2007 saw some open their doors for the first time and others scramble to keep them open. A lucky few had only themselves to compete with. All gave their best.
They are our community theaters, our show people, the ones who show us ourselves, others and the world we live in. They do it. They can’t tell you why they do it. For them and those of us who patronize them, last year was a banner year.
Village set us up with the Conrad Twitty-Elvis Presley-inspired “Bye, Bye Birdie,” jabbed us with “The Million Dollar Quartet” based on Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis and knocked us out with “Tommy,” the blockbuster rock musical that dazzles the senses. The Broadway look, the Broadway sound, Village was first class.
Under the Village umbrella, Pied Piper Presents did some marvelous things for kids. “Elves and the Shoemaker” was absolutely riveting. I look forward to going more often.
Civic Light Opera, with their change in artistic management, still has me singing “Wish I Were a Rich Man” from “Fiddler on the Roof” and longing for “Ole Blue Eyes” from their “Tribute to Frank Sinatra.”
Shoreline Community College’s “Brigadoon” wafted me away to a magical, idealistic place that only college students can put across wholeheartedly.
Driftwood got Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma” going for them. “Deathtrap” and “Witness for the Prosecution” added momentum. “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” kicked them into high gear. I was impressed.
Alternative Stages, under Driftwood’s auspices at the Wade James, is definitely up and coming. “Traffic Stop” was a penetrating exchange between a highway patrolman and a lonely lady stopped for speeding.
Frontal nudity in New Historic Everett Theatre’s “Hair” rocked the local theater scene. “Boy Meets Girl” investigated a young girl’s terror when stalked. “Exonerated” raged against the injustice of imprisoning innocent citizens. HET is definitely on the move.
Taproot’s “God Committee” dramatized the seriousness of slapping medical professionals with responsibility for deciding life and death. An awesome consideration when you remember it happens every day.
Curtain Call at Northshore Senior Center scored with “Bull in a China Shop” and “Daddy’s Dying, Who’s Got the Will?” Comedy and the golden years is a match.
Inaugurated last year, Edmonds Performing Arts Center did a busy schedule including Cascade Symphony and Choir of the Sound. A bright future for them is a good bet.
“H.M.S. Pinafore,” “Sound of Music” and “Guys and Dolls” evidenced a fresh, new, exciting approach from Northwest Savoyards at P.U.D. in Everett.
For cozy, insightful comedy and drama, there is none better than Edge of the World in Edmonds. Their “Veronica’s Room” showed a surprising knack for tragedy on an almost ancient Greek scale. Comedy, of course, was their forte.
Shorecrest Performing Arts Center went on treating folks to a smorgasbord of performing arts. Seattle Chinese Orchestra’s unfamiliar music became somehow familiar. King’s Players “Peter Pan” hooked me up with childlike fantasy. Choir of the Sound’s “Simply Memories” looked back to a simpler time in the nation’s life.
It would be deserved if New Space in Shoreline drew more people. Pedophilia in “How I Learned to Drive” put a human face on a social anathema. “Pvt. Wars” uncovered the intimate tragedies inside a hospital for vets. “Woolgatherer” explored loneliness today. All first rate drama, low budget. So far, no comedies. Give them a try.
Olympic Ballet’s “Nutcracker” and Ballet Bellevue’s “The Snowman,” both at Northshore Performing Arts Center, contrasted traditional and modern approaches to ballet for children at Christmas time. That same venue hosted any number of other top attractions during the year and promises to keep going great guns.
A heartbreaker was Edmonds Repertory Theater’s aborted run of “A Warp-ed Door.” After only three performances, the Fire Marshall shut them down for violations. They had no performing space to go to. A following was building.
Like any living organism, theater in our community grew and adapted or didn’t last year. Faces changed, some were the same. But always, when you walked in, you were welcomed. It is my privilege to be involved. It is my hope there is more to come, my firm belief there will be. I salute them all.
Comments? Reactions? E-mail Dale Burrows at grayghost7@comcast.net or entopinion@heraldnet.com.
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