Author: Ciara Caya

“Beetlejuice” at The Paramount Brings a Fresh Spin on a Cult Classic

Beetlejuice, playing now through April 7 at Broadway at The Paramount, is a rollercoaster of laughter, surprise, and visual splendor that offers a fresh take on the beloved cult classic. While the music may not fully embody the eerie essence of the original film, the production compensates with uproarious humor that keeps the audience engaged throughout.

One of the standout performances comes from Isabella Esler, who dazzles as Lydia, marking her professional debut straight out of high school. Esler’s portrayal is nothing short of a powerhouse, capturing Lydia’s complex emotions with depth and humor. She effortlessly commands the stage, delivering some of the show’s most poignant moments and comedic punchlines with equal finesse.

Justin Collette’s rendition of Beetlejuice is a delightful concoction, blending elements of Charlie Day and Michael Keaton while infusing the character with his own unique charm. Collette’s charismatic portrayal ensures that Beetlejuice remains the mischievous and unpredictable force that fans adore, contributing to the infectious energy that permeates the production.

The creative team behind the scenic and projection design, led by David Korins and Peter Nigrini respectively, deserves commendation for their remarkable work. The intricately crafted sets and mesmerizing projections create a visually stunning backdrop that enhances the storytelling and keeps the audience captivated from start to finish. Their combined efforts result in a feast for the eyes, adding an extra layer of depth to the immersive theatrical experience.

Lydia stands in front of the etherverse background singing.
Isabella Esler (Lydia). PHOTO BY MATTHEW MURPHY

While the story undergoes slight modifications from its cinematic counterpart, these alterations only serve to breathe new life into the narrative, offering audiences a fresh perspective on familiar characters and plotlines. The revised storyline enables viewers to rediscover the magic of Beetlejuice in a way that feels both nostalgic and innovative.

Despite the music occasionally falling short of capturing the spooky charm of the original material, the production more than compensates with its infectious humor and stellar performances. From start to finish, Beetlejuice at The Paramount delivers a thrilling ride filled with laughter, spectacle, and unforgettable moments that will leave audiences clamoring for more.

The Broadway touring production of Beetlejuice is playing now through April 7 at The Paramount Theatre. Tickets are available online.

Seattle Opera Announces 2024/25 Season

Discover Seattle Opera in a whole new light during the 2024/25 season. Immerse yourself in tales of heartbreak, resilience, romance, and grand drama with five renowned operas gracing the mainstage, complemented by numerous extra performances and educational classes.

This season introduces fresh subscription choices, making it more convenient than ever to delve into a realm of music, drama, and compelling narratives. Subscribers enjoy exclusive perks such as seamless ticket exchanges, flexible cancellations, a one-time seating upgrade, additional ticket discounts, and more. Check out more on the full season.

Pagliacci

August 3–17, 2024

When a commedia dell’arte troupe arrives in a small Italian village, they are greeted by cheers of welcome. Comedy turns to tragedy when jealousy rages, lovers are revealed, and the curtain comes down on murder. Set in 1930s Italy, our “visually arresting” (The Independent) production features artful sets and traditional commedia dell’arte costumes. 

Jubilee

October 12–25, 2024

Set soon after Emancipation and the end of the Civil War, follow the historic Fisk Jubilee Singers on their first tours, raising funds for the fledgling Fisk University and spreading their music around the world. This world premiere opera by renowned writer and director Tazewell Thompson (Blue ’22) features an ensemble of 13 singers performing over 40 spirituals, including “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” “Wade in the Water,” and many more.

Les Troyens in Concert

January 17 & 19, 2025

Following last season’s celebrated Samson and Delilah in Concert, join us for an abridged version of Hector Berlioz’s epic in a concert version featuring full orchestra and chorus. We are excited to welcome back mezzo-soprano and Tacoma native J’Nai Bridges (Samson and Delilah in Concert ’23) as Dido, the Queen of Carthage, and Russell Thomas (Nabucco ’15), “a tenor of gorgeously burnished power” (The New York Times), as Aeneas.

The Magic Flute

February 22–March 9, 2025

Featuring seamless interaction between onstage performers and eye-popping hand-drawn animated visuals, experience a striking new-to-Seattle production of a beloved audience favorite. Inspired by silent movies, Barrie Kosky’s colorful and energetic production comes to Seattle after receiving standing ovations at opera houses around the world.

Tosca

May 3–17, 2025

Giacomo Puccini’s melodrama returns to the McCaw Hall stage in a fan favorite classic production! “Vocally perfect” (Broadway World) soprano Vanessa Goikoetxea (Alcina ’23) and “gleaming soprano” (Opera Warhorses) Lianna Haroutounian (Madame Butterfly ’17) return to McCaw Hall as the fiery prima donna Floria Tosca. As Cavaradossi, “warm, rich tenor” (Bachtrack) Rame Lahaj alternates with “ardent tenor and an impassioned actor” (The Seattle Times) Yonghoon Lee (Samson and Delilah in Concert ’23) who returns to Seattle after his debut last season.

Keep the Joy Going After the Holidays with These Inclusive Performances in the Bay Area

Get the New Year started right with performances for all!

We’ve rounded up three different play performances in the Bay Area that are open captioned, closed captioned, and audio described. Winter can be a bit of a drag after all the holiday cheer has evaporated—these shows will ensure you keep the good times rolling.

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo

Cal Performances

For lovers of live performance, there is a deeply satisfying combination of delights that the Trocks deliver better than almost anyone else: exquisite technique and elegant styling, deftly delivered with a hilarious punchline. Celebrating its landmark 50th anniversary season, the all-male drag ballet company is adored for affectionately skewering the old warhorses of classical dance and inviting audiences to rediscover both obscure and beloved scenes from classic repertoire. The Trocks were groundbreaking at their founding in 1974, and their irreverent, deeply informed romps through the glories and excesses of the dance world continue to offer laughs for aficionados and novices alike. “This is a company that brings its audiences pure joy” (The Seattle Times).

Live Audio Description: January 27 at 8 p.m.

Just for Us

Berkeley Rep

Expertly crafted by one of comedy’s most distinctive voices, this singular theatrical experience is an exploration of identity and our collective capacity for empathy — and it’s also “belly-laugh funny!” (The New York Times). In the wake of a string of anti-Semitic threats pointed in his direction online, standup comic Edelman decides to go straight to the source; specifically, Queens, where he covertly attends a meeting of White Nationalists and comes face-to-face with the people behind the keyboards. What happens next forms the backbone of the shockingly relevant, utterly hilarious, and only moderately perspirant stories that comprise Just for Us.

Closed Captioning: select performances

Big Data

American Conservatory Theater

Sam loves Timmy, and Lucy loves Max, but the pressures of modern life leave them anxious, lonely, and susceptible to the siren song of tech. Do our devices—tantalizingly incarnate in this funny, sexy, uncanny world premiere—really know us best? Are our digital footprints predictive of our future choices, or are they choosing for us? When Sam and Lucy’s parents make a shocking announcement, the family is forced to confront what’s distracted them from each other—and the legacy they’ll leave behind. A.C.T.’s Artistic Director Pam MacKinnon and playwright Kate Attwell reunite to realize this revolutionary piece, inspired by Attwell’s experience touring Mozilla’s “Glass Room” pop-up interactive exhibit in San Francisco. Come explore questions of attention, connection, nourishment, and the dizzying possibilities of AI.

Open Captioned: March 2 at 2 p.m.

Inclusive Festivities for All: Enjoy Seattle’s Accessible Performances this Holiday Season

The holidays are a chance for all to gather with family and friends to celebrate a season of charity, joy, and love.

We’ve rounded up three different play performances in Seattle that are ASL interpreted, open captioned, audio described, and sensory inclusive. With Christmas just around the corner, there is still time to have a festive night (or afternoon) out with your loved ones no matter the accessibility needs.

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas

The 5th Avenue Theatre

Based on the beloved, timeless film, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas comes just in time for the holiday season. After World War II, two veterans, Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, begin a successful song and dance act, following two singing sisters to their Christmas gig at a Vermont resort lodge. With classic standards such as the titular hit, “Sisters,” “Snow,” “Blue Skies,” and “I Love a Piano,” White Christmas is a stirring and delightful musical that stands the test of time.

ASL Interpreted / Open Captioned / Sensory Inclusive: December 21 at 1: 30 p.m.

Black Nativity

Intiman Theatre

Langston Hughes’ Gospel Song-Play returns to Seattle with an all-new, reimagined production! Celebrate the Christmas story with actors, dancers, soaring vocalists, a rousing city-wide gospel choir, and the chance to sing-along. A stirring and joyful holiday experience for families of all backgrounds and beliefs.

ASL Interpreted: December 23 at 2 p.m.

A Very Electric Christmas

Seattle Children’s Theatre

Enjoy a cutting-edge light show with puppetry, story, and dance! This electrified tale follows the journey of a young bird named Max and his family as they embark on their migration south for the winter. When a gust of wind blows Max off course, he finds himself in a wondrous and unfamiliar world at the North Pole.

Audio Described: December 23 at 4:30 p.m.

The Grand Kyiv Ballet’s “Snow White” is a Performance Filled with Joy for Every Generation

The Grand Kyiv Ballet in partnership with Seattle Theatre Group presents Snow White and the Seven Dwarves now through December 23 at The Paramount Theatre. All proceeds from this event will be directed towards the renovation efforts of the Kiev State Choreographic College in Kiev.

Snow White is a story that has been adapted many times over in every sort of medium imaginable. One of the most enduring adaptations would be Disney’s animated film. While the Grand Kyiv Ballet’s version adopts many elements from the beloved cartoon, the score by Polish composer Bogdan Pavlovsky adds a brand-new quality to the story.

When the Prince and Snow White dance together for the first time, the somewhat muddled first piece is forgotten, and you see two partners that truly know each other as only longtime partners can. Snow White, performed by Kateryna Kukhar, and the Prince, danced by Oleksandr Stoianov, are both prima ballet dancers of the National Opera of Ukraine and are partners on stage as well as off. What gives this fantastical tale of love at first sight and poisoned apples a draught of reality, is the story behind Kukhar and Stoianov. When the war erupted in Ukraine, both dancers were in other countries. They were able to evacuate their two children from Ukraine and now call Seattle their temporary home.

When the Evil Queen performs her first solo, you see the dueling aspects of her character—a soft yearning to be loved and admired, as well as a dangerous and jealous adversary. The score and lighting of this piece highlight the Queen’s menacing nature and creates a memorable antagonist. In the Queen’s entourage are two young dancers, playing her minions. Seeing children on stage brings an even more exciting quality for the young ones in the audience.

The ballet truly hits its stride when the seven dwarves are introduced. It is with their playfulness and silliness that the audience seemed to truly begin to connect with the show through laughter, cheering, and even joining the orchestra with clapping along to the music.

When I walked into the lobby during intermission, I was pleased to see children all around, some even dressed as the titular character, as well as families posing in front of the beautiful Christmas trees. The short acts and the colorful sets, costumes, and characters, make Snow White a wonderful alternative to The Nutcracker. While it may not be Holiday themed, it is family friendly and you cannot do better during the season of giving than supporting an artistic institution and artists in a war-torn country.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is presented at The Paramount Theatre now through December 23 at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. The running time is an hour and 35 minutes with a 20-minute intermission. Tickets for all performances are now available online.  

Seattle Rep Celebrates Their 60th Birthday Next Week With Special Events

Cheers to 60 years: Seattle Rep is turning 60 and they are celebrating their diamond birthday with you! Join Seattle Rep at the theatre the week of November 13, 2023 for a variety of events as they celebrate the 60th anniversary of their first production, King Lear.

November 15, 2023
Pre- and Post-Show Celebration

Open to all ticketed attendees for the November 15 at 7:30 p.m. Opening Night performance of Little Women. Events will take place in Seattle Rep’s lobby. No RSVP to celebratory events needed.

Subscribers are invited to contact the Patron Services Office at 206.443.2222 to exchange your subscription tickets into this performance or to purchase additional tickets.

Schedule of Events:

6:30 p.m. | Lobby Festivities Begin

  • Enjoy complimentary fresh-shucked oysters from Taylor Shellfish
  • Happy-hour drink specials, including our Diamond Fizz 60th Birthday specialty cocktail, plus a selection of savory food items and sweet treats from Alki Bakery, all available for purchase
  • Check out the Art Walk Reception for artist eileen jimenez’s exhibition, Nuestros Saberes

7:30 p.m. | Opening Night performance of Little Women 

Post-Show | Raise your glass in a complimentary bubbly birthday toast with dessert provided by Cupcake Royale 

Looking for info on the pre-show supporter dinner? Learn more here.

November 18, 2023
Seattle Rep: Past & Future – Performances & Panel

Open to the public, free ticket reservation required. Events to take place in Seattle Rep’s PONCHO Forum beginning at 4:30 p.m.

Join Seattle Rep for a performance and panel discussion celebrating the 60th birthday! Teen actors from youth programs will present short monologues drawing on the past six decades. Then Artistic Director Dámaso Rodríguez and a panel of local artists will share their visions for Seattle Rep and the next 60 years of American theater.

Reserve your free tickets now. Space is limited!
RESERVE

All Week Long

Keep an eye on Seattle Rep’s social media channels and Inside Seattle Rep to explore blog posts reminiscing on our past 60 years, exploring their history of both new and classic works, community engagement programming, and expert artisanry.

Berkeley Rep Announces a New Event: Alex Edelman’s “Just for Us”

Berkeley Repertory Theatre announces a new show on stage this winter.

After receiving rave reviews on Broadway and in San Francisco, the distinguished OBIE Award recipient, Alex Edelman, is set to grace Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s Peet’s Theatre with his acclaimed solo performance titled Just for Us. Under the skillful direction of Adam Brace (known for Liz Kingsman’s One Woman Show and Leo Reich’s Literally Who Cares?!), this limited engagement promises a captivating experience. Mark your calendars, as Just for Us is scheduled to kick off on Tuesday, January 9, and continue its captivating run until Sunday, January 21, 2024.

“There has never been a better or more important time to be in the presence of Alex Edelman,” said Berkeley Rep Artistic Director Johanna Pfaelzer. “His brilliantly clear-eyed, deeply personal examination of contemporary anti-Semitism somehow manages to be both edifying and hilarious.  It takes a rare talent to walk that tightrope, and he does it with panache.”

Expertly crafted by one of comedy’s most distinctive voices, this singular theatrical experience is an exploration of identity and our collective capacity for empathy. In the wake of a string of anti-Semitic threats pointed in his direction online, standup comic Edelman decides to go straight to the source; specifically, Queens, where he covertly attends a meeting of White Nationalists and comes face-to-face with the people behind the keyboards. What happens next forms the backbone of the shockingly relevant, utterly hilarious, and only moderately perspirant stories that comprise JUST FOR US.

ACT Theatre Announces the Cast and Creative Team for “A Christmas Carol”

ACT Contemporary Theatre has unveiled the cast and creative crew for their 48th rendition of the cherished holiday tale, A Christmas Carol.

Originally adapted for the stage back in 1976 by the founder of ACT, Gregory Falls, this year’s production will feature the talented Seattle actor, Darragh Kennan, taking on the iconic role of Ebenezer Scrooge. Guiding this perennial holiday tradition is R. Hamilton Wright, a familiar face in ACT and Seattle theatre, while the choreography is skillfully orchestrated by the renowned Donald Byrd, the Artistic Director of Spectrum Dance Company. The timeless enchantment of Charles Dickens’ work will come to life at ACT’s Allen Theatre from November 24 to December 24.

“Over the last 20 years I have played Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol many times, and this is my fourth time directing it,” said Director R. Hamilton Wright. “Each time I come back to it I experience a revelation—something new, something unexpected, something that had never occurred to me. It’s amazing. A little like magic.”

New to 2023, ACT Contemporary Theatre is presenting a sensory-friendly performance of A Christmas Carol. In partnership with Sensory Access, the December 10 performance will be adapted with key sensory-friendly changes to create a calm and welcoming environment.

About the Cast

A Christmas Carol features Darragh Kennan (ACT: Oslo; Romeo & Juliet) in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge; Jon Lutyens (ACT: Mary Stuart) as Bob Cratchit; Josephine Keefe (Spokane Civic: The Humans) as Mrs. Cratchit; Ray Tagavilla (ACT: Sweat) as Marley; Mandy Rose Nichols (Reboot Theatre: Sweeney Todd) as Spirit 1; Arlando Smith (ACT: Choir Boy; Sweat) as Spirit 2; Anne Allgood (ACT: Mary Stuart; The Crucible) as Mrs. Fezziwig; Rob Burgess (ACT: A Christmas Carol) as Mr. Fezziwig; Rio Alberto (Spokane Ensemble Theater: Hedwig and the Angry Inch) as Fred; Hazel Rose Gibson (Seattle Public Theater: Pipeline) as Belle and Niece; Morgan Gwilym Tso (ACT Theatre: Wolf Play) as Middle Scrooge; Evangeline OpongParry (Seattle Children’s Theatre: Corduroy) as Belinda Cratchit; Molly Aidlin (ACT: A Christmas Carol) as Elizabeth Cratchit; Leif Coomer as Street Urchin; Micah Hutchinson as Charles Cratchit; Isaiah Hyde as Peter and Young Scrooge; Liam Kuriatnyk as Tiny Tim; and Anneliese Ulmer-Schultz as Marth and Miss Fezziwig.

Understudies include Calder Jameson Schilling, Jennifer Ewing, and Shawn Belyea.

About The Creative Team

The creative team features R. Hamilton Wright (Director); Donald Byrd (Choreographer); R.J. Tancioco (Music Director); Alyssa Keene (Dialect Coach); Shelley Schermer (Scenic Design); Deb Trout (Costume Design); Andrew D. Smith (Lighting Design); and Brendan Patrick Hogan (Sound Design).

About R. Hamilton Wright (Director)

R. Hamilton Wright has appeared in over fifty productions at ACT Theatre, the first being Sam Shepard’s Buried Child in 1981 directed by Robert Loper and the latest being Reginald André Jackson’s History of Theatre in 2023 directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton. His original play Sherlock Holmes and The Vanishing Thimble premiered last spring at Vertigo Theatre in Calgary.

About Donald Byrd (Choreographer)

Donald Byrd is a Tony-nominated (The Color Purple) and Bessie Award-winning (The Minstrel Show) choreographer. He has been the Artistic Director of Spectrum Dance Theater in Seattle since December 2002. Formerly, he was Artistic Director of Donald Byrd/The Group, a critically acclaimed contemporary dance company, founded in Los Angeles and later based in New York that toured both nationally and internationally. He has created dance works for many leading companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Pacific Northwest Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, and Dance Theater of Harlem, among others, and worked extensively in theater and opera.

Seattle Rep Runs a Period Donation Drive During “Little Women”

Seattle Rep will be accepting donations of sanitary products for women in need. The drive will run while Little Women plays on stage, November 10 to December 17. All donations from the drive will go to the YWCA Working Wardrobe for Women.

Almost half of Americans face challenges when it comes to affording sanitary pads and tampons, a situation known as “Period Poverty.” @SeattleT2P2, a nonprofit organization, is dedicated to collecting sanitary pads and tampons for individuals experiencing homelessness, those with limited financial means, and students. These essential period products come with a high price tag, and if we aim for a fairer and more just society, we must ensure their accessibility for all. These items are often overlooked when it comes to donations, but they are incredibly needed. Let’s make a difference together!

Requested Donation Items
  • Boxes of tampons and menstrual pads (all absorbance levels)
  • Panty liners
  • Wipes
  • Hand sanitizer

There will also be a donation box in the lobby for monetary gifts.

Stream San Francisco Opera’s 2023/24 Season

Join San Francisco Opera from the comfort of your own home by streaming the 2023/24 season. Tickets for streaming performances are $27.50.

Opening Night Concert

September 8 At 8 p.m.

Ring in the 101st season with an Opening Night Concert featuring tenor Roberto Alagna and soprano Aleksandra Kurzak with the San Francisco Opera Chorus and Orchestra, conducted by Caroline H. Hume Music Director Eun Sun Kim. Please note that there is no on-demand option for this livestream. Buy tickets.

Il Trovatore

September 20 at 7:30 p.m.

Familial revenge runs deep in Giuseppe Verdi’s towering opera of grand passions stymied at every turn. Caroline H. Hume Music Director Eun Sun Kim continues her Verdi cycle with this work of sublime arias, passionate ensembles, and the rousing Anvil Chorus. Buy tickets.

The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs

September 27 at 7:30 p.m.

Acclaimed San Francisco composer Mason Bates and Pulitzer-winning librettist Mark Campbell, return home to the Bay Area with this Grammy award-winning opera. Under the baton of Michael Christie, Bates’ score takes us on an operatic journey weaving together classical lyricism and a techno soundscape informed by the audio of early computers. Buy tickets.

Lohengrin

October 21 at 7 p.m.

A medieval epic with sword fights and witchcraft, this Wagnerian masterpiece pairs legends about the Holy Grail with songs that have become pop-culture staples, including the Bridal Chorus. Buy tickets.

Omar

November 11 at 7:30 p.m.

Winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for music. A new opera from Grammy-winning artist Rhiannon Giddens and composer Michael Abels. Kidnapped, enslaved and over 6,000 miles from home, a Muslim scholar from West Africa defies the law in the antebellum South by writing his own story. Buy tickets.

The Elixir of Love

November 26 at 2 p.m.

He has no money. No confidence. And no hope of winning the hand of the wealthy and beautiful bachelorette Adina. But the timid young waiter Nemorino is about to gamble everything he has for one last shot at romance—only to discover how intoxicating love can be. Buy tickets.

The Magic Flute

June 4, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.

Armed with magic bells and a flute that can summon joy, a prince and a bird-catcher embark on a perilous journey to rescue a kidnapped princess—only to discover that their adversary is really their ally. Buy tickets.

Innocence

June 12, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.

It was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. But just as Stela and Tuomas toast their marriage, a devastating secret reemerges that threatens to drive the couple apart—and expose the guilt Tuomas bears in an unconscionable crime. Buy tickets.

Partenope

June 23, 2024 at 2 p.m.

Partenope is the queen of the Paris social scene, her salon a beacon to the era’s edgiest artists. But they’re not just interested in cocktails and conversation. They’re interested in winning Partenope’s hand in marriage. Buy tickets.