Compiled by Miryam Gordon from press releases.
Musicals seem to be a theme for May, and local or ex-local talents display their works on stage (Keiko Green, Justin Huertas), which is exciting. It’s quite a fun set of shows to get onto your calendars. There doesn’t seem to be a frown in sight, this month.
Zach, ArtsWest, 5/4-25/23 (world premiere)
Christian St. Croix pens a satirical comedy that skewers the popular tropes of ‘90s teen sitcoms. Gina, a Black girl and budding fashionista, and P.J., a Latino lovesick surfer boy at an affluent, majority-white Southern California high school are both overjoyed when they’re invited into the inner circle of Zach, the white, charismatic, prank-happy new kid at school. But when Zach plans a new prank that goes too far, P.J. and Gina must race to stop him before it’s too late – and along the way, learn to see their peers, and themselves, with fresh eyes.
Hometown Boy, Seattle Public Theater, 5/4-28/23
Playwright Keiko Green, ex-local actor well-known to many, writes about James who hasn’t been back to his rural Georgia hometown in over a decade. Reluctantly, he returns to check in on his father, whose behavior has become worryingly erratic. The South has a way of holding onto secrets. He soon stumbles into a life he thought he had left behind as a child. That stench in the air isn’t just his father’s decaying house, but the rotten core of long-buried secrets teeming just under the surface and ready to explode.
Lydia And The Troll, Seattle Rep, 5/5/23-6/4/23 (world premiere)
Singer-songwriter Lydia feels held back. Maybe it’s writer’s block, maybe it’s her not-so-perfect boyfriend. But when a mysterious stranger offers her the chance to change her life, she may end up sacrificing more than she ever imagined. Inspired by fantasy and folklore, yet grounded in Seattle’s noted landscape and landmarks, actor and musical writer (often book/music/lyrics) Justin Huertas (Lizard Boy) conjures up Pacific Northwest magic in this intimate new world.
Wolf Play, ACT Theatre, 5/5-21/23 (opens 5/11)
Hansol Jung introduces a southpaw boxer on the verge of a pro debut when their wife signs the adoption papers for a Korean boy. The boy’s original adoptive father was all set to hand him over to a new home… until he realizes the boy would have no “dad.” Caught in the middle, the child launches himself on a lone wolf’s journey to find a pack he can call his own. Wolf Play is a mischievous and affecting new play about the families we choose and or move away from.
Hundred Days, Harlequin Theatre, 5/5-27/23
Harlequin transforms State Theater into an intimate cabaret for an uncensored, exhilarating, and heartrending true story about embracing uncertainty, taking a leap, and loving as if you only had 100 days to live. They’ll remove the elevated stage and the first row of seats, replacing them with café tables and adding a bar at the back of the house (complete with a bartender during the show). With magnetic chemistry and anthemic folk-punk music, creators Abigail and Shaun Bengson explore a fundamental question: how do we make the most of the time that we have?
Sunday in the Park with George, SecondStory Repertory, 5/5-21/23
Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine crafted a stunning masterpiece, inspired by imagining the lives of the people depicted in the painting, “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” by Georges Seurat. (Seurat is one of the most famous “pointillists.”) Truths about makers of art, and who they make art for, meld into the struggles of relationships among artists and those who love them.
Little Shop of Horrors, Ballyhoo Theatre, 5/5-14/23 (at Phoenix Theatre)
Ballyhoo is a community theater company that focuses on LGBTQIA+ young people and linking them to creativity via theater. This musical introduces meek floral assistant Seymour Krelborn as he stumbles across a new breed of plant he names “Audrey II” – after his coworker crush. This scary carnivore promises unending fame and fortune to the down and out Krelborn – as long as he keeps feeding it blood! Over time, though, Seymour discovers Audrey II’s out of this world origins and intent towards global domination!
Monstrous Regiment, Latitude Theatre, 5/14/23-6/4/23 (opens 5/18) (at Taproot Theatre)
A new theater company presents a story from the pages of the Discworld™ novels. Borogravia is at war. Again. When Polly Perks’ brother goes missing in action, she disguises herself as a young man, enlists in the army and heads to the front lines in search of her sibling. But all is not as it seems, and Polly soon learns that she isn’t the only one in this band of “brothers” protecting secrets. Making their way to the front, this misfit company might just overcome insurmountable odds to become unlikely victors.
Jeeves Takes a Bow, Taproot Theatre, 5/17/23-6/17/23 (opens 5/19)
Bertie’s back! And this time his talent for trouble trails him to the Big Apple. When childhood chum Binkey Binkersteth knocks, one knacky notion leads to masterful mayhem and soon the notorious Knuckles McCann is fitting Bertie for a “Chicago overcoat.” Fortunately, the unflappable Jeeves is close at hand with a stiff cuppa joe and a penchant for putting things right!
Tartuffe, Centerstage Theatre, 5/19/23-6/11/23
Liar! Hypocrite! It’s Moliere’s satirical comedy about a con artist, Tartuffe. He skillfully masters whatever persona he believes will get him access to power over whoever, and whatever, he pleases. As people start seeing behind his mask, each character desperately works to convince the other of their foolishness. Art imitates life in Moliere’s 17th century play that still resonates today.
Hello, Dolly!, Village Theatre, Issaquah: May 24 – July 2, 2023 / Everett: July 7 – July 30, 2023
Starring the incomparable Bobbi Kotula as Dolly, Hello, Dolly! is revered as one of the greatest collections of songs in all of musical theatre history. Follow the romantic and comedic exploits of Dolly Gallagher-Levi, a turn-of-the-century matchmaker and “woman who arranges things.” She was a brilliant pioneering woman forging her own path in a world that constantly underestimated her. Through a cavalcade of joy, glorious song, and stunning dance, this is classical musical theatre at its best! “Put On Your Sunday Clothes” and catch this definitive musical “Before The Parade Passes By!”
Les Misérables, 5th Avenue Theatre, 5/24/23-6/17/23 (tour)
Set against the backdrop of 19th century France, Les Misérables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice, and redemption–a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. This epic and uplifting story has become one of the most celebrated and popular musicals in theatrical history. The magnificent score of Les Misérables includes the songs “I Dreamed a Dream,” “On My Own,” “Bring Him Home,” “One Day More,” “Master of the House” and many more.
Unnecessary Farce, Edmonds Driftwood Players, 5/26/23-6/11/23
Two cops. Three crooks. Eight doors. Go. In a cheap motel room, an embezzling mayor is supposed to meet with his female accountant, while in the room next-door, two undercover cops wait to catch the meeting on videotape. But there’s some confusion as to who’s in which room, who’s being videotaped, who’s taken the money, who’s hired a hit man, and why the accountant keeps taking off her clothes.
www.edmondsdriftwoodplayers.org
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About the Author: Miryam Gordon
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