All the King's Men
Intiman Theatre
October 3 – November 8, 2008

Huey “Kingfish” Long is a political legend in the south, especially his home state of Louisiana, and was the subject of a 1995 Thomas Schlamme film starring John Goodman in the title role. He was governor of the state from 1928 until his assassination in 1935. A more than controversial character, his politics were left inasmuch as he believed in state support for welfare services for the poor, however his methods were dubious as he tried to gain total control of the state political machinery.

Eleven years after Long’s death, Robert Penn Warren wrote the novel “All the King’s Men” for which he received his first Pulitzer Prize a year later. Based on the life of Long, the novel's focal point is the career of Willie Stark, a self-proclaimed hick politician, who began his political life conducting an honest fight against a construction contract being awarded nepotistically. However, learning that politics is a dirty game, Stark begins his transformation into the manipulative end product.

Adrian Hall created this adaptation of the novel in 1987 for the resident acting company of the Trinity Repertory Company of Rhode Island. 18 actors take the stage and the musical works of Randy Newman are part of Hall’s adaptation.

John Procaccino as Willie Stark
and Leo Marks as Jack Burden
Photo: Chris Bennion

The supporting cast was strong, with special mention going to Deirdre Madigan as Stark’s secretary and lover Sadie Burke, and Eddie Levi Lee as redneck oaf, brute and Lieutenant Governor Tiny Duffy. Lee is a big man but managed to keep his character in Willie Stark’s shadow by keeping his occupation of the stage proportionate. It was a job very well done by Lee (also in his Intiman debut), and in some scenes was necessary to let Procaccino shine.

The play was scheduled by the Intiman to coincide with election season and while it would be grossly unfair to liken Willie Stark to either presidential candidate, some people might identify those vested interests he took on in the early part of his career with modern equivalents, and others might see echoes of his less salubrious methods in some of the mud-slinging going on this week.

We would recommend All the King's Men but should alert you that there is copious use of racial epithets in the first half which may offend some audience members. Songs by Randy Newman include “Debutante’s Ball”, “Louisiana 1927”, “Rednecks”, “Guilty”, :”Kingfish”, and “Rollin”. Additionally, “At the River” is a traditional hymn and “Every Man a King” was written by Huey Long himself, with Castro Carazo.

The Night Watcher
Seattle Rep Theater
September 25 – October 26, 2008

Charlayne Woodward
©Photo Chris Bennion

Charlayne’s first solo play ‘Pretty Fire’ received LA and NAACP Awards for best play and best playwright. Since then, she has performed ‘Neat’, ‘In Real Life’, and now ‘The Night Watcher’ becomes her fourth.

The play itself is more of a series of loosely woven together tales of the people in Charlayne’s life and how their travails tangentially impacted hers as each of their dramas pull her inwards. She has clearly led a very rich personal life and remarkably the tales she tells are true. It begins with Charlayne receiving a call from Alfre Woodard (no relation) asking Charlayne who is black and her husband Harris who is white to adopt a mixed race baby. In declining the offer, Charlayne and her husband Harris realize that biological parenthood is not for them.

"I can’t have a baby. If I have a baby...I can’t be the baby, right Harris?"

But far from cutting children out of their lives, they embark on an odyssey of proving correct the African motto, “It takes a village to raise a child.”

Charlayne becomes involved in the parenting of a variety of children in several capacities, godmother, auntie and just friend, as she voluntarily and often involuntarily gets drawn into their troubled lives. The initial decision of the couple not to have children is a conclusion we rarely see eulogized in our cultural fabric and it is initially glossed over until Ms Woodard recounts an episode that happened to her on a New York train. An African man with whom she strikes up a conversation becomes incensed at her childlessness and of course co-opts god as being in agreement with him to bolster his argument.

But it would be wrong to suggest that the storylines themselves are the main attraction of “The Night Watcher”. Charlayne’s delivery is powerful and her voice flexible. Whether she is imitating the accent of that large African man or singing the gospel music of a baptism, it is clear that Charlayne is extremely adept at quick switching of voices and characters. Perhaps the most stunning demonstration of this is in a sketch called 'Puppies and Babies' where Ms Woodard in a rare moment of her being less than the epitome of logic and reason is buying a $150 coat for her Maltese terrier. Her mother calls and questions her priorities. We see Charlayne on the defensive and yes, she is so good, that briefly you can forget there is only one actor involved. This is Charlayne at her strongest and it just happened to dovetail with the moment the script is at its least serious moment.

Many of the other tales shine a less pleasant light into the vagaries of being a child in a hostile environment and it is where the deficiencies of the birth parents of the children in her life are at their height that Charlayne is forced into direct action. The relationships between her and the real parents are sometimes awkward but you as the audience are involved enough to feel her pain, take her side and will her on.

This play is hard work to watch and requires your concentration if you’re to get the full value of it. At the start of each vignette, she explains who the characters are and if you miss a beat here, you may be playing catch up which in turn means you may not get the full entertainment value of what follows. That would be a shame because Charlayne Woodard is a high energy high drama night out. Take a night to watch the Night Watcher.

Teatro ZinZanni - A Rosa de Rio
October 23 - February 15, 2009

“Rosa de Rio” takes its name from the presence of Brazilian star Paula Gelly. Already established in her native country, she brings her considerable singing talent to the Spiegeltent in Seattle. Her apart, there was not much Brazilian about this show, whose strengths relied more on the individual performances of its cast than on a strong storyline as was the case in “Quest for a Queendom”. This is not a major issue for an attraction like Teatro ZinZanni, where visitors come primarily to to dine well and be entertained from one course to the next. As long as the acts are good, everyone is happy, and good acts are exactly what Artistic Director Norm Langill provided.

Ukrainian beauty Vita Radionova has returned to Teatro ZinZanni, putting together a stunning display of contortion and dexterity that manages to be both sensual and acrobatic and leaves most of the male audience speechless. If anything, her turn tonight was even more spectacular than in last fall’s “Hearts on Fire”, and with her appearance “Rosa de Rio” moved up into top gear.

Following Vita Radionova’s act was the main turn of Berlin comedian and acrobat Sabine Rieck. European visitors may have some reservations about the national stereotype of her first appearance as a bossy German in a security uniform, but no one will fail to enjoy her turn on center stage spinning hoops, seemingly effortlessly though this kind of thing obviously takes practice and dedication. Added to this talent are Sabine’s comedic abilities, and as Teatro ZinZanni is famous for its ensemble approach whereby performers are encouraged to develop their own routines, it may be that Sabine will develop her character further over the run of the show.

Wayne Doba was once lauded by no less than Donald O’Connor as a “throwback to the old Vaudeville days” and indeed his caricature of the talentless but willing Uncle Dick, the professional entertainer, harked back to the music hall days. Doba’s act had some awkward moments initially, but improved as the show went on. His double act with his real-life wife Andrea Conway Doba was at its best with their tap-dance routine, although this ability was somewhat at odds with the character Doba had been building up of a wannabe entertainer whose talentless enthusiasm was the target of comedy. But if anyone insists that the art of tap dancing no longer has a market in this technological age, please urge them to have a drink and watch the Dobas tap and briefly scan the smiling faces of the audience around them.

If this show focused less on a loose story line and was more just a showcase for some talented individuals, no act was more core to that theme than perennial Teatro ZinZanni favourites Les Petit Frères. In the finest tradition of the Three Stooges and Buster Keaton, they perform slapstick comedy accompanied by some considerably daring acrobatics, all within a confined space with diners very close to the action. These guys are regulars at Teatro ZinZanni, but even if you have seen them before, their act is always worth returning to see.

Frank Ferrante as Caesar

Rightly, Ferrante refuses to rely on total camp for his character and brought some of his personality to the role to replace that stereotype. He is clearly at his best during the segments when he brings diners up to the stage for interaction. You always tread on a tightrope when humiliating audience members and Ferrante has that aspect perfect. Some of his ad-lib lines were better than the basic script and it was at this point where the show reached its peak. Finally, local singer Kathleen Roché-Zujko debuts as the diva, and shows off her amazing soprano as well as her acting skills.

Last but certainly not least, the meal was very good, probably the best yet since Teatro ZinZanni’s installation at this venue, and as always they integrated its serving into the entertainment in a variety of innovative ways.

Reservations: 206.802.0015 or at zinzanni.org or at the box office at 222 Mercer Street.

Seattle Rep - Boom
November 13 - December 14

PREVIEW:
A nerdy marine biologist calculates that the end of the world is near and posts an online personals ad, hoping to romance the girl that will help him ensure the survival of the species. But when push comes to shove, saving life on earth on the first date proves to be a bit of a challenge. Exciting new playwright Nachtrieb brings us this funny, slightly warped and ultimately hopeful look at the apocalypse.

Nick Garrison as Jules and Chelsey Rives as Jo
Photo © Chris Bennion

This year, Jerry Manning celebrates his 25th season in theater. In 1984 he joined the staff of Arena Stage, where he worked in directing, casting, literary management, production management, fundraising and audience development with theater artists Zelda Fichandler, Tom Fichandler, Garland Wright and Jim Nicola. In 1994 Mr. Manning joined Jim Nicola at New York Theatre Workshop as an Artistic Associate. During his time in New York Jerry was alternately casting director and resident dramaturg for dozens of world-premiere works, notably Rent and Quills. For the last eight years Mr. Manning has made Seattle his home where he has been a senior member of Seattle Rep's artistic staff. Jerry has directed more than 30 productions around the country. He has done casting consultation for film (Forrest Gump, The Pelican Brief and others) and television (Ken Burn's The Civil War and others). He was recently named as Seattle Rep Producing Artistic Director.

Performance Details: Performances of boom are at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday with 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sundays. There will be no performance on Thursday, November 20 or Thursday, November 27. Post-play discussions will be held after performances on Sunday, November 30 at 2 p.m., Thursday , December 4 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, December 7 at 2 p.m. .

Seattle Opera - Elektra
McCaw Hall
October 18 - November 1

Janice Baird as Elektra
Photo © Patrice Nin, Toulouse

American soprano Janice Baird makes her West Coast debut as Elektra—a tour-de-force role for the soprano. Baird, who has sung Wagner and Strauss roles across Europe, will return to Seattle in August 2009 as the company’s new Brünnhilde in Wagner’s Ring des Nibelungen. Most recently seen as Isolde at the Metropolitan Opera, she frequently appears as Richard Strauss’s Salome, Elektra, and the Dyer’s Wife in Die Frau ohne Schatten, and in such Wagner roles as Ortrud in Lohengrin and Senta in Der Fliegende Holländer.

Maestro Lawrence Renes also makes his Seattle Opera debut with Elektra. This dynamic young conductor has lent his baton to the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, and the Minnesota, Seattle, Houston, Detroit, and St. Louis Symphonies. In 2007 he conducted the European premiere of John Adams’ Dr. Atomic at Netherlands Opera, and will conduct its U.K. premiere in 2009 at English National Opera. Last year he conducted the U.S. premiere of Tan Dun’s Tea with Santa Fe Opera. Two-time Artist of the Year recipient Chris Alexander returns to Seattle to direct Elektra, with new costumes designed by Melanie Taylor Burgess. Sets (previously seen in 1996) were designed by the late Wolfram Skalicki, and lighting design will be done by Marcus Doshi in his Seattle Opera debut.

Making their Seattle debuts are German soprano Irmgard Vilsmaier as Elektra’s sister Chrysothemis, and British mezzo-soprano Rosalind Plowright as their mother Klytämnestra. Canadian tenor Richard Margison returns to Seattle Opera as Aegisthus. American bass-baritone Alfred Walker makes his Seattle Opera debut as Orestes, a role he recently sang for his La Scala debut.

Pacific Northwest Ballet - All Tharp
McCaw Hall
September 25

Kaori Nakamura and
Charlie Neshyba-Hodges
Photo © Angela Sterling.

For “Opus 111”, Tharp set her choreography to the music of Johannes Brahms, in what PNB’s Education Programs Manager Doug Fullington informed us was Brahms’ last piece, a lushly romantic string quintet. Simple costumes of brown, orange, and lavender allowed the dance to flow without drawing the eye as twelve dancers participated in the Opus, mostly in two or three pairs at a time but all onstage at the stirring finale. The vocabulary was classical, with elements of folk dancing, and the swaying arm movements that are a Tharp standard. The piece featured several dancers who had been promoted since last season, most prominently Lucien Postlewaite, who has been promoted to principal rank at the PNB and seemed to revel in the new status as he performed with confidence and verve. Also performing in “Opus 111” were former corps de ballet members James Moore and recently married Rachel Foster, who are both new PNB soloists.

In stirring contrast to the colorful and well lit “Opus 111” was “Afternoon Ball”, Tharp’s second world premiere of the night. Set to “Autumn Ball of the Elves” by minimalist Russian composer Vladimir Martynov, Tharp immediately created an ironic contrast with dancers dressed as punks and street kids as her “elves”. Cloaked in near darkness, this piece contained two outstanding individual performances from Kaori Nakamura and Charlie Neshyba-Hodges, Tharp’s longstanding assistant. Nakamura had perfect physical control, at times performing a robotic dance somewhat reminiscent of techno street dancers in the 80s. Neshyba-Hodges was a guest dancer and as Tharp’s assistant brought something new and external to the company. His pale sneering goth character was brilliantly enacted, though his joy at bringing together his boss’s choreography with his fellow dancers’ interpretation, athleticism and grace shone on his face as he took a standing ovation at the end. The crowd stayed on its feet as Twyla Tharp herself came on the stage to take a bow and to share her flowers with each member of the cast in her own inimitable way.

The third section of the season opener was “Nine Sinatra Songs”, one of Tharp’s most popular pieces, set to the beat of some of the most legendary songs in the American cultural psyche. Nine elegantly clad couples interpreted the nine songs, in styles varying from severely intense to manic to lightly humorous as the dancers simulated 3am in a sleazy bar. “Strangers in the Night” performed by Rachel Foster and newcomer William Lin-Yee and the final “My Way” by the entire ensemble were the eye-catchers of a varying program, though Louise Nadeau also deserves a special mention for her uninhibited performance in “That’s Life”. Set under the glare of a ballroom mirror ball, the style was a radical departure from what had preceded, and a fine choice to round off this gala evening.

Chuanyun Li
Benaroya Hall
September 16

Chuanyun Li

In the first half, the orchestra treated the audience to a rousing rendition of Brahms' Academic Festival Overture. After a round of applause they were joined by Li for the stunning showpiece The Butterfly Lovers Concerto (1958) by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang. His playing was both precise and emotive, evoking all the passion of the separated lovers. After the interval, Li performed Aram Khachaturian's great Violin Concerto in D minor with the orchestra, playing the faster passages with fiery intensity.

The delighted audience called Li back for not one but two encores, including an amazing rendition of the Star Spangled Banner played with his violin bow wrapped around the body of the violin.

Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl
ACT Theatre
September 5 - October 5

Trick Danneker as Orpheus and
Renata Friedman as Eurydice
Photo: Chris Bennion

by Ileana Vasquez

This play was written in 2000 by Sarah Ruhl and was inspired by the death of her father in 1994. Ruhl is considered to be “the most exciting young playwright to emerge from the American theatre in more than a decade” by ACT Artistic Director Kurt Beattie.

The stage which appeared to be more like the bottom of a pool or a public restroom was composed of weathered blue tile with elements of the productions props scattered about – dead leaves, brown paper, a rusty piped makeshift water fountain and intriguingly strings attached on both ends from the ceiling to the stage floor that when plucked emitted an ensemble of various guitar movements.

The play is ninety minutes without interval and takes place in two alternate worlds; the Land of the Dead and our world, that of the living. There were moments of humor which were well received by some of the audience and moments of hope. But overall it has to be said that the whole thing just didn’t knit together all that well and you left with the feeling that you hadn’t really understood it.

Mary Bliss Mather
Photo by Victoria Lahti

God's Ear
Washington Ensemble Theatre
October 10 – November 10

“A sudden panic, a pang of grief” is the central experience around which a strange but captivating play is built in the Washington Ensemble Theatre’s newest production “God’s Ear”.

Debuting last year, “God’s Ear” is New York playwright Jenny Schwartz’s third effort to date and has been a critical success on the east coast as well as a finalist for the 2007 Susan Smith Blackburn Award, recognizing the best works by women in English-speaking theatre. Directing the west coast debut is Roger Benington who is returning to the Washington Ensemble Theatre for the third time after directing previous projects “Crave” and “Never Swim Alone”.

“God’s Ear” is a portrait of two parents grieving the death of their first child and struggling to communicate the grief they’re experiencing. The marriage of the parents, Ted (Michael Place) and Mel (Mary Bliss Mather), is torn apart by the death as each descends into cycles of blame, regret, anger, and fear.

Neither Ted nor Mel can bare to speak of their dead son and so stress this by speaking in a series of clichés and riddles that ultimately don’t mean anything. But there are times when they’re able to break through and touch on concrete issues and these moments are worth the wait. Adding to the surreal dialogue is a set featuring a giant hole, five layers deep which the characters weave in and out of throughout the play. If you aren’t confused enough already, the play also features characters such as a transvestite air stewardess, a life size GI Joe, and the Tooth Fairy.

The acting is excellent and is crucial to selling a script as offbeat as “God’s Ear”. Mary Bliss Mather in particular stands out as an unstable mother who seems desperate but terrified to confront a husband that has drifted out of touch. “God’s Ear” is odd and at times the language can be frustrating, but the script is compassionate towards its subject and characters making for a heartfelt meditation on loss.

God's Ear is directed by returning guest director Roger Benington (NEVER SWIM ALONE, CRAVE) and runs Thursdays – Mondays, Oct. 10 – Nov. 10, at 608 19th Ave East in Capitol Hill. Tickets $10-18.

TEASE-O-RAMA 2008!
Triple Door
September 26

By Angela Olsen

This show had it all! Every color, size, and age range imaginable was represented. There were sequins, tassels, fringe, fire, feathers, and appropriately placed pasties…what’s not to love?

From Miss Kitten on the Keys, an emcee with raunchy humor, the usual forced audience participation, to the von Foxies, Seattle's hottest comedy burlesque trio who did a skit on the "typical Seattle gal". This came complete with flannel shirts, Teva's with socks, thigh highs made out of long johns, and Space Needle pasties and was especially entertaining.

Catherine D'Lish, the final act, was a hot little red-head, decked out in the most beautiful outfit, taking it off, little by little. Her finale includes her in a giant champagne glass filled with sudsy water. Very sexy! I was mesmerized by the entertaining creativity of every artist.

SOLAS
Mairead, Eamon, Seamus, Winifred and Mick

Solas
Triple Door
September 30

SOLAS Seamus Egan, Winifred Horan, Mick McAuley, Eamon McElholm and Máiréad Phelan make up Solas and they entertained a very creditable crowd at the Triple Door. Starting with a slow melody by the extremely talented Seamus Egan on the flute with McElholm’s guitar, they incrementally added the remainder of the group as the set took off.

A combination of jigs, reels and waltzes were interspersed with stories before Phelan made her appearance as a vocalist. Playing mostly their own compositions naturally with an incline to tunes found on their latest album “Reunion”, they provided an excellent evening of Irish music which improved as the night went on, after some initial difficulties with balance. The highlight of the night was at the end when each of the musician’s was allowed a lengthy solo and it was here that once more Egan excelled with almost four minutes of incredibly high tempo flautistry which made you fear his head may explode.

Triple Door continues to bring quality from around the globe to Seattle and run a very efficient operation on the night with customers getting high levels of service without a well trained staff obstructing the view of the main attraction.

Three Musketeers
Seattle Rep Theater
October 2 - November 15, 2008

by Diana Hassenger

Seattle Repertory Theatre brings us a new fast- paced adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas classic The Three Musketeer directed by Kyle Donnelly. This is a family-friendly version with a modern twist. Don’t worry the sword-fighting fun of the original is core to this fun action packed adventure.

Montana von Fliss as
Sabine and Ryan Shams as
Aramis in The Three Musketeers
©Photo Chris Bennion

Ludwig also uses humor to glide over some of the more complicated political themes of 1600s France as explained by Porthos - "So now Christians are fighting each other about how much Latin they can use in church?" Kids and parents alike will enjoy the elaborate sword-fighting, modern set design and lush period costumes.

TICKETS: Tickets to The Three Musketeers are now on sale and start at $15. For ticket reservations, call the Seattle Repertory Theatre box office seven days a week at (206) 443-2222 or toll-free at (877) 900-9285, or go online at Seattle Rep website.

Drowsy Chaperone
5th Avenue Theater
October 29 - November 16, 2008

Photo: Joan Marcus

Sound like a bad night out for you? You’d be so far wrong. The Drowsy Chaperone revels in its kitsch; and camp as Jonathan Crombie is as ‘the Man in the Chair’ (we never learn his name), his personality superbly embellishes some pretty snappy one-liners, and brilliantly overcomes what superficially would be seen as a feeble idea for a show.

The retrospective aspect of 21st century man looking back at the Roaring Twenties allows for some decent historical gags, and Crombie camps up the faux homosexual parts of his role in the classic manner of John Inman in “Are You Being Served”. This would have the potential to be cringeworthy were it not for the fact that Crombie is outstanding at it. He acts pretty much on his own as he has little interaction with the other characters, almost all of whom are stars in the musical. Which brings me to ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ herself.

Alicia Irving is radiant, sexy and melodramatic in the title role but she is one of those actors who brings up, not shows up, her supporting cast. Her performance as the alcoholic fading star gets critic points just for making me think of Liza Minelli; and what I loved most is that she, as well as the other stars, resisted the opportunity to overact with one glorious exception.

Although for me, she’s the star of the show; there are plenty of other solid performances. Georgia Engel is best remembered for her Emmy Award®-winning role as Georgette on the legendary “Mary Tyler Moore Show. She reprises her role of Mrs. Tottendale for the tour. And adorable she is too as the batty old woman who barely knows what’s going on around her. Her interaction with Underling, her butler, played by the ridiculously named Noble Shropshire, provided some excellent comedy moments outside the flow of the story. (Many apologies Nobby if that’s your real name.)

By the way that glorious exception I mentioned is Dale Hensley. As tall Latin lothario Aldolpho, his role is to (deliberately) embody the spirit of overacting and be a talentless ham who relies on poorly portrayed racial stereotypes. Hensley does awfulness superbly! No more so than in the scene after the fake intermission where the Man in the Chair mistakenly puts on the wrong record and we are treated accidentally to a scene from another, even more awful, musical "The Enchanted Nightingale", which is even more redolent with racial stereotypes. There we got to laugh at ourselves as much as at past attitudes to race, as we perhaps realized that something relatively inoffensive had just become so un-PC that we ceased to question whether it actually still offended anyone. I want to also give some praise to a small moment there. As the Man in the Chair hurriedly returned to stage to remove the offensive LP, the manner in which the troupe left the stage was positively Pythonesque in its comic genius.

Overall The Drowsy Chaperone is essentially a bit of fun and lacks too much didactic quality. It may not redeliver the awards the 5th Avenue rightfully scooped for Cabaret, but it will entertain audiences, and bring its multi-year run across the world (this is the last stop with the original cast) to a successful conclusion.

The Drowsy Chaperone is produced by Kevin McCollum, Roy Miller, Bob Boyett, Stephanie McClelland, Barbara Freitag and Jill Furman.

Lindsi Dec and Kari Brunson in the
world premiere of Kiyon Gaines’ M-Pulse
©Photo Angela Sterling

Pacific Northwest Ballet
New Works
November 6 – 16

Pacific Northwest Ballet presented us with a varied night of New Works; three of which were world or PNB premieres and the fourth, William Forsythe’s “One Flat Thing, Reproduced” which premiered last spring. The PNB has a strong reputation for putting on new works, including the two new Twyla Tharp pieces earlier this fall. This program follows the strong lead of “All Tharp”.

PNB premiere “A Garden” by Mark Morris (to music by Richard Strauss) began the program and as seems to be the PNB way on ‘New Works’ nights, delicacy and grace in the first piece paved the way for the edgier and more experimental pieces to follow. “A Garden” featured PNB audience favourites, Jonathan Porretta, Lucien Postlewaite, Belgium’s Olivier Wevers and Brazil’s Carla Körbes among others.

Opinion was divided (accompanied by some fierce debate) between those for whom “M-Pulse”, the edgy experimental second piece, was the evening’s highlight, and a more traditionalist support for the second world premiere of the night, “3 Movements” by Steve Reich and Benjamin Millepied, a principal dancer with New York City Ballet.

“M-Pulse” was choreographed by PNB corps de ballet dancer Kiyon Gaines with Cristina Spinei’s music, and on this evidence he has a great future as both choreographer and dancer. Kiyon joined the Pacific Northwest Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in 2001. Invited by Peter Boal to create his first repertory work for PNB in 2008, “M-Pulse” is the result of that invitation. Featuring inter alia Carrie Imler, Lindsi Dec and Kari Brunson (dancing especially gracefully), Gaines’ debut as a choreographer filled the stage with radiant costumes and vibrant and zestful syncopation that was the perfect introduction to “3 Movements".

In “3 Movements”, the intensity of motion escalates in rapid increments against a less colourful, almost monochromatic backdrop, and it would be fair to say that this second world premiere of the show could be safely judged the audience favourite on the night. Millepied’s choreography is put to an unobtrusive score by Reich and this allows the 16 dancers occupying the stage to express themselves fully. Prost Amerika makes no claim to impartiality but Chalnessa Eames, James Moore and Lesley Rausch rarely fail to captivate their audience, and they captivated again tonight. But this triumph doesn’t belong to individual performers but to Reich and Millepied and the group as a whole.

“One Flat Thing, Reproduced” originally appeared earlier this year and although an interesting concept, it never really unraveled or developed. Rectangular desks, like those of a work cafeteria, are placed in line on the stage and the dancers do their best to utilise them as props. The colours of the outfits are bright enough and the “industrial” musical score is edgy but energy and innovativeness weren’t quite enough for “One Flat Thing” to eclipse what had gone before.

On a sad note, the evening was dedicated to Edward “Tuba Man” McMichael, who died tragically this week after decades of playing in various locations around Seattle including McCaw Hall. Flowers had been laid out near the lobby door in remembrance.

Alexandra Dickson and Timothy Lynch
Image: Zebravisual © 2008

Project Orpheus
Seattle Dance Project
ACT Theater - Bullitt Cabaret
September 13, 19, 20, 26, 27, Oct. 3 & 4

by Cyrus Khambatta

Perhaps most striking were two scenes; Orpheus’ (Joseph Anderson) “Request for Euridice” in which Madsen lined up two tables behind which the dancers sat and rattled a battery of questions in deep, halting breaths, asking how his request for Eurydice “would affect his art.” The scene, reminiscent of the antics of the New York-based Wooster Group, was hysterical and highly effective at simultaneously evoking Orpheus’ desperation for Eurydice at the unwelcome impediment.

The second, The Journey Duet, choreographed by Olivier Weavers was simply an arresting dance for Anderson and Julia Tobiason who played Eurydice. Weavers is himself a principal with Pacific Northwest Ballet, but given to choreographing about town in a variety of contexts. The passage had intricate and physically challenging partnering that was both poignant and beautiful. Anderson has a confident easiness to him and Ms. Tobiason is both fragile and resilient and her dancing is delightful in this section.

The rest of the work is fairly light and at times playful. The stage painted by Ruth Gilmore, must be no larger than a large dining room. As the dancers scooted across the floor, their feet brushed the rough paint, making a faint sandpaper sound, but they made excellent use of the space, nonetheless.

Brian D'Arcy James as Shrek
© DreamWorks Theatricals:
Photo Joan Marcus

Shrek - the Musical
5th Avenue Theater
August 14 - September 21

By Janet Luhrs

Who’d think that a silly, crazy cast of swamp-dwelling ogres, gremlins, and fairy tale creatures could inspire an opening night audience to give a standing ovation? I’ll admit it – I was surprised. When given this assignment, I was skeptical. I hadn’t seen the movie, and didn’t see how some green monster could hold my attention. Wrong.

Shrek the Musical is sheer delight for all ages and types. We saw plenty of kids, suits, middle-aged ladies, prom queen types, 20-and 30 somethings, hipsters and parents. We sat in front and felt like we were in the middle of a fairy tale ride through Disneyland. The set was elaborately first-class and for the most part so were the costumes. The acting was superb, especially by Sutton Foster who played Princess Fiona, and Christopher Sieber, who played Lord Farquaad. Chester Gregory, who played the donkey, brought uninhibited, wide-ranging humor to his character – and he really brightened the stage. Shrek himself, played by Brian D’Arcy, was loveable.

Keaton Whittaker, Sutton Foster and Marissa
O'Donnell as Young, Princess and Teen Fiona
© DreamWorks Theatricals: Photo Joan Marcus

Great acting notwithstanding – what really ties this show together is the script and underlying message. “To hell with the image of perfect” is the most refreshing battle cry of Shrek. Most of us grew up with fairy tales and the idea that other people have perfect lives and we’re the only ones who are flawed. But Shrek does a terrific job of blowing that idea right out of the water, and in fact, that’s how Princess Fiona and Shrek initially bond – when they both admit how flawed they are, and how bad their childhoods were, even one-upping each other over whose was worse.

Shrek the Musical is an adaptation of the classic William Steig book and the Oscar-winning film. Lyrics are by David Lindsay-Abaire, music by Jeanine Tesori and the play is directed by Jason Moore.

Elza van den Heever
International Wagner Competition and
Audience Favorite award-winner
© Rozarii Lynch photo

South African Soprano Scoops Wagner Prize

Elza van den Heever delights audience and judges but Orchestra favours Nadine Weissman.

On a night where women ruled supreme, Sweden’s Michael Weinius took the men’s prize after performing "Preislied" (Die Meistersinger) in the first half of the program and "Amfortas! Die Wunde" (Parsifal) in the second half of the program.

The full list of competitors was:
Darren Jeffery (England), Erin Caves (USA), Nadine Weissmann (Germany), Michael Weinius (Sweden), Elza van den Heever (South Africa), Peter Lobert (Germany), Jason Collins (USA), and Deborah Humble (Australia).

For a personal commentary and review of the event by Karina Weishaar, please visit It's Ladies Night at the Opera.

Intimate Exchanges by Alan Ayckbourn
ACT Theatre
August 21 - September 14

ACT Opens Season with a Bang – Well More than One Really

Marianne Owen and R Hamilton Wright
as Celia and Toby Teasdale
Photo: © Chris Bennion

However, just one "gimmick" just ain’t enough for the ACT. Two actors, Marianne Owen and R Hamilton Wright perform all the parts and each played three characters this night. Marianne Owen is outstanding as Celia Teasdale, the middle class sexually frustrated nervous wife of Toby, the local school headmaster. Wright played three roles and it was as her husband Toby he was the most entertaining as he fulminated on the evils of modern life ranging from floodlit cricket to the price of whisky. This was Wright's forte and despite obvious cultural differences, his list of life’s most irksome irritations brought great laughter from the audience.

Owen also played the roles of Sylvie and Irene Pridworthy, an opinionated and intolerant local busybody that just kept reminding me of Margaret Thatcher. I thought I was over that too! Pridworthy has some great lines and some great stares and Owen delivered them cleverly. Wright also played Lionel Hepplewick, the utterly useless handyman who becomes an utterly useless baker. It has to be said that whereas their upper middle class accents were both absolutely perfect, and their upper class English accents passable, both actors struggled just a little with the working class Yorkshire accent. Then again, so do many Yorkshiremen and they’re not trying to perform other accents simultaneously.

Nonetheless, this is a tour de force for both actors and the ACT obligingly have a scheme to encourage you to go back and see an alternate version at half the price. This is a fine start to the ACT season and the actors are deserving of great credit.