Category: Village Theatre

Giveaway: I’m giving away a free ticket to this show. See details here. Congrats Anthony!

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Hello, Dolly! musical at Village Theatre starring Bobbi Kotula as the iconic matchmaker. Light, classic, traditional musical. Reminiscent of The Music Man.

Synopsis from the Theatre: Starring the incomparable Bobbi Kotula as Dolly Gallagher Levi, Hello, Dolly! triumphantly comes to Village Theatre this summer. Often revered as one of the greatest collections of songs in all of musical theatre history, this legendary musical follows the romantic and comedic exploits of Dolly Gallagher Levi, turn-of-the-century matchmaker and “woman who arranges things.” Hello, Dolly! celebrates a brilliant pioneering woman forging her own path in a world that constantly underestimates her. Through a cavalcade of joy, glorious song, and stunning dance, this is classical musical theatre at its best! “Put On Your Sunday Clothes” and catch this definitive musical “Before The Parade Passes By!”

Reviewed Performance: 5/27/23 – Opening Weekend

Type: Musical

World Premiere: No

Several or Few Scenes: Several

Several or Few Settings/Locations: Several

Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: No

Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes

Live Band/Orchestra: Yes

Recommendation: See it, especially if you like old-timey musicals like The Music Man.

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

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now: Maybe if it was on Broadway or if it was a national tour

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

Equity Actors: 11

Total Number of Actors: 24

Perceived Pace of the Show: Medium speed

Length (Including Any Intermission): 2.75 hours

Intermission: Yes

Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts

• Business Cards: When Dolly handed business cards throughout the show, it reminded me of Village Theatre’s beta musical ZM. I wonder if Hello, Dolly! inspired the hillarious business card bit in ZM.
• Advertising Theme: Cary Wong uniquely designed the stage with a vintage advertising theme. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that on-stage. Almost every scene background was designed like a newspaper ad. Coupled with the warm bright lighting, the scenic designed conveyed a wonderful nostalgic feel.
• Costumes: Just like the scenic design, the intricate costume design by Esther Garcia transported the audience back to a different era where people actually dressed up … as opposed to “Seattle casual!” See stunning costumes in the pictures at the end of this article.
• Favorite Line: As an increasingly-cynical (male) feminist, I loved the line “marriage is a bribe to make a housekeeper think she’s a householder.”

Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)

• Tap Dance: I sooo wish they included a tap dance number in the “Hello, Dolly” theme song. The performers moved their feet as if they were tap dancing but they weren’t wearing tap shoes!

Theatre Company: Village Theatre

Venue: Village Theatre

Venue Physical Address:

• Issaquah: 303 Front Street North, Issaquah, WA 98027
• Everett: 2710 Wetmore Avenue, Everett, WA 98201

Price: Medium

Ticket Affordability Options: Check out their discount tickets page. TodayTix and Goldstar usually offer good options too.

Dates:

• Issaquah: May 24 to July 2, 2023
• Everett: July 7 to July 30, 2023

Seating: Assigned Seating

Parking:

• Issaquah: Free street parking and some free parking lot. Lot parking availablity is pretty difficult to find though. I’ve basically given up on that. I usually end up parking on Rainier Boulevard North. As a last resort, I think you can always find parking at the library but it’s a little far. Remember, there’s a bottom floor parking lot under the library’s main parking lot that most non-locals don’t know about.
• Everett: Free street parking and some paid parking lots/garages.

Like/Comment/Share my Social Media Posts About this Performance:
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Buy a Ticket or Learn More:

• https://villagetheatre.org/shows/hello-dolly/
• Program

Other Video +/- Pictures: See pictures in video and under video by Angela Sterling.

@showsiveseen "Hello, #Dolly!" #musical at Village Theatre starring Bobbi Kotula as the iconic #matchmaker. Light, classic, traditional musical. Reminiscent of "The Music Man." Unique vintage ad-themed scenic design by Carey Wong. Directed by Timothy McCuen Piggee. Photos by Angela Sterling. Review: showsiveseen.com/5737 #theatre ♬ Hello, Dolly!

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): How to Break hip hop Latino mashup dance musical at Village Theatre. Interesting to attend the final concept after already seeing as a developing beta musical years ago. Cleaver lyrics. #dancing #theatre #Cancer #Latin

Synopsis from the Theatre: An electrifyingly innovative world-debut Mainstage production of new work developed by Village Theatre! Featuring a dynamic kaleidoscope of music, poetry, breakdancing, and beatboxing, How to Break follows two hospitalized teenage hip-hop dancers and how they navigate their adolescence in the confines of a hospital room, finding ways to love and learn amidst IV bags and chemotherapy as inspired by real-life events in writer Aaron Jafferis’ time as an artist in residence at a children’s hospital. Part commentary on the American health care system, part moving autobiography, and part profound journey through the joy and pain of growing up, How to Break reveals just how resilient the human spirit is in the face of change and transformation.

Reviewed Performance: 3/31/23 Opening Night – Sorry for the late review! But in my defense, you have about 2 months to see it. 🙂

Type: Musical

World Premiere: Yes

Several or Few Scenes: Several

Several or Few Settings: Several

Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes, but most (if not all) of the scenes took place in a single hospital ward and there’s only so much that can occur unless it’s a TV show like Grey’s Anatomy!

Live Band/Orchestra: I don’t think there was a live band especially since they didn’t credit a band in the program. I assumed it was mostly pre-recorded synthesized music. However, Olivia Griffin’s character played the guitar and John Kent Rickenbacker Jr’s character beatboxed, which was a unique mashup.

Recommendation: See it if either

• You like musicals with substance
• You like stories about poor inner-city teens like in Sister Act 2 and Freedom Writers
• You liked the hip-hop and rapping portions of Hamilton
• Or you’re not triggered by adolescent cancer

Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show: No, I previously saw this as a developing beta musical.

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now: No, I think twice is enough for me. In my defense, I’d say the same thing about Hamilton. I know, sacrilege!

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

Equity Actors: 3

Total Number of Actors: 6

Length (Including Any Intermission): 2 hours, which seemed a bit long especially without an intermission

Intermission: No

Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts

• Beatboxing: John Kent Rickenbacker Jr’s character was a nurse who provided the beat and sound effects in this musical. He uniquely did not speak any lines and it was fun guessing what he was saying when he beatboxed his responses to other characters in “dialogue.”
• Stage Design: The scenic design was simple with clean lines but still dramatic. Ironically, it reminded me of the Loony Toons concentric circles stage background. See the stage in my video below.
• Stagehand Costumes: I appreciated that the stagehands wore scrubs when they performed their duties on-stage so they didn’t look out of place.
• Powerful Voices: Talia Thiesfield and Olivia Griffin frequently showcased their showstopping voices in this production.
• Favorite Line: When Maddy asked the Aana to join yoga or some other new age holistic therapy, Ana responded something like “if my family walks in, they’ll think we’re worshiping the devil.”
• Medical Accuracy: As an oncology healthcare professional, I was impressed by the many correct aspects of cancer treatment they explained to the audience like the common acute lymphoblastic leukemia chemotherapy regimen consisting of an anthracycline, vincristine, and a glucocorticoid. For the record, they could have included pegaspargase though. Also, I’ve never seen an oncologist participate in yoga or chess with patients. Maybe they do that in pediatrics?

Rant(s)

• Downer Show: As I alluded to previously, this musical has substance. But usually that means it’s a downer. They present an important perspective in this show, but I personally see musicals as an escape. Who wants to escape to sick kids? It didn’t help that a little too much silence and a little too much runtime (with no intermission) contributed to the slow pace. This was Village Theatre’s annual world premiere production where they choose one beta developing show from the last season. I much rather would have preferred Village Theatre to choose The Passage (which was also about cancer) than How to Break, since The Passage had more comedic relief and was overall less serious.
• Inner-city Teen Trope: I mentioned this in my previous review, but I’m not a fan of stereotypical inner-city teen characters with nobody-understands-me rude attitude. It’s a tired old annoying trope.

Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)

• Be the Match: This show inspired me to get on the ball and sign up for Be the Match. This nationwide non-profit helps match you with patients that need bone marrow transplant. It is especially important that people of color (like me) sign up since it’s usually difficult for POCs to find matching donors (like the main character). Bone marrow donation is similar to donating blood and does not require surgery. I’ve been meaning to sign up but always never get around to it. This musical is a perfect opportunity for Village Theatre to promote Be the Match.

Theatre Company: Village Theatre

Venue: Village Theatre – Issaquah

Venue Physical Address: 303 Front St N, Issaquah, WA 98027

Price: Medium

Ticket Affordability Options: Check out their discount tickets page. TodayTix and Goldstar usually offer good options too.

Dates: Issaquah March 29 – April 30, 2023 | Everett May 5 – May 28, 2023

Seating: Assigned Seating

Parking: Free street parking and some free parking lot. Lot parking is pretty difficult to find availability though. I’ve basically given up on that. I usually end up parking on Rainier Boulevard North. As a last resort, I think you can always find parking at the library but it’s a little far. Remember, there’s a bottom floor parking lot under the library’s main parking lot that most non-locals don’t know about.

Like/Comment/Share my Social Media Posts About this Performance:
Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

Buy a Ticket or Learn More:

• https://villagetheatre.org/shows/how-to-break/
• Program

Other Video +/- Pictures: See pictures in video and under video below

Cast and Production Team: See after pictures and video below

@showsiveseen "How to Break" #hipHop #Latino mashup #dance #musical at Village Theatre. Interesting to attend the final concept after already seeing as a developing beta musical years ago. Cleaver lyrics. Photos: Angela Sterling. Review: showsiveseen.com/4676 #dancing #theatre #cancer #Latin #theatre ♬ Girl That Was Perfect – Alina Smith