Yes, it’s the end of the year and in this dreadfully dull week between Xmas and NYE, every publication in the world trots out their “Best of” articles mainly because there is nothing else to write about, and because the public expects it. (Author’s note: “Yes, I started this piece a week ago…it was hard work!”) Here’s a list of people and productions that I enjoyed, to one degree or another, in Seattle Theater World during 2010. Please note, I wasn’t the principal reviewer/critic for the first half of the year, so I didn’t see every major production put on a Seattle stage. Also, I don’t really believe in award driven “Best Actor/Play/Designer” designations like most awards shows. How can art be treated like a horse race? Yes, awards shows are fun, but how can you say ONE performer/designer/production is the VERY best of the year? Lame. And, these are given in no particular order; the first entry doesn’t mean that I thought that it was the BEST of 2010. It’s completely random and arbitrary. Bolding indicates the “winners”.
Alex Garnett and Bradford Farwell in Strawshop's "Breaking The Code". Photo: Eric Stuhaug
Strawberry Theatre Workshop (aka Strawshop) probably disappointed some hardcore “New” theater types, (who prefer theater companies create new work instead of mounting revivals of previously staged classics) but both of their 2010 productions, The Laramie Project and Breaking the Code were passionately produced, directed, designed and acted pieces of theater art and both had large appeal for LGBTQ audiences for their content, (the death of Matthew Shepard and the life of Alan Turing respectively). Greg Carter’s direction, L.B. Morse’s sets/lights/projections, John Osebold’s sound/music and an amazing ensemble cast with Nick Garrison, Betsy Schwartz, Shanna Allman, Alycia Delmore, John Ulman, Shawn Law, Galen Joseph Osier, and Marty Mukhalian were high lights for “Laramie” while Sheila Daniels’ direction and the outstanding lead performance by Bradford Farwell as Turing and Galen Joseph Osier‘s supporting turn made “Code” a must see event of 2010. Strawshop hasn’t announced any new productions (so far) for 2011 which is worrisome. I want to see more, much more, from this company.
Robo Human Love Orgy: WET'S divine production of Robopop!
Washington Ensemble Theatre, aka “WET”, also had a strong, vibrant year of ORIGINAL theater productions featuring ensemble generated productions and world premieres of definitively powerful plays. Robopop! was their tribute to robot/human love and it was really nothing more than a music video, (remember those, kids? MTV used to show them ALL the time before they went the sh*tty “reality” TV route…) but it was also more fun than a barrel of Stolichnaya with superbly designed and crafted sets, costumes, props, lighting, sound and video projections and a killer soundtrack featuring Daft Punk among others. Kudos to the performers and creators but a big hug of love for the designers: Heidi Ganser and Ayako Yamada (Costumes); Andrea Bryn Bush (Sets); Amiya Brown and Evan Anderson (Lights); Brendan Hogan (Sound and Music); Clare Strasser (Props) and Wes Hurley (Video) and all perfectly put together under the direction of Heidi Ganser and Ben Zamora with choreography assistance by Ellie Sandstrom. Robopop! was short, sweet and there’s barely a day goes by that I don’t wish I could see it again.
WET scored again, later in the year, with the premiere of local playwright Tommy Smith‘s Sextet, a sexy, passionate examination of art, obsession and lust performed in three inches of water. Mr Smith’s clever script was brilliantly brought to life by director Roger Bennington, and featured strong performances by a cast including John Abramson, Brandon J. Simmons and Chris Macdonald. But, the star of the show might be Andrea Bryn Bush‘s Federalist era wading pool set and the lighting design by Andrew D. Smith. Sextet was smart, edgy and sexy theater and I wish the big main stage theaters had the guts to state similar works.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the two earlier productions I saw, (the ok The Two Gentleman of Verona and the awful Henry V) but Seattle Shakespeare made up for it this fall with the solid local premiere of Wittenberg by David Davalos with a great performance by Chad Kelderman as Faustus) and most spectacularly, with their excellent production of Hamlet directed by our own resident theater genius, John Langs that dared to make Shakespeare vibrant, exciting and relatable to modern audiences. Headlined by Darragh Kennan‘s clean, concise performance as Hamlet with superb support by Charles Leggett as the Ghost/Player King, Richard Ziman as Claudius and David Pichette as Polonius, this was a theatrical tour de force in Seattle’s 2010 theater season. (And, superbly lighted by Geoff Korf).
Musically, I enjoyed the 5th Avenue’s gorgeously designed On The Town (especially those floating Deco skyscrapers by Walt Spangler) and Candide (also the sets by Matthew Smucker) and the performances of Suzy Hunt and Sarah Rudinoff in On The Town and Anne Allgood in Candide, but On The Town had a couple of dull performances as well and the 5th picked one of the more annoying versions of Candide to stage (there are about 10 different versions of the much revised Candide out there) and the second half of the show was a bore but Bernstein’s score triumphed in both productions. The Broadway bound production of the 5th’s A Christmas Story was delightful, with gorgeous sets by Walt Spangler and a star making performance by young actor Clarke Hallum as Ralphie with superb support from John Bolton as The Old Man but it was such a scene by scene replication of the original classic film, it wasn’t much of a surprise. On the camp side, Arts West had a very funny and charming production of Evil Dead: The Musical this fall with my new favorite musical duo of James Padilla and the hilarious Kate Jaeger re-enacting the horrors of the classic horror film. But my favorite musical production of the year was Seattle Opera’s premiere of Amelia, a new opera by Daron Aric Hagen, Gardner McFall and Stephen Wadsworth that dealt with the Vietnam War, pregnancy, Amelia Earhart, AIDS (maybe) and the myth of Daedalus and Icarus in a fascinating and beautifully conceived, performed and designed production with the standouts being Jane Eaglen as Aunt Helen and the thrilling production design by Thomas Lynch that featured airplanes, Vietnam and maternity rooms all beautifully lighted by Duane Schuler. It was a powerful night of NEW theater and music and proof that opera is still a dynamic art form.
Before this post turns into a 4000 word monograph, let me simplify things by listing some other theatrical highlights of 2010:
Seattle Rep had two winners for me. Neither work is new and they were conventionally presented but both August Wilson’s Fences and Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women were meticulously produced, directed, designed and acted revivals of classic American plays with a special shout out to Matthew Smucker‘s glorious set for “Women” and the superb ensemble acting in both productions.
Charles Leggett continues to be one of the best actors in town and not only did he shine in Hamlet, but he was mesmerizing as a 9/11 conspiracy buff in ACT’s Yankee Tavern which also featured a great performance from R. Hamilton Wright and a terrifying sound design by Brendan Patrick Hogan.
I didn’t care for Seattle Rep’s unfocused production of Henry V but it had three very winning performances, one provided by Alexandra Tavares as Katherine, Henry’s queen to be and two by actor Jerick Hoffer as the saucy female wench Mistress Quickly and later on as the saucy and fashionable manservant, “Alice” (but played as a male) to Katherine. Mr Hoffer’s portrayal was so convincing, I didn’t figure it out that he had played both roles until late in the performance. He’s one to watch for, in a variety of roles and a variety of genders.
Other actors to watch for/Deserve better roles: Ray Tagavilla was good in everything I saw him in this year, despite the paucity of some of the material, and like Brendan Kiley in The Stranger, I wonder, WHY isn’t this amazing actor getting bigger and better roles? He’s a huge talent and deserves to be seen much more than he is, and in vital roles in major productions. Julie Briskman is an established Seattle actress and she was divinely good in ACT’s Ann Landers play, The Lady with the Answers, but she deserves better material. So does young Lauren Kottwitz, the only reason to see Balagan’s anemic Rapture of the Deep. Her performance as a Goth teen cursed with a Born Again mess of a mom was one of the few highlights of that production. I want to see more of Ms Kottwitz and in much better plays, thank you.
And, speaking of The Balagan, they had a busy and turbulent season and recently lost their home at 12th and Pike under Boom Noodle. They are bouncing back later this month with an encore presentation of their fall hit, Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog which featured a fantastic performance by Eric Ankrim, and they also scored a big hit with last March’s production of Trout Stanley that featured their best work with the stand out being Angela DiMarco as the child/woman Sugar and strong direction by David Gassner. I hope they find a permanent new home SOON.
I also liked the debut of Azeotrope Theatre and their debut production of Red Light Winter. I think the play itself is fine with an overly contrived plot, but the brave performances of the three actors in the play, (full nudity, strong sexual situations, emotionally volatile characters) were a revelation and while I’m going to give them all praise, (Tim Gouran, Mariel Neto and Richard Nguyen Sloniker) Mr Sloniker in particular gave a devastating performance of a man wounded emotionally and artistically by the circumstances of his life. Mr Sloniker co-founded this group to give Asian American actors a voice in local theater. I eagerly await any future productions from Azeotrope and Mr Sloniker.
Meanwhile, in Fringe World, I want to show some love to the following:
Troy Mink’s Evenings with Carlotta , as staged at The Annex, isn’t fully realized as a stage piece, YET, but from a performance stand point, it was a thing of beauty with a lovely nuanced performance that was both highly comedic and very touching. I want to see this piece enlarged and improved; it has huge potential.
I make no secret that I love Ian Bell’s Brown Derby parodies at Re-bar….they are wittily and profanely written and directed by Mr Bell with a dream cast of local theater and comedy talent including Nick Garrison, Dusty Warren, and Imogen Love amongst many others. But, I have to give a special shout out to Scott Shoemaker for his roles as “Prince” in Purple Rain and “The Soundtrack” in Saturday Night Fever. His mincing, pouting and deranged Prince was almost better than the real thing and his masterful singing of the Purple One’s classic songs as well as the greatest disco hits of the Bee Gees from the “Fever” soundtrack were just as musically delicious as they were comedic. Please find a new project for him…maybe one where he gets to wear attractive clothes for a change.
And, in arty/performance world I have to throw some love to On The Boards who lovingly present challenging, maddening, beautifully offbeat and occasionally pretentious performance pieces that never failed to delight and devil me, usually within the space of a few minutes. Rimini Protokol’s compelling “Video Game” show Best Before had technical issues but still fascinated me and Ralph Lemon’s How Can You Stay In The House All Day And Not Go Anywhere? had moments of divine beauty and banal contrivance; I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. “Awesome’s” production of West was two thirds brilliant and one third mess with an equal share of that praise/blame going to Jennifer Zeyl and LB Morse for their production/lighting design, (yes, I still have bitter feelings about “Act 2” of West). And, Dayna Hanson’s Gloria’s Cause managed to combine dance, theater and music into a very interesting melange of early American history and art. And, Satori Group premiered a new short piece at OTB this year, Making of a Monster, an artful combination of dance, movement, stagecraft and drama with the outstanding Adam Standley as the lead, (also good in smaller roles in Hamlet) that astounded and delighted me and I’m just sorry I missed seeing their earlier piece, Winky staged earlier in the year. I eagerly look forward to their next production. I think Satori Group and WET are the hope for exciting new ensemble generated theater in Seattle in the years ahead. Give them all the support you can.
I know I’m going to think of something I missed but I’ll revise if so….I’m pondering doing a “Biggest Regrets in Theater 2010” but why dwell on the negative? Let’s move on and rejoice at all the bounty in 2010 and the hope for more bounty (and crap) in 2011.
Cheers to everyone in Seattle Theater Land, both the creators of Art and Entertainment, and the supporters of it. One doesn’t exist without the other.
