Author: Allan

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.

Preview Post – Vietgone – Play with Music – Pork Filled Productions, SIS Productions, & Theatre Off Jackson

Happy packed opening night to Qui Nguyen’s Vietgone play-with-rap-music from Pork Filled Productions & SIS Productions at Theatre Off Jackson. Performing until 8/24. Stay tuned for my full review! #viet #vietnam #asian #refugee #refugees #vietnamese #asians

Final Full Review (Posted 8/15/24): https://www.showsiveseen.com/vietgone-play-with-music-review-pork-filled-productions-sis-productions-theatre-off-jackson/

Tickets: https://pork-filled.ticketleap.com/vietgone/

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Sister Act – Musical – Review – Taproot Theatre

@showsiveseen "Sister Act" #musical at @TaprootTheatre might be "THE" theatre show of the season. Great casting & costumes. Plus, Alan Menken music is always a crowd-pleaser. Wah wah pedal FTW! Starring Alexandria Henderson. Extended till 8/17. #catholic #nun #nuns #theatre #showiveseen #disco #sisterAct Review: showsiveseen.com/9150 Photos: Robert Wade Lyrics: Glenn Slater Book: Bill and Cheri Steinkellner Director: @Bretteney Beverly ♬ Take Me to Heaven – Sister Rosalie Taller

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Sister Act musical at Taproot Theatre might be “THE” theatre show of the season. Great casting and costumes. Plus, Alan Menken music is always a crowd-pleaser. Wah wah pedal FTW! Starring Alexandria Henderson. #disco

Recommendation
See it, especially if you saw the movie or if you grew up Catholic.


My Synopsis (No Spoilers): A disco lounge singer witnesses a crime and must hide in a convent disguised as a nun. She ends up leading the choir.

Synopsis from the Licensor or Theatre Company: A feel-good musical comedy like “nun” other! Deloris dreams of fame and fortune, but after witnessing a murder she lands in protective custody. Being disguised as a nun can’t cramp her style, and soon she’s inspired the whole choir.

Attended Performance Date: Opening Weekend 7/13/24 – I couldn’t attend the actual opening night since the show was so popular! Keep your eyes peeled for preview posts on my website and social media if you want earlier notification of shows I’ve seen.

Type: Musical

World Premiere: No

Several or Few Scenes: Several

Several or Few Settings/Locations: Several

Static (Stationary) Set? Mostly yes, since it’s such a small theatre. However, this production reused the rotating door from Taproot Theatre’s previous show Sherlock Holmes & the Precarious Position to facilitate scene changes.

Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: No, but you’d probably enjoy this show more if you saw the original film or if you grew up Catholic.

Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes

Live Band/Orchestra: Yes

Equity Actors: 3

Total Number of Actors: 12

Perceived Pace of the Show: Medium to fast 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, I previously attended Sister Act at Cornish College of the Arts.

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now? Absolutely, but only professional productions like this one.

Mainstream Appeal: Medium to high

Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned Above

  • Casting: Bretteney Beverly (the director and casting director) did a great job picking actors that matched the energy of the original movie characters especially the refined/uptight Mother Superior (played by Anne Allgood), the contrasting casual down-to-earth Deloris Van Cartier (played by Alexandria J. Henderson), the timid petite vocal bombshell Sister Mary Roberts (played by Rebecca Cort), and the jolly Sister Mary Patrick (played by Hannah Schuerman).
  • Costumes: Kudos to Esther Garcia for her fantastic costume design. She took me back to the funky 1970s with the sparkly disco sequins, tacky wide collars, plaid bottoms, earthy leather coats, gold bling, groovy bell-bottoms, and leopard print. In particular, I loved Deloris’ white suit at the end of the show. She finally lived her Donna Summer dream. “She showed up simple, all in white. Yeah, she looked so classy… and she sang so nasty!” Also, Eddie Souther’s (played by Charles Simmons) double costume transformation was impressive. For a professional theatre with a lower budget than many other Puget Sound professional theatres, I was surprised that they pulled off this stage magic!
  • Sweaty Eddie: Speaking of Charles Simmons, I was impressed by his smooth 1970s voice in “I Could Be That Guy” reminiscent of Brian McKnight. The audience was surprised when he sang his first line and they ate up his performance.
  • Choreography: Surprisingly for a small stage, Jimmy Shields was able to devise entertaining fun choreography. Obviously, it would have looked better in a bigger space though.
  • Positive Energy and Joy: As someone with RBF, I love musicals where I catch myself smiling during songs like “Lady in the Long Black Dress” (with Bee Gee’s falsetto), “Raise Your Voice,” and “Sunday Morning Fever.”

Rant(s)

  • Original Songs: It will certainly disappoint viewers of the original film that this musical didn’t contain any original movie songs. I suspect it was due to licensing fees or licensing disagreements. That being said, Alan Menken always writes wonderful masterpiece suites.
  • Microphones: The wireless wearable microphones occasionally distractingly crackled like there was loose wire/connector. Also, the handheld microphone often overpowered the speakers.
  • Thrust Stage: Taproot Theatre’s Jewell Mainstage is a thrust stage where the audience sits in a U-shape surrounding three of the four sides. Every time I sit on the sides, I experience major FOMO. The actors (understandably) prioritize blocking towards the back of the theatre space, not the sides.

Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)

  • Christian Songs vs Love Songs: It’s amusing how both the movie and the musical poked fun at how love songs and Christian songs have interchangeable lyrics. In “Take Me to Heaven,” Deloris and the nuns separately sang “Don’t know how you do what you do. It’s like you’re almost too good to be true. You’re my hope. You’re my dream. You rock my world. You reign supreme.” Deloris first sang it to her beau, but later the nuns sang it to God. Turn on Christian contemporary radio and you’ll hear the same similarities.

Theatre Company: Taproot Theatre

Venue: Jewell Mainstage at Taroot Theatre

Venue Physical Address: 204 N 85th St, Seattle, WA 98103

Price Range: $25-62

Dates: July 10 to August 17, 2024

Seating: Assigned Seating

Parking: Paid lot or usually-free street parking. I always find free street parking on Greenwood Ave just South of the theatre.

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Pictures: See pictures below and in video by Robert Wade.

Rebecca Cort and Alexandria J. Henderson in SISTER ACT at Taproot Theatre. Photo by Robert Wade.
Ania Briggs, Connie Corrick, and Alexandria J. Henderson in SISTER ACT at Taproot Theatre. Photo by Robert Wade.
Alexandria J. Henderson with Cherisse Martinelli and Ania Briggs in SISTER ACT at Taproot Theatre. Photo by Robert Wade.
Anne Allgood and Alexandria J. Henderson in SISTER ACT at Taproot Theatre. Photo by Robert Wade.
Alexandria J. Henderson in SISTER ACT at Taproot Theatre, with Rebecca Cort, Hannah Schuerman, Cherisse Martinelli, and Ania Briggs. Photo by Robert Wade.
Rolando Cardona, Eyual Degaga, Danny Kam, and Christopher Clark in SISTER ACT at Taproot Theatre. Photo by Robert Wade.
Anne Allgood and Alexandria J. Henderson in SISTER ACT at Taproot Theatre. Photo by Robert Wade.

Contest Winner – Company – Musical – Paramount Theatre

Congrats Katt for winning a ticket courtesy of Shows I’ve Seen to Broadway Seattle and Seattle Theatre Group’s Company musical at the Paramount Theatre. Review: showsiveseen.com/9162 #Sondheim

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Free Ticket Giveaway – Company – Musical – Paramount Theatre

Update 7/28/24: Congrats to Katt!

What do you dread most about getting older and why? Post your comment submission on my Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, TikTok, or YouTube. I’ll chose a winner after 7/27/24 11:59 PM.

This is a free SINGLE ticket courtesy of Shows I’ve Seen in price level F (worth about $57.50 if you include Ticketmaster fees) to the Company Sondheim musical 7/28/24 1:00 PM Sunday performance at Paramount Theatre. Review: showsiveseen.com/9162