For those who prefer their storytelling live on stage, never fear. Seattle has a bevy of theater offerings on the boards, including a couple Pulitzer and Tony winners.
Tonight is the official opening of The Lehman Trilogy (at ACT Theatre through May 19), helmed by ACT’s revered artistic director John Langs (who recently announced he’s leaving town for a gig in North Carolina — a big loss for Seattle). This epic tale of the rise and fall of an immigrant family won the Tony Award for Best Play in 2022, among countless other accolades.
Meanwhile James Ijames’ Fat Ham (at Seattle Rep through May 12) is cracking up audiences with its contemporary spin on Hamlet, wherein the vengeful ghost shows up at a Black family’s BBQ. The comedy earned a Tony nomination for Best Play in 2023, and while it didn’t take home the award, some consolation must have come in winning the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for drama.
If Fat Ham puts you in the mood for more Bard, Seattle Shakespeare stands at the ready with Romeo and Juliet (through May 19), featuring a cast of local standouts including Sarah Harlett and Andrew Lee Creech. And for a more intimate experience, consider Shakespeare Up Close: Ages of Being (through June 22), a one-woman show by Seattle theater legend Mary Ewald (co-founder of New City Theater), who performs snippets and sonnets in the living room of her Capitol Hill home.
Lastly, for another lively classic, there’s The Barber of Seville at Seattle Opera (May 4-19).
Meanwhile Black Arts Legacies: Season 3 continues, as we reveal the name of one featured artist each week through June. Earlier this week we spotlighted longtime Seattle actor/director Tee Dennard, whose resume ranges from helping to establish the Black Arts/West theater company in the 1970s to prime roles in An Officer and a Gentleman and recent indie flicks.
Sign up for the Black Arts Legacies newsletter to be among the first to discover each new artist in this year’s cohort.
Brangien Davis
Source link
