ACT Contemporary Theatre

Two casts animate this narrative told two ways. Jason Robert Brown’s relationship musical, The Last Five Years, runs through 3/16 in Seattle.

REVIEW THEATRE

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.

HAPPENINGS THEATRE

Chase D. Anderson May 17, 2023May 24, 2023 ACT Contemporary Theatre, Fussy Cloud Puppet Slam, Theatre Off Jackson

This Week in Arts: Weekly Roundup (5/17)

Another busy week brings a couple of don’t-miss shows that close this weekend, a lot of excellent dance options, loads of musicals, and plenty of choices for everyone. Here’s what’s on this week.

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.

'TIS THE SEASON THEATRE

Chase D. Anderson December 4, 2022December 26, 2022 ACT Contemporary Theatre, BenDeLaCreme, Cafe Nordo, Can Can Culinary Cabaret, Christmas shows, Dina Martina, Jinkx Monsoon, Justin Vivian Bond, Seattle, Seattle Theatre Group, Shoes and Pants Productions, Theatre Off Jackson

We’ll Have a Gay Ol’ Time!

Make your yuletide gay with these glittery, queer Christmas shows.

'TIS THE SEASON THEATRE

Chase D. Anderson November 23, 2022December 26, 2022 ACT Contemporary Theatre, Christmas shows, Harlequin Productions, Seattle Opera, SecondStory Rep, Valley Center Stage

The Christmas Carols, One and All

At least nine versions are taking shape throughout the region. How to decide? Here, theatres give the scoop on what fun twists to expect at each — and why they’re like candy coal or a boozy trio.

REVIEW THEATRE

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.

REVIEW THEATRE

Chase D. Anderson February 8, 2022September 4, 2022 ACT Contemporary Theatre, John Langs, Qui Nguyen, Red Curtain Foundation for the Arts, Scott B. Randall, Seattle, Up North, Village Theatre, Village Theatre KIDSTAGE, Yussef El Guindi

The Thrust: In This Weekend’s Shows, Be Careful What You Wish For

Three shows this weekend explore the deepest desires of their characters. Not all goes according to plan.

FEATURE THEATRE

Chase D. Anderson February 6, 2020February 26, 2020 ACT Contemporary Theatre, Central District Forum for Arts and Ideas, dani tirrell, Jasmine Joshua, On the Boards, Sharon Nyree Williams, Sherif Amin, Susan Lieu

Solo Fest: Dare to Claim the Stage

This weekend, Sharon Nyree Williams brings ‘Dare to Claim the Sky’ to ACT Theatre, alongside work from three other solo performers; and On the Boards features five dancers and seven durational works in its own solo fest later this month.

REVIEW SEASONAL THEATRE

Chase D. Anderson December 25, 2019July 7, 2022 Aaron Lamb, ACT Contemporary Theatre, Charles Dickens, Christmas shows, Gregory A. Falls, Harlequin Productions, John Longenbaugh, Kelly Kitchens, Olympia, Seattle, South Sound

Two ‘Social Justice Scrooges’ Stay Up Past Christmas

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.

REVIEW THEATRE

Chase D. Anderson September 27, 2019September 30, 2019 ACT Contemporary Theatre, Alyssa Keene, Amber Tanaka, Daniel J Willis, Kenan Fellowship in Directing, Llywelyn Picton, Maggie Rogers, Parmida Ziaei, Rey Zane, Tim Gouran

‘Yen’, on Now at ACT, Is Tender, Crass and Mesmerizing

‘Yen’ is vulgar. Its characters are often unlikeable, even repulsive. But its unexpected glimpses of tenderness, unabashed lack of nuance, and strong direction and performances make this year’s Kenan Fellowship in Directing showcase a highly recommended trip. It runs through September 29.

REVIEW THEATRE

Dusty Somers September 16, 2019September 30, 2019 ACT Contemporary Theatre, John Langs, Monika Jolly, Quinlan Corbett, Sydney Andrews, Wasim No’mani, Yussef El Guindi

In ‘People of the Book’, Soapy Characters Drift to a Mesmerizing Finale

In Yussef El Guindi’s latest, an adrift and too-convenient show is saved by an exceptional performance in its final moments. ‘People of the Book’ runs through September 29.

ON BOOK REVIEW THEATRE

Dusty Somers July 29, 2019August 23, 2019 ACT Contemporary Theatre, Joan Didion, Suzanne Bouchard, Victor Pappas

‘The Year of Magical Thinking’ Can’t Quite Match the Magic of the Book

The stage adaptation of Joan Didion’s best-selling memoir of grief, on now through August 11 at ACT Theatre, is a beautifully performed, communal catharsis over the inevitability of death. But its attempt at universality leaves it a flattened version of the original.

REVIEW THEATRE

Chase D. Anderson June 20, 2019June 25, 2019 ACT Contemporary Theatre, Antoinette Nwandu, Tim Bond

Haunting Production of ‘Pass Over’ Brings the Block to the Round at ACT, Under a Noticeable White Gaze

It’s a beautiful, multi-layered production of a potent, multi-layered script, artfully packed into an efficient 80-minute performance. So why was the overall result so unsatisfying?

INTERVIEW THEATRE

Chase D. Anderson June 18, 2019March 19, 2023 ACT Contemporary Theatre, interview, John Kazanjian, Mary Ewald, New City Theater

5 Questions with Theatre-Makers Mary Ewald & John Kazanjian

Mary Ewald and John Kazanjian, spouses and long-term collaborators behind the New City Theater, have teamed up with ACTLab to produce two short works running through June 30. Ewald and Kazanjian talked with NWTheatre about their current show at ACT, and about the fascinating arc of New City Theater.

REVIEW THEATRE

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.