Unless you lived near Broadway most of your life and had a fair amount of disposable income, you’ve probably been introduced to most great American musicals through the form of a movie. Later, if fortunate, you were able to see a live theatrical production to determine how well the movie honored its source. Regardless of […]
In 1978, as a six-year-old kid, I watched the movie The Wiz, in a mostly empty mall theater with my older brother and sister. The movie enthralled, traumatized, excited, and bored me. As a somewhat sheltered white kid from the Pacific Northwest, I had a very limited understanding of black artists, black entertainment, and black […]
The other day while driving with my 20-year-old son, I noticed an electric car I had never seen before. As we drove by the bright light blue sedan, we were unable to identify its make and model until we reached the front and saw its iconic emblem. Both of us responded with similar quizzical expressions: […]
Last Friday I had the privilege of seeing Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre’s production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Here’s a simple summary: If you liked Disney’s Beauty and the Beast movies, you’ll like the musical. The show contains all the movie song favorites with so many familiar lyrics you might catch yourself accidently singing “there […]
Sometimes I don’t realize how weary worn my soul has become until I’m surprised by beauty. This age of Covid has produced a general malaise. We are trying to survive and thrive the best we know how, but the relentless drumbeat of uncertainty, sickness and sadness has dulled the vibrancy of many daily activities. And […]
There are many enjoyable aspects of writing theater reviews. One is forming overly long descriptive title credit sentences such as it was my genuine pleasure last night to experience The 5thAvenue Theatre in association with Spectrum Dance Theater present a captivating expression of West Side Story that highlighted the thriving dance and theater expressions that […]
Well, due to a prior engagement, I missed the opening night performance of Marie Dancing Still. Fortunately, Marie Dancing Still was still dancing still last night, which gave my wife and I the wonderful opportunity to see the most amazing dance sequence we have ever seen at Seattle’s 5thAvenue Theatre or really on any stage. If that seems […]
A musical that repeatedly proports “the sun will come out tomorrow” seems appropriate for audiences used to perpetually cloudy, dark, rain-slogged Pacific Northwest winters. Consequently, Annie finds itself back in Seattle once again championing the infectiously optimistic, dare I say escapist, mantra that “tomorrow there will be sun.” Despite my preconceived cynical disposition, I was […]
The 5th Avenue Theatre’s presentation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame may have songs and movie title lettering from its Disney film predecessor, but this Seattle production has abandoned any pretense of Disney’s “Happiest Place on Earth” motif to thoroughly ground the musical in the tormented source material of Victor Hugo’s original novel. The themes are […]
Sometimes you don’t know how soul worn weary you are, until you stumble upon a momentary resting place. And sometimes you don’t realize how much you need music, art and beauty until your eyes are tearing up in a darkened 5th Avenue Theatre watching the opening night production of Ragtime The Musical. America’s current, or […]