Category: Seattle Repertory Theater

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter play based on the book at Seattle Rep. Diverse audience/cast takes me back to San Antonio. Sly, wry, and unexpected-but-well-timed comedic quips to the 4th wall. Deliciously dramatic Quinceanera climax right before intermission.

Synopsis from the Theatre: As she grieves the death of her older sister, Júlia Reyes faces pressure to put her own dreams of becoming a writer on hold. She finds herself caught between her family’s expectations and the less than perfect life she grapples with every day as a 15-year-old growing up in Chicago. A rich and poignant exploration of how to transcend your circumstances while remaining true to who you are.

Reviewed Performance: 1/18/23 on opening night

Type: Play

World Premiere: No

Awards: None for the stage adaptation but several for the book

Defined Plot/Storyline: Plot was semi-defined. It felt more like several chronologically consecutive stories and not one big story. But I guess that’s real life!

Recommendation: See it especially if you have any connection to Mexican American culture

Was This the First Time I Saw a Production of this Show: Yes

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now: Maybe

Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value:
4.5 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)

Equity Actors: All actors are Equity but all understudies are not

Length: It felt a little long at 2.5 hours

Intermission: Yes

Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts

• Romantic Scenes: Unlike the first act, the second act included more romantic comedy scenes, which I’m usually a sucker for. The main character Julia (pronounced in Spanish who-lee-yah) told the 4th wall that she felt like Julia Roberts. The non-explicit sex scene was funny and well-executed.
• Mystery: I didn’t guess the mystery correctly about Olga’s secret life. That probably bodes well for the play.
• Depression: I appreciated how they touched on mental illness especially when there’s a genetic predisposition. It’s a taboo subject in immigrant family culture … let alone American culture! I only wish they showed the audience ways to manage the depression.

Rant(s)

• Microphones: Did Seattle Rep stop using microphones or has it always been like this? I noticed ths same thing in their last production. Update 1/21 PM: One of the actors messaged me (thank you!) that Seattle Rep doesn’t typically use microphones on their actors in plays … which baffles me! They likely use them for musicals though.
• Hospital Scene: There was a major scene in a hospital that felt forgotten once the scene was complete. It was a major event in one of the characters’ life and the next scene felt like nothing critical happened at all.

Other Thought(s)

• Missing Envelope: I think a second large envelope was supposed to fall from the ceiling in the second act. If there was a technical malfunction, kudos to Karen Rodriguez for the good improvised save.
• Mom: I wonder how the play’s portrayal of Julia’s mom compares to the book. The mom in this play needed to chill out! She seemed more like an evil stepmother than a biological mother. I still don’t understand why she treated Julia worse than Olga especially with the twist at the end that revealed the mom’s background. I also felt like their reconciliation was too easy and sudden given her terrible treatment throughout the play.
• Ceiling Furniture: There was an odd transition that felt out of place when a chairs and a dining table were lowered from the ceiling. The juice wasn’t really worth the squeeze for this advanced transition especially with the distracting visible cables. I think they would have been better off manually wheeling in the furniture from backstage.

Theatre Company: Seattle Repertory Theatre

Venue: Seattle Repertory Theatre

Venue Physical Address: 155 Mercer St, Seattle, WA 98109

Price: Medium

Ticket Affordability Options:

• Official theatre’s pages about discounts and pay-what-you-can performances
• GoldStar
• TodayTix
• Ask the theatre if there are discounts associated with your employer, school, or alma mater.

Dates: January 13 to February 5, 2023

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.

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Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

Buy a Ticket or Learn More:

• https://www.seattlerep.org/plays/202223-season/i-am-not-your-perfect-mexican-daughter/
• Program

Other Video +/- Pictures: See pictures in video and under video by Nate Watters.

Cast and Production Team : See below pictures

@showsiveseen “I Am Not Your Perfect #Mexican Daughter” #play based on the book at Seattle Rep. Diverse audience/cast takes me back to San Antonio. Sly, wry, & unexpected-but-well-timed comedic quips to the 4th wall. Deliciously dramatic Quinceanera climax right before intermission. Review + Photo Credit: showsiveseen.com/3348 #theatre ♬ Bidi Bidi Bom Bom – Selena

Role	Name
Olga	Sofia Raquel Sanchez*
Júlia	Karen Rodriguez*
Amá/Mama Jacinta	Jazmín Corona*
Apá/Tio Chucho	Eddie Martinez*
Juanga/Esteban	Marco Antonio Tzunux*
Mr. Ingman	Aaron Blakely*
Connor	Michael Monicatti *
Lorena/Belen	Leslie Sophia Perez*
Understudy Apa	Jesse Calixto
Understudy Olga/Ama	Sophie Franco
Understudy Mr. Ingman	Drew Highlands
Understudy Julia/Lorena	Pilar O’Connell
Understudy Juanga/Connor	Jason Trevino
—	—
Scenic Designer	Efren Delgadillo Jr.
Costume Designer	Danielle Nieves
Lighting Designer	Robert J. Aguilar
Sound Designer and Composer	John Nobori
Intimacy Director	Jess K Smith
Vocal Coach	Kate Myre
Dialect Coach	Mischelle Lopez-Rios
Quincy Choreography	Isaac Gomez
Stage Manager	Stina Lotti
Assistant Stage Manager	Stefania Giron Zuluaga
Seattle Casting	Kaytlin Mcintyre & Shawna Grajek
Addtional Casting	X Casting (Victor Vazquez, CSA)
Playwright	Isaac Gomez
Novelist	Erika Sanchez
Director	Juliette Carrillo

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Mr. Dickens & His Carol play at Seattle Rep adapted from the same-titled book. Backstory on how Charles Dickens’ wrote A Christmas Carol. Always cool to see a rotating stage. MJ Seiber’s characters were a delight. Didn’t expect the perpetrator’s reveal in the end. Still working out the mystery behind Tiny Tim’s mom. #theatre #Christmas #xmas

Synopsis from the Theatre: Charles Dickens should be looking forward to Christmas. When his latest book is a flop, putting both his popularity and finances in peril, his publishers give an ultimatum: write a Christmas book within a month or lose everything. Adapted for the stage from Samantha Silva’s critically acclaimed novel, this tale set in the heart of Victorian England weaves a fictional take on Dickens’ past, present, and future into a comedic and poignant new holiday classic.

Reviewed Performance: 11/30 Evening – Opening Night

Type: Play

World Premiere: Yes

Recommendation: See it if you like A Christmas Carol but you want to see something new.

Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value:
4 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)

Equity Actors: 13 out of 14

Length: 2.5 hours

Intermission: Yes

Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts

• Set and Scenic Design: There were no curtains hiding the left and right side of offstage. I’ve noticed Seattle Rep uses this uncommon scene design more often in recent performances with Ghost and Where We Belong. So the audience was able to see the actors who were not performing, the technical equipment, and the set design pieces that weren’t used in the current scene. This exposed offstage decision seems novel and modern to me … for now.
• Clock: The clock at the top of the stage frame was a nice centerpiece. I wish it worked though. If it’s too expensive to create moving hands, maybe they could just project hands on the bare clock face.
• Central Contraption: There was a strange-looking contraption at centerstage where much of the action occurred. It had stairs and it could be split in two. The stage could also rotate it to convey a scene location change to the audience, which was effective. Check out my video below for a view of what I’m talking about.

Rant(s)

• Microphone: It was difficult to hear the speaking characters and they needed better mic-ing. I actually wondered if they even wore microphones.
• Dickens and Christmas References: One of the street urchins told Charles Dickens, “Please sir, I want some more” when Dickens gave the urchin money. There was also an instance where a market seller yelled out “Buy chestnuts on an open fire!” While I appreciate sprinkles of these “easter eggs” in the dialogue that feel like a wink to the audience, the script went too overboard on them.

Other Thought(s)

• Tiny Tim’s Mom: Will someone send me a message telling me what happened to Tiny Tim’s mom? I’m so confused and I have some theories but I won’t spoil the story for my readers.

Theatre Company : Seattle Repertory Theatre

Venue: Seattle Repertory Theatre

Venue Physical Address: 155 Mercer St, Seattle, WA 98109

Price: Medium to Expensive

Dates: November 25 to December 23, 2022

Seating: Assigned

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.

Social Media Posts About this Performance from Shows I’ve Seen: Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

Buy a Ticket or Learn More:

• https://www.seattlerep.org/plays/202223-season/mr-dickens-and-his-carol/
• Program

Other Video +/- Pictures: There are also pictures under the video below.

@showsiveseen “Mr. #Dickens & His Carol” #play at #SeattleRep adapted from the same-titled book. Backstory on #CharlesDickens writing #aChristmasCarol. Always cool to see a rotating stage. @mjsieber’s characters were a delight. Didn’t expect the perpetrator’s reveal. Still working out the mystery behind #TinyTim‘s mom. Review: showsiveseen.com/2476 #theatre #Christmas #xmas ♬ Feels Like Christmas – Tayler Holder & Nate Wyatt