Leave a comment mentioning your favorite female monarch and why. She doesn’t need to be a British #queen. I’ll chose a winner after 7/19 11:59 PM.
Post your comment submission on my Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Threads. This is a free SINGLE ticket in “price level F” (worth about $60) to any remaining “Six” performance at Broadway at the Paramount Theatre and Seattle Theatre Group. The production run ends 7/23. Read my review at showsiveseen.com/6075. #theatre #six #showsiveseen #musical
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): The Hello Girls musical by Peter Mills and Cara Reichel at Taproot Theatre. Starring Cassi Q Kohl & Rico Lastrapes. Direction by Karen Lund and musical direction by Michael Nutting. Story about the unsung American female switchboard operators in WWI. #helloGirls #girlPower #war #theatre
Synopsis from the Theatre: “Imagine a time when the world was divided. … A world where freedom is under assault … A world where nationalism is on the rise… We’re talking about the year 1918, of course.” Helmet, check. Gas Mask, check… Lipstick, check. In this new musical, Grace Banker and her fellow switchboard operators are answering the call when the Bell Battalion Telephonic Ladies’ Switchboard Unit #1 makes history as America’s first female soldiers.
Reviewed Performance: 7/14/23 – Opening Night
Type: Musical
World Premiere: No
Several or Few Scenes: Several
Several or Few Settings/Locations: Several
Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: No, but you might appreciate this more if you’re a little familiar with World War I.
Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes
Live Band/Orchestra: Yes
Recommendation: See it if you enjoy the specific genre of shows Taproot Theatre tends to produce like A Civil War Christmas, Bright Star, and The Spitfire Grill. You might also enjoy this show if you like women’s choral music like Seattle Women’s Chorus since there was a lot of female harmonies.
Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show: Yes
Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now: I’d consider another professional production
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value: 4 stars (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: 2
Total Number of Actors: 10
Perceived Pace of the Show: Medium speed
Length (Including Any Intermission): 2.75 hours
Intermission: Yes
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
Cassi Q Kohl: I didn’t even recognize Cassi compared to her recent roles in Cinderella and Miss Step! It goes to show her versatility as an actress.
Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)
Actor Musicians: Some actors in the show also were part of the band. I saw Jeremy Steckler on the bass and Rebecca Cort on the guitar. But I didn’t see the other actor musicians listed in the program like Rico Lastrapes on the clarinet, Jeremy Steckler on the guitar, Lauren Engstrom on the keyboard, and Casey Raiha on the keyboard. I wish I could also see these additional actors play their instruments. They were probably hidden in the back due to Taproot Theatre’s stage space constraints.
Uniform Purchase Requirement: Did (does) the army really not pay for uniforms? If you’re putting yourself in harm’s way and contributing a specialized skill to the war effort, the least the government can do is pay for your uniform.
Switchboard: This production would have greatly benefitted from a switchboard prop.
Costume Legs: I’ve never seen such weird leggings on American military uniforms that resembled culottes or knee breeches. But I guess they’re historically accurate since they resembled the pictures Google showed for “World War I American Uniform.”
In background: Miranda Antoinette. Left to right: Fune Tautala, Jeremy Steckler, and Casey Raiha in The Hello Girls at Taproot Theatre. Photo by John Ulman.
Theatre Company: Taproot Theatre
Venue: Jewell Mainstage at Taproot Theatre
Venue Physical Address: 204 N 85th St, Seattle, WA 98103
Left to right: Rebecca Cort, Miranda Antoinette, Cassi Q Kohl, Lauren Engstrom, and Jessica Ziegelbauer in The Hello Girls at Taproot Theatre. Photo by John Ulman.Cassi Q Kohl in The Hello Girls at Taproot Theatre. Photo by John Ulman. Lauren Engstrom in The Hello Girls at Taproot Theatre. Photo by John Ulman. Cassi Q Kohl in The Hello Girls at Taproot Theatre. Photo by John Ulman.
Role
Name
Suzanne Prevot
Rebecca Cort
Helen Hill
Lauren Engstrom
Bertha Hunt
Jessica Ziegelbauer
Louise Lebreton
Miranda Antoinette
Grace Banker
Cassi Q Kohl *
Man 2/PVT Eugen Matterson
Jeremy Steckler
Man 3/Dempsey/Morris/German Soldier
Casey Raiha
Man 1/Wessen/Ackerman/Beaumont
Fune Tautala
Gen. John Pershing
Jeff Church
Cpt. Joseph Riser
Rico Lastrapes *
—
—
Bertha Hunt / Suzanne Prevot (u/s)
Jacqueline Tardanico
Grace Banker / Louise Lebreton (u/s)
Keola Kapulani Holt
Helen Hill (u/s)
Abigail Brittle
Riser / Pershing (u/s)
Brandon Riel
—
—
Plano Conductor
Michael Nutting, David Taylor Gomes
Violin
Jeremy Lynch
Cello
Matthew Tevenan
Drums
Scot Sexton
Bass
Jeremy Steckler
Clarinet
Rico Lastrapes *
Additional Guitar
Rebecca Cort, Jeremy Steckler
Additional Keyboard
Lauren Engstrom, Casey Raiha
—
—
Director
Karen Lund **
Composer and Lyricist
Peter Mills
Playwright
Peter Mills, Cara Reichel
Music Director
Michael Nutting
Associate Director
Bretteney Beverly
Assistant Director
Nik Nolan
Scenic/Sound Designer
Mark Lund
Costume Designer
Nanette Acosta
Lighting Designer
Ahren Buhmann
Choreographer
Katy Tabb **
Stage Manager
Rachel Victoria Miller *
Dramaturg
Rowan Gallagher
Dialect Coach
Marianna de Fazio
*Appearing through on agreement between Taproot Theatre and Actors’ Equity Association. **Members of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society
Giveaway: I’m giving away a free ticket to this show. See details here. (Update 7/20/23: Congrats to Rylie!)
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Amazing seats to Six The Musical by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss at Seattle Theatre Group and Broadway at the Paramount Theatre. All-female cast/band portray the stories of King Henry VIII’s #six queen wives and find individual significance independent of a man. Packed energetic audience. Shoutout to the incredible Khaila Wilcoxon and Storm Lever! #musical #girlPower #Tudor
Synopsis from the Theatre: Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. From Tudor Queens to Pop Icons, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a Euphoric Celebration of 21st century girl power! This new original musical is the global sensation that everyone is losing their head over!
Reviewed Performance: 7/12/23 – Opening Night
Type: Concert-like Storytelling Musical
World Premiere: No
Several or Few Scenes: Storytelling several scenes
Several or Few Settings/Locations: Storytelling several locations
Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: You might appreciate this more if you’re familiar with King Henry VIII’s wives. I personally only knew a little about Anne Boleyn.
Defined Plot/Storyline: Not really, it was 6 queens singing/telling their own separate stories
Live Band/Orchestra: Yes
Recommendation: See it if either you enjoy
Pop diva or girl group concerts
Or concert-like musicals similar to Striking 12, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and Pump Boys and Dinettes where the actors address the audience and tell stories (as opposed to acting out the stories)
Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show: Yes
Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now: Probably not, but it was good
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value: 4 stars (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: The program didn’t mention this, but I’d be surprised if all the actors in a national tour show like this weren’t Equity.
Total Number of Actors: 6
Perceived Pace of the Show: Medium to fast
Length (Including Any Intermission): 1.5 hours
Intermission: No
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
Favorite Queen Divas: My favorite actress was Khaila Wilcoxon (Catherine of Aragon) for her animated expressions and attitude. For some reason, she also reminded me of Patina Miller. A close second was Storm Lever (Anne Boleyn), who wouldn’t stop mentioning her beheading. I recognized her voice from Summer The Donna Summer Musical as Duckling Donna. It’s good to see her back in Seattle!
Tinder: I loved how they incorporated catfishing and swiping in Anne of Cleves (Oliva Donalson) story.
Costumes: The metal-looking costumes were shiny, glittery, and brilliant. They sort of reminded me of samurai suits.
Quips: The biting repartee between the queens was delightful. I especially enjoyed when the witty remarks were cutting. Clap back!
Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)
Hype: As one of the most popular shows on-stage today, the excitement around Six The Musical show was palpable. The audience was enthusiastic and even a guy on the front row stood up and danced in the middle of a song. But like Hamilton, I feel like Six The Musical is overhyped. Both shows were obviously well-written and well-executed masterpieces, but the overhyped worldwide buzz around the two musicals made me expect more. That being said, if you ever have the opportunity, you should definitely see Six The Musical … it’s just no The Wiz, The Prom, or The Book of Mormon.
Theatre Company: National Tour with Broadway Across America
Venue: Paramount Theatre
Venue Physical Address: 911 Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101
Price: Medium to Expensive
Ticket Affordability Options: Seattle Theatre Group might partner with an organization you’re affiliated with for discount tickets. For example, I believe UW employees and students are eligible for an organization discount.
Dates: July 12 – 23, 2023
Seating: Assigned Seating
Parking: Paid street parking and paid garage parking. The best parking garage is under the convention center w/ the entrance on Pike around the Pike and Terry intersection. Last I checked, this is one of the cheapest, least busy, and closest garages. Alternatively, you can probably find street parking as you move closer to the West Precinct (810 Virginia St, Seattle, WA 98101). Do NOT park where the Paramount subscribers park. Last I checked, they usually park in the garage attached to the Cheesecake Factory. It’ll take you at least 30 minutes to exit that garage after the show.
Other Video +/- Pictures: See pictures in video and under video by Joan Marcus and Patrick Gray.
@showsiveseen Amazing seats to @SIX 👑 by Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss at @Seattle Theatre Group & Broadway at the Paramount Theatre. All-female cast/band portray the stories of King Henry VIII's #six#queen wives & find individual significance independent of a man. Packed energetic audience. Shoutout to the incredible @Khaila Anye Wilcoxon & @Storm Lever. Photos by Joan Marcus & Patrick Gray. Review: showsiveseen.com/6075 #musical#girlPower#theatre#Tudor♬ Ex-Wives – SIX
The North American Six Aragon tour. Photo by Joan Marcus.Storm Lever as Anne Boleyn (center) in the North American Six Aragon tour. Photo by Joan Marcus.Olivia Donalson as Anna of Cleves (center) in the North American Six Aragon tour. Photo by Joan Marcus.Khaila Wilcoxon as Catherine of Aragon (center) in the North American Six Aragon tour. Photo by Joan Marcus.Gabriela Carrillo as Catherine Parr (center) in the North American Six Aragon tour. Photo by Joan Marcus.Courtney Mack as Katherine Howard in the North American Six Aragon tour. Photo by Patrick Gray.The North American Aragon tour of Six. Photo by Patrick Gray.
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Solaris play by David Greig based on Stanislaw Lem’s novel. Starring Jay Woods & Ian Bond. Directed by Gus Menary. Book-it Repertory Theatre is closing its doors on a high note. Mysterious sci-fi story w/ many interesting layers. Timely piece in light of today’s rapid AI neural network development. Great scenic design. I’d be interested to read the book one day. Contender for one of my favorite 2023 shows. #theatre
Synopsis from the Theatre: Solaris is a haunting story of love and loneliness on the edge of space that asks the big question: What happens when humans encounter, for the first time, a truly alien intelligence?
For the scientists aboard the space station orbiting Solaris, the strange new planet is a manifestation of their life’s work – a dream come true. To explore an unknown world, learn its nature and design, discover its secrets – isn’t this the meaning of life? But as their mission forces them to confront their own unexplored grief and pain, science proves woefully inadequate, and they must each decide for themselves where the true boundaries to reality lie… and whether the ghosts from their pasts will help or hinder them in building humanity’s future.
This 1961 novel is a heady science fiction gem that suggests that the real final frontier might just be the hazy place where memory and reality intertwine. This heartfelt (and sometimes hair-raising) story presents a message about the dangers of intrusion into the realms of the unknown.
Reviewed Performance: 6/17/23 – Opening Night
Type: Play
World Premiere: No
Several or Few Scenes: Several
Several or Few Settings/Locations: Maybe 3 to 5 rooms on a space station
Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: You might appreciate this more if you read the book. I did not read the book, but I might one day because the play was so good.
Defined Plot/Storyline: Mostly yes, but there’s only so much action that can occur in 3-5 locations.
Recommendation: See it, especially if you like sci-fi
Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show: Yes
Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now: I’d consider seeing another Equity production of this play
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value: 4.75 stars (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: 3 equity actors and 1 actor from the Stage Directors/Choreographers Society
Total Number of Actors: 6
Perceived Pace of the Show: It felt slow at the beginning, but the pace picked up a little as the story unfolded. In its defense, the slower pace also contributed to the mysterious ambience of the play.
Length (Including Any Intermission): 2.75 hours
Intermission: Yes
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
Non-traditional Alien Concept: The Stanislaw Lem created alien life form “characters” that weren’t your run-of-the-mill ET aliens. I wonder if the Avatar movie borrowed concepts from the original Solaris book.
Consciousness: It was interesting to see how consciousness, sentience, and self-awareness can potentially evolve from nothing. Like I touched on earlier, this concept is vogue in today’s AI craze. It kind of reminded me of Adam and Eve’s inception.
Captions: The diary captions displayed periodically above the stage were well chosen. I assume they were actual quotes from the original book. I’d love to reread them already knowing how the story unfolds.
Escapism Theme: For some reason, I’m drawn to stories that deal with escapism, dreaming, and a Matrix-like existence. The last play I saw She Kills Monsters at SecondStory Repertory had a similar theme. Maybe that’s why I’m into live theatre in general.
Humanity: Good commentary on the destructiveness of humanity and our effects on the environment. However, the solution in the play isn’t feasible on Earth.
Bookends: Good use of bookends in the first and last scene
Rant(s)
Scarring: It wasn’t clear what the characters were referring to when they talked about inducing a scar. The script should dwell on the subject more especially since the sci-fi lore sounded intriguing.
Table Jump: One character jumped on a table in distress. If someone was in such distress, they wouldn’t jump on a table. They would lean on the table or collapse on the floor.
Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)
“Overture” Scene (Slight Minor Spoiler): Before the play began, the theatre broadcasted an overhead announcement like a plane or spaceship would take off in 3 minutes and then played sci-fi music in the background. The 3 minutes weirdly ended anticlimactically, but it wasn’t a terrible experience since it introduced a feeling of mysterious anticipation before the play began.
Liquid Nitrogen: They should place dry ice in the liquid nitrogen container to simulate the vapors we usually see when dealing with liquid nitrogen in real life.
Theatre Company: Book-it Repertory Theatre
Venue: Center Theatre at Seattle Center Armory
Venue Physical Address: 305 Harrison St, Seattle, WA 98109
Price: Medium
Ticket Affordability Options: Check out the discount section of their ticketing page. Goldstar and TodayTix usually offer good options too.
Dates: June 17 to July 9, 2023
Seating: Assigned Seating
Parking: Paid street parking or paid lot/garage parking. I usually like to park on the street near the skating park (313 Taylor Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109) East of the theatre. It’s more expensive on Climate Pledge Arena event days though so I ended up parking in South Lake Union since I’m cheap!
Other Video +/- Pictures: See pictures in video and under video by Anthony Floyd.
@showsiveseen “Solaris” #play by David Greig based on Stanislaw Lem’s novel. Starring Jay Woods & Ian Bond. Director Gus Menary is leaving Book-it Repertory Theatre on a high note. #Mysterious#scifi story w/ many interesting layers. Timely piece in light of today’s rapid AI neural network development. I’d be interested to read the book one day. Great scenic design. Contender for one of my favorite 2023 shows. Photos by Anthony Floyd. Review: showsiveseen.com/5995 #theatre♬ Padam Padam
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): She Kills Monsters play by Qui Nguyen at SecondStory Repertory directed by Kate Swenson. Starring Rebecca Cauthorn and Erin Elkins. Nerd out with Dungeons and Dragons in live theatre! Lots of fight choreography and cosplay-worthy costumes/props. #theatre
Synopsis from the Theatre: She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes Evans as she leaves her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. When Agnes finds Tilly’s Dungeons and Dragons notebook, however, she finds herself catapulted into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was her sister’s refuge. In this high-octane dramatic comedy laden with homicidal fairies, nasty ogres, and 90s pop culture, acclaimed playwright Qui Nguyen offers a heart-pounding homage to the geek and warrior within us all.
Reviewed Performance: 6/9/23 on opening night – Sorry for the late review!
Type: Play
World Premiere: No
Several or Few Scenes: Several
Several or Few Settings/Locations: Several
Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: You’d probably enjoy this more if you played Dungeons and Dragons or if you grew up in the 80-90s. I’ve actually never played Dungeons and Dragons, but I was born in the 80s. I only know how the game roughly works because I saw Steve and his friends play it on American Dad.
Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show: Yes
Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now: Probably not
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value: 4 stars (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: 0
Total Number of Actors: 10
Perceived Pace of the Show: Medium to fast
Length (Including Any Intermission): 1.75 hours
Intermission: No
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
Double Entendre: There was a funny scene where one person was talking about Dungeons and Dragons while the other person thought they were talking about sex.
Character/Actor Highlights:
Stav Hinenzon (Orcas) projected his voice well
Jack Anderson was funny as a dorky high school teenager Chuck
Why do I love seeing mean cheerleaders on-stage and on-screen? It must be fun for Jillian Faulk (as Evil Gabbi) and Grace Madland (as Evil Tina) to play succubus cheerleaders. Very Glee and Mean Girls.
Moral of the Story: I like the message throughout the play (especially at the end) on why Dungeons and Dragons was important to Tilly in her friends.
Other Video +/- Pictures: See pictures in video and under video by Michael Brunk.
Cast and Production Team: See after pictures and video below
@showsiveseen "She Kills Monsters" #play by Qui Nguyen at SecondStory Rep directed by Kate Swenson. Starring Rebecca Cauthorn & Erin Elkins. Nerd out w/ "Dungeons & Dragons" in live #theatre♬ House of Memories
