In two shows on now, creaking estates teem with family secrets, uncertain deaths, and bloodthirsty beasts. They’re also very funny. ‘The Mystery of Irma Vep’ (Intiman Theatre) and ’37 Postcards’ (The Phoenix Theatre, in Edmonds) both run for two more weekends.
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Three shows this weekend explore the deepest desires of their characters. Not all goes according to plan.
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A powerful staging of one woman’s force in a civil rights movement performs at Seattle Rep through February 13. Leading performer E. Faye Butler and understudy Shaunyce Omar both shine, with different takes on the role.
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For all their differences, some overlapping themes (grit, loss, family, and comedy) emerged in the mix of Seattle theatre openings. Here are takeaways from six of them.
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Village Theatre’s latest production boasts strong performers, but its staging attempts too much. ‘Songs for a New World’ runs through February 13 in Issaquah, followed by a run in Everett through March 13. Plus: next month, check out a new musical from Village’s talented teenagers.
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‘We’ve Battled Monsters Before’, the season-opener at ArtsWest and the latest Justin Huertas musical, is available for online viewing through January 20.
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With ‘Diary of a Madman,’ Lowbrow Opera Collective humanizes society’s scorn for mental illness in a compelling 45-minute opera. It runs through November 21 at 18th & Union.
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In ‘Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill’, one evening’s concert captures the downward spiral of an American musical icon. Alexandria J. Henderson’s performance puts the singer’s highs and lows on display; it’s just as beautiful to watch as it is heartbreaking. ‘Lady Day’ runs through November 27 in downtown Olympia.
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‘Until the Flood’, Dael Orlandersmith’s interview-based solo show about the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, gets a multi-actor staging at Harlequin Productions in Olympia. It runs through December 4.
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What’s billed as the story of a jazz great taking care of unfinished business after his untimely death, winds up a tale of addiction to drugs and White women. It runs through March 7.
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Village Theatre gives a lovely production to ‘She Loves Me’, a rehashed musical based on the same 1930s story that inspired the ’90s film ‘You’ve Got Mail’. It runs in Everett through March 22.
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‘Admissions’ looks at diversity in the wild world of top prep schools, but provokes tough questions of privilege in arenas far beyond that elite enclave. It runs at Seattle Public Theater through February 23.
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Strawberry Theatre Workshop’s latest is a dark look at criminology and injustice, set in an early British prison colony in Australia. It runs through February 22 at 12th Avenue Arts.
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‘Steel Magnolias’ at Taproot Theatre (thru 2/29) and Tacoma Musical Playhouse’s ‘Beehive’ (thru 2/16) center strong female characters, from an ’80s small-town salon to world-class stages of the ’60s.
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The classic farce goes behind the scenes of what might be the worst show ever. Harlequin’s production of it is slapstick that’s as smart, and funny, as it gets. ‘Noises Off’ runs in Olympia through February 8.
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The Millennial experience gets an opera treatment in ‘#adulting’, from the classically trained singers of the Lowbrow Opera Collective. It runs through February 9 at 18th & Union.
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A war between siblings unearths the rotten underbelly of male ego and its generational reverberations in ‘True West’, Sam Shepard’s dark comedy. It runs through February 16 at Seattle Rep.
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The new work by dancer/choreographer Elby Brosch looks at trans experience alongside binary and non-binary identities. It runs through 1/30.
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The South Korean artist uses a trio of chatty rice cookers to delve into the dark and desolate sides of his country’s past and present. The U.S. premiere of ‘Cuckoo’ runs at On the Boards through January 26.
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Seattle Opera’s take on Tchaikovsky’s ‘Eugene Onegin’ is beautiful, in instrument, voice, and design, with a lusciously lyrical delivery makes up for a rather uninspired plot. It runs through January 25.
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Female empowerment and adolescent awkwardness join forces in Washington Ensemble Theatre’s latest, fueled by standout choreography and a star-dusted cast. It runs through February 3.
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The stage adaptation of the ’90s movie is having its world premiere in Seattle, before moving straight to Broadway this spring. It’s a huge production with lovely design, and content that includes both fun updates and eye-rolling (and potentially harmful) trope. It runs through January 4.
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Two versions of ‘A Christmas Carol’ — one new and one classic — seek to highlight the social-justice message at the heart of the original. ‘Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol’ plays at Harlequin in Olympia through 12/31; and ‘A Christmas Carol’ plays at ACT Theatre in Seattle through 12/28.
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Three interpretations of ‘The Nutcracker’ on Seattle stages demonstrate its adaptability for the tastes — and moods — of new audiences. The invigorated classic epic (at Pacific Northwest Ballet, through 12/28), a sassy spin-off and an elegant workshop (at the Paramount Theatre and On the Boards, both through 12/15) are all delightful, and distinct.
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Using humor, rich detail, and ample song, musician-writer-comedian Ahamefule J. Oluo tells stories of his mother, growing up, and searching — from Texas to Seattle to the Niger Delta. ‘Susan’ runs through December 8 at On the Boards.
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With elegance, precision, and an army of highly trained dancers, the slate of new works up now at Pacific Northwest Ballet will satisfy — and excite — frequent-goers, too. But the appeal of ‘Locally Sourced’ is much broader. It runs through November 17.
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Two strong productions, on now from Theatre22 and Seattle Public Theater, dive into hot topics around race, culture, and appropriation. They’re both comedic, thought-provoking, and very well done. ‘White’ runs through 11/9, and ‘The Thanksgiving Play’ closes 11/16.
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Some of the area’s best musical theatre grown-ups become nerdy, quirky kids and their chaperones in ‘Spelling Bee’, on now at Village Theatre in Everett. It runs through November 17.
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Mary E. Brown and Jasmine Lomax spar in a futuristic, dystopian one-act that crackles with intensity from a mysterious backstory. It runs through November 3.
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The Can Can, an established Seattle cabaret tucked away under the Pike Place Market, brings a fun and festive show just up the street to The Triple Door. The dining service is much less successful than the stagecraft.
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