Plays – Page 36 – Shows I've Seen

The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley – Play – Taproot Theatre

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley play at Taproot Theatre rectified an anti-feminist Pride and Prejudice storyline that Jane Austen inadequately resolved for women. Rich English accent from Mr. Darcy. Very Downton Abbey. Good young energetic naiveté from Lydia. Craving tea & shortbread now.

Synopsis from the Theatre: In this all-new Jane Austen-inspired story, we return to the world of the Darcys and Bennets! Lydia’s come for Christmas, the halls are decked, and the aroma of everyone’s favorite orange biscuits fills the air. But downstairs the loyal staff scramble to keep a secret that could upend the festivities. Amid the chaos of Christmas, a little yuletide forgiveness might be the one gift everyone needs.

Reviewed Performance: 11/26 Evening – Opening Weekend

Type: Play

World Premiere: No

Recommendation: See it if you like Pride and Prejudice.

Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value:
4.5 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)

Equity Actors: 2 actors out of 7 but they were all very good. I actually assumed more of them were Equity.

Length: 2 hours

Intermission: Yes

Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts

Favorite Line: When the new maid Cassie saw Mr Darcy (her boss) for the first time and said nervously said “Sir! … My lord! … Mr Darcy!” then bowed.

Rant(s)

Single Setting: The entire play was several scenes in the common area where “the help” reside. The story would be more interesting if they showed scenes in different settings like upstairs or in the marketplace.

Other Thought(s)

Accents: I always love hearing different accents in shows especially how they pronounced “leisure” and “privacy” in this play. Most of the accents in this play were familiar from TV but I’ve never heard the accents from the working class characters before.
Working Class Mobility: While the play turned up the feminism a couple notches towards the end, I wish it did the same thing for working class mobility. “The help” was too dependent on Mr Darcy even when one of them was moving up in the world. Baby steps I guess!

Theatre Company : Taproot Theatre

Venue: Taproot Theatre’s Jewell Mainstage

Venue Physical Address: 204 N 85th St, Seattle, WA 98103

Price: Medium

Dates: November 23 to December 30, 2022

Seating: Assigned

Parking: Paid lot or usually-free street parking. I almost always find free street parking on Greenwood Ave just South of the theatre.

Social Media Posts About this Performance from Shows I’ve Seen: Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

Buy a Ticket or Learn More:

Cast and Production Team: Under pictures below.

Other Video +/- Pictures: Pictures in video and under video are by Robert Wade Photography.

@showsiveseen “The Wickhams: #Christmas at Pemberley” #play at @taproottheatre rectified an anti-feminist #PrideAndPrejudice storyline that #JaneAusten inadequately resolved for women. Rich #English accent from #MrDarcy. Very @downtonabbeyofficial. Good young energetic naiveté from Lydia. Craving tea & #shortbread d now. Review + Photo Credit: showsiveseen.com/2372 #theatre ♬ Santa Tell Me – Ariana Grande

Gretchen Douma, Kathryn Bogley, and Kelly Karcher in *The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley* at Taproot Theatre. Photo by Robert Wade.

Kelly Karcher and Ian Bond in *The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley* at Taproot Theatre. Photo by Robert Wade.

Ricky Spaulding in *The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley* at Taproot Theatre. Photo by Robert Wade.

Kathryn Bogley, Kelly Karcher, and Annie Yim in *The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley* at Taproot Theatre. Photo by Robert Wade.

Gretchen Douma and Ian Bond in *The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley* at Taproot Theatre. Photo by Robert Wade.

Ricky Spaulding and Katheryn Bogley in *The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley* at Taproot Theatre. Photo by Robert Wade.

Katheryn Bogley and Ricky Spaulding in *The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley* at Taproot Theatre. Photo by Robert Wade.

Katheryn Bogley and Kelly Karcher in *The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley* at Taproot Theatre. Photo by Robert Wade.

Role	Name
Lydia Wickham	Kelly Karcher (Equity)
Elizabeth Darcy	Annie Yim
Fitzwilliam Darcy	Brian Pucheu
Mrs. Reynolds	Gretchen Douma (Equity)
Cassie	Kathryn Bogley
Brian	Ricky Spaulding
George Wickham	Ian Bond
Lydia Wickham/Elizabeth Darcy Understudy	Chloe Michele
Fitzwilliam Darcy/Brian/George Wickham Understudy	Will Eames
Cassie Understudy	Karin Terry
Mrs. Reynolds Understudy	Teri Lee Thomas
—	—
Playwrights	Lauren Gunderson Margot Melcon
Director	Karen Lund (SDC)
Assistant Director	Bretteney Beverly
Scenic Design	Amanda Sweger
Costume Design	Pete Rush
Lighting Design	Tim Wratten
Sound Design	Mark Lund
Fight Choreographer	Christopher Kidder-Mostrom
Stage Manager	Nik Nolen (Equity)
Dramaturg	Sonja Lowe
Dialect Coach	Rowan Gallagher

Language of Angels – Play – University of Washington School of Drama

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Language of Angels play w/ UW School of Drama about chilling, haunting, mysterious tragedies in small town USA. Professional-quality production. Great acting, projections, sound effects, & set design. Novel use of darkness. Interesting accents. #theatre #karma

Synopsis from the Theatre: “I didn’t get all that when I was little, all that stuff about angels and god in heaven. I thought it was all puffy clouds and angel babies playing harps. I didn’t get the other part, the secret part, like some kinda sign. The language of angels, and how light burns.” Many years after their friend Celie goes missing in the caves near a rural North Carolina town, many of her close-knit friends recall the inexplicable impacts of her loss. As the play unfolds, we see how Celie’s disappearance continues to affect each of them in different ways. Against the echoes of Celie’s ghostly cries, the survivors continue to struggle to unravel the mysteries of that fateful night. In this haunting yet touching play, Iizuka weaves a story on grief, loss, guilt, and karma into a play with elements of Japanese Noh drama set in Appalachia.

Type: Play

World Premiere: No

Reviewed Performance: 11/20 Afternoon

Recommendation: See it even if you don’t like to watch student actor performances. This production had many professional quality elements.

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now?: Yes if it was an Equity production.

Rating (Out of 5 Stars) Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value: 4.75

Equity Actors: None

Length: 80 mins

Intermission?: No

Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts

Favorite Line: Something like “I’m starting to look like my mom and she was ugly!”
Parking Lot Scene: Set looked very detailed especially with the leaves, grass, paint lines, and streetlamp. The occasional headlights were a nice touch too.
Darkness: Novel use of darkness … maybe even bordering on too much darkness. The theatre was so dark when I entered that it was difficult to take good pictures! You can see this by the distorted heavily-filtered picture above. A lot of times we focus on spectacular theatre lighting effects but we can’t appreciate the light without knowing the darkness.
Cave Description: Good visceral descriptions of cave experiences. This play took me back to a negative personal caving experience in Enchanted Rock, TX.

Rant(s)

Ending: The ending was so abrupt! I was waiting to see more of the story and to see an explanation of the last 10 seconds! Maybe the sudden ending was intentional to leave the audience at the edge of their seats.
Multiple Stories: There were 5 separate stories and it was a little difficult to piece together each one.

Other Thought(s)

Production Run Dates: This would have been better staged in October for Halloween. Of course, there might have been school-related scheduling constraints. I think schools like to time their plays toward the end of the semester.
Title: Why does the title reference angels? Did angels equal spirits in this story? Leave me a comments in the social media links below if you have any ideas!

Theatre Company : University of Washington School of Drama

Venue: Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse Theatre

Venue Physical Address: 4045 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105

Price: Cheap

Dates: November 17 – December 4, 2022

Seating: General Admission

Parking: Street parking (sometimes free) usually available within 3 blocks from the theatre. There’s also a paid parking lot a block away going North.

My Social Media Posts About this Show: Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

Buy a Ticket or Learn More:

https://drama.washington.edu/events/2022-11-17/language-angels

Cast and Production Team: See under the multimedia below.

Other Video +/- Pictures:

@showsiveseen "Language of Angels" #play w/ @uofwa School of Drama about #chilling, #haunting, mysterious tragedies in #smallTown USA. Professional-quality production. Great acting, projections, sound effects, & set design. Novel use of darkness. Interesting accents. Took me back to a scary cave experience in Enchanted Rock, TX. Review: showsiveseen.com/2167 #theatre #karma ♬ Secret – The Pierces

Role	Name
Seth	Ruby O’malley
Celie	Aurelia Ca’zorzi
Kendra	Hailey Henderson
JB	Gabriel Trimbur
Michael/Tommy	Jesimiel Jenkins
Allison	Iveliz Martel
Danielle	Chinelo Okpala
Billy	Nic Morden
—	—
Playwright	Naomi Iizuka
Director	Valerie Curtis-Newton
Stage Manager	Kimberly Le
Assistant Stage Manager	Weiyu Guo
Set Designer	Adair Maccormack
Costume Designer	Candace Frank
Light Designer	Trevor Cushman
Sound Designer	M.L. Dogg
Technical Director, Shop Supervisor, Production Manager:	Alex Danilchik
Master Carpenter	Tres Tracy Ballon
Charge Scenic Artist	Jennifer Law
Master Electrician	Jay McAleer
Costume Shop Manager	Ricky German
Costume Lead	Deborah Skorstad
Costume Specialist	Val Mayse
Prop Master	Andrea Bush
Assistant Scenic Designer	Lukas White
Assistant Lighting Designer	Landon Elder
Assistant Costume Designer	Antonio Torrez Alex Mellor
Light Board Operator	Aurora Asay
Sound Board Operator	Taylor Freeman
Wardrobe Crew	Kalea Levy Brionna Olson Natalie Tassielli
Deck Crew	Noelle Bi Evan Ponyah Eric Wang Logan West

boom – Play – Blue Hour Theatre Group

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): boom play by Blue Hour Theatre Group at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. Modern earth experiences a semi big bang of sorts (or boom). Novel play-within-a-play museum framework. Makes me wonder how future generations will depict us thousands of years from now. Did not expect the twist at the end! Nice touch with the free drinks and raffle. #theatre #evolution #apocalypse #cataclysm #doomsday

Synopsis from the Theatre: A grad student’s online personal ad lures a mysterious journalism student to his subterranean research lab under the pretense of an evening of “no strings attached” sex. But when a major global catastrophic event strikes the planet, their date takes on evolutionary significance and the fate of humanity hangs in the balance. Will they survive? What about the fish in the tank? And who is that woman pulling levers and playing the timpani? An epic and intimate comedy that spans over billions of years, boom explores the influences of fate versus randomness in the course of one’s life, and life as we know it on the planet.

Reviewed Performance Date: 11/11/22 Evening

Type: Play

World Premiere: No

Recommendation: See it if you like plays with 2 people (the 3rd person was more of a narrator who broke the 4th wall) or plays where all the scenes are in one room.

Rating (Out of 5 Stars): 4 stars

Equity Actors: Zero but they were good.

Length: 90 mins

Intermission?: No

Rant(s)

Theatre space was cold and the chairs were uncomfortable.

Other Thought(s)

Did the museum exhibit contain androids/robots? Or were we watching a screen? Leave a comment in my social media links below if you have any ideas!

Theatre Company : Blue Hour Theatre Group

Venue: Youngstown Cultural Arts Center

Venue Physical Address: 4408 Delridge Way SW, Seattle, WA 98106

Price: Cheap

Dates: November 4 to 19, 2022

Seating: General Admission

Parking: Free lot parking. If the primary lot is full, you can park across the street in the park, which is also free.

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

Link(s):

Cast and Production Team: See under the pictures/video below.

Other Video +/- Pictures: Photos and videos of production are provided courtesy of the theatre company.

@showsiveseen “#boom” by Blue Hour Theatre Group at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. Modern earth experiences a semi #bigBang of sorts. Novel #play-within-a-play #museum framework. Makes me wonder how future generations will depict us years from now. Did not expect the twist at the end! Appreciated the free drinks & raffle. showsiveseen.com/2026 #theatre #evolution #apocalypse #cataclysm #doomsday ♬ Boom Clap (From the Motion Picture Das Schicksal ist ein mieser Verräter) – Charli XCX

Role	Name
Playwright	Peter Sinn Nachtrieb
Director	Brian Brooks
Production Design	Greg Loproto
Stage Manager	Sara Schweid
Technical Director	Jay Strevey
—	—
Jules	Blake Simpson
Jo	Brittany N. Lael
Barbara	Jordan Pontelondolfo

Corners Grove – Play – Cornish College of the Arts

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Corners Grove play by Cornish College of the Arts at Cornish Playhouse At Seattle Center. Modern take on Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. Reminded me of TV shows about privileged California teens & young adults.

Synopsis from New Play Exchange: A reverent nod to Our Town by Thornton Wilder, this play follows a group of young people in the town of Corner’s Grove from high school into adulthood as they deal with leaving home, falling in love, gender identity, and the death of Whitney Houston. It’s a story about growing up and hometowns, friendship and drinking in parking lots.

Reviewed Performance Date: 11/6/22 Afternoon

Type: Play

World Premiere: No

Recommendation: See it if you like the original Our Town play.

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now?: Yes, if it was produced by an Equity Theatre.

Rating (Out of 5 Stars): 4 stars

Equity Actors: Zero but they were good.

Rant(s)

I’m not sure if it’s a problem with the original Our Town (since I’ve never seen it) or this newer script but the play didn’t seem relatable through my POC eyes. It sort of reminded me of Dawson’s Creek or 90210 without the sex. Think of the MadTV parody “Pretty White Kids With Problems.”
I feel like audience members who previously saw the original Our Town would enjoy this more.

Other Rave(s)

The narrator had a great effortless feminine style.

Theatre Company : Cornish College of the Arts

Venue: Cornish Playhouse

Venue Physical Address: 201 Mercer St, Seattle, WA 98109

Price: Cheap

Dates: November 3 to 6, 2022

Seating: General Admission

Parking: Paid lot, paid street, or free street parking. The free parking is a couple blocks north as you go deeper (and higher) into Queen Anne.

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

Link(s):

Cast and Production Team: Under the video

Other Video +/- Pictures:

@showsiveseen "Corners Grove" #play by #Cornish College at Cornish Playhouse in Seattle Center. Modern take on #ThorntonWilder's #OurTown. Reminded me of TV shows about privileged California teens & young adults. Review: showsiveseen.com/2012 #theatre ♬ goodbye & thank u – Kira Kosarin

Role	Name
Sam Craig (u/s Halle, Luke)	Adna Palic (They/Them)
Julia Webb (u/s Rebecca)	Anika Thorson (She/Her)
Stacy McAllister (u/s Emily)	Bryanna Finley (She/They)
Jo Crowell (u/s Julia)	Catherine Tarlov (She/Her)
Simon Stimson (u/s George)	Daniel Haskey (He/Him)
Melissa Cartwright (u/s Stage Manager, Wally)	Emma Majewski (They/Them)
Halle Newsome (u/s Stacy)	Emma Chang (She/Her)
Rebecca Gibbs	Hattie Mae Rich (They/Them)
Luke Lorberbaum (u/s Simon)	Jasper Law (He/Him)
Stage Manager (Character)	Jo Branchflower (She/Her)
Lou Soames (u/s Vi, Sam)	Kendal Butin (She/They)
Belligerent Audience Member, Madeleine Beckner (She/They)	Maddy Pulaski (They/She)
Vi Crowell (u/s Joe)	Vanessa (u/s Melissa, Lou)
Wally Webb	Mario Espinoza (He/They)
George Gibbs	Peter Schafer(He/They/She)
Emily Webb	Sena Hanson-Walker (They/Them)
—	—
Playwright and Director	Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin (They/She)
Technical Director	Matthew McCarren (He/Him)
Assistant Director	Will Boyer-Montgomery (He/They)
Carpenter	Kevyn Jordon-McKind (She/Her)
Intimacy Director	Sarah Harlett (She/Her)
Stage Manager	Larcyn Burnett (They/Them)
Scenic Designer	Paige Arseneau (She/They)
Assistant Stage Manager	Alex Walker (They/He)
Costume Designer	Caden Green (He/They)
Assistant Scenic Designer & Lead Carpenter	Emma Boyd (She/Her)
Lighting Designer	Cami Taliaferro-Barber (She/Her)
Assistant Lighting Designer	Locke Landis (He/Him)
Sound Designer	Emily Doorenbos (They/She)
Charge Scenic Painter	Jessica Christensen (She/Her)
Dresser/Stage Hand	Ben Barton (He/Him) Hero Stroverud-Myers (She/her)
Run Crew	Em Weihofen (They/She)
Spot Op	Nolan Spencer (He/Him)
Light Board Op	Dominique Salas
—	—
Performance Production Area Head	Melanie Burgess (She/Her)
Visual & Performing Arts Production Manager	Gavin Yehle (He/Him)
Theatre Department Faculty Chair	Sheila Daniels (She/Her)
Scenic/Props Design Advisor	Matthew Smucker (He/Him)
Scene Shop Supervisor	Matthew McCarren (He/Him)
Production Lab Instructor	Amy LaZerte (She/Her)
Lighting Design Advisor	Peter Maradudin (He/Him)
Props & Paint Supervisor	Jessica Christensen (She/Her)
Director of CSES	Pinky Estell (He/Him)
CSES Technical Supervisor	Marc Mixon (He/Him)
Sound Design Advisor	Tom Fallat (He/Him)
Costume Shop Supervisor & Practicum Advisor	Carl Bronsdon (He/Him)
Patron Service Manager	Tony Rinehart (They/Them)
Stage Management Advisor	Bret Torbeck (He/Him)
Theatre / Performance Prodcution Department Coordinator	Rachel Brinn (She/Her)

The Amen Corner – Play – The Williams Project

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): The Amen Corner play w/ music by The Williams Project & Langston Seattle at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute. Good critique on toxic hypocritical church piety & condemnation. Religious interjections & rich pure black voices were a delight. Love seeing a good unraveling on stage. The audience attended in their Sunday best! #POC #religion #mutiny #BiPOC

Synopsis from the Theatre: In a storefront church in Harlem, Sister Margaret’s fierce piety inspires both devotion and fear in her congregation. But when a figure from her past returns, and her son starts looking for answers outside the church door, Sister Margaret finds her standing in danger. As secrets emerge and loyalties are tested, Sister Margaret must fight for her family, her flock, and ultimately, her faith. Equal parts soaring music, prophetic poetry, and gripping family drama, The Amen Corner asks audiences to face the beautiful and frightening path that leads to liberation. And gives space to, as Baldwin says, “let the church say Amen.”

Reviewed Performance Date: 11/3/22 Evening

Type: Play

World Premiere: No

Live Band: No

Recommendation: See it! Especially if you grew up in a Christian church.

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

Rating (Out of 5 Stars): 4.75 stars

Equity Actors: 6 out of 9. First professional production of this play in Seattle!

Rant(s)

The bedroom and kitchen was confusing. Where they located in the same building as the church?
I’m not sure if the production budget could afford this or if it was an intentional creative decision but the folding chairs needed to be replaced with real church pews.
The churchgoers somehow needed better stage blocking. I don’t want to see the back of their heads! To be fair, I admit that it’s difficult to avoid this with a church stage.

Other Rave(s)

Sister Boxer (Felicia Loud) has a lovely voice. I could listen to her talk or sing all day.
Powerful stern fierce pastor portrayal by Maiya Reaves
Nice background gospel music before performance and during intermission.
Favorite line was something an old man said to the effect of “no woman has ever touched me.”

Other Thought(s)

Where were my BiPOC brothas and sistas? This is the first time I’ve attended Langston Seattle (albeit only 3 times total) where non-POCs were the majority in the audience. The subject matter was even about a black church! Leave a comment on my social media links below if you have any theories.

Theatre Company : The Williams Project

Venue: Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute

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

Price: Cheap w/ Pay-what-you-can Options

Dates: November 2-20, 2022

Seating: General Admission

Parking and Cost: Free lot parking or free street parking.

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

Link(s):

https://www.thewilliamsproject.org/amen-corner

Cast and Production Team: Under the video.

Other Video +/- Pictures: Photography in video and under video are by Michael B. Maine.

@showsiveseen “The #Amen Corner” #play w/ music by The Williams Project at Langston Seattle. Good critique on toxic hypocritical #church piety & condemnation. #Religious interjections & rich pure #black voices were a delight. Love seeing a good unraveling on stage. The audience attended in their Sunday best! Review & Photo Credit: showsiveseen.com/1887 #poc #religion #mutiny #BiPOC #theatre ♬ original sound – Shows I've Seen

Role	Name
Brother Boxer	Holiday
Sister Boxer	Felicia Loud
Sister Moore	Anjelica McMillan
Margaret	Maiya Reaves
Odessa	Cathleen Riddley
Luke	Adrian Roberts
Brother Davis	Malcolm J. West
David	Dimitri Woods
Sister Ida Jackson	Amaya Zhané
———-	———-
Playwright	James Baldwin
Director	Reggie D. White
Music Director	Aaron M. Davis Norman
Set and Costume Designer	An-lin Dauber
Props Designer	Robert J. Aguilar
Lighting Designer	Robin Macartney
Stage Manager	P. Alyda Sorm
Production Manager	Kyle Hartmann
Technical Director	Justin Duffiance