Recently in Seattle Category

Saturday night I went to see the 8pm show of the first weekend of 14/48. This was my first time, so I didn't know quite what to expect. What I did know was that Kathryn Van Meter would be directing one of the plays, and Jon Lutyens would be performing in one of the plays!

14/48 is the world's quickest theater festival. By that they mean they write, cast, direct and perform 14 plays in 48 hours. Which breaks down to 7 plays in 24 hours. Oh, and there's a totally cool band. 14/48 is produced by Three-Card Monty and One World Theatre.

The theme for the seven plays I saw Saturday night was "Pop Goes The Weasel". This theme was picked at random from audience suggestions on Friday night around 9:30pm. Then the seven writers scurried off to write the seven plays, and the next day they were rehearsed and then performed with costumes and props for us at 8pm, and again at 10:30pm.

It was a blast! 14/48 was held at Theatre Off Jackson and the place was packed. The plays were varied in style and in how they interpreted the theme, but they were all great. Kathryn directed "A Cock and a Carnation", and Jon performed in "And Nothing Too". Too much fun!

Next weekend will be all new directors and actors and themes. Get your tickets for next weekend now!

Here's one for your "Must See" list -- SIDE SHOW at ArtsWest in West Seattle!

I went to opening night on Wednesday and LOVED it!

I didn't know too much about SIDESHOW before last night (other than the fact that Emily Skinner and Alice Ripley starred in it on the Broadway) so I was excited to see the show itself, in addition to seeing my daughter Myrna in the show.

SIDESHOW (book and lyrics by Bill Russell, music by Henry Krieger) is directed by Christopher Zinovitch and choreographed and musical directed by Troy Wageman. SIDESHOW is a musical about Daisy and Violet Hilton, conjoined Twins who make a change from being a circus act to becoming famous stage performers in the 1930s.

This show is awesome. From the opening number "Come Look at The Freaks" I was hooked. The direction and choreography are compelling, the costumes are awesome and the actors are totally invested in this show. Great singing, great dancing and great violin playing (courtesy of Myrna)!

Last night I sat "on stage" and it was a really cool experience seeing the show from a different perspective.

That's Myrna in the blonde wig and fat suit playing Dolly Dimples!

Get your tickets now. There are only five more shows left!

There are times when you think, "gee, does it get any better than this?". Yesterday was one of those moments. Just minutes away with free parking, Luther Burbank Park on Mercer Island was our destination on a glorious sunny summer Sunday afternoon. The temperature was perfect -- not too hot, not too cold. We carried our amazing chairs on our backs (I say amazing because I get non-stop compliments on them, whether at swim meets or at free Shakespeare in the park) to the Luther Burbank Amphitheatre to see a FREE production of Seattle Shakespeare Company Wooden O's OTHELLO. As we settled into our chairs, perfectly shaded from the sun and surrounded by gorgeous greenery, the show began. Sigh.

I find it a little odd that the older I get, the easier it is for me to understand Shakespeare. Consequently, the more I enjoy it. I remember in high school it was like seeing a show in another language without subtitles. But sitting there yesterday, watching the show, I forgot I was watching "Shakespeare". I laughed, I was on the edge of my exceedingly comfortable seat, and I followed the story like I would any contemporary play. Maybe because the acting and directing were so darn good! No really, the cast was superb, the pace was quick. I understand they cut these plays down to 90 minutes for these park presentations -- it is probably a good idea to avoid an intermission in this setting. The whole cast was fabulous, and my favorite characters were Iago (George Mount), Roderigo (CT Doescher), and Emilia (Heather Hawkins).

Next up, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. Maybe I'll bring some munchies and have a little picnic.

Go see some some fabulous theatre now. In a park. For free.

My husband and I saw THE CIDER HOUSE RULES yesterday (which just happened to be our 23rd wedding anniversary) at The Book-it Repertory Theatre at the Seattle Center.

THE CIDER HOUSE RULES is being presented in two parts, Part One: Here in St. Clouds (just closed) and Part Two: In Other Parts Of The World (running September 15 - October 16). This was my first Book-it show, and I have to confess I never "got" that Book-it Theatre was about presenting theatrical adaptations of full-length novels. Not even after reading the tagline "Celebrating 20 years of Novel Theatre", or noticing that their flyers are shaped like bookmarks...(and the "duh" award goes to...).

Now I know :)

This was an absolutely astonishing production. Despite it running about three hours with 2 intermissions, it seemed to fly by, and I wanted it to keep going when it ended! I loved how the narration and the scenes were seamlessly integrated.

THE CIDER HOUSE RULES was adapted by Peter Parnell from the novel by John Irving, was directed by Jane Jones (based on the original direction by Tom Hulce and Jane Jones) and was conceived for the stage by Tom Hulce, Jane Jones and Peter Parnell.

The story telling was so beautifully done, so moving, so funny and so easy to follow (which is not always the case for me and a John Irving novel!). The whole cast was amazing. Peter Crook was magnificent as Dr. Wilbur Larch and shout out to the fabulously talented Jon Lutyens who played Fuzzy Stone, Jennings, MaryAgnes and musician (I had a perfect seat to watch Jon play the piano behind the scenes!).

Here's the scoop on THE CIDER HOUSE RULES PART TWO: IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD from the website:

September 15 – October 16, 2010 performed in the Center House Theatre

Irving’s Cider House is truly a signature piece for Book-It; Part Two completes the epic story that closed the company’s 2009-2010 20th Anniversary season. Leaving St. Cloud’s to experience the world beyond the orphanage and Dr. Larch, our Dickensian hero Homer Wells discovers that life’s joys and sorrows are neither black nor white, but infinite shades of gray.

Missed The Cider House Rules Part One this summer? Or just want a refresh before seeing Part Two -- Join us for one of these nine special reprise performances of Part One during the run of Part Two: In other Parts of the World. Part One will play again September 29, Oct 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 12, 14, and 16.

As I continue to work on rewriting PLANE CRAZY, I tend to muse about all things PLANE CRAZY not specifically related to the script. (I believe that is also known as "procrastination").

What would be a super cool venue for PLANE CRAZY? Aside from "the Broadway" of course. Well, wouldn't it be a kick to stage it at Boeing Field, perhaps in Seattle's Museum of Flight? Or maybe up in Everett at The Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour...there are huge half-built planes that would be perfect for those airplane scenes! Of course getting to your seat would require a one-third mile walk, 21 steep stairs and an an elevator ride.

And what about PLANE CRAZY merchandise...oh wait, you can buy that here.

Or a PLANE CRAZY board game? Sort of a "Careers " meets "Wide World" meets "Mystery Date"...

Maybe I should get back to work...

New York, New York! It's a helluva walk-on!

After my successful appearance on the 5th Avenue Theatre stage last year in HELLO DOLLY, I was asked back to appear in ON THE TOWN.

Well, okay, I wasn't exactly "asked back"...

Grad and I successfully bid on a dual walk-on role at last year's Gala at the 5th Avenue. We even snagged the closing show! I had a blast last year, but sharing the spotlight with my husband was even more fun. Although, I did have to share my dressing room with him...

We received the usual top notch star treatment - photos at the stage door, photos by the show bricks, big gold stars on our dressing room doors, a goody bag, flowers, chocolate, posing with the stars of the show...you know, my usual treatment.

I wore a fabulous kelly green (emerald green?) forties dress, gloves, hat, and my very own character shoes. Grad looked very cute in his forties suit and fedora. Then it was off to tech talk on stage. Boy ON THE TOWN is tech-intensive! And don't even get me started on the huge dinosaur hanging from the ceiling. We even got our picture taken in front of the cave man statue! Cast member Gabriel Corey gave us the run down on our scene - we were going to be part of the museum tour with Rich Gray as museum curator (in one of his many wigs!). Then as the show started it was off to hair and make up! I got to wear a red wig this time! And Grad got the old Brylcreem treatment. We watched a bit of the show backstage and then it was showtime!

We walked on and followed Rich, looking at all the amazing museum sights! We even laughed at Rich's jokes on cue! As we appeared on stage I could hear the chuckling from the audience in Row M, where my daughters Myrna and Trinity sat with their friends.

Much too soon it was over. Back to reality and the show! We got to watch the rest of the performance and meet up with everyone at intermission.

I hadn't seen the show since opening night and it was a magical performance! What a talented, funny company. I had actually just been reading about World War II that morning before the show (coincidentally), so I was watching it with new eyes! I got chills when they sang "We'll catch up some other time".

Thanks to everyone at the 5th Avenue Theatre for a thrilling afternoon!

ON THE TOWN was another fabulous production by the 5th Avenue Theatre!

Let the Leonard Bernstein festival continue with the final show of the season, CANDIDE!

Last night I went to see the play EASTERN STANDARD by Richard Greenberg at the Seattle Center House Theatre Black Box space. In case you didn't know, Richard Greenberg won a Tony for his play TAKE ME OUT. EASTERN STANDARD is a member project of The Sandbox Artists Collective, a part of the Lab at Freehold. Directed by Kathryn Van Meter, EASTERN STANDARD stars Nick Garrison, CT Doescher, Ashley FitzSimmons, Gretchen Krich, Alexandra Tavares and Jadd Davis.

EASTERN STANDARD takes place in 1987 in the bustling metropolis of New York City. In a trendy Manhattan restaurant, Stephen (CT Doescher*), a very successful architect, is having lunch with his best friend, Drew (Nick Garrison*), a rising avant-garde artist. At an adjacent table sits the unrequited object of Stephen's affection, Phoebe (Alexandra Tavares*), who is herself a shrewd and successful stock broker. As they watch Phoebe, her television executive brother Peter (Jadd Davis*) joins her, bringing with him some disturbing news. After several raucous episodes involving a schizophrenic bag lady, May (Gretchen Krich*) and a long-suffering actress/waitress, Ellen (Ashley FitzSimmons) the four characters meet and strike up an unlikely friendship.

A month later, all six assemble at Stephen's beach house, determined to get away from the craziness of the city and make some sense out of their relationships and careers. Inevitably, this leads to a series of very funny yet compelling incidents in which various relationships, non-relationships, mistaken motives, and often shaky alliances are cleverly set forth and examined.

I thoroughly enjoyed this production - funny and moving, brilliantly directed and beautifully acted! And shout out to Orlando Morales for the sound design!

Here's the note from the Producers that was in the program:

We all know theatre is a wonderful, and competitive, business. In an economic recession, even more so; survival of theatres becomes more and more dependent on smaller casts and co-productions. Work can be scarce. The questions arises: is it possible for us as theatre artists, between the last job and the next one, to have a place where we can work on a full process, where we can set new creative goals and then rehearse challenging material -- not just for a day or two, for a reading; but for several weeks, culminating in few workshop performances -- allowing us to continue clarifying and expanding how we work?

Financially, the answer can feel like "no": rehearsal space, performance space, props, design elements, advertising, even photocopying -- the debits can add up so quickly that the seedling barely sprouts out of the ground. But if we truly commit to some simple basics of theatre -- live performance, conflict, risk -- maybe we can figure out how to keep creating on a (relative) shoestring. We're glad to be here. And we thank you for coming.

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Remaining performances:

SUN May 2 7:30pm
MON May 3 7:30pm
TUE May 4 7:30pm

at the Center House Theatre Black Box space, which shares a lobby with the Center House Theatre (where Seattle Shakespeare Company and Book-It Repertory Theatre perform) on the first floor of Center House in Seattle Center. Donations suggested! You can reserve tickets here. Walk-ins welcome!

And they sell Top Pot donuts at intermission!

Don't miss it!

Clang, clang, clang went the Trolley!

Last night I had my walk-on role in Village Theatre's production of MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS. Last May when I bid and won the walk-on role at the Village Theatre Gala, the show seemed so far away. Suddenly it was November and time for me to face the music.

A couple of weeks ago I went for a costume fitting and wig fitting. I was to be dressed in a beautiful coral and creme dress, big hair, big hat and lace up boots.

The wonderful and talented Bobbi Kotula was my contact throughout all this organizing dates, fittings etc. Paulette Buse, the stage manager, was my backstage contact and the one who scheduled my "put in rehearsal" for 6:30pm last night. Louise Kincaid was my "wrangler".

I arrived at 6:30 pm thinking I would just be shown when to walk across the stage and wave. Never assume anything!

Steve Tomkins welcomed me with a warm handshake and went about fitting me into the finale. The entire finale. I even had choreography and music to sing! Luckily I'm very well aquainted with both The Trolley Song, and Meet Me In St. Louis, and generally never need much convincing when asked to sing.

I enter with the cast on the trolley, sitting smack in the middle and singing my little heart out! "The day was bright, the air was sweet..." etc. Then I get escorted off the trolley and back to chat with Henry Nettleton and Bill Williams, also in the cast. Then it's back on the trolley, holding on for dear life as it goes off stage. Then grab an ice cream and run on with Bobbi to look at the World's Fair and see the fireworks and sing the last line - "So won't you Meet Me In St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair!"

I even got to take a bow with the female ensemble members! And then with the rest of the company! Woot Woot!

I was able to watch Act 1 in the audience with my family and then I went backstage at intermission to get dressed, and get my wig on. I had my own little space in the women's dressing room. Waiting for me was a beautiful bouquet of flowers. I got dressed and chatted with everybody and waited for the finale.

My performance went off without a hitch! I even got to watch some scenes in Act 2 from the wings with Bobbi. After the show they took picture of everyone in the cast, and moi, on the trolley. Then off to meet my fans (my family) backstage. Rave reviews all round!

Then the clock struck midnight and my carriage once again turned into a pumpkin. Back to life "behind the scenes" as a writer!

MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS is a fabulous show (even when I'm not in it) and the cast is wonderful. Go get your tickets now!

I went to see the first preview of EQUIVOCATION at the Seattle Rep last week, (thanks Kathryn!). I loved it!

EQUIVOCATION, written by Bill Cain and directed by Bill Rauch, had its world premiere at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival and will be running at The Seattle Repertory Theatre until December 13.

The Seattle Rep has put together a fabulous "know before you go" pamphlet also available on line which gives you some background on the plot, the times, historical figures and the plots of MACBETH and KING LEAR in 30 seconds:

What's EQUIVOCATION about?

It's London, 1605. William Shakespeare (in the play spelled Shagspeare, or Shag) has just been made an offer he can't refuse: King James I wants him to write a play about the recently foiled Gunpowder Plot. Shagspeare is leery: it's dangerous for playwrights to write about current events. Robert Cecil, the king's ruthless chief advisor, gives Shag the sanitized version of events, telling him to just add some dialogue -- and witches. The king wants witches. The rest of Equivocation is about Shagspeare's struggle to write a play that will please -- or at least not offend -- the king.

EQUIVOCATION stars Anthony Heald as Shag, Richard Elmore as Richard, Jonathan Haugen as Nate, John Tufts as Sharpe, Gregory Linington as Armin and Christine Albright as Judith, Shag's daughter. They are a brilliant.

The actors play different roles in the play, as well as characters in the play within the play. But fear not, Bill Cain's writing is so clear that the intricacies of the play flow seamlessly. Bill Cain's contemporary writing is brilliantly woven with threads of KING LEAR and MACBETH. And EQUIVOCATION manages to be incredibly humorous, despite the hanging, drawing and quartering.

Despite EQUIVOCATION clocking in at 2 hours and 55 minutes, I'm not equivocating when I say I want to go see this play again!

Monday October 26 I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet both Stephen Sondheim and Frank Rich.

I attended STEPHEN SONDHEIM A LIFE IN THE THEATER, AN ONSTAGE CONVERSATION WITH FRANK RICH at Benaroya Hall.

We (of course this night was a Conn family event) started the evening off at a 6:30pm reception in the Founder's Room hosted by David Armstrong, Producing Artistic Director, The 5th Avenue Theatre, and Dennis Coleman, Artistic Director, Seattle Men's Chorus /Seattle Women's Chorus. Delicious food, yummy wine, and what a beautiful room!

We were there not just for the wine and food, but to meet Stephen Sondheim and Frank Rich! So as soon as Stephen entered the room, the Conn family made a beeline for him! Wow, what a friendly, gracious and talkative man! We introduced ourselves, told him what huge fans we were, told him that INTO THE WOODS is Trinity's favorite show, and that Myrna was The Baker's Wife in INTO THE WOODS at Village Theatre Kidstage. Stephen congratulated Myrna on nabbing "the best role" in the show. He asked about the production - what was the orchestration, how much rehearsal time etc. I was then able to inform Mr. Sondheim that the girl who had played Little Red in that same show (Keaton Whittaker) was going to be in the Broadway production of A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC. This was news to him, since he had left New York just days before the role was cast! So, I was able to tell Stephen Sondheim something he didn't already know. My husband went on to tell Stephen how much he loved COMPANY.

My husband and I had a fun, but brief, talk with Frank Rich, and he seemed genuinely pleased that we had both read and enjoyed his memoir Ghostlight