Category: 12th Ave Arts

Letters of Suresh – Play – Review – ReACT Theatre & Pratidhwani

@showsiveseen "#Letters of Suresh" #play by ReACT Theatre & Pratidhwani starring Nirvan Patnaik. Ends 5/18! #showsiveseen #theatre #origami #penpals ♬ Letter – Jarell Smalls & Company
Recommendation
See it if you like introspective thinking, soliloquies, religious discourse, sermons, audio books, or podcasts.


Synopsis from the Theatre: Intimate mysteries are revealed as a quartet of souls yearning for connection are brought together through extraordinary correspondence. Across time and oceans, these strangers share letters of faith, letters of family, and letters of love … haunted by a city once destroyed by war. Don’t miss this companion play to ANIMALS OUT OF PAPER!

Attended Performance Date: 5/11/24 – 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 closes this weekend.

Type: Play

World Premiere: No

Several or Few Scenes: Few

Several or Few Settings/Locations: Few

Static (Stationary) Set? Yes

Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: You’d probably appreciate this show more if you’re familiar the previous play Animals Out of Paper.

Defined Plot/Storyline: No, it was mostly reciting messages to each other.

Equity Actors: 0

Total Number of Actors: 4

Perceived Pace of the Show: Slow to medium speed

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? No

Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)

  • Actor Interactions: There was uniquely very little interaction between actors in this play, like a show full of soliloquies. I think there was only one brief scene where the script prompted the characters to actually talk directly to each other through a phone call.

Theatre Company: ReACT Theatre & Pratidhwani

Venue: 12th Avenue Arts

Venue Physical Address: 1620 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122

Price: Cheap

Tickets: https://www.reacttheatre.org/

Dates: April 24 to May 18, 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 Quinlan Corbett.

Marianna de Fazio as Amelia in LETTERS OF SURESH. Photo by Quinlan Corbett.
Mona Leach as Melody in LETTERS OF SURESH. Photo by Quinlan Corbett.
Stephen Sumida as Father Hashimoto in LETTERS OF SURESH. Photo by Quinlan Corbett.
Nirvan Patnaik as Suresh in LETTERS OF SURESH. Photo by Quinlan Corbett.

Preview Post – Letters of Suresh – Play – ReACT Theatre & Pratidhwani

“Letters of Suresh” play by ReACT Theatre & Pratidhwani. Extended one more week till 5/18/24! Stay tuned for my full review. #showsiveseen #theatre #origami

Final Full Review (Posted 5/16/24): https://www.showsiveseen.com/letters-of-suresh-play-review-react-theatre-pratidhwani/

Tickets: https://www.reacttheatre.org/

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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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Fellow Passengers – Play – Review – Strawberry Theatre Workshop

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Fellow Passengers play by Strawberry Theatre Workshop. A play-within-a-play where the outer play was silent and the inner play was a spoken reenactment of A Christmas Carol. Solid, well-developed storytelling delivery. Realistically-designed basement set. Live sound effects from Ayako Okano.

Recommendation
See it if you’re interested in a uniquely-presented version of A Christmas Carol.


Synopsis from the Theatre: In a fortuitous turn of events, Strawshop is proud to announce that Fellow Passengers—originally scheduled at Book-It Repertory Theatre—opens December 1 for a four-week revival at it’s original home: Strawberry Theatre Workshop. Told in the narrative style that Book-It made famous in Seattle, “Passengers” is every page of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol performed by just three actors, who bring over fifty characters to the stage.

Attended Performance Date: Opening Night 12/2/23 – See my previous preview posts here.

Type: Play

World Premiere: No

Several or Few Scenes: Several

Several or Few Settings/Locations: It was a play within a play. The outer play was just one location (a basement) and the inner play was several locations from A Christmas Carol.

Static (Stationary) Set?: Yes, the outer play set was “set in stone.” The inner play definitely required more imagination from the audiance than than most other shows.

Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: No, but if you’d probably appreciate the show more if you’re familiar with the original A Christmas Carol story.

Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes

Live Band/Orchestra: Ayako Okano generated live sound effects and some music. She used bells, chimes, chains, an electronic keyboard, and a milk crate of all things.

Equity Actors: 2

Total Number of Actors: 3

Perceived Pace of the Show: Medium Speed

Length (Including Any Intermission): 2 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

  • Storytelling: When I saw Amy Thone on the cast list, I knew the acting would be top notch. The actors delivered their lines like professionals with enthusiasm and energy. Often on opening night (even with professional shows), I can tell when a show needs more time to “cure.” But this production was solid on day one.
  • Tiny Tim: As I’ve mentioned previously, I absolutely loathe the Tiny Tim Christmas trope. I’m so relieved there was no cutesy child actor portraying Tiny Tim in this play.

Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)

  • Book-It Repertory Theatre: The play exuded the distinctive narration style of the recently-late Book-It Repertory Theatre. Book-It was actually supposed to produce the show this season, but they prematurely closed their doors forever. I wonder how much of the show Book-It already originally produced. For example, did Book-It already imagine/create the scenic design before they closed, and Strawberry Theatre Workshop continued where Book-It left off?
  • New Scenes: There were a couple of scenes towards the end that I don’t remember from the traditional A Christmas Carol story. For example, there was a scene involving people on a ship.

Theatre Company: Strawberry Theatre Workshop

Venue: 12th Avenue Arts

Venue Physical Address: 1620 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122

Price: Cheap to medium

Tickets: https://www.strawshop.org/fellow-passengers.html

Dates: December 1 – 23, 2023

Seating: Assigned Seating

Parking: 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. The cheapest paid lot close by is at 1300 E Olive St with the entrance on 14th Ave. I highly suggest parking far away or taking the bus since parking lots and street parking are expensive in Capitol Hill.

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Cast and Production Team: See after pictures and/or video below

@showsiveseen Greg Carter's "Fellow Passengers" #play by Strawberry Theatre Workshop. A play-within-a-play where the outer play was silent and the inner play was a spoken reenactment of #CharlesDickens #AChristmasCarol." Solid, well-developed storytelling delivery. Realistically-designed basement set. Live sound effects from Ayako Okano. Photos: John Ulman. Review: showsiveseen.com/7640 #theatre #showsiveseen #xmas #humbug #dickens #ChristmasCarol #Scrooge #Christmas ♬ Merry Christmas Baby – Sture Zetterberg
RoleName
PerformersShermona Mitchell
Galen Joseph Osier^
Amy Thone^
Daniel Christensen (Understudy)
——
PlaywrightGreg Carter adapting from from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
DirectorRhonda J Soikowski
MusicianAyako Okono
Stage ManagerP Alyda Sorm
Graphic DesignerMelanie Wang
Box Office ManagerMegan Carleton
Designers and ConstructorsAdam Zopfi Hulse
Reed Nakayama
KD Schill
Kyle Thompson
Greg Carter
Megan Carleton
Forrest Leonard
Rhonda J Soikowski
Nona Schroeder
Lighting DesignerReed Nakayama
Property DesignerAdam Zopfi Hulse
Scenic DesignerGreg Carter
^ Member of Actors Equity Association