Congrats Annabel Klein for winning a ticket from Shows I’ve Seen to Village Theatre’s Sense & Sensibility Jane Austen play! Stay tuned for the next contest ticket giveaway soon!
Contest Winner – Sense & Sensibility – Village Theatre
Category: Theaters, Performance Spaces, and Production Companies
El Coquí Espectacular & the Bottle of Doom – Play – Centerstage Theatre
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom play at Centerstage Theatre. Puerto Rican (super?) hero battles with gentrification, ethnic pandering/commercialization, and racial identity in NYC. #superhero #comic #hispanic #latino #Latin #PuertoRican
Synopsis from the Theatre: Comic-book-artist Alex combats writer’s block by secretly dressing up as his creation, El Coquí Espectacular. Alex’s brother Joe struggles to fit in at work. And Yesica, the curious photographer, is following El Coqui around New York City. Together, they fight supervillains while hatching a plan to prove themselves to the world at the Puerto Rican Day Parade! El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom is a new theatrical extravaganza that explores the ways we define our heritage, our family, and ourselves.
Reviewed Performance: 3/25/23 Evening Opening Weekend – Sorry for the late review!
Type: Play
World Premiere: No
Several or Few Scenes: Several
Several or Few Settings: Several
Defined Plot/Storyline: Mostly yes
Recommendation: See it if you like supporting community theatre
Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show: Yes
Equity Actors: 0
Total Number of Actors: 7
Length (Including Any Intermission): 2.25 hours
Intermission: Yes
Theatre Company: Centerstage Theatre
Venue: Dumas Bay Centre
Venue Physical Address: 3200 SW Dash Point Rd, Federal Way, WA 98023
Price: Cheap
Dates: March 24 to April 16, 2023
Seating: Assigned Seating
Parking: Free and plentiful parking in lot on-site
Like/Comment/Share my Social Media Posts About this Performance:
Instagram |
TikTok |
Twitter |
Facebook |
YouTube
Buy a Ticket or Learn More:
Other Video +/- Pictures: See pictures in video and under video below
Cast and Production Team: See after pictures and video below
@showsiveseen "El Coquí Espectacular & the Bottle of Doom" #play at Centerstage Theatre by Matt Barbot. Puerto Rican (super?) #hero battles w/ gentrification, ethnic pandering/commercialization, & racial identity in NYC. Review: showsiveseen.com/4631 #superhero #comic #hispanic #latino #Latin #PuertoRican #theatre ♬ Heroes (Live) – Jail maiden
| Role | Name |
| Alex | Nick Marston |
| Joe | Luis Ciccia |
| Yesica | Viviana Garza |
| El Chupacabra/Junior | Rolando Cardona-Roman |
| Patricia | Deanna Martinez |
| Buzzkill/Swing | Aimee Coronado |
| Announcer’s Voice | Michael D. Blum |
| Understudy | Travis Martinez |
| — | — |
| Director | Jeanette Sanchez-Izenman |
| Playwright | Matt Barbot |
| Rehearsal Stage Manager | Madeline Hiller |
| Scenic Designer | Taylor Kuehm, Trista Duval |
| Costume Designer | Morgan Morgans, Trista Duval |
| Costume Construction Assistant | Adrienne Chodnowsky |
| Lighting Designer | John Chenault |
| Sound Designer | Dylan Twiner |
| Props Designer | Sam Izenman |
| Scenic Artist | Jasmine Johnson |
| Assistant Scenic Artist | Emi Gormley |
| Stage Manager | Chelsea “Mo” Moniz |
| Assistant Stage Manager | Theresa Byrd |
| Comic Book Artists | Tyler Arns, Sam Izenman |
| Puerto Rican Culture and Language Consultant | Richard Cubi |
Free Ticket – Sense & Sensibility – Village Theatre
Update 4/6/23: Congrats to Annabel!
Leave a comment w/ your favorite play and why. Then I’ll choose a winner 48 hours from now.
Post your comment submission on my Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. This is a free SINGLE ticket for any available “Section B” seat (worth about $56) to any of the remaining “Sense and Sensibility” performances at Village Theatre in EVERETT, Washington. The production run ends this weekend. This show is a play and not a musical. Read my review at showsiveseen.com/3773
As It is in Heaven – Play – Taproot Theatre
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): As It is in Heaven play at Taproot Theatre. Interesting glimpse into the repressive & austere #Shakers culture from the women’s perspective. Reminded me of a catholic nunnery. Great vision (or hallucination?) scenes. “The emperor has no clothes!” #shaker #quaker #quakers
Synopsis from the Theatre: “Tis a gift to be simple,” sing the Shakers of Pleasant Hill. But as the young women in the community claim new spiritual gifts, Sister Hannah and the other elders must judge whether these gifts are real or rebellion. Set during America’s surge of Utopian communities, the play wrestles with belief and doubt in a swiftly changing world.
Reviewed Performance: 3/25/23 Opening Weekend Matinee
Type: Play
World Premiere: No
Several or Few Scenes: Several
Several or Few Settings: Several
Defined Plot/Storyline: Seemed more like loosely-connected chronological vignettes than an actual defined plot
Recommendation: See it especially if you grew up in a conservative church
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:
4.5 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: 2
Total Number of Actors: 9
Length (Including Any Intermission): 2 hours
Intermission: Yes
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
- Songs: The actresses sang traditional Shaker hymns/spirituals occasionally between scenes in chant-like unison a cappella. Apparently, harmony was sinful!
- Diction and Accents: The playwright and performers recreated how the Shakers might have sounded like back then. For example, “it wasn’t a dream” became “weren’t not a dream.”
- Visions: My favorite scenes were when “the chosen” congregation members experienced hallucination-like “shaking” visions that reminded me of Pentecostals speaking in tongues. The claims of experiencing these visions were also reminiscent of The Crucible play.
- “Pray for Me” Scene: Good commentary on when the pious only tritely say they’ll pray for someone but doesn’t make any effort to actually help them. It reminded me of abortion protestors who don’t support welfare programs that help mothers who can’t afford to raise the children they’re forced to carry.
- Favorite Line: “I was prideful of my new apron” uttered during public confessional
Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)
- Religious Repression: The depictions of religious repression reminded me of one reason why I left the church. However, the oppressive austerity in As It is in Heaven was extreme compared to what I grew up with. The Shakers in the play weren’t even allowed to draw, laugh, or enjoy life. It made me think of something NSFW Samantha said about conservative Charlotte in Sex and the City.
- Social Welfare: An interesting conversation in the play alluded that a character didn’t believe in the Shaker faith, but religion was their “social security” and “Medicare” plan for when they become elderly. If I don’t have kids, maybe I need to join a congregation like this!
- Fears of Obscurity: The play frequently touched on the universal irrelevancy/inadequately feeling elders might experience when replaced by up-and-coming youth.
- Moral of the Story: I couldn’t grasp what message the playwright was conveying to the audience. Was it just a depiction of Shaker life and nothing more?
Theatre Company: Taproot Theatre
Venue: Taproot Theatre – Jewell Mainstage
Venue Physical Address: 212 N 85th St, Seattle, WA 98103
Price: Medium
Ticket Affordability Options: Pay what you can days, GoldStar, and TodayTix
Dates: March 22 to April 22, 2023
Seating: Assigned Seating
Parking: Paid lot or usually-free street parking. I almost always find free street parking on Greenwood Ave just South of the theatre.
Like/Comment/Share my Social Media Posts About this Performance:
Instagram |
TikTok |
Twitter |
Facebook |
YouTube
Buy a Ticket or Learn More:
Other Video +/- Pictures: See pictures in video and under video below by Robert Wade Photography
@showsiveseen “As It is in Heaven” #play at @taproottheatre by Arlene Hutton. Interesting glimpse into the repressive & austere #Shakers culture from the women’s perspective. Reminded me of a Catholic nunnery. Great vision (or hallucination?) scenes. “The emperor has no clothes!” Photos by Robert Wade. Review: showsiveseen.com/4573 #shaker #quaker #quakers #theatre ♬ Enough – Dylan Rockoff
Every Brilliant Thing – Play – ACT Theatre
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Every Brilliant Thing one-person storytelling play w/ Ian Bell written by Duncan Macmillan & Jonny Donahoe. Feel-good show that ironically explores depression w/ the help of audience participation. First time I sat front row at ACT Theatre!
Synopsis from the Theatre: The color yellow. Sunsets. Things with stripes. Wearing a cape. Ice cream! There are a million brilliant things. Can you name them all? The hit play and international sensation Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe is a one-of-a-kind storytelling experience blending comedy, improv, and audience interaction to tell the story of an adult growing up in the shadow of mental illness and learning to grapple with their own experiences of love, loss, and a finding a new way forward, one brilliant thing at a time.
Reviewed Performance: 3/23/23 Opening Night
Type: Play
World Premiere: No
Several or Few Scenes: Several
Several or Few Settings: Several
Defined Plot/Storyline: Seemed more like a collection of related vignettes than an actual plot
Recommendation: See it if either
- You like one-person plays
- You’re not a cynic
- You like the quirky, basic, hipster millennial, whimsical, cutesy vibes of Zooey Deschanel in New Girl
- You like sentimentality
- You like plays that explore depression and suicide (but remember this is a feel-good play)
- You like the private “dance it out” scenes in Grey’s Anatomy w/ Meredith and Christina
- You like dancing in the rain
- You like seeing audience participation
- Or you like participating from the audience
Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show: Yes
Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value:
4 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)
Equity Actors: 1
Total Number of Actors: 1
Length (Including Any Intermission): 75 minutes
Intermission: No
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
- Playlist: The overhead stage playlist before and after the show was a nice selection of retro feel-good songs
- Live Band: There was a live band in the lobby before and after the show. I hope they performed for more than just opening night…
Rant(s)
- “Why?” Scene: For some reason, I really hate scenes on on-stage or on-screen when kids incessantly ask “Why?” in response to everything an adult tells them. It is not cute at all.
Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)
- Audience Participation: There was a ton of audience participation in this production. I was a little worried when Ian Bell (the solo actor of this performance) passed out cards throughout the audience a couple of minutes before the show began. Be careful if you’re on the front row like I was! Fortunately, he didn’t choose me to participate. While I’m usually not a fan of extensive audience participation in shows (total theatre “pillow princess” here), I thought it was a novel cost-effective way to add additional actors/characters to a one-person show. There were scenes where an audience member euthanized a coat, proposed marriage to Ian Bell, or hosted a therapy session with a sock puppet! I always wonder what’s the contingency plan in shows with such extensive audience participation if a chosen person is an absolute psycho and derails the intended trajectory of the performance.
Theatre Company: ACT Theatre
Venue: ACT Theatre – Allen Theatre
Venue Physical Address: 700 Union St, Seattle, WA 98101
Price: Cheap to Expensive
Ticket Affordability Options:
- Pay What You Can: You can self-select ticket prices as low as free for the value seats on the ticketing website. The value seats are just about the same view as the non-value seats.
- Other ACT Theatre Discounts: https://acttheatre.org/visit/discounts/
- TodayTix
Dates: March 17 to April 2, 2023
Seating: Assigned Seating
Parking: Paid lot or paid street parking. If I don’t walk to this theatre, I park in the Convention Center garage with the entrance between Seneca and Pike. There is indoor access from the garage to the ACT Theatre going through the convention center.
Like/Comment/Share my Social Media Posts About this Performance:
Instagram |
TikTok |
Twitter
Buy a Ticket or Learn More:
Other Video +/- Pictures: See pictures below by Truman Buffet Photography
Cast and Production Team: See after pictures below
| Role | Name |
| Main Character | Ian Bell* |
| Understudy | Imogen Love* |
| — | — |
| Director | John Langs |
| Playwrights | Duncan Macmillan w/ Jonny Donahoe |
| Scenic Designer | Parmida Ziaei |
| Costume Designer | Danielle Nieves |
| Lighting Designer | Lily McLeod |
| Sound Designer | Maggie L. Rogers |
| Stage Manager | Jeffrey K. Hanson* |
| Production Assistant | Max Zamorano |
| Stage Management Intern | Em Wittress |