater. Later at Port Townsend's Chetzemoka Park. Directed by Kate Drummond. Playful ode to Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid." Complete with a sentient cloud & a talking cow. Photos: Brett Love. Review: showsiveseen.com/6241 #littleMermaid #theLittleMermaid #HansChristianAndersen #theatre #showsiveseen ♬ SUMMERTIME – Madi Rindge
