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I've never felt such contradictory reactions to a play as I did to Almost, Maine at Olympia Little Theatre. It's an anthology set in a fictional settlement on a cold winter's night, and I both loved and despised it. Depending on where you sit, it might be the best date
Stage
I've never felt such contradictory reactions to a play as I did to Almost, Maine at Olympia Little Theatre. It's an anthology set in a fictional settlement on a cold winter's night, and I both loved and despised it. Depending on where you sit, it might be the best date
We Recommend
As a popular poet once noted, "Makin' your way / in the world today / takes everything you've got." Yes, it's back to the coal mines, tired already from late partying at the BroHo. You need something to soak up that beer, and an artist with mad
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You know what I like? Movies. You know what I like even more? Classic movies, preferably from the '80s (my formative years, aka a prehistoric era which ended years before our average reader was conceived). You know what I like even more than that? Classic movies and
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I improvised for 20 minutes on stage once, but that was because a prop got lost and our show was in freefall. Believe me, it's a lot more fun when actors plan to not plan. Of course, quality improv comedy is never entirely made up on the
Nightlife It List
Remember that sudden swing dancing craze about 10 years ago? I was living in Hollywood at the time, and my roommates were regulars at the Brown Derby, so I enjoyed a crash course in the lush life. That craze left town before I did, but its timeless, elegant
Arts
MONDAY For years, the Greta Jane Quartet played every Monday at the Royal Lounge. "Quartet of what?" you ask, as yet unhip to Ms. Greta Jane Pederson's jazz combo featuring Cary Black, Vince Brown, and Andrew Dorsett. In your world, jazz is the Pandora station your boss makes you listen to
Stage
Ho, ho, ho, and welcome to the second annual Carvy Awards! Presented below are my picks for the best in Oly-grown theater in 2011, selected from more than 30 reviews. This was an outstanding year for supporting actors and technicians. Lead actors and directors hog the glory, but a show can
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Scrooge: the Musical, like all incarnations of A Christmas Carol, is a transformation story. Rarely has that been so clearly represented as in this year's impeccable production at Capital Playhouse. Start with Ebenezer himself, played by veteran Tacoma actor Michael Self. It struck me in Act I
Stage
Scrooge: the Musical, like all incarnations of A Christmas Carol, is a transformation story. Rarely has that been so clearly represented as in this year's impeccable production at Capital Playhouse. Start with Ebenezer himself, played by veteran Tacoma actor Michael Self. It struck me in Act I that Scrooge is usually
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Stardust Serenade is the 17th in Harlequin's series of annual World War II-era musical revues, and by all accounts, it's intended to be the last. This reprise of the 2002 version uses the departure of a flyboy (Ryan Holmberg, charming as ever) as an excuse to perform
Stage
Stardust Serenade is the 17th in Harlequin's series of annual World War II-era musical revues, and by all accounts, it's intended to be the last. This reprise of the 2002 version uses the departure of a flyboy (Ryan Holmberg, charming as ever) as an excuse to perform 22 numbers from
We Recommend
I know it's gauche to rely on national stereotypes, but golly, those Canadians sure are nice. Nice is all over Welfarewell, currently making its Northwest premiere at Olympia Little Theatre. Not only is the play harder to resist than a Snuggie full of kittens, but its author, Cat Delaney, wrote
Stage
I know it's gauche to rely on national stereotypes, but golly, those Canadians sure are nice. Nice is all over Welfarewell, currently making its Northwest premiere at Olympia Little Theatre. Not only is the play harder to resist than a Snuggie full of kittens, but its author, Cat Delaney, wrote
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I want your show to be good. I think that gets lost in the hurt and high dudgeon that follows a negative review. In the days leading up to a performance, I fret over every bad omen. I hate writing pans. I don't want to be the bearer of
Stage
I want your show to be good. I think that gets lost in the hurt and high dudgeon that follows a negative review. In the days leading up to a performance, I fret over every bad omen. I hate writing pans. I don't want to be the bearer of bad tidings.
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Right now thousands of protestors "occupy" Zuccotti Park, across the street from Four World Trade Center in lower Manhattan, to protesting the economic polarization of America. Some see this event as a disorganized mob squatting in the name of class envy. Others view it as the vanguard of American progressivism,
Stage
As I write this, thousands of protestors "occupy" Zuccotti Park, across the street from Four World Trade Center in lower Manhattan, to protest the economic polarization of America. Some see this event as a disorganized mob squatting in the name of class envy. Others view it as the vanguard of
Stage
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Olympia theater companies aren't competing with each other (even last weekend, when three different shows opened downtown), they're competing with television. If you're a producer who plans to charge money for tickets to a musical, then it needs to be better
Stage
Last I checked Dictionary.com, a vampire was defined as a preternatural being who sucks the blood of humans or animals, and that's a scary concept for youngsters. Luckily, James and Deborah Howe's kid-lit Bunnicula is nothing of the kind. Rather, he's a nocturnal rabbit with teleportation
