From comedies. circus options, and quite a number of world premieres, January is looking exciting for Seattle theater-land! Pick your favorite(s) and get out your theater planning calendars!
Compiled by Miryam Gordon from press releases.
Sizzle, Teatro Zinzanni, Now-March 2025 (at Emerald City Trapeze Arts)
Teatro ZinZanni invites you to its new Center Ring at Emerald City Trapeze Arts for SIZZLE! Starring belter, provocateur, consummate chanteuse, and Cornish College of the Arts alum Rizo returns as Teatro ZinZanni’s Madame, the owner of the circus. The cast of performers is new for Seattle. They include: physical comedian Joel Baker, trapeze artists Oliver Parkinson and Cassie Cutler of Duo 19, hair hang artist Danila Bim, rope artist and Seattle native Ezra Weill, champion juggler Spencer Androli, and award-winning aerial pole artist Charlee Shae.
The Girl Who Swallowed A Cactus, Seattle Children’s Theatre, 1/9-26/25
School is out for the summer; the weather is hot and the boredom is heavy. 8-year-old Sheila and her pack of pals aren’t going to let the summer heat wear them down. When their fantastical junkyard fort draws the attention of a walking, talking, surprisingly well-dressed coyote, the adventurers suddenly find themselves deep in the desert, facing The Council of Howls, The Sting Brigade, The Death Cactus and much more. (This is a live, digital production (with some interaction) on Zoom! Ages 7+, 55 minutes no intermission)
Rip! A Winkle In Time, Global Works, 1/10/25-2/8/25 (at 12th Avenue Arts) (world premiere)
Local playwright Claire Zaslove introduces Randall Irving Parson, or Rip for short, who, in 1897, pursues his gold rush dream only to have a ghostly encounter that leaves him asleep in a snowbank. With global warming afoot, Rip finally thaws out and finds himself in a world that staggers the imagination. Puppets, bad guys, environmental concern – perfect for all ages.
www.globalworksproductions.com
I Love That For You, On The Boards, 1/16-19/25
Berlin-based theater artist Paul Budraitis returns to Seattle, his once long-time home, to share this intimate, honest, and deeply moving performance. It’s a community offering that invites the audience to notice what death can teach us in hopes of generating more life from the lives we are already living. (May be sold out, but RUSH tickets are available.)
Gruesome Playground Injuries, SecondStory Repertory, 1/17/25-2/2/25
If you’re counting, this is the fourth Rajiv Joseph play staged in our region in less than 12 months! Shouldn’t we call this a “festival??” I would! Gruesome Playground Injuries is a darkly comic play following Kayleen and Doug, two souls magnetically drawn together through a series of catastrophic accidents. Their relationship navigates the complexities of life from the playground to adulthood. As these characters repeatedly find themselves in the nurse’s office, their physical wounds mirror the emotional scars they carry.
Where is Here?, Seda Iranian Theatre Ensemble and Seattle Public Theater, 1/17/25-2/2/25 (U.S. premiere)
The reality of the immigrant experience is told through the eyes and memories of Azam Kabiri, a recent immigrant, who is excited to tell passersby about her life back in Iran as she waits for her luggage at an airport baggage carousel. The play will alternate performances in both English and Persian. (Some days include options to see both at once.)
GOLD, Annex Theatre, 1/17/25-2/8/25 (world premiere)
Local playwright Marcus Gorman introduces 19-year-old Frankie, who inherits her late grandfather’s little black book. She decides to go on a cross-country road trip to meet his mistresses. As she and her college bestie travel across the United States and delve into decades of her family’s secret history, she learns not just who her grandfather truly was…but also a key to her own identity. GOLD is a funny and relatable drama about what we leave behind. And also, some psychedelic dinosaurs.
Bohemia, Marxiano Productions, 1/17-26/25 (at The Triple Door)
Multiple annual outings bring this sellout sensation back again. A freewheeling cabaret of love, art nouveau, green fairies, and absinthe, in 1890s Prague, and intertwines the music of Dvořák and Chopin with dazzling aerials, burlesque, comedy, and original songs. This dreamlike cabaret celebrates artistic passion and immortality.
A View From the Bridge, Red Curtain Arts Center, 1/17/25-2/2/25, (at 9315 State Ave. #J, Marysville)
Eddie is a longshoreman, an admirable family man. When two of his wife’s Italian cousins are smuggled into this country, he makes room for them in his home. Gratefully they move in with him and his wife and the teenage niece he treats as a daughter. One of the cousins begins courting his benefactor’s niece, and a monstrous change creeps up on the kind and loving uncle. In Red Hook, a neighborhood of Italian-Americans beneath the Brooklyn Bridge, the migrants in the 1950s were undocumented Italians fleeing a post-Mussolini Italy where jobs are hard to come by.
Dial M For Murder, Village Theatre, Issaquah: 1/21/25-2/23/25; Everett: 3/1-23/25
Tony married his wife for her money, and now he plans to murder her for it. But when his perfect plans go awry, he has to improvise — and now his wife’s former lover Maxine and a wily inspector from Scotland Yard must race against the clock to unravel his schemes. This spine-tingling new adaptation is brimming with unexpected turns and diabolic plot twists. Will Tony get away with it, or will justice be served? You’ll be guessing ‘til the very end of this fast-paced, stylish thriller.
Lewis and Tolkien, Taproot Theatre, 1/22/25-2/22/25
In the cozy Eagle and Child Pub, renowned authors C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien joust over pints and memories. Years after the Inklings, they have grown distant, diverging in matters of theology, marriage, and literature. In this fictional encounter, they delve into their personal and professional rivalries with their wit and wisdom.
Circle Mirror Transformation, Strawberry Theatre Workshop, 1/23/25-2/15/25 (at 12th Avenue Arts)
When four lost New Englanders enroll in Marty’s six-week-long community-center drama class, they begin to experiment with harmless games, hearts are quietly torn apart, and tiny wars of epic proportions are waged and won. If you love theater, this one’s for you.
Constellations, Theatre33, 1/24/25-2/2/25
This spellbinding, romantic journey begins with a simple encounter between a man and a woman. But what happens next defies the boundaries of the world we think we know—delving into the infinite possibilities of their relationship and raising questions about the difference between choice and destiny.
Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson – Apt. 2B, Harlequin Productions, 1/24/25-2/9/25
An irreverent, darkly comic, modern take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous sleuth and sidekick – a fast-paced romp that re-examines the classic adventure stories you love with a bold new female lens. Oddball female roommates Sherlock (yes, it’s also a girl’s name – wait, is it an girl’s name?) Holmes and Dr. Joan Watson join forces to emerge from the pandemic fog as an Odd Couple adventure duo… solving mysteries and kicking butts until they come face to face with a villain who seems to have all of the answers.
Blues for an Alabama Sky, Seattle Rep, 1/30/25-2/23/25
In 1930s New York, the hopes of the Harlem Renaissance have been tempered by the realities of the Great Depression. Best friends and artists Angel and Guy dream of a glamorous future but can barely eke out a living in the jazz clubs. Neighbor Delia and doctor Sam deal with bombs and break-ins as they try to bring a family planning clinic to the neighborhood. When Angel catches the eye of a handsome newcomer, their clashing values set off a chain of events that will change everyone’s lives. Pearl Cleage’s classic drama will immerse you in the joy, sorrow, and resilience of a society on the brink of change.
Miss Holmes, Center Stage Theatre, 1/31/25-2/23/25
Join Holmes and Watson on the foggy streets of London as they track a killer whose list of victims seems to be growing, even as the authorities seem unable – or unwilling – to intervene. This twisty, intriguing mystery takes the most iconic detective pairing while turning one thing on its head: what if Sherlock and Dr. Watson were women?
Second Samuel, Phoenix Theatre, 1/31/25-2/23/25
It’s the late 1940s in the sleepy town of Second Samuel, Georgia. The Great Depression and WWII are over and “Give ’em Hell Harry” is now President. Folks are ready for life to return to normal. Then Miss Gertrude passes away, and nobody imagines how the death of one sweet old lady can turn an entire town upside down.
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About the Author: Miryam Gordon
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