Category: Performance Type

Afterwords – Musical – Village Theatre

Watched the developing beta series rock musical "Afterwords." Incredible voices. Wish it wasn't too early to buy the soundtrack. First 5 mins was a little confusing though. Very promising contender for the Village Theatre mainstage next year.
Watched the developing beta series rock musical “Afterwords.” Incredible voices. Wish it wasn’t too early to buy the soundtrack. First 5 mins was a little confusing though. Very promising contender for the Village Theatre mainstage next year.

Type: Musical

Recommendation: See it!

Rating (Out of 5 Stars): 4.25 stars

Negatives: The beginning of the story was hard to follow … though it may be because of my forever wondering mind.

Story, Script, and Lyrics:  The past and present intersect as two daughters cope with the death of their mom and a reporter copes with the death of her colleague. Script and lyrics were good but not mind-blowing. Deaths could have been more dramatic.

Cast and Theater Company: Typical high-quality Village Theatre  talent/production. Note that this was a developing musical in the Beta Series so nothing is really set in stone. Literally, every performance will be intentionally different as they try new things. Hopefully, they’ll axe or revise the Franklin character, who provided unnecessary comedic relief to the piece.

Venue and Set: Pretty detailed for being a developing Beta Series musical.

Music and Audio: Incredible voices and great music. Wish it wasn’t too early to buy the soundtrack. Musical was touted as a “Rock Musical,” which I don’t quite agree with. The only rock songs/voice came from the mother Lydia (well-played by Mari Nelson). Loved the golden voice of Taylor Niemeyer. There were often two side actor who randomly came on stage to harmonize with the main actors, which I thought was weird. I suspect this was because it was a developing Beta Series musical.

Price: $ (Low-priced at $30)

Dates: February 16-25, 2018

Seating: Assigned

Link: https://www.villagetheatre.org/issaquah/beta-series-afterwords.php

You Can’t Take It With You – Play – Sound Theatre Company

The Stranger tricked me into watching You Can't Take It With You on Broadway thinking it was a musical. Ended up being a 3-act (yikes!) play. Sooooo Seattle what with its colorblind and "gender-blind" casting. Great set but not-so-great sound effects. Good actors. Just not a fan of long plays with few scene changes.
The Stranger tricked me into watching You Can’t Take It With You on Broadway thinking it was a musical. Ended up being a 3-act (yikes!) play. Sooooo Seattle what with its colorblind and “gender-blind” casting. Great set but not-so-great sound effects. Good actors. Just not a fan of long plays with few scene changes.

Next to Normal – Musical – Twelfth Night Productions

Watched my 1st/2nd-most favorite musical Next to Normal with Paul. Aside from from the pitch issues (I mean ... it was early in the day), I was impressed. Powerful musical with a realistic (aka sad) commentary/ending on mental health. Is there hope?
Watched my 1st/2nd-most favorite musical Next to Normal with Paul. Aside from from the pitch issues (I mean … it was early in the day), I was impressed. Powerful musical with a realistic (aka sad) commentary/ending on mental health. Is there hope?

Type: Musical

Recommendation: See it! It’s my favorite (or 2nd favorite) musical. Seen it 3 times already … and none of them were professionally produced!

Rating (Out of 5 Stars): 4.5 stars

Negatives: Sometimes actors’ vocal pitch was flat. I suspect this was because I attended an afternoon matinee. It probably would have sounded better during an evening performance when their vocal cords were more warmed up. That being said, any tonal variation would probably have been unnoticeable to the untrained ear.

Story, Script, and Lyrics: Suburban mom with bipolar depression and schizophrenic features. One of the few musicals to win a Pulitzer (which is usually for books and not for stage performances), this piece is so well written and relevant for an over-medicated society (this coming from a pharmacist). It’s a great commentary on the practice of psychiatry. One of the treatments (won’t spoil it) was a bit over the top though. I absolutely love how in the middle of the first act (again, won’t spoil it) the audience caught completely off guard. I felt so betrayed! Such good writing. Unlike most musicals I like to watch, the ending was more realistic (aka sad) than your typical happily-ever-after. Basically, there’s no easy answer to mental illness.

Cast and Theater Company: Well-chosen cast. Hilary Heinz Luthi had a great raw voice for this rock musical. David Naber added a nice ballet-like sinister aspect to the Gabe character. It didn’t hurt that he was great eye candy as well haha. I’ve seen 3 performances from Twelfth Night Productions. Two have been good and was one was mediocre. I’m curious to see what the next one will be like.

Venue and Set: Venue in an old elementary school converted to youth arts center. The performance was actually in the gym. Despite the simple set, the cast worked well with what little they had and it let the writing/acting shine more. My friend said that he preferred this intimate simple production over the national professional tour he saw on the big stage at a major venue. He said it’s easier to experience the raw emotion. Interesting stage effects during the climax (i won’t spoil it!) of the first act.

Music and Audio: What can I say, I love rock/pop musicals. The band was good and the conductor/pianist (Greg Smith) was particularly enthusiastic and expressive.

Price: $ (Low-priced at $20)

Dates: February 16-18 & 23-25, 2018

Seating: General Admission

Link:

The Gin Game – Play – Village Theatre

Watched The Gin Game at Village Theatre. Grandma and grandpa playing gin rummy and complaining about nursing home life. Was like watching paint dry. ?
Watched The Gin Game at Village Theatre. Grandma and grandpa playing gin rummy and complaining about nursing home life. Was like watching paint dry. ?

Type: Play

Recommendation: Don’t see it unless you like to watch people talking with no action. So boring!

Rating (Out of 5 Stars): 3 stars

Negatives: There was no plot/action. It was like watching paint dry. This was the first Village Theatre production where I actually left at intermission. I guess there’s a first for everything… :-/

Story, Script, and Lyrics: Gramps and granny play gin rummy and talk out life … mostly complaining about their nursing home. You may actually like this play if you liked The Humans (which was also “meh” in my book).

Cast and Theater Company: Small two-person cast, which didn’t do this boring play any favors. The actors were good but the play was just bad. I’m surprised  Village Theatre  took on such a bad piece to perform since their productions are usually pretty satisfying.

Venue and Set: Interesting detailed set. It’s a shame they never had any scene changes.

Music and Audio: Okay. Nothing particularly good or bad to say.

Price: $$ (Mid-priced at $58-72)

Dates:

  • Issaquah: January 18 – February 25, 2018
  • Everett: March 2-25, 2018

Seating: Assigned

Link: http://www.villagetheatre.org/issaquah/the-gin-game.php