Theater Drought Ends As Seattle Shakes & Balagan Open New Shows

It’s an exciting time of year for theater nerds. After the endless series of Holiday Themed Shows from Thanksgiving through New Years, as lovely as many of those shows are,  it’s a welcome treat to have some new fresh, non-holiday themed theater to experience. 

Two new productions open this weekend. Seattle Shakespeare Company is back in business with RICHARD II, the juicy historical play set during The War of the Roses. It’s directed by an expert director of Shakespeare, Rosa Joshi  and stars Seattle Shakes’ Artistic Director George Mount in the title role with support from a cast that includes Mike Dooly, Reginald Andre Jackson, Brenda Joyner, Peter A. Jacobs, Jason Marr and Kate Wisniewski. RICHARD II opens Friday, January 10, 2014 at the Center Theater at The Armory at Seattle Center and runs through February 2nd.

Meanwhile, over at The Moore, Balagan and Seattle Theatre Group are once again teaming up for an unusual musical production after the success of last fall’s CARRIE: THE MUSICAL. This time, it’s an “opera” and it’s about a very unlikely subject…JERRY SPRINGER: THE OPERA. From the press release:

Jerry Springer: The Opera channels all the mayhem and excitement of the lurid TV talk show that held worldwide television audiences in utter rapture – the perfect fodder for opera. When Jerry is accidentally shot on the set of his infamous, eponymous TV show, he descends into Hell, where Satan forces Jerry to do a special show featuring suspiciously familiar guests … until God intervenes and demands that Jerry come to Heaven and help God judge humanity. Featuring songs like “Bigger Than Oprah Winfrey” and “Jerry Eleison” – plus a troupe of tap-dancing Ku Klux Klan members – it’s no wonder Jerry Springer: The Opera is called a “shocking, irresistibly funny masterpiece” (London’s The Sunday Times).

JERRY is directed by the Gregory Award winning (and, as of today, Gypsy Award nominated) director of Balagan’s hit production of AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, Shawn Belyea and stars Seattle musician Sean Nelson (formerly of Seattle indie darling, HARVEY DANGER) as Satan/Warm-Up Host and improv performer Brandon Felker as Jerry.

The musical also opens Friday, January 10, 2014 and runs through January 26 at the historic Moore Theatre in downtown Seattle. Grab your tickets at STG Presents.