Category: Village Theatre

Preview Post – Dial M for Murder – Play – Village Theatre

Happy opening night to Village Theatre’s Dial M for Murder play production. At Issaquah till 2/23/25 and Everett till 3/23/25. Keep a look out for my full review!

Tickets: https://villagetheatre.org/shows/murder/

Final Full Review: https://www.showsiveseen.com/dial-m-for-murder-play-review-village-theatre/

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Legally Blonde: The Musical – Review – Village Theatre

@showsiveseen "Legally #Blonde: The #Musical" by Village Theatre starring @Betsy Stewart as #ElleWoods. Strong choreography. Quite possibly *the* show to see this season. Don't forget to wear your #pink! #theatre #showsiveseen #legallyBlonde ♬ So Much Better (Live) – Sheridan Smith & The "Legally Blonde the Musical" Original London Cast' Company

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Legally Blonde: The Musical by Village Theatre starring Betsy Stewart as Elle Woods. Strong choreography. Quite possibly *the* show to see this season. Don’t forget to wear your pink!

Recommendation:
See it, especially if you enjoyed the movie.


My Synopsis (No Spoilers): A ditsy SoCal UCLA sorority blonde follows her ex-boyfriend to Harvard Law School for love.

Synopsis from the Licensor or Theatre Company: Don’t judge a blonde by her cover! Elle Woods appears to have it all. But her life is turned upside down when her boyfriend dumps her so he can attend Harvard Law. Determined to get him back, Elle ingeniously charms her way into the prestigious law school, and soon she discovers — and proves to the world — the power of being legally blonde. Based on the beloved movie, Legally Blonde The Musical takes you from the sorority house to the halls of justice in fabulously fun, blonde-tastic style. With an infectious score, dazzling dances, and a hilarious script, this ebullient musical is so much fun, it should be illegal!

Type: Musical

World Premiere: No

Several or Few Scenes: Several

Several or Few Settings/Locations: Several

Static (Stationary) or Dynamic Set: Dynamic

Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: No, but you’ll probably enjoy this more if you saw the movie.

Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes

Live Band/Orchestra: Yes

Union Actors: 13

Total Actors: 20

Perceived Pace of the Show: Medium speed

Was there an intermission? Yes

Length (Including Any Intermission): 2.5 hours

Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show? No, this is far from my first time seeing the show. As one of my top three favorite musicals, I’ve had the opportunity to experience it at least seven times, across various community, professional, and touring productions. The quality has varied greatly—some performances were outstanding, while others were terrible. Having seen many underwhelming versions, I’ve realized that staging a decent production of this musical is quite challenging. Only professional companies like Village Theatre are equipped to do it justice.

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now? Absolutely

Mainstream Appeal: Medium to high

Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned Above

  • Choreography: Katy Tabb (choreographer) and Richard Peacock (dance captain) crafted a vibrant and dynamic choreography repertoire. It was particularly strong in “Legally Blonde Remix (especially with the Irish Stepdance), “What you Want” (especially with the impressive splits and heart pom poms), “Bend and Snap,” and the physically challenging “Whipped into Shape.”
  • Kyle: Speaking of Richard Peacock, although he didn’t visually present as Irish, I loved his flamboyant (and slightly gay) interpretation of Kyle, the sexy “walking porn” UPS man.
  • Scenic Design: I previously saw two national touring productions of this show that overly relied on video as a crutch to depict scenery. It was refreshing to finally attend a professional production that utilized more physical sets. Lex Liang (scenic designer) designed sets for Villiage Theatre reminiscent of the original Broadway production.
  • “Take it Like a Man” Song: This scene was cute and well-executed especially when they added last-minute clothing/style accessories to Emmett (played by Coleman Cummings) at the end.
  • Casting: The cast was a strong collection of mostly local professional actors like Mark Emerson (Professor Callahan), Cy Paolantonio (Brooke Wyndham), and Danny Kam (Ensemble). Cassie Kohl was perfect for the lesbionic Enid Hoopes. Ironically, Cassie’s Instagram username is “thunderdyke!” Additionally, Betsy Stewart (who isn’t local) well-portrayed the ditsy energy and look of the original Reece Witherspoon from the movie.

Rant(s)

  • Microphones and Sound: The lead singers needed better sound balancing on their microphones. A messenger bag mishap also cut out one major character’s microphone during half of their duet Additionally, the vocals in the first act were a little shaky, but the second act showed significant improvement. With a few more performances to stabilize, the vocal and sound issues should resolve.

Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)

  • Script and Lyric Changes: There were a couple deviations from the original script and lyrics. I wonder if it was just Seattle being overly woke and politically correct. For example, they replaced “ethnic movement” with “Gen-Z enthusiasm” in the line “You can’t just barge in here with singing and dancing and ethnic movement.” Why did they change the royal classmate’s name from Sundeep Agrawal Padamadan? Why did Enid no longer lead a protest march against culturally insensitive cartoons? Why was Paulette’s baby no longer named “Shamus?” Why did they change the lyrics in “Positive” to something like “hit her with a stick of wood?”

Theatre Company: Village Theatre

Venue Physical Address:

  • Village Theatre’s Francis J. Gaudette Theatre: 303 Front Street North, Issaquah, WA 98027
  • Everett Performing Arts Center: 2710 Wetmore Avenue, Everett, WA 98201

Price Range: $44-123

Ticket Affordability Options: See the theatre’s official page about discounts and pay-what-you-can performances

Dates:

  • Issaquah: November 12 to December 22, 2024
  • Everett: January 4 to 26, 2024

Seating: Assigned Seating

Parking:

  • Issaquah: Free street parking and certain free parking lots. Lot parking availability is very difficult to find though. I’ve basically given up on that. I usually end up parking on Rainier Boulevard North. As a last resort, you can always find parking at the library but it’s a little far. Remember, there’s a bottom floor parking lot under the library’s main parking lot that mostly only locals know about.
  • Everett: Free street parking and some paid parking lots/garages.

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Pictures: See production pictures below by Auston James.

Cast and Production Team: See pictures below.

Betsy Stewart in Legally Blonde The Musical at Village Theatre. Photo by Auston James (2024).
Betsy Stewart and the company of Legally Blonde The Musical at Village Theatre. Photo by Auston James (2024).
Betsy Stewart in Legally Blonde The Musical at Village Theatre. Photo by Auston James (2024).
Trina Mills and Roxanne in Legally Blonde The Musical at Village Theatre. Photo by Auston James (2024).
Trina Mills and Betsy Stewart in Legally Blonde The Musical at Village Theatre. Photo by Auston James (2024).
Coleman Cummings, Lauren Paris, and Betsy Stewart in Legally Blonde The Musical at Village Theatre. Photo by Auston James (2024).
Credits for Legally Blonde The Musical at Village Theatre. Photo from Encore Spotlight program.
Credits for Legally Blonde The Musical at Village Theatre. Photo from Encore Spotlight program.
Credits for Legally Blonde The Musical at Village Theatre. Photo from Encore Spotlight program.

Preview Post – Legally Blonde – Musical – Village Theatre

Congrats to Village Theatre on the opening night of their Legally Blonde musical production. As one of my favorite shows, I’ve seen it at least 7 times. Performing in Issaquah till 12/22/24 then performing in Everett 1/4/25-1/26/25. Stay tuned for my full review! #legallyBlonde #pink #lawSchool #harvard #harvardLaw #ElleWoods #BendAndSnap #OmigodYouGuys

Final Full Review: https://www.showsiveseen.com/legally-blonde-the-musical-review-village-theatre/

Tickets: https://villagetheatre.org/shows/blonde/

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Preview Post – Camelot – Musical – Village Theatre

Congrats to Village Theatre for opening night of their Camelot musical production. Catch the show until 10/13 at Issaquah & 11/10 at Everett. Stay tuned for my full review! #kingArthur #lancelot #Guinevere #excalibur #loveTriangle

Tickets: https://villagetheatre.org/shows/camelot/

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The 21st Annual Festival of New Musicals – Staged Musical Readings – Review – Village Theatre

@showsiveseen Congrats to Village Theatre for a successful 4-show weekend marathon of The 21st Annual #Festival of New #Musicals. 3 true stories, 2 folky scores, & 26-ish hours to prepare for most staged reading performances. As @Brandon Ivie said, it was a feat worthy of the current Olympic season. Totally better than the Olympics or Sky Angels! Read More: showsiveseen.com/9328 "The Oscar Micheaux Project" By Alphonso Horne, Jesse L. Kearney, Jr, @Cara, & Peter Mills "Wakeman" By @jenngrinels "We Ain't Ever Gonna Break Up: The Hymon & Parfunkel Musical" By Gregg Hammer & @Louis Pardo "And Sometimes … Love" By @Michael Mott & Gretchen Suárez-Peña #showsiveseen #theatre #musical ♬ Summer Never Dies – The Foxies

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Congrats to Village Theatre for a successful 4-show weekend marathon of The 21st Annual Festival of New Musicals. 3 true stories, 2 folky scores, & 26-ish hours to prepare for most staged reading performances. As Brandon Ivie said last weekend, it was a feat worthy of the current Olympic season. Totally better than the Olympics or Sky Angels!

Review Caveat: Due to the shows’ dynamically developmental nature and the theatre’s preference, I’m holding back my rants, raves, and reviews of the musicals featured in this festival. This post will be more factual than opinion. If you want to hear my personal opinions about these shows, feel free to email me.

Recommendation
See it if you’re okay with staged readings.
Mark your calendars for August 2025!


Festival Lineup:

  • The Oscar Micheaux Project:
    • Creators: Alphonso Horne, Jesse L. Kearney, Jr, Cara Reichel, & Peter Mills
    • Director: Kimille Howard
    • Music Director: Nathan Young
    • Stage Manager: Laurel Nichols
  • Wakeman:
    • Creator: Jenn Grinels
    • Director: Kelly Kitchens
    • Music Director: Elisa Money
    • Stage Manager: Miranda C. Pratt
  • We Ain’t Ever Gonna Break Up: The Hymon & Parfunkel Musical:
    • Creators/Performers: Gregg Hammer & Louis Pardo
    • Director: Scott Weinstein
    • Stage Manager: Laura Karavitis
  • And Sometimes … Love:
    • Creators: Michael Mott & Gretchen Suárez-Peña
    • Director: Peter Flynn
    • Music Director: R.J. Tancioco
    • Stage Manager: Anna Vraney

My Synopsis:

  • The Oscar Micheaux Project: True story about one of the first great black film producers/directors. Set to a unique Jazz-ish sound.
  • Wakeman: True story about a woman pretending to be a man so she could fight for the Union in the American Civil War. Folky music with a 90s PNW flair.
  • We Ain’t Ever Gonna Break Up: The Hymon & Parfunkel Musical: Fast-paced random hilarious hijinks throughout American 20th century history between two childhood best friends performing folk music.
  • And Sometimes … Love: True story about the love between a middle-aged older woman and a younger Italian Frenchman. Based on a video the creators saw on Facebook.

Synopsis from the Licensor or Theatre Company:

  • The Oscar Micheaux Project: Cinematic pioneer Oscar Micheaux’s legacy as Hollywood’s first Black filmmaker comes to syncopated and soulful life in this tuneful and historic new jazz musical.
  • Wakeman: This incredible true story of American Civil War soldier Rosetta Wakeman — who dressed as a man to fight for the Union army — chronicles her heroic journey with a thrilling modern-folk-rock-meets-Americana score.
  • We Ain’t Ever Gonna Break Up: The Hymon & Parfunkel Musical: A zany, laugh-out-loud jukebox musical about — and featuring the songs of — a band that never existed, with a hilarious score spoofing your favorite 60s-70s folk artists.
  • And Sometimes … Love: An intimate and emotional story of a Latina empty-nester working in France who experiences romance for the first time with a man she’s just met: her passionate Italian lover, many years her junior.

Attended Performance Date: 8/2/24 to 8/4/24 – One weekend only!

Type: Musical

World Premiere: These shows were “pre-world premiere” in development

Several or Few Scenes: Several

Several or Few Settings/Locations: Several

Static (Stationary) Set? N/A, these were staged reading performances still in development without any set design.

Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required:

  • The Oscar Micheaux Project: No, but you’d probably appreciate this more if either 1) you’re familiar with black film industry history, 2) you enjoy black art history in general, 3) or you liked History of Theatre.
  • Wakeman: No, but you’d probably appreciate this more if you grew up in the United States
  • We Ain’t Ever Gonna Break Up: The Hymon & Parfunkel Musical: No
  • And Sometimes … Love: No

Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes

Live Band/Orchestra: Each staged reading performance featured minimal live accompaniment to give the audience a taste of what the score could sound like with a full-fledged band or orchestra.

  • The Oscar Micheaux Project: Piano
  • Wakeman: Small band with drums, bass guitar, regular guitar(?), and piano.
  • We Ain’t Ever Gonna Break Up: The Hymon & Parfunkel Musical: Guitar, piano … and spoons all played by the actors. This will probably stay the same since the show will debut its world premiere next month.
  • And Sometimes … Love: Piano

Equity Actors:

  • The Oscar Micheaux Project: 7
  • Wakeman: 7
  • We Ain’t Ever Gonna Break Up: The Hymon & Parfunkel Musical: 2
  • And Sometimes … Love: 2

Total Number of Actors: These numbers are subject to change as the shows develop further.

  • The Oscar Micheaux Project: 9
  • Wakeman: 12
  • We Ain’t Ever Gonna Break Up: The Hymon & Parfunkel Musical: 2
  • And Sometimes … Love: 3

Perceived Pace of the Show: Email me for my answer!

Was there an intermission? This is subject to change as the shows develop further.

  • The Oscar Micheaux Project: Yes
  • Wakeman: Yes
  • We Ain’t Ever Gonna Break Up: The Hymon & Parfunkel Musical: No
  • And Sometimes … Love: No

Length (Including Any Intermission): These numbers are subject to change as the shows develop further.

  • The Oscar Micheaux Project: 2.75 hours
  • Wakeman: 2.25 hours
  • We Ain’t Ever Gonna Break Up: The Hymon & Parfunkel Musical: 100 minutes
  • And Sometimes … Love: 1.5 hours

Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show? Yes, these shows are all still in development.

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now? Email me for my answer!

Mainstream Appeal: Email me for my answer!

Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)

  • Wakeman: Throughout the musical, I kept thinking that it reminded me of Jagged Little Pill. Ironically, Jade McLeod (who starred as Wakeman at Village Theatre) was in the national tour production.
  • We Ain’t Ever Gonna Break Up: The Hymon & Parfunkel Musical: The creators/performers performed multiple stage reading iterations of this show for a couple months/years already. In fact, they’ll debut its world premiere at the Phoenix Theatre next month. It was like seeing a free polished preview performance of [title of show] or Gutenberg! The Musical!. 🙂
  • And Sometimes … Love: This reminded me of the TV show Younger featuring the ageless Sutton Foster.

Theatre Company: Village Theatre

Venue: Francis J. Gaudette Theatre at Village Theatre

Venue Physical Address: 303 Front St N, Issaquah, WA 98027

Price Range: Free, thanks to the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wilke Family Foundation

Dates: August 2 to 4, 2024

Seating: Assigned Seating

Parking: Free street parking and certain free parking lots. Lot parking availability is very difficult to find though. I’ve basically given up on that. I usually end up parking on Rainier Boulevard North. As a last resort, you can always find parking at the library but it’s a little far. Remember, there’s a bottom floor parking lot under the library’s main parking lot that mostly only locals know about.

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Cast and Production Team: See below.