Gold – Play – Review – Annex Theatre – Shows I've Seen

@showsiveseen Marcus Gorman's "Gold" #play at Annex Theatre. Starring Rebekah Nachman. Good multiple character portrayal by Sophie J. Sen. Adventurous dive into grandpa's little black book. Only 4 more performances before it closes next weekend! Review: showsiveseen.com/11402 Photos: Sayed Alamy & Laura Johnston Director: @Jasmine Joshua Stage Mgr: Kristin Brown #theatre #showsiveseen ♬ Wander On – Jeddy Knox

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Marcus Gorman’s Gold play at Annex Theatre. Good multiple character portrayal by Sophie J. Sen. Adventurous dive into grandpa’s little black book. Only 4 more performances before it closes next weekend!

Recommendation:
See it if you’re Jewish or you want to support new works.

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

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now? No

Mainstream Appeal: Low to medium

My Synopsis (No Spoilers): Frankie’s grandpa died and left her a mysterious little black book that kept score of all his sexual affairs. Determined to learn more about her background, she embarks on a journey across the country to meet the mistresses who were part of his secret past.

Synopsis from the Licensor or Theatre Company: When 19-year-old Frankie inherits her late grandfather’s little black book, she goes on a cross-country road trip to meet his mistresses. As she and her college bestie travel across the United States and through decades of her family’s secret history, she learns not just who her grandfather truly was…but also a key to her own identity. GOLD is a funny and relatable drama about what we leave behind. And also, some psychedelic dinosaurs.

Type: Play

World Premiere: Yes

Several or Few Scenes: Several

Several or Few Settings/Locations: Several

Static (Stationary) or Dynamic Set: Static

Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: No

Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes

Union Actors: 0

Total Actors: 6

Perceived Pace of the Show: Medium speed

Was there an intermission? Yes

Length (Including Any Intermission): 2.25 hours

Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned Above

The Women: Sophie J. Sen embodied all of Grandpa’s romantic interests, each reflecting the distinct vibe of their era. It started with the polished, buttoned-up 50s-60s to the wild, experimental drug-filled 60s-70s, and finally, the opulent success of the 80s.
Choreography: Despite being a play, this show featured an unexpected amount of quirky dance routines by Flossy Beatrice.
Mona: Megan Huynh (who played the best friend Mona) radiated positive energy and strongly projected her voice. Her portrayal took me back to her memorable roles in Down the Rabbit Hole and Vietgone.
Favorite Line: “Time is aways running out. Do what you want.”

Rant(s)

Sound Balancing: At times, the line delivery was too faint, or it was overshadowed by the background music.
Psychedelic Trip: One of my theatre pet peeves is when characters act drunk or high on stage. Call me a scrooge, but it often feels gratuitous and pandering than serving the story. I also loathe T-rex costumes. They just strike me as too Portlandia-esque or weird for the sake of being weird. It reminded me of the random quirkiness in The Skin of Our Teeth. The timeline of the psychedelic trip didn’t make sense either. There was a scene of delusions, followed by a driving scene without delusions, and then a scene with more delusions. I’ve never been high myself, but it would seem more natural for the hallucinations to be more continuous. There were just too many random, zany moments for me to fully engage. You can probably tell I’m the life of the party! 😛

Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)

Phone Calls: There were several phone call scenes where both characters were portrayed simultaneously, while in others, only one character was seen. This inconsistency felt a bit off. I can’t think of any other productions that use this approach. Is this common in theatre?
True Story: The production touts itself as “A True-ish Jewish Story.” Was there was actually a grandchild with a little black book meeting their grandfather’s mistresses?

Theatre Company: Annex Theatre

Venue: Annex Theatre

Venue Physical Address: 1100 E Pike St, Seattle, WA 98122

Price Range: $25

Ticket Affordability Options: You can self-select pay-what-you-can tickets as low as $5.

Dates: January 17 to February 8, 2025

Seating: General Admission

Parking: Street parking is extremely limited since it’s Capitol Hill. Since I don’t visit Annex Theatre often, I’m still at a loss for an affordable place to park. Maybe East of Cal Anderson Park on 11th. I highly suggest taking the bus if that’s an option. I’m still bitter that I ended up desperately paying $26 for a terrible parking location since I was almost late to the show on a Saturday night.

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