The Tavern

The Tavern, written by George M. Cohan and directed by Bill Dore, is Seattle Public Theater’s fourth and final mainstage production of their Transformation Through Shared Spaces Season. A mystery-melodrama in which no one plays their properly assigned role, this performance transforms a dark and stormy night into a very silly evening of spoofs and laughs. The scene is set at the turn of the last century in a ramshackle inn somewhere in America. Several travelers hope to find refuge as a dangerous highwayman terrorizes the countryside. A dark and mysterious vagabond also takes shelter in the tavern from the howling wind and becomes a murder suspect, as do the entire cast of guests and staff. As the story climbs to a frenetic pitch the violent storm rages on while frightening events unfold inside the tavern.