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Christian Carvajal on February 8th, 2012
Given my lifelong adoration of facts and figures, it's a wonder I've never read The Phantom Tollbooth. Written by Norman Juster and illustrated by Jules Feiffer, this 1961 kid-lit classic is oft referred to as an American Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It tells the story of Milo, a boy given
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Christian Carvajal on February 6th, 2012
Do you enjoy comedy? Do you like bliss? Then you'll want to catch the musical Newsday called "blissfully funny," Mel Brooks's adaptation of Young Frankenstein at the Washington Center.
It was developed in Seattle in 2007 and hit Broadway two years later. A mostly faithful translation of the
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Christian Carvajal on February 1st, 2012
The musical Hair is much like a jam band concert: it's multi-sensual, it elicits an emotional ride, and it's probably about 15 minutes too long. That said, director Heidi Fredericks shakes every last nugget from Hair's theatrical dime bag at Capital Playhouse.
If directors are reading, please take note of a
Stage
Christian Carvajal on February 1st, 2012
The musical Hair is much like a jam band concert: it's multi-sensual, it elicits an emotional ride, and it's probably about 15 minutes too long. That said, director Heidi Fredericks shakes every last nugget from Hair's theatrical dime bag at Capital Playhouse.
If directors are reading, please take note of a
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Christian Carvajal on February 1st, 2012
We often speak of a movie or play as a "rollercoaster ride," but it's easy to forget that even the best rides begin with a slow, clanky climb up a hill. In the latter Harry Potter novels, Jo Rowling seemed to relish torturing readers with hundreds of
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Christian Carvajal on February 1st, 2012
We often speak of a movie or play as a "rollercoaster ride," but it's easy to forget that even the best rides begin with a slow, clanky climb up a hill. In the latter Harry Potter novels, Jo Rowling seemed to relish torturing readers with hundreds of actionless pages, the
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Christian Carvajal on January 18th, 2012
For years, the Greta Jane Quartet played every Monday at the Royal Lounge. "Quartet of what?" you ask, as yet unhip to Ms. Greta Jane Pederson's jazz combo featuring Cary Black, Vince Brown, and Andrew Dorsett. In your world, jazz is the Pandora station your boss makes
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Christian Carvajal on January 18th, 2012
I've never felt such contradictory reactions to a play as I did to Almost, Maine at Olympia Little Theatre. It's an anthology set in a fictional settlement on a cold winter's night, and I both loved and despised it. Depending on where you sit, it might be the best date
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Christian Carvajal on January 18th, 2012
I've never felt such contradictory reactions to a play as I did to Almost, Maine at Olympia Little Theatre. It's an anthology set in a fictional settlement on a cold winter's night, and I both loved and despised it. Depending on where you sit, it might be the best date
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Christian Carvajal on January 13th, 2012
As a popular poet once noted, "Makin' your way / in the world today / takes everything you've got." Yes, it's back to the coal mines, tired already from late partying at the BroHo. You need something to soak up that beer, and an artist with mad
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Christian Carvajal on February 4th, 2012
WALK THIS WAY >>>
Do you enjoy comedy? Do you like bliss? Then you'll want to catch the musical Newsday called "blissfully funny," Mel Brooks's adaptation of Young Frankenstein at the Washington Center.
It was developed in Seattle in 2007 and hit Broadway two years later. A mostly faithful translation
Spew Blog
Christian Carvajal on August 6th, 2011
NEW ENTERTAINMENT VENTURE SETS SAIL >>>
Does Tacoma really need a new theater company? As Gold From Straw proved last year, new ventures add vitality to the live entertainment scene, along with fresh new voices and talents unlikely to be readily embraced by more traditional companies. I spoke
Spew Blog
Christian Carvajal on August 1st, 2011
WHY THERE AND NOT HERE >>>
For my wife's birthday, I surprised her with a weekend trip to Ashland, Ore. and a visit to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. I'd never been there - unheard of for a theater guy on the West Coast - so it was a treat for me
Spew Blog
Christian Carvajal on July 31st, 2011
LAST CHANCE >>>
Animal Fire Theatre's A Midsummer Night's Dream production is adorable. Not every joke's a corker, mind you, but remember that the definition of "comedy" in the early 1600s was that someone gets married at the end. A Shakespearean romp doesn't have to be joke-setup-joke like an episode of
Spew Blog
Christian Carvajal on July 25th, 2011
WHEN IT ALL GETS A LITTLE TOO REAL >>>
In David Mamet's Oleanna, a play in which I just appeared thanks to Theater Artists Olympia, a blowhard professor is accused of sexual harassment, battery, and attempted rape by his student, Carol, played in our production by a lovely, dedicated actor
Spew Blog
Christian Carvajal on July 18th, 2011
WHAT I REALLY WANT TO DO IS DIRECT ... >>>
I'm always skeptical when someone tells me he or she has directed dozens or hundreds of shows. It's too much work. Where'd they possibly find the time? I have an MFA in directing, and I've managed less than a dozen
Spew Blog
Christian Carvajal on July 11th, 2011
MEETING THEATER PATRONS HALFWAY >>> It's that time of year again, when theater companies gather to haggle over their upcoming seasons. For various reasons (including, I suspect, our training in academic theater), most troupes operate from September to May. Directors stride into meetings with all guns blazing, ready
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Christian Carvajal on July 4th, 2011
SLAP-HAPPY JOYS OF BACKSTAGE CHATTER >>> Gene Siskel used to say the mark of a bad movie was when you'd rather watch its actors sitting around the craft services table chatting than the movie itself. I'm blogging to you almost-live today from Olympia Little Theater, where we'll be
Spew Blog
Christian Carvajal on June 27th, 2011
I'VE GOT DREAMS TO REMEMBER >>>
The other day in Oleanna rehearsal, I expressed my theory that David Mamet hates actors. "Mamet loves actors," our director countered, "the way Sondheim loves singers."
Some of you laughed really hard at that. You others aren't theater geeks, so why are you reading this?
My annoyance
Spew Blog
Christian Carvajal on June 27th, 2011
YOUR SOURCE FOR SOUTH SOUND THEATER COVERAGE >>>
We're hearing it all over the South Sound these days: "We're gonna bring you a season of the classics!" As one troupe after another announces its 2011-2012 schedule, that cry of fiscal desperation, always delivered by the house manager with insincere enthusiasm, is
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