Vida Oliphant Sneed’s The Lion Tells His Tale world premiere at Intiman Theatre featuring Delbert Richardson’s American History Traveling Museum: The Unspoken Truths. Don’t wait for my full review to buy tickets if you want to see this show since there are only 3 more performances left and it’s nearly sold out. Rush tickets available even in sold out performances. #theatre #showsiveseen #bipoc #black #poc #history #africa #dance
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): House of Hearts burlesque cabaret show at Can Can Culinary Cabaret. Very Moulin Rouge w/ all the luxurious red velvet trappings/tapestry. New larger (but still intimate) venue since the last time I saw a show here in 2019.
Synopsis from the Theatre: All peace is disrupted in the Land of Broken Hearts when Queen Astral’s daughter, Aurora (Shadou Mintrone), falls in love with the town fool, Puck (Jonathan Betchtel), at the Broken Hearts Ball, the fastidious annual gathering where speaking or feeling love is forever banned and punishable by death. Luna (Jasmine Jean Sim) tries to contain the peace and order by convincing the Queen to have mercy and a change of heart to reverse the archaic laws she once created that would subject her very own daughter to death. When the chaos unravels, will the love escape the grasp of the Queen’s tortured past and prevail to save her very own daughter? Your presence at the House of Hearts will reveal the answers to these curiosities and more.
Reviewed Performance: 1/19/23
Type: Dinner Cabaret Show
World Premiere: Likely – I think most of their shows are produced new in-house
Awards: None, which is expected for world premieres
Defined Plot/Storyline: Like most dinner shows, there was no well-defined plot. The story was more of a framework for each act.
Live Band/Orchestra: No
Recommendation: See it if you like burlesque, cabaret, Teatro ZinZanni, Triple Door (especially Verlaine & McCann), or dinner shows.
Was This the First Time I Saw a Production of this Show: This is the first time I saw this production, but I previously saw Bon Bon at their previous location years ago.
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value: 4 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: Not tracked in shows like this
Length: Less than 90 minutes
Intermission: There were two 5-10 minute intermissions
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
Energy: Kudos to Puck (Jonathan Betchtel) the jester for his energy emceeing the show … on a Thursday nonetheless!
Cabaret Musical Song: This show included singing and I was pleasantly surprised to hear them perform the classic song “Don’t Tell Mama” from the Cabaret musical. It was very fitting for a show like this.
Jester in Training: Puck picked a cute guy Noah from the audience to be his jester-in-training. Surprisingly, Noah was a really good sport about it and even had some moves.
Rant(s)
Bass: Call me an old fart, but the bass was too loud.
View: While their new venue ads more seats in the house, some seats now have a poorer view. I don’t recommend sitting far away from the center … no matter how inviting the cozy corner table looks! You’ll miss the view from the other side of the room. The show started at 7PM but they recommended you arrive at 6-6:30 PM for better seats. Don’t worry, you can order/eat food and drinks while you wait for the show to start.
Theatre Company: Can Can Culinary Cabaret
Venue: Can Can Culinary Cabaret
Venue Physical Address: 95 Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101
Price: Medium Expensive
Ticket Affordability Options: I couldn’t find any but that’s expected for dinner shows since they’re usually for-profit unlike traditional play/musical theatres.
Dates: January 12 to March 26, 2023
Seating: General admission that is assigned by a host(ess) like in a restaurant. You can also purchase upgraded tickets to guarantee a better seat.
Parking: I usually walk or transit anywhere near Pike Place Market. Street parking is typically difficult around here. I think the cheapest evening garage lot is Pike Place garage (1531 Western Ave P, Seattle, WA 98101).
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Coming Home circus dinner show at Teatro ZinZanni. Comedy, romance, (good) chaos, camp, drag, effortless feats of wonder, singing, live band, & a delicious 4-course meal! Thanks Michelle Sanders Communications for facilitating this review! #cirque #cabaret #vaudeville #variety
Synopsis from the Theatre: Teatro ZinZanni’s original brand of love, chaos, and dinner is making its long-awaited return to Seattle with a limited engagement run of the all-new show, Coming Home. When the world went dark more than two years ago, people everywhere were dispersing and lives turned upside. Today, as we rebuild and focus on our dreams going forward, we find that home is where our hearts reside — and Seattle is our home. So, join us in celebrating this return to home with an incredible cast of phenomenal talents in a limited engagement that will serve up the love, chaos, and dinner we’ve all been missing so very much.
Reviewed Performance: 1/15/23
Type: Circus Variety Dinner Show
World Premiere: Yes
Awards: Zero but that’s expected for world premieres
Live Band/Orchestra: Yes
Recommendation: See it especially you like cirque-themed shows
Was This the First Time I Saw a Production of this Show: I’ve seen their last show Love, Chaos, & Dinner in Marymoor Park.
Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now: Yes
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value: 4.75 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: N/A – Not typically tracked in shows like this
Length: 3 hours
Intermission: The was an intermission-like break at the soup course and another at the main course. During each break, the cast members stayed in-character while conversing with the audience.
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
Audience Dress: It was surprising that most of the audience actually dressed up in Seattle … on school night (Sunday) nonetheless!
Drag: Speaking of dress, Doily’s (Kevin Kent) drag costumes were so detailed and elaborate! My dad actually thought Doily was portrayed by a woman. He was surprised when Kevin spoke in his manly voice toward the second half of the performance. I loved the running gags Doily established at the beginning (her boobs and “El Tigre”).
Rizo: The main singer reminded me of Lady Gaga in demenour, looks, and voice. Strangely, Rizo is also from New York like Lady Gaga
Dinner: A one-stop venue for both dinner and a show was convenient. I chose the vegetarian option with the following courses.
Appetizer – Wild mushroom-parmesan tart, crisp frizzled leaks, Madeira Gastrique, and chives
Soup – Pumpkin, coconut, and green chili sambal. I couldn’t figure out the garnish. It looked like saffron, but saffron is too expensive to garnish.
Main Course – Wild rice risotto cake and seasonal vegetable ragout
Dessert – Chocolate orange mousse, hazelnut tuille cookie, and berries
Lighting Design: It goes without saying that a show like this has great lighting design. The stones or water droplets projected on the floor during an act was enchanting.
Impressive Feats: This dinner show included the following spectacular seemingly effortless acts by international performers. Many acts seemed death defying!
Hula Hoop – Sometimes 10 at a time! I was so worried a hoop would fly into the audience. But Vita Radionova didn’t lose one.
Chair Balancing – Again, I was worried that the precariously stacked chairs would collapse on the audience. But Domitil Aillot kept the chairs upright.
Ariel Silk Acrobatics – Anna Nordmoe performed ariel contortions while playing the violin … often upside down. What a unique mashup of talent!
Basketball Juggling – This is something I typically don’t see in cirque or variety shows. Again, I was worried that a ball would land in the audience. But Michael Evolution (Michael van Beek) had everything under control.
Trapeze Couple – Performed by Duo Madrona (Ben Wendel and Rachel Nehmer)
Chinese Pole – Also performed by Domitil Aillot
Ariel Hoop – Performed by Elena Gatilova
Other Thought(s)
Reused Characters/Tropes: I noticed a couple elements from their previous Love, Chaos, & Dinner show was incorporated into this production like the janitor, the yodeling dominatrix, and the caged audience member.
Audience Participation: It felt like they included more audience involvement compared to their last show. I was easy prey in the aisle but they thankfully didn’t pick on me!
Theatre Company: Teatro ZinZanni
Venue: Sodo Park
Venue Physical Address: 3200 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134
Price: Expensive … but at least it includes food!
Ticket Affordability Options: None that I could find
Dates: November 16, 2022 to March 12, 2023 – Extended by popular demand!
Seating: Assigned seating and general admission – call them if you want to sit with other people you know who purchased tickets separately
Vita RadionovaThe Band in Teatro ZinZanni’s Coming HomeTeatro ZinZanni’s Coming HomeRizo in BlackPianist Marina AlberoManuela HornKevin KentElena GatilovaDuo MadronaDomitil AillotAnna Nordmoe
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Potted Potter show w/ Seattle Theatre Group at Moore Theatre. Left the muggle world for a spell to see a British slapstick comedy retelling of all 7 Harry Potter books. Energetic actors & lots of pop culture references. Slytherin house FTW! #silly #corny
Synopsis from the Theatre: Playing to sold out houses all over the world, the Olivier Award nominated Potted Potter – The Unauthorized Harry Experience – A Parody by Dan and Jeff takes on the ultimate challenge of condensing all seven Harry Potter books into seventy hilarious minutes. Even if you don’t know the difference between a horcrux and a Hufflepuff, Potted Potter will make you roar with laughter. Created by two-time Olivier Award-nominated actors Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner, Potted Potter is perfect for ages six to Dumbledore (who is very old indeed).
Reviewed Performance: 12/28/22 Opening Night – The real opener 12/27/22 was delayed because of the weather.
Type: Play-ish Comedy Show
World Premiere: No
Awards: Nominated for an Olivier Award
Recommendation: See it if you’re into Harry Potter and British slapstick comedy
Was This the First Time I Saw a Production of this Show: Yes
Length: 70 mins
Intermission: No
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
Energy: Brendan Murphy was the jester half of the duo. He played opposite Scott Hoatson, who portrayed the sensible Harry Potter. Kudos to Brendan for maintaining his child-like energy throughout the show while portraying around 25 characters.
Pop Culture: I was surprised with how many pop culture references they included like when Brendan picked up a copy of 50 Shades of Grey instead of Harry Potter. Fun fact, Christian Grey’s condo in 50 Shades of Grey was at the Escala building, which is two blocks away from the Moore Theatre where this show is performing.
Favorite Lines:
Something like “Dumbledore was the greatest wizard who ever lived … so he went into teaching?”
When mentioning that that the original British title was Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone while the American release was re-titled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, one of the actors said in a stereotypical uneducated American hick accent, “I’m an American and I don’t know what a philosopher is.”
Rant(s)
Video: As usual, I’m not a fan when live theatre includes a segment for the audience to watch a video. I’m here for live theatre, not something I can watch on YouTube! Fortunately, the segment was not that long.
Theatre Company: National Tour (in conjunction with Seattle Theatre Group)
Venue: Moore Theatre
Venue Physical Address: 1932 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA 98101
Price: Medium to Expensive
Dates: Only December 28, 2022 to January 1, 2023 – This is a limited Seattle run so buy your ticket today if you want to see this show. The good news there are 2-4 performances on each of the remaining days. Whew!
Seating: Assigned Seating
Parking: I usually walk or transit here. Street parking is typically difficult around here. There’s obviously paid garage parking since this venue is in downtown. I think the cheapest garage lot is the old Bed Bath and Beyond garage (1930 3rd Ave, Seattle, WA 98101) or the car rental garage (255 Stewart Street, Seattle, WA, 98101). Again, this is 3rd Ave area and it often feels dodgy on certain blocks. Stay safe!
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Rich Gray’s Forbidden Xmas w/ Showtunes Theatre Company at Cornish Playhouse At Seattle Center. Strong vocals in this revival of a satirical #cabaret-like #Christmas concert show celebrating life in #Seattle & #PugetSound. #theatre #PNW
Synopsis from the Theatre: Showtunes brings back a Seattle holiday tradition. Rich Gray’s Forbidden Xmas is the perfect pairing for the 2022 holiday season in the northwest. A bit of silly seasonal satire for the whole family. Make this part of your holiday tradition this year. Forbidden Xmas was an annual holiday tradition for many years in Seattle. Written by Seattle’s own Rich Gray, this holiday musical parody show is updated to poke fun and celebrate the northwest during the holidays. It’s time to bring this hit back to the northwest with some new songs and sketches as well as some of the favorites from its past productions in the 90s. Showtunes brings back Forbidden Xmas to life at Cornish Playhouse this December 17 and 18 with an all-star Seattle cast.
Reviewed Performance: 12/17 Opening Night – THERE ARE ONLY TWO SHOWS in this limited run so buy your ticket today if you want to see this show!
Type: Cabaret-like Concert Show
World Premiere: No – This is an updated revival of an old annual show from the 90s.
Live Band/Orchestra: Yes
Recommendation: See it if 1) you like satirical cabarets with no plot 2) and if you’ve lived in Seattle for a couple of years. I’ve lived here for 6 years so I was able to appreciate most of the Seattle references.
Was This the First Time I Saw a Production of this Show: Yes
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value: 4 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: The program doesn’t mention this but I wouldn’t be surprised if all 4 main actors were Equity.
Length: 2 hours
Intermission: Yes
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
Song about Seattle Theatre: As a person who loves to watch musicals about musicals (like The Prom and Something Rotten!), I enjoyed the song that mentioned many Seattle theatre references. It was one of the first songs … maybe “Cash Cow”. I’m proud to say that I understood all the sly references and saw all the shows they mentioned that are currently playing! 🙂
Theatre Kids Song: Other than the song mentioned above, I particularly enjoyed “In Her Eyes,” which was about how children can still enjoy shows while adults (like me!) nitpick problematic elements.
Favorite Lines: When Jason Kappus said, “I’m gonna drain the ole goose. Honk! Honk!” Or when Billie Wildrick as a caroler greeted, “Wassail!” There was a funny lyric that said Seattle “men smell like moss and Women like it.” During a song about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) someone said, “I couldn’t help but notice that you’re singing in a minor key.”
Rant(s)
Off-brand Songs: The show could have done without two songs that were randomly aboutthe Titanic movie and Seattle sports. These two songs felt out of place in a Christmas show. It didn’t help that I don’t like sports either.
Microphones: Most of the time, all 4 main performers were equally/adequately mic’ed. But I noticed in the beginning that 3 performers drowned out one person. There were also 4 “ensemble” performers who doubled as stage crew. The group microphone that the 4 minor performers shared was effective but when they had to speak/sing several feet away from their group microphone, it was difficult to hear them and it obviously didn’t equalize well with the 4 main performers. I suggest giving the 4 ensemble performers microphones when they’re not at their main group microphone.
Theatre Company: Showtunes Theatre Company
Venue: Cornish Playhouse
Venue Physical Address: 201 Mercer St, Seattle, WA 98109
Price: Medium
Dates: Only December 17 – 18, 2022
Seating: Assigned Seating
Parking: There are paid lots and paid street parking. I usually park on Mercer to the West of 1st Ave. There’s usually also a lot of street parking around Safeway. If there’s an event in Seattle Center or Climate Pledge Arena, street parking is usually limited and much more expensive. In those cases, I’ll park further north up on Queen Anne Hill.
