• Rss Feed
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Search
Skip to content
Visit Sponsor
Seattle Gay Scene
  • Home
  • News
  • Arts &
    Entertainment
  • Nightlife
  •  Living
  • Geek
  • Calendar
Home *Seattle Theaterland, Arts & Entertainment, Seattle Lesbian Scene, Stage, Women's Arts, Women's EventsA Superb New Take On Old Work: Seattle Shakes’ All Female “Bring Down The House”

A Superb New Take On Old Work: Seattle Shakes’ All Female “Bring Down The House”

February 9, 2017• byMichael Strangeways
Betsy Schwartz, front as King Henry VI in Seattle Shakespeare Company's collaboration with the upstart crow theater company, BRING DOWN THE HOUSE an adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry VI trilogy of plays with an all female cast. Photo: John Ulman

Betsy Schwartz, front as King Henry VI in Seattle Shakespeare Company’s collaboration with the upstart crow theater company, BRING DOWN THE HOUSE an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry VI trilogy of plays with an all female cast. Photo: John Ulman

Review: Bring Down The House Part 1: Throne of Treachery and Bring Down The House Part 2: Crusade of Chaos. Adapted from the Henry VI trilogy by William Shakespeare by Rosa Joshi and Kate Wisniewski. Produced by Seattle Shakespeare Company in collaboration with upstart crow collective. Directed by Rosa Joshi. Movement Director: Alice Gosti. Live Score Composer/Adapter: William Satake Blauvelt. Fight Choreographer: Peter Dylan O’Connor. Scenic Design by Shawn Ketchum Johnson. Costume Design by Christine Tschirgi. Lighting Design by Geoff Korf. Sound Design by Robertson Witmer. Props Design by Robin Mccartney. With Emma Bjornson, Marianne Owen, Meg McLynn, Yadira Duarte, Sunam Ellis, Amy Fleetwood, Peggy Gannon, Keiko Green, Sarah Hartlett, Nike Imoru, Brenda Joyner, Aishe Keita, Mari Nelson, Betsy Schwartz, Kate Sumpter, Kate Wisniewski, Dedra D. Woods. Now through March 12, 2017 at Center Theater/Seattle Center.

Seattle Shakespeare Company in collaboration with upstart crow collective presents an all new adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry VI trilogy which has been whittled down to a two part extravaganza titled BRING DOWN THE HOUSE that also has the novelty of having an all female cast which is being staged in repertory at Seattle Shakes’ home base at the Center House Theater at Seattle Center until March 12th. It’s a project long in the works for the artistic team at upstart crow collective, the all female theater company that doesn’t have a huge output; this is their third production in 10 years but a major labor of love for co-founders director Rosa Joshi and actor Kate Wisniewski. The two collaborated on adapting the three plays into two parts with Part 1 being subtitled “Throne of Treachery” and Part 2, “Crusade of Chaos” and with a goal of clarifying the dense plot and cast of characters for the (mostly) true story of the real life British King, Henry VI, a story which spans several decades and a bewildering amount of British history.

It would take a thousand words or more to summarize the labyrinth plot of “Bring Down The House/Henry VI” but in a nutshell it follows the reign of that king who inherited the throne as an infant after the death of his father Henry V and relays the complicated story of “The War of the Roses” as two factions of the ruling Plantagenet Dynasty, the House of Lancaster (Henry’s branch) and the House of York vie for control of the throne. Part I (Throne of Treachery) focuses on Henry’s marriage to the conniving Margaret of Anjou and the machinations of rival factions including Richard of York, to seize power from the weak willed Henry and his long time protector Humphrey. Part 2 (Crusade of Chaos) picks up after the death of Humphrey and many others, and follows through with the rise of the House of York including the sons of Richard of York two of whom succeed Henry as Edward IV and the dastardly Richard III, who of course gets his OWN Shakespearean play down the road.

Yeah, it’s a pretty confusing story and that can be a major hindrance for audiences. But, Rosa Joshi and Kate Wisniewski’s very clever adaptation cuts away much of the non-essential and keeps this story firmly on track. It’s a crisply clever clever script that maintains dramatic momentum while embodying its characters with dimension and depth. And, the smartness of those words is only enhanced by Ms Joshi’s innovative, superbly staged direction; she does such a great job of clarifying the story with simple, precise choreography that makes it all so easy for the audience to follow and enjoy the complex story.

This really is one of the best directed plays I’ve ever witnessed in Seattle. EVERY movement seems to be very well thought out while remaining organic and true to the story and the needs of the character’s motivations. Unlike many classic works, both sections of “Bring Down The House” just zip by…there’s none of that dreaded usual boring slump you find in most Shakespearean productions. And, it’s obvious that the support Ms Joshi received from her Movement Director, acclaimed choreographer Alice Gosti and her fight choreographer, Peter Dylan O’Conner was also a huge contribution to the overall flow and movement of these productions.

Yet another huge asset was the live score composed and adapted by William Satake Blauvelt and the use of Japanese Taiko drums as part of the music and sound composition with several key dramatic moments incorporating the cast playing the drums as instructed by Lika Seigel. Along with Robertson Witmer’s usual excellent sound design, this production sounds as amazing as it looks. But, it looks great too with on point costume work by Christine Tschirgi that utilizes mostly blacks and greys for the base of all the costumes with very subtle use of any other color. Geoff Korf’s evocative light design and Shawn Ketchum Johnson’s strong scenic design also being stand outs in a production full of them.

It’s a strong all female ensemble with acting stand outs being Mari Nelson’s villainously complicated Richard of York, Betsy Schwartz’s simply foolish Henry VI, and Kate Wisniewski’s scheming Margaret. Donning multiple rules and making them each unique and fascinating: Peggy Gannon offering a swaggering Edward IV and Sarah Hartlett’s twistedly nasty Richard III.

I know many people have “issues” with Shakespeare…either they’re just not into the language or they’ve been burned by too many bland, awkward productions but Seattle Shakes/upstart crow’s BRING DOWN THE HOUSE is a mega watt must experience theatrical event. It’s a taut, superbly executed drama that makes for an invigorating night (or two) of theater. Very Highly Recommended.

(And, a note to Seattle Shakes: MORE collaborations with upstart crow, please!)

(Visited 3 times, 1 visits today)

About the Author: Michael Strangeways

As the Editorial Director/Co-Owner, Michael Strangeways writes, edits and does about a million other jobs for Seattle Gay Scene, Puget Sound's most visited LGBTQ news, arts and entertainment website now celebrating its 14th year as a media outlet. A semi-proud Midwesterner by birth, he's lived in Seattle since 2000. He's also a film producer who would like you to check out the Jinkx Monsoon documentary, "Drag Becomes Him" now available on Amazon.com. In his spare time, he gets slightly obsessive about his love for old movies, challenging theater, "otters", vodka, chocolate, "I,Claudius", Lizzie Borden, real books made out of paper, disaster films, show tunes, Weimar era Germany, flea markets, pop surrealistic art, the sex lives of Hollywood actors both living and dead, kitties, chicken fried steak, haute couture and David Bowie. But, not necessarily in that order.

Related Posts

*Seattle Theaterland • #Theater and Stage • Arts & Entertainment • Seattle Area Theater and Stage Preview • Stage

New Year Of Theater Openings In Seattle

January 2023 Theater Openings Compiled from press releases by Miryam

...

*Seattle Theaterland • #Theater and Stage • Arts & Entertainment • Reviews • Stage

Theater Review: The Gory Charms of “Macbeth”

Seattle Shakespeare Company opened their 2022/2023 season with a beloved

...

*Seattle Theaterland • #Theater and Stage • Arts & Entertainment • Musical Theater • New Works • Stage

Seattle Area October 2022 Theater Openings…And, Some November, Too

Compiled from press releases by Miryam Gordon I start this

...

*Seattle Theaterland • #Theater and Stage • Arts & Entertainment • Musical Theater • New Works • Seattle Area Theater and Stage Preview • Stage

Seattle Area Theater Preview For April: Star Studded “Ghosts”, Ms Pak-man & Some “Sweat”…

Theater companies seem pretty happy, this month, as many launch

...

*Seattle Theaterland • #Theater and Stage • Arts & Entertainment • Reviews • Stage

Review: “Drum & Colors” Is Part Hit And Part Miss

Seattle Shakespeare Company decided to open their 2022 theater season

...

*Seattle Theaterland • Arts & Entertainment • Musical Theater • New Works • Stage

Seattle Stages Forge Ahead With New Openings Including Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Freestyle Love Supreme” at Seattle Rep

Despite the brisk wintery air of February and attendant struggles

...

Previous: Review: “The Cherry Orchard” Features Brilliant Performances
Next: Empress DonnaTella’s Reign of Terror Is Over As ISCORE Crowns New Royalty This Weekend

Comments are closed.

Upcoming Events

Sat 27

AD: Todrick Hall Velvet Rage Tour September 10th @ The Moore Theatre

May 1 @ 8:00 am - September 10 @ 11:30 pm
Seattle WA
United States
Sat 27

Kings ~ A Drag King Show ~ The Kings Queer Prom

May 27 @ 6:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Seattle WA
United States
Sat 27

Power Mix w/Randy Schlager @ Neighbours Night Club

May 27 @ 9:00 pm - May 28 @ 4:00 am
Seattle WA
United States
Sat 27

Stayin’ Alive at Supernova

May 27 @ 9:00 pm - May 28 @ 4:00 am
Seattle WA
United States
Sat 27

Cheap & Easy @ The Cuff Complex

May 27 @ 9:00 pm - 3:00 am
Seattle WA
United States

View More…

  • Rss Feed
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Search

Seattle Gay Scene

SEATTLE GAY SCENE is Seattle’s Leading LGBT community website, and most visited calendar in the region.

We also proudly serve as media sponsors for a number of amazing local organizations, including: Gay City Health Project, Lifelong AIDS Alliance, SIFF, Three Dollar Bill Cinema, Qulture Qreative & Hard Times Press, NARK Magazine and Bacon Strip to help bring some of the most exciting live events and entertainment in the city.

Top Categories

  • Music
  • Community
  • Drag O’Tainment
  • Seattle Lesbian Scene
  • Stuff to Do

Recent Comments

  1. Michael Strangeways on Capitol Hill Garage Sale Day & Community Sale
  2. Breezy Moss on Capitol Hill Garage Sale Day & Community Sale
  3. Seaguy on The Comeback Pulls The Plug

About Us

  • Our Team
  • Advertise on SGS!
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2023 | Seattle Gay Scene
  • Our Team
  • Advertise on SGS!
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
Close Search Window
↑