Seattle Spotlight: May 2010
Continuing Seattle’s city-wide Leonard Bernstein Festival, 5th Avenue Theatre tunes up Candide (May 25-June 13), the comic adventures of a young man seeking his true love on a wild journey around this “best of all possible worlds.” Stanley Bahorek plays the title role, with Laura Griffith as Cunegonde. Major Seattle talents David Pichette, Timothy McCuen Piggee, Anne Allgood, Allen Fitzpatrick, Greg McCormack Allen, and Billie Wildrick are also featured.
The Village Theatre taps into 42nd Street (May 12-August 1). Ingénue Peggy Sawyer (Village favorite Krystle Armstrong) gets her big break in New York when the star of the show is injured in rehearsal. Well-known talents John Bogar, Shelly Burch and James Scheider join in. Seattle Musical Theatre begs for rain with 110 in the Shade (May 7-23), starring Jennifer Littlefield and Gregory Conn. Unexpected Productions premieres Nietzsche The Musical (May 14-June 12), playing off verbatim passages from Nietzsche’s writings juxtaposed against contemporary characters. Centerstage Theatre turns cabaret with Ain’t Misbehavin’ (May 21-June 6).
Stephanie Timm’s world premiere, On the Nature of Dust, is mounted by New Century Theatre Company (May 5-May 30), as Shirley Bliss’ daughter Clara turns into an ape, then devolves into even more primitive species. Another world premiere at Intiman, The Thin Place, is written by local playwright Sonya Schneider (May 14-June 13). The sole actor will be Gbenga Akinnagbe, who played Chris Partlow on The Wire, and the show is based on stories of people who wrestle with a higher power during a point of crisis in their lives.
ACT Theatre takes us on The Trip to Bountiful by Horton Foote (May 7-June 6), where Carrie dreams of visiting her childhood home one last time before it is too late. Seattle Public Theater opens the ghostly The 13th of Paris by Mat Smart (May 21-June 13). In the play, Vincent travels to Paris carrying only a suitcase filled with the love letters of his late grandparents and gets romantic advice from a dapper ghost in a pinstripe suit.
Taproot Theatre disguises Charley’s Aunt by Brandon Thomas (May 12-June 12), when college boys woo young ladies by persuading a classmate to impersonate their missing aunt (and chaperone). Theater Schmeater invites grownups to An Adult Evening with Shel Silverstein (May 14-June 12), with ten vignettes of Silverstein at his best. Artattack Theater gets cozy with Wiping My Mother’s Arse by Iain Heggie (May 20-June 13), a farce about being old and infirm and dumped in a home. The ensemble at Balagan Theatre attack The Oedipus Cycle by Sophocles (May 13-June 5) and transform it into a 90-minute Greek tragedy.
Children learn to cope with things going wrong when SecondStory Repertory presents Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, adapted by Judith Viorst, from her book (May 7-23). Tacoma Musical Playhouse introduces Anne of Green Gables (May 15-23) as a musical. Orphan Anne Shirley is sent to live on Prince Edward Island with a pair of siblings who were expecting to adopt a boy, but finds “kindred spirits” wherever she goes.
