The 5th Avenue Theatre

Jill Farrington Sweeney June 18, 2024July 1, 2024 The 5th Avenue Theatre

Adolescence and Angst in Bloom at Spring Awakening

A rock musical at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre (through 6/30) looks at youthful energy, sexuality, and repression.

NWTheatre March 14, 2024November 6, 2024 Broadway at the Paramount, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Opera, The 5th Avenue Theatre, Village Theatre

Some Big Stages Are Set for 2025. Who’s Doing What?

Pacific Northwest Ballet just announced its 2024-25 season, hot on the heels of season announcements from The 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle Opera, Village Theatre, and Broadway at The Paramount. Now that most of the biggest stages in musicals and dance are set, here’s a look at their seasons.

REVIEW THEATRE

Chase D. Anderson March 13, 2024March 25, 2024 Anne Allgood, Sarah Rudinoff, The 5th Avenue Theatre

There’s Something Afoot at This (A-List) Party

Something’s Afoot, a spoofy-murdery-musical, runs at The 5th Avenue Theatre through March 24.

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Chase D. Anderson October 16, 2023February 15, 2024 ACT Contemporary Theatre, eSe Teatro, Julieta Vitullo, Lauren Yee, Seattle, The 5th Avenue Theatre

The Thrust: War Is Hell

On ACT’s stage through November 5, the traveling hit Cambodian Rock Band digs into decades-old scars of war, with wrenching scenes layered in rock melodies. Earlier this month, Two Big Black Bags took on similar hauntings of war.

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Chase D. Anderson September 21, 2023October 9, 2023 Cassi Q Kohl, Diana Huey, R.J. Tancioco, Seattle, Shaunyce Omar, The 5th Avenue Theatre

Part of Her World: The 5th’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ Brings the Magic of Disney’s Animated Classic

The under-the-sea classic dazzles with plenty of theatre magic and stand-out performances. The Little Mermaid performs at The 5th Avenue Theatre through 10/8.

REVIEW THEATRE

Chase D. Anderson June 16, 2023June 24, 2023 Seattle Opera, The 5th Avenue Theatre, The Phoenix Theatre

The Thrust: Hitting the Righteous Notes

At The 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle Opera, and The Phoenix Theatre, three musically-driven shows invite you to pick a side.

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Chase D. Anderson February 23, 2023March 8, 2023 Bill Berry, Cayman Ilika, Eric Ankrim, Mari Nelson, Porscha Shaw, Sarah Russell, Seattle, Shaunyce Omar, Stephen Sondheim, The 5th Avenue Theatre

Into the Neon Wilds: The 5th’s Spin on a Classic

The 5th’s modern, farcical production leans into the humor of the classic Sondheim fairy-tale mashup with a star-filled cast. It runs through March 5.

FEATURE THEATRE

Chase D. Anderson January 2, 2023April 22, 2023 ACT Contemporary Theatre, Dacha Theatre, Harlequin Productions, Macha Theatre Works, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Red Curtain Foundation for the Arts, Seattle Opera, Showtunes Theatre Company, The 5th Avenue Theatre, Valley Center Stage

NWTheatre Awards: Best-Loved Shows of 2022

All around the Sound, theatre and dance companies treated viewers to a lot of great performances in 2022. Here’s what stood out to NWTheatre as the most powerful, most memorable, most spectacular of the year.

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Chase D. Anderson September 29, 2022October 3, 2022 The 5th Avenue Theatre

Trip With the Griswolds: Farcical Fun or Musical Dud?

A new musical comedy, inspired by the family of decades-old ‘National Lampoon’ films, premiered this month at The 5th Avenue Theatre. It runs through 10/2.

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Chase D. Anderson July 27, 2022August 9, 2022 The 5th Avenue Theatre, Touring

‘Come From Away’ Finds Joy When the Journey Goes Nowhere

The sweet, standout touring musical performs at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre through 8/7.

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Chase D. Anderson June 17, 2022September 3, 2022 Amanda Petrowski, Conner Neddersen, Dedra D. Woods, Desdemona Chiang, Ian Wight, Jag, James Lynch, Jasmine Joshua, Karen Lund, Kate Jaeger, Kelly Rogers Flynt, Larry Shue, Maggie Lee, Marianne Savell, Mary Leedy, Matthew Posner, Taproot Theatre, The 5th Avenue Theatre, The Phoenix Theatre

The Thrust: Someone’s Pulling Our Leg With These Shows

Three comedies hit the right notes. The original musical ‘And So That Happened …’ and the farce ‘The Nerd’ close this weekend; the lightly risque ‘Skin Flick’ runs through the following week.

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Chase D. Anderson May 19, 2022May 23, 2022 ACT Contemporary Theatre, Adrienne Campbell-Holt, Anastacia McCleskey, Anne Allgood, Carey Wong, Eliza Palasz, Emily Kaczmarek, John Langs, Lynn Nottage, Mari Nelson, Robert J. Aguilar, Sara Waisanen, Shawn Belyea, The 5th Avenue Theatre, Tracy Michelle Hughes, Zoe Sarnak

Sweat Now. Process Afterwords.

Two big productions on now, paint two American portraits, intimate and recognizable, in details both banal and destabilizing. Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama runs through 5/22 at ACT Theatre; and a world-premiere musical at The 5th runs through 5/21.

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Chase D. Anderson March 1, 2022March 15, 2022 Eastside, Seattle, Seattle Rep, The 5th Avenue Theatre, Valley Center Stage

The Thrust: Love Sets the Tone in These Shows

From an all-too-honest advice columnist to audience requests on the mic and a gambling bail-out, the love shown here covers pretty much everything but the romantic kind. Here are my takeaways from each.

COVID-19 FEATURE THEATRE

Jim Moran March 24, 2020November 3, 2021 Jim Moran, Terrence McNally, The 5th Avenue Theatre

Remembering Terrence McNally

Legendary playwright Terrence McNally died March 24 at age 81, of complications relating to the coronavirus. Seattle-based playwright Jim Moran remembers McNally, working alongside him, and the impact he had on Moran’s own work.

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Chase D. Anderson December 31, 2019January 6, 2020 David Korins, Jerry Zaks, John O’Farrell, Karey Kirkpatrick, new musicals, Rob McClure, The 5th Avenue Theatre, Wayne Kirkpatrick

From Film to Broadway, ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ Gets an Update at The 5th. It’s a Fun Show, with a Big Asterisk.

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.

DANCE REVIEW THEATRE

Dusty Somers June 10, 2019September 14, 2019 Bill Berry, Spectrum Dance Theater, The 5th Avenue Theatre

The 5th Avenue Theatre’s ‘West Side Story’ Is Poetry in Motion

In collaboration with Spectrum Dance Theater, The 5th has put up an exquisite staging of the classic Bernstein/Sondheim/Laurents musical, inspired by Shakepeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’. It runs through June 23.

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Chase D. Anderson April 24, 2019February 15, 2024 ACT Contemporary Theatre, Bill Berry, Greg Kotis, Mari Nelson, Mark Hollman, Seattle, The 5th Avenue Theatre

Our Modern Dystopias, pt. 1: ‘Urinetown’

In ‘Urinetown’ (ACT/5th Avenue, extended thru 6/2) and ‘Language Rooms’ (Pony World, thru 5/4), two very different shows grapple with similar themes, showing not-too-far-off modern dystopias in which the bounds of truth and loyalty are tested. Each does so with varying levels of success.