Wow! I thought, “that’s so cool!” But then my friend Agastya (hmmmm . . . might it be that those with names beginning with “A” like to lead the pack? The last name of the woman who did the first Theatre Puget Sound post also began with the letter “A” . . .), posted his list. He saw 102(!) shows in 2009. And his goal in 2010? – to break his own record by trying to see at least 3 shows a week! For the month of January, he’s seen 14. At that rate, he’ll see well over 150 shows by year-end.

There used to be a guy in town named Joe Boling. He saw more live performance than anyone. He included opera and other performances on his list, but I think he averaged about 250+ performances per year and I think he hit over 300 one year. He would try to see shows every night of the week and loved nothing better than to try to catch 5 shows on Saturdays. He paid for every single ticket and wrote personal reviews for everything – all archived with Theatre Puget Sound. One year I tried to see as many shows as him and only hit about 150. I was sad when he moved out of state – theatres need more devoted audience members like Joe. But I’m delighted to see that there’s a small group of people out there trying their darndest to beat their own personal best.

How many shows did you see last year? If you saw one a month, maybe aim for 3 every two months. Or if all you were able to see was one show, why not try for 2 this year? Need suggestions? Check out the current Art Zone show or check at the Show Links section on the Art Zone website. Have fun with it and get out and see some theatre!

Enjoy!
Kathy

P.S. And in case you’re wondering – in 2009 I saw 76 shows which I thought was pretty decent until Agastya told me how many he’d seen. So I went gang-busters and saw 10 shows in January (to try to beat his 100+) only to find out he’d seen 14. I guess the nice thing about being 2nd is I have something to aspire to without feeling the pressure of having to stay #1.

So what can you see that’s still currently playing, you ask? My faves are Emma at Book-It – a sublimely sparkling stage adaptation of the classic novel by Jane Austen. Austen was such a keen observer of human behavior that even now, almost 200 years after Emma was originally published, her insight on romantic relationships in particular is still as insightful and hilariously accurate as it must have been back then. The direction and cast are superb. This is a terrific choice to bring a date, for book groups, for gal pals, for parents with teenage daughters, or groups of any age from teens to seniors.

The other fabulous show is the Seattle Repertory Theatre’s production of Opus by Michael Hollinger. An impressive cast of some of the best local actors, this taut drama is moving and often quite funny. Opus is a passionate peek into the world of professional classical musicians, but more importantly, Opus is a revealing portrait about the personal and professional relationships between people who have to work together as a team. Life is too short to squander and this play inspires one to ponder – are we truly spending our life doing what we love with those that we truly care about? And if we’re not, isn’t it time that we did?

Plus, if you’re looking for something fun to enjoy with the younger members of the family, do check out Bunnicula at SecondStory Rep and Honk at Seattle Musical Theatre!

Enjoy!
Kathy

But on to the matter at hand – it’s my fave time of year – autumn! And what makes it even better? Live Theatre Week! Taking place October 12 – 18, Live Theatre Week is a chance to find out why Seattle has the best theatre scene in the country. See free performances, catch an open rehearsal, and get a behind-the-scenes look at what an incredibly vibrant theatre community we have. Check-out the Seattle Performs site for information on how to sign up for free theatre tickets and an extensive listing of free, fun family events taking place throughout the week and beyond.

And best of all, this year, for the first time in local history, Theatre Puget Sound will be throwing a huge theatre party awards extravaganza as the grand closing finale of Live Theatre Week on Monday, October 19 at 7:30pm at Intiman Theatre. And you’re all invited. This gala event will honor outstanding achievement in acting, directing, playwriting, production as well as Theatre of the Year and Person to Watch. Visit The Gregory Awards website for a full list of nominees and information on how to attend. The Gregory A. Falls Sustained Achievement Award winner will also be honored at the event. This year’s recipient is Chris Bennion, who has dedicated over thirty-five years of his time and talents as a professional photographer to promoting and documenting theatre in the Puget Sound region. Celebrate theatre, mingle with local stage stars, enjoy hors d’oeuvres and live entertainment provided by the Love Markets. I’ll be there! Hope you will, too!

Kathy

This week I attended the one on their upcoming premier of Catch Me If You Can. Yes, based on the movie (with Leo DiCaprio & Tom Hanks) and book of the same name about the fascinating life of Frank Abagnale, Jr. who between the ages of 17 – 19 charmed his way into millions of dollars while posing as a Pan Am pilot, a pediatric doctor, and a lawyer after passing the bar at age 19. Created by the same dream team who developed the Tony-Award winning musical Hairspray, written by Tony-Award winning Terrence McNally, with costumes designed by “the” Bob Mackey and featuring an all-star line-up of male leads, I have a very strong hunch this is going to be the must-see event of the season. 5th Avenue is hoping to recreate the same magic they did with Hairspray (the musical that put Seattle on the map as THE place to develop new Broadway-bound musicals). Only playing here from July 23 – August 16, be sure to catch it if you can!

And of course, as mentioned on the show, New Century Theatre Company’s Orange Flower Water is going to get folks buzzing. Provocative, intimate and utterly human, this play about the fragility of marital relationships showcases the incredible virtuosity of this dynamic new theatre ensemble. For adults only, this darkly humorous, unflinchingly honest portrayal of two couples features some of the best acting talent in the city and will be Seattle’s first glimpse at the writing talent of Craig Wright. Get your tickets now – opening night is already sold out. Orange Flower Water plays June 24 – July 20.

Enjoy!
Kathy

This week I attended the one on their upcoming premier of Catch Me If You Can. Yes, based on the movie (with Leo DiCaprio & Tom Hanks) and book of the same name about the fascinating life of Frank Abagnale, Jr. who between the ages of 17 – 19 charmed his way into millions of dollars while posing as a Pan Am pilot, a pediatric doctor, and a lawyer after passing the bar at age 19. Created by the same dream team who developed the Tony-Award winning musical Hairspray, written by Tony-Award winning Terrence McNally, with costumes designed by “the” Bob Mackey and featuring an all-star line-up of male leads, I have a very strong hunch this is going to be the must-see event of the season. 5th Avenue is hoping to recreate the same magic they did with Hairspray (the musical that put Seattle on the map as THE place to develop new Broadway-bound musicals). Only playing here from July 23 – August 16, be sure to catch it if you can!

And of course, as mentioned on the show, New Century Theatre Company’s Orange Flower Water is going to get folks buzzing. Provocative, intimate and utterly human, this play about the fragility of marital relationships showcases the incredible virtuosity of this dynamic new theatre ensemble. For adults only, this darkly humorous, unflinchingly honest portrayal of two couples features some of the best acting talent in the city and will be Seattle’s first glimpse at the writing talent of Craig Wright. Get your tickets now – opening night is already sold out. Orange Flower Water plays June 24 – July 20.

Enjoy!
Kathy

ReAct offers the Seattle premiere of Rabbit Hole – winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Receiving rave reviews, this current production of David Lindsay-Abaire’s script explores the greatest loss that any family can bear, but does it with such tenderness and layered with much humor, that the effect is actually quite uplifting and ultimately very human. Audiences and especially anyone who is a parent are loving this play. Presented at Richard Hugo House, this production runs through May 31.

Meanwhile at Balagan Theatre Steve Martin’s delightful treatise in play form, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, explores the grand concepts of love, relationships, creativity, talent and genius as only Steve Martin can. Martin imagines what might happen if a young Picasso and a young Einstein meet in a bar in Paris. But the true genius revealed in watching the play is that of Martin himself. He explores big, big ideas but mixes in a lot of wild and crazy low-brow humor – talk about someone with a huge imagination! Picasso plays through May 30 on Capitol Hill.

Seattle Public Theater presents Bryony Lavery’s A Wedding Story through June 7 at The Bathhouse Theater. How can love ever equal our expectations of it? Sometimes it’s easier just to run the other way and that’s what Sally has always done. But as Alzheimer’s begins to rob her parents of their idyllic loving relationship and Sally meets the woman of her dreams, life and love take an unpredictable turn in this exuberantly funny and elegantly moving look at unconditional love.

Really want to see a show but don’t know if you can afford it? Check out the theatre’s website – a) lots of tickets are a lot less expensive than you might think; b) many theatres offer great deals (2 for 1′s; special discounts for those under 25, students, seniors and groups; pay-what-you-can nights; etc.); or c) often you can usher or volunteer in exchange for a free ticket.

Theatres can’t really fulfill their fullest potential unless they have an audience. Play your part. Go see some theatre.

Until next time,
Kathy

An example? I was helping to organize a community clean-up party where volunteers help pick up trash and paint out graffiti and had asked a Cornish singer/songwriter if she wouldn’t mind playing on the street corner to keep the atmosphere festive. She agreed. Random people stopped to listen and many threw some cash into her open guitar case while she played. But the donation that touched me the most was from an elderly homeless man and woman who were both carrying everything they owned in large garbage bags. They stayed and listened to every song then donated over $20. The Cornish student tried to give them their money back but they insisted she keep it. They said that it was a small token of their appreciation for her ability to “feed our souls.” They said they could spend the money on food but at the end of the day, the food would be gone, whereas the music would stay with them for a lifetime. They then shared how they had first met at a Joni Mitchell concert over thirty years ago and the memory of hearing her music live with hundreds of other people still “fed” them to this day.

So devote some time this month in experiencing art in its most palpable form – live and with the company of others.

Through May 3, INTIMAN brings Dostoyevsky’s classic Crime and Punishment off the page and onto the stage in a thrilling 90-minute adaptation. Staying true to the essence of the original novel, this stage production couldn’t be more timely. An impoverished student commits a murder. On the surface he has committed a crime. But as an inspector tries to delve into the reasons why, he and we as the audience begin to question all of our basic assumptions about morality and what is truly a crime or not. This play has created quite a buzz everywhere it’s played and with good reason. This is engrossing theatre. An added bonus? There will be post-play discussions following every performance. Plus, an open bar. Now that’s what I call a “stimulating” evening.

Between April 14 – May 9 Book-It Repertory Theatre premieres their stage version of The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears. Book-It is the master of taking great novels and turning them into great theatre. This book was one of my favorite reads last year when it was selected as the 2008 Seattle Reads book. The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears is an award-winning debut novel by Dinaw Mengestu about Sepha, an immigrant who has escaped the revolution in Ethiopia. Struggling to make a life in America, the production focuses on his friendship with Judith, a white woman who moves in next door, and her bi-racial daughter Naomi. What I absolutely love about the story is that not only is it one of the most vivid portrayals of a contemporary immigrant’s experience in America, ultimately it’s a story about friendship in all its different forms – between buddies, between neighbors, between a man and a woman, between parent and child. It’s the subtle nuances in how these relationships are navigated that make Sepha and his story so striking. And I can’t think of a more visceral way to experience the novel than to see it on stage. Again, the timeliness and universality of what is truly of value in life couldn’t resonate more than it will now. Book-It has put together a top-notch artistic team and don’t say I didn’t warn you – if you want tickets, you better get them now.

And if you’re a Woody Allen fan, Our American Theater is doing a staged reading of his slapstick farce Don’t Drink the Water at the Theatre Off Jackson in Seattle’s International District on April 20 and at ArtsWest in West Seattle on April 21. There will be post-play discussions both evenings led by local theatre luminaries John Longenbaugh (4/20) and Paul Mullin (4/21). A Broadway hit when it first premiered in 1966, this cultural comedy of errors takes place in an American embassy behind the Iron Curtain when a New Jersey family under suspicion of espionage escapes there. So if you’re looking for some wild, mad-cap humor, this reading might be the perfect escape. Admission is easy on the pocket-book, too, since it’s simply pay-what-you-can.

Other shows on my to see list: When The Messenger is Hot at Theater Schmeater, Of Mice and Men at Seattle Public Theater, Stunt Girl at Village Theatre, and Rabbit Hole with ReAct. And if you haven’t seen Merchant of Venice at Seattle Shakespeare, go before it closes this weekend.

When the times get tough, it’s time to see some theatre!
Kathy

Well, I just had an incredible experience. I went out to grab a sandwich at Bakesmans, a lunch-only Monday thru Friday joint located between 1st and 2nd on Cherry in downtown Seattle. (Bakesmans is known for their fresh, made-to-order turkey sandwiches, however, much like that Seinfeld “Soup Nazi” episode, be prepared and don’t dawdle when placing your order. I’m not kidding).

Anyway, I ordered my dark meat with mayo, cranberry and lettuce on whole wheat, and was ready to pay, when I saw that I only had 3 one-dollar bills and, even though I knew the answer was “no”, I asked anyway, “Do you, by chance, take credit cards?” Before the cashier could respond, the woman in front of me whipped around and handed me a ten-dollar bill. “Have a nice lunch!” she said with a perky smile, then picked up her sandwich and took off. The cashier asked if I knew her-no, I did not-then said that the sandwich was only $4.90 and she should at least get her change I grabbed the five bucks and my sandwich, yelled thanks over my shoulder, and sprinted out the door, catching her half-way down the block.

Now, truth be told, I’ve paid for strangers meals in the past, but it’s never happened to me, and the experience was both shocking and delightful. I highly recommend you try it, and it doesn’t have to be a big deal. It can be as simple as buying coffee for the person in line behind you. They don’t even have to know you did it.

And speaking of edible’s… this coming Saturday, April 4th, I’m one of the judges for the “Edible Book Festival“, happening at The Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Avenue North, starting at 1:00 pm. It’s a funny literary event that involves eating-lots of it! Come by if you can.

And now for some Art Zone business:

We’re back this Thursday, April 2nd, at 8:00 pm with a great mix of stuff… Our featured art is from the excellent Troy Gua …we’ve got cool music from Scarlet Room … Kathy Hsieh brings us the latest on the local theatre scene… and we remember the wonderful Lynne Saad, who died on March 23rd after a 2-year struggle with cancer. Lynne was a tremendous person, loved by many people, as well as a very talented artist. You can see her work on-line through Catherine Person Gallery.

Enjoy these early days of spring,
Xo, nancy g.