Time Stands Still – Play – Review – Thalia’s Umbrella – Shows I've Seen

@showsiveseen Donald Margulies's "Time Stands Still" #play by Thalia's Umbrella at 12th Ave Arts. Engaging dialogue packed with poignant moments. Loved the charming Elle Woods-like comic relief contrast from @Cricket. Closes next weekend! #Review: showsiveseen.com/11977 Photos: Annabel Clark Director: Terry Edward Moore #theatre #showsiveseen #photographer #reporter #journalist ♬ Flashed Junk Mind – 2025 – Milky Chance & ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Time Stands Still by Thalia’s Umbrella at 12th Ave Arts. Engaging dialogue packed with poignant moments. Loved the charming Elle Woods-like comic relief contrast from Tessa “Cricket” James.

Recommendation:
See it, especially if you enjoy dialogue plays.

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 produced somewhere like Seattle Rep or ACT Theatre

Mainstream Appeal: Medium

If A Random Stranger Asked What Show They Should See This Weekend, Would I Mention This Production? Yes

My Synopsis (No Spoilers): A renowned photojournalist, celebrated for her daring assignments abroad, returns home to the USA injured after surviving a roadside bomb. As she grapples with physical and emotional scars, she struggles accepting the monotony of mundane conventional existence.

Synopsis from the Licensor or Theatre Company: A photo-journalist has been badly injured in a war zone, and she returns home to recuperate and figure out what is next. Her partner wants to get married and have kids. She wants to get back on her feet. Even for those for whom this dangerous work is a calling, there must come a time when they have risked enough, lost enough. Done enough. How do they decide if that time has come? Both funny and poignant, TIME STANDS STILL offers four different models of how to live a good life in troubled times.

Type: Play

World Premiere: No

Several or Few Scenes: Few

Several or Few Settings/Locations: Just one – a Brooklyn apartment

Static (Stationary) or Dynamic Set: Static

Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: No

Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes-ish, but it was mostly dialogue. There’s only so much that can occur in an apartment.

Union Actors: 2

Total Actors: 4

Perceived Pace of the Show: Medium speed

Was there an intermission? Yes

Length (Including Any Intermission): 130 minutes

Other Rave(s)

Character Contrasts: I loved the juxtaposition between Sarah Goodwin (played by Jen Taylor) and Mandy Bloom (played by Tessa “Cricket” James). Sarah was a cynical, fiercely independent, world-hardened, respected photojournalist who didn’t need no man! She carried herself with a serious, no-nonsense edge, exuding an air of intellectual elitism and slight masochism. Mandy, on the other hand, was her complete opposite—the epitome of a ditsy girly girl. As Pilates-practicing event planner, she radiated warmth and naivety, embracing a lighthearted approach to life, loving babies/puppies and enjoying the moment. Their dynamic felt like the classic culture clash of NYC intensity vs LA sorority and it sparked humorous tension on stage.
Dialogue: I usually prefer plays with more action, but the writing was so engaging that I didn’t even realize how dialogue-heavy it was until midway through the first act. The script was also filled with many poignant and thought-provoking lines.
Gasp-worthy Moments: I love a good gasp-worthy moment that jolts the audience with raw, unexpected intensity. It could be a sudden shout of self-defense, an unintended blow to an already vulnerable partner, an emotional outburst in a partner’s defense, or a spiteful breakup argument. Sure, they can sometimes feel gratuitous. But what can I say? I live for the drama!
The Price of Journalism: This play interestingly brings to light the mental anguish and emotional detachment that reporters and photojournalists must endure in their work. In the comfort of a peaceful, developed nation like the USA, we passively view images of atrocities from places afar without considering the toll on those who capture them. Behind many compelling photos or urgent new reports is someone who compartmentalized their emotions to bring the truth to the general public.
“Favorite Lefty Pastime”: James Dodd (played by Quinlan Corbett) delivers a biting tirade on the futility of featuring progressive ideals in theatre scripts. Admittedly, he makes a compelling point. Too often, these productions preach to the choir. The very audiences who need to hear these messages the most aren’t in the seats. Meanwhile, those who do attend the shows “go home feeling like they’ve done something, when in fact all they’ve done is assuaged their liberal guilt!” As much as I hate to admit it… he’s not off base.

Rant(s)

Stage Configuration: The traverse stage layout (where the audience sits on the north and south of the stage but not the east and west) felt inequitable. For this general admission show, I highly recommend sitting on the side closest to the audience entrance. The opposite side offers a noticeably inferior view. I often found myself frequently staring at the backs of actors sitting on a loveseat, which left me feeling a bit of FOMO. It also took me far too long to notice that one character wore scar makeup on one side of their face, which I missed from my vantage point. I’ve now seen at least two recent productions at 12th Ave Arts (Cost of Living and Miss You Like Hell) that employed this traverse stage layout. In all cases, I would have preferred traditional front-facing or L-shaped staging. While traverse layout can create intimacy, it also risks alienating half the audience at any given moment.

Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)

Local Appeal: The protagonist, Sarah Goodwin (portrayed by Jen Taylor), likely resonates with Pacific Northwest audiences, what with the REI-style outdoor adventurism, hero-complex progressive idealism, modest approach to privilege/wealth, and the affinity toward “vacationing” in developing countries.

Theatre Company: Thalia’s Umbrella

Venue: 12th Avenue Arts

Venue Physical Address: 1620 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122

Price Range: ~$50

Seating: General Admission

Parking: Paid lot or paid street parking. Street parking is extremely limited since it’s Capitol Hill. Even if you can find street parking, it often costs more than some parking lots. If you don’t take the bus, I highly recommend the paid lot at 1300 E Olive St with the entrance on 14th Ave.

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