If you haven’t looked into the art scene in Seattle, there’s no better time than now to dive into the sea of artistic performances readily accessible for you. With the start of a new year, these are some of the upcoming plays in Seattle that you might want to check out this 2018.
1. The Addams family (Ethnic Cultural Theater: January 11th – January 14th)
Performed at UW’s Ethnic Cultural Theater this very weekend, this adaptation of the Addams Family Musical is based on the spooky yet hilarious fictional characters created by the cartoonist Charles Addams. The ghastly, ghoulish family is first introduced to the audience with a gathering at the graveyard to celebrate their family name, gleeful at things macabre and gruesome. However, their “normal” lives started to turn rocky with the idea of love percolating into their minds. Satirical humor, romantic ballads and inciting drama, this is one musical to watch!
2. Two Trains Running by August Wilson (Seattle Rep: January 12th – February 11th)
A legend in contemporary drama, August Wilson created a series of ten plays called the Pittsburgh Cycle (also known as Century Cycle), which depicted the ups and downs of African American lives in the 20th century. It won him Pulitzer Prize for best drama, and when he moved to Seattle where he spent the rest of his life, the Seattle Repertory Theatre produced his entire 10-play cycle. Two Trains Running falls right in the center of the heated Civil Rights movement during the 1960s, where a black restaurant owner named Memphis ponders about selling his business to urban planning.
3. 12 Ophelias (UW Glenn Hughes Penthouse Theatre : February 13th – February 25th)
Inspired from the character from Shakespeare’s well-known Hamlet, 12 Ophelias (a play with broken songs) is written by Caridad Svich and performed by our very own UW school of Drama the upcoming month. This happens after Ophelia drowned in Hamlet, as she rises out of the water to face old and new challenges that life throws at her. It follows Ophelia’s journey of pain and focuses on her ambition and determination to mold a new path for herself.
4. Anything Goes (UW Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse: March 7th – March 18th)
A fantastical musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, Anything Goes depicts a luxurious and glamourous lifestyle on a fancy cruise ship from New York to London. Lords, heiresses, nightclub singers, happy sailors board the ship where they got tangled up in romantic affairs and plenty of heart-gripping drama. If you are looking to be transported into a world of whimsical songs, jazzy dance numbers and sparkling costumes of the 1930s, this is definitely a memorable show for you presented by UW Musical Theater Program.
5. Hamilton (The Paramount Theatre: February 6th – March 18th)
The media and news have blown up about Hamilton ever since it debuted on Broadway, so this play needs no detailed description. It is such rareness to find both a playwright and librettist like Lin-Manuel Miranda, who writes his own story, compose his songs AND acts in his own show. Unfortunately prices are way over the moon for this one (when did it become privileged art?), so I guess us Hamilton fans will just have to cross our fingers to see if they will release special lottery tickets for the less wealthy.
6. Angels in America Part II: Perestroika (Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse Theatre: April – May)
Part two of the masterpiece by the acclaimed playwright Tony Kushner—who also wrote the screenplay for Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln and Denzel Washington’s Fences—delves into issue of the AIDS crisis and homosexuality in 1980s America. Angels in America went on to win a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, a Tony Award for Best Play, and the live performance opened on Broadway shortly after. It sends the message of hope among all the pain and suffering that people have endured. Be sure to catch this adaptation by UW’s school of Drama in April and May.
7. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (5th Avenue Theatre: June 1st – June 24th)
The beloved classic musical inspired by Victor Hugo’s novel is 5th Avenue’s season finale for their 2017-2018 season! Featuring music by legendary composer Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, to name just a few) and lyrics by Tony-Award winner Stephen Schwartz (Wicked and Pippin), this is a story that celebrates humanity in a heart-wrenching fashion, tugging at your emotions. If you have seen the Disney animated movie of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, this musical embraces darker and more thrilling themes that speaks to a whole range of audience. A must watch musical for sure!