Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): A Christmas Carol at ACT Theatre. Play adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens novella. Kudos to young adult Scrooge for tearing up on-demand. Delightfully the angriest old Scrooge I’ve seen on-stage so far. Bah humbug! #xmas #AChristmasCarol #sentimental
Synopsis from the Theatre: Fill your heart with joy! Charles Dickens’ enchanting tale of redemption and compassion as A Christmas Carol comes vividly to life beginning November 25. On a snowy Christmas Eve brimming with memorable characters, ghostly apparitions, and visits to the past, present, and future, miserly Ebenezer Scrooge discovers the joy of charity and redemption. Capture the timeless magic of Dickens’ Yuletide classic, proudly returning for the 47th year. Get your tickets now.
Reviewed Performance: 11/27 Evening – Opening Night
Type: Play
World Premiere: No
Live Band/Orchestra: No
Recommendation: See it if you like Christmas plays or if you like traditional productions of this classic story.
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: 8 actors out of 17
Length: 90 minutes
Intermission: No
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
Singing: I was pleasantly surprised to find singing in this play. While the musical numbers were brief, they were still good.
Floor Entrances: The production used the floor for a couple dramatic entrances/exits like the gaudy accession of “Christmas Present,” the creepy crawl of “Want and Ignorance,” or the demonic visit from Marley. The gravestone lighting was also a nice dramatic touch.
Rant(s)
“Christmas Past” Set: It would have been nice to see more developed scenic design from the “Christmas Past” segment when they were pointing at specific landmarks. But it’s probably hard to do that on an arena stage and not worth the short airtime.
Temperature: My companion and I were so cold and it had nothing to do with Scrooge’s demeanor!
B-reel (Added 12/7/22): Unfortunately, ACT Theatre noticed an error in the B-reel used for the TikTok video I made and asked me to either re-edit the my video or take it down. I opted for the latter option as these videos take hours to make and I did not have time to correct their mistake. Sorry readers! But please enjoy their fantastic pictures below.
Other Thought(s)
Scrooge and Cratchit Family: It was kind of creepy that Scrooge identified the names of the Cratchit family when they never met. It was also weird that Scrooge asked to be Tiny Tim’s father figure when they also never met.
Theatre Company : ACT Theatre
Venue: Allen Theatre at ACT Theatre
Venue Physical Address: 700 Union St, Seattle, WA 98101
Price: Medium to Expensive
Dates: November 25 to December 24, 2022
Seating: Assigned
Parking: Paid lot or paid street parking. If I don’t walk to this theatre, I park in the Convention Center parking lot with the entrance between Seneca and Pike. There is indoor access from the garage to the ACT Theatre going through the convention center.
Social Media Posts About this Performance from Shows I’ve Seen: Instagram |
TikTok |
Facebook |
Twitter |
YouTube I removed the social media links. See my rant above about the B-reel for an explanation why.
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley play at Taproot Theatre rectified an anti-feminist Pride and Prejudice storyline that Jane Austen inadequately resolved for women. Rich English accent from Mr. Darcy. Very Downton Abbey. Good young energetic naiveté from Lydia. Craving tea & shortbread now.
Synopsis from the Theatre: In this all-new Jane Austen-inspired story, we return to the world of the Darcys and Bennets! Lydia’s come for Christmas, the halls are decked, and the aroma of everyone’s favorite orange biscuits fills the air. But downstairs the loyal staff scramble to keep a secret that could upend the festivities. Amid the chaos of Christmas, a little yuletide forgiveness might be the one gift everyone needs.
Recommendation: See it if you like Pride and Prejudice.
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: 2 actors out of 7 but they were all very good. I actually assumed more of them were Equity.
Length: 2 hours
Intermission: Yes
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
Favorite Line: When the new maid Cassie saw Mr Darcy (her boss) for the first time and said nervously said “Sir! … My lord! … Mr Darcy!” then bowed.
Rant(s)
Single Setting: The entire play was several scenes in the common area where “the help” reside. The story would be more interesting if they showed scenes in different settings like upstairs or in the marketplace.
Other Thought(s)
Accents: I always love hearing different accents in shows especially how they pronounced “leisure” and “privacy” in this play. Most of the accents in this play were familiar from TV but I’ve never heard the accents from the working class characters before.
Working Class Mobility: While the play turned up the feminism a couple notches towards the end, I wish it did the same thing for working class mobility. “The help” was too dependent on Mr Darcy even when one of them was moving up in the world. Baby steps I guess!
Theatre Company : Taproot Theatre
Venue: Taproot Theatre’s Jewell Mainstage
Venue Physical Address: 204 N 85th St, Seattle, WA 98103
Price: Medium
Dates: November 23 to December 30, 2022
Seating: Assigned
Parking: Paid lot or usually-free street parking. I almost always find free street parking on Greenwood Ave just South of the theatre.
Gretchen Douma, Kathryn Bogley, and Kelly Karcher in The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley at Taproot Theatre. Photo by Robert Wade.Kelly Karcher and Ian Bond in The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley at Taproot Theatre. Photo by Robert Wade.Ricky Spaulding in The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley at Taproot Theatre. Photo by Robert Wade.Kathryn Bogley, Kelly Karcher, and Annie Yim in The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley at Taproot Theatre. Photo by Robert Wade.Gretchen Douma and Ian Bond in The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley at Taproot Theatre. Photo by Robert Wade.Ricky Spaulding and Katheryn Bogley in The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley at Taproot Theatre. Photo by Robert Wade.Katheryn Bogley and Ricky Spaulding in The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley at Taproot Theatre. Photo by Robert Wade.Katheryn Bogley and Kelly Karcher in The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley at Taproot Theatre. Photo by Robert Wade.Katheryn Bogley and Ricky Spaulding in The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley at Taproot Theatre. Photo by Robert Wade.
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Cinderella pantomime at Centerstage Theatre. 1st time seeing a British panto & was pleasantly surprised there was singing w/ a band. Even included #drag. Awesome Cinderella and Button actresses. Witty jokes. Feel-good family-friendly experience. #campy
Synopsis from the Theatre: Celebrate the most magical time of year with the most magical fairy tale of them all – Cinderella! For fifteen years Centerstage has enchanted audiences with its traditional holiday pantomime (the Panto). Young and old enjoy the sparkle, glitter, and chaos of this family-friendly laugh-a-minute traditional British treat. Audience participation is encouraged and enhances the cleverly choreographed mayhem. The Fairy Godmother, Cinderella, Prince Charming and, of course, the Wicked Stepsisters deliver holiday joy to everyone–from age 5 to 95!
Reviewed Performance: 11/26 Afternoon – Opening Day
Type: Pantomime
World Premiere: Yes? I think this theatre produces their yearly pantomimes new in-house. Please let me know in my social media post if you have information.
Live Band/Orchestra: Yes
Recommendation: See it if 1) you’ve never attended a pantomime, 2) you like pantomime, 3) or you want to take kids to a show.
Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now?: Yes if it was an Equity production
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value: 4.25 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: 1 actor out of 20-ish. The non-Equity main characters were very good.
Length: 2.75 hours – I’m surprised the kids in the audience were okay this long!
Intermission: Yes
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
Cleaver Quips: I smiled and laughed a lot during this show. Maybe it was the funny jokes. Maybe it was the novelty of panto.
High Kicks: Dandini (Jasmine Wright) performed impressive kicks!
Songlist: Included songs from musicals (like The Wiz, Hairspray, & Les Misérables) and pop culture.
Rant(s)
Time to Cure: This production could use more time to solidify and tighten up the performance. However, I attended the opening day and this problem will certainly improve as they continue to perform this show.
Microphones: They need to increase the volume of the minor characters and reduce the crackles from various microphones.
Other Thought(s)
Pantomime: This was my first time seeing a British “panto.” I’m very curious how this novel experience compares to pantos performed in the UK. It was interesting how they frequently broke the 4th wall and encouraged the audience to yell things out. I know the kids certainly loved that.
Dress Transformation: This was the first time I’ve seen a costume transformation like how this production turned Cinderella’s rags to a gown. It was definitely more cost-effective than what I’m used to seeing. However, it was still effective since the kids sitting behind me were trying to figure out how the trick was done. I won’t spoil the stage magic for you though!
Wardrobe Malfunction: Someone’s pants fell during a song and I don’t think it was intentional. Fortunately, they weren’t the focus during the scene. Oh, the magic of live theatre!
Kid Performers: I’m usually not a fan of seeing kids on-stage especially if they’re not in a professional Equity production. That being said, it was refreshing to see this production mix amateur kids with older more experienced actors. I’d like to think that it’s a good mentoring experience for the child performers and a better experience for the kids in the audience.
Theatre Company : Centerstage Theatre
Venue: Dumas Bay Centre
Venue Physical Address: 3200 SW Dash Point Rd, Federal Way, WA 98023
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Blue Man Group w/ Seattle Theatre Group at the Paramount Theatre. Mime-like wordless skits w/ catchy percussion & a spectacular visual feast. Similar to Cirque du Soleil w/o the acrobatics. Lots of audience participation. The alien-like blue man even walked through my leg room space to drag a “lucky” audience member on-stage! #drums #blueMan #blueManGroup
Synopsis from the Theatre: More than 35 million people around the world have experienced the smash hit phenomenon that is BLUE MAN GROUP and now it’s your turn! BLUE MAN GROUP returns to Seattle for a limited engagement on their new North American tour. It’s everything you know and love about BLUE MAN GROUP—signature drumming, colorful moments of creativity and quirky comedy—the men are still blue but the rest is all new! Featuring pulsing, original music, custom-made instruments, surprise audience interaction and hilarious absurdity, join the Blue Men in a joyful experience that unites audiences of all ages.
Reviewed Performance: 11/25 Evening – Opening Night
Type: Performance Art Show
World Premiere: No
Live Band/Orchestra: Yes
Recommendation: See it especially if you like percussion, visual special effects, performance art, or audience members dragged on stage. This show is also kid friendly. Throughout the performance, I could hear kids calling out things like “Pick me!”
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value: 4.75 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: The program didn’t specify any Equity information. Maybe they didn’t mention this because the show wasn’t a play or musical. However, the show’s caliber felt just like other touring Equity musical productions that perform at the Paramount Theatre.
Length: 75 minutes
Intermission: No
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
Instruments: They designed several unique looking/sounding instruments. My favorites were the adjustable-pitch PVC pipe drum and the giant dulcimer-looking xylophonic percussion instrument.
Gumball Trick: I was impressed how one of the blue men caught several gumballs in his mouth. I’m still wondering what stage magic allowed him to fit them all in there.
Rant(s)
VR Skit: There was a section where the Blue Men captured a live video feed around the stage and audience. Later, they took the camera offstage and performed a skit involving virtual reality headsets. I’m assuming the offstage portion was pre-recorded. I’m usually not impressed when live shows display pre-recorded video as a segment of the show. I attended to see a live performance, not something I could find on YouTube. If you think this segment was actually performed live offstage, please leave me a comment in my social media to explain.
Other Thought(s)
Gender Spin: With gender issues on the forefront of the theatre scene (and the political stage), it’s time for a “Blue Woman Group.” Or maybe switch out one of the three men with one woman. Or instead of women, maybe recruit transgender performers. Shake it up a bit!
Audience Plants : Throughout the first half of the show, I assumed the audience members they involved in the show were audience plants. However, the reactions from someone who was dragged on-stage and their friends in my row made me think otherwise. I wonder how they plan for volatile audience members called on-stage who could derail the show’s planned narrative. Like what’s the contingency plan if someone says pro-Nazi rhetoric in the microphone during the telephone skit?
Earplugs and Ponchos: Before the performance, the theatre handed out free earplugs to everybody and ponchos to those on the front couple of rows, which worried me of what was to come. Fortunately, I never needed the earplugs, and it didn’t look like the Blue Men splashed the front row.
Blue Skin Magic: Since one of the blue men was literally in my personal leg room space to drag someone else on stage, I saw his “skin” up close. It made me wonder what stage magic made his skin blue. I’m pretty sure they wear blue gloves instead of painting their hands. Since he had no ears, I’m assuming part of his blue skin was not painted human skin but maybe some painted latex-like covering. However, I couldn’t determine where the latex-like covering and the human skin would have bordered. I was even more puzzled when I saw a shiny sweat-like sheen on him, which could mean there was no latex-like covering! Leave a comment in my social media posts below if you have any ideas what stage magic is involved.
Theatre Company : National Tour brought by Seattle Theatre Group and Broadway Across America
Venue: Paramount Theatre
Venue Physical Address: 911 Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101
Price: Medium to Expensive
Dates: November 25 – 27, 2022
Seating: Assigned
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 get closer to the West Precinct (810 Virginia St, Seattle, WA 98101).
Blue Man Group Paint Drumming, Photo by Lindsey BestBlue Man New Tour, photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMadeBlue Man New Tour, photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMadeBlue Man Group Portrait, Photo by Lindsey BestBlue Man New Tour, photo by Joan MarcusBlue Man New Tour, photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMadeBlue Man Group Toss and Catch, Courtesy of Blue Man ProductionsBlue Man New Tour, photo by Joan MarcusBlue Man New Tour, photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMadeBlue Man Group New Tour, photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMadeBlue Man New Tour, photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMadeBlue Man New Tour, photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMadeBlue Man Group New Tour, photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMadeBlue Man Group New Tour, photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMadeBlue Man New Tour, photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Cabaret the musical sold out at Cornish College of the Arts. Novel immersive stage. Well-cast Cliff actor. Good ensemble, Emcee, & Sally too. #musical #theatre #Cabaret
Synopsis from the Theatre: In a Berlin nightclub, as the 1920’s draw to a close, a garish Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience and assures them they will forget all their troubles at the Cabaret. With the Emcee’s bawdy songs as wry commentary, Cabaret explores the dark, heady, and tumultuous life of Berlin’s natives and expatriates as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich. Cliff, a young American writer newly arrived in Berlin, is immediately taken with English singer Sally Bowles. Meanwhile, Fräulein Schneider, proprietor of Cliff and Sally’s boarding house, tentatively begins a romance with Herr Schultz, a mild-mannered fruit seller who happens to be Jewish. Musical numbers include “Willkommen,” “Cabaret,” “Don’t Tell Mama” and “Two Ladies.”
Type: Musical
World Premiere: No
Live Band/Orchestra: Yes
Recommendation: See it especially if you like to support student actors. Unfortunately, this production already completed its run though. Also, the entire run was sold out at least 2 weeks before opening night. The only possible way to see a performance was through the waitlist.
Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now?: Always. I’ve probably seen 5 separate productions of this show. One of them was the professional tour.
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value: 4.25 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: None
Length: 2.5-2.75 hours
Intermission: Yes
Rant(s)
Cell Phone Check-in: I was completely baffled when they asked the audience to check-in their cell phone before entering the performance space. A theatre has never asked me to do that … and I’ve attended more than 360 shows since 2017. It didn’t help that my cell phone case also incidentally included my pen so I was unable my write down more impressions of the performance for my review.
Set Movement: The frequent set movement and audience re-seating was a bit
distracting.
Vocal Range: There were 1-2 male performers who couldn’t reach the high notes. Consequently, they sounded a little off-key. Also, there were 1-2 female performers who could barely reach the low notes. Consequently, the audience couldn’t hear them.
Character Age: Drama schools students tend to be young in their twenties, late teens, or even thirties. So, it’s difficult to appropriately cast someone in middle-aged or senior character roles. I suggest drama schools either 1) choose performance pieces that don’t contain major characters older than 40 years old, 2) invest heavily in makeup/wardrobe, 3) or recruit a non-student actor to perform these roles. I personally like option 3 the best. For example, UW School of Drama recruited alumnus Malcolm West in this year’s production of Father Comes Home from the Wars.
Other Thought(s)
Audience Participation: The website said “This production is an immersive experience and will include and encourage audience participation” which made me a little nervous they’d want me to get up and dance. When it comes to theatre, I’d rather sit and (at most) clap. Theatre “pillow princess” here. 😛 In actuality, the actors thankfully didn’t goad the audience to participate much more than a traditional non-immersive performance.
Immersive Theatre: One of the limitations of immersive, 360 degree, or arena theatre is that the audience doesn’t always see everything. There was a scene in the second act where the audience kept looking at a back wall near the entrance where I couldn’t see. Queue the FOMO! Leave me a comment on the social media links below to tell me what I’ve missed.
Theatre Company : Cornish College of the Arts
Venue: Skinner Theatre at Raisbeck Performance Hall
Venue Physical Address: 2015 Boren Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
Price: Cheap
Dates: November 17 to 20, 2022 – I would have prioritized this review earlier if the college gave me a press ticket. But apparently, they don’t encourage reviewers, which baffled me. In my opinion, “there is no such thing as bad publicity!”
Seating: General Admission
Parking: Street parking (sometimes free) usually available within 3 blocks from the theatre. There’s also various paid parking lots in the area. This part of downtown is closer to South Lake Union neighborhood so it’s not that busy.
