Seattle Blog

The Roommate at ArtsWest is a beautiful play that will make you laugh, cry, and consider the question, how much can a true friendship change you? Written by Jen Silverman and originally debuting at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in 2015, The Roommate follows two middle-aged women, Sharon and Robyn, and the budding friendship that starts when they become roommates. The two women are as opposite as can be. Sharon is a recently divorced, lonely homebody from a small town, while Robyn is free-spirited, from the Bronx, and in search of a new life. This dynamic leads to an emotionally captivating, comedy-rich play that will keep you both on the edge of your seat and contemplating its themes for weeks.

ArtsWest is a perfect venue for this show. It’s a small Black Box theater. No elevated stage. The actresses are only a few feet away from the front row. The only thing separating the stage from the audience are the small vinyl mats that mark the edges of the set. The set, designed by Devin Petersen, is a small kitchen decorated like a typical house from a Disney Channel sitcom. There are a few plants in the window nook above the sink; a small round table you can imagine a family breakfast around; and a fridge with colorful magnets holding up a few pictures of a young boy who no longer lives there. From the beginning to the end of the play, the set only changes as Robyn’s belongings supplant Sharon’s space. Her plants, weed, and boxes upon boxes don’t drastically change the set, but they make it clear that this isn’t just Sharon’s home anymore. It becomes less a stereotypical family home and more Sharon and Robyn’s home, a mix of Sharon’s more traditional values and Robyn’s careless and sometimes cluttered lifestyle. As we watch this change in the set, we also experience the women beginning to connect. They become entwined in each other's lives just as their things intertwine in their new home. Sharon’s house only becomes their home when Robyn and Sharon start to find home in each other. The Roommate is advertised as a dark comedy, so I expected something much less emotional than what I came away with: a bittersweet story about two completely opposite women finding love for each other and changing each other’s lives for the better.Mari Nelson and Sarah Harlett in The Roommate at ArtsWest. Photo by John McLellan.

The red curtain sparkled with tiny bedazzled gems, shining like tiny stars, as it opened to reveal long green tutus which sparkled in front of the audience who stared in awe even before the dancers began to move. A little while before entering the theater, I overheard an elderly woman talking about how she thought that the world needed more pure beauty in it; something uncomplicated and idealistically happy. In a world so obsessed with finding meaning in every little thing that it is killing us, maybe what we need is just to see something beautiful for the sake of it being beautiful. After seeing the Pacific Northwest Ballet’s production of Jewels, I understood what she said. A lot of people need to connect to seeing joy in art, and this is part of what makes Jewels such an excellent ballet for both new and returning audiences to the PNB.

George Balanchine’s Jewels is a rare gem of a plotless ballet. One should not discount it on account of its lack of a plot, however. Its focus is on the diversity of beauty and how, even in a specific art form like ballet, there can be many ways to express emotion and beauty. The entire ballet is split into three acts that work as smaller ballets: Emeralds, Rubies, and Diamonds. Each ballet has a main color scheme associated with it incorporated in the costumes and background: dazzling green for Emeralds, a roaring red for the unapologetic joy of Rubies, and a classy white with light undertones of several other colors, like pink for Diamonds.

Exotic Deadly: One Strange History Lessonby Clara Thorsen

Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play is an absurd comedy, coming-of-age drama, and historical lesson packed into just under two hours. Exotic Deadly made its Northwest debut at Theatre Off Jackson, a cozy venue nestled in the Chinatown-International District. The play follows an Asian-American high school student, Ami (Karis Ho), whose world comes crashing down after discovering her family invented the flavor enhancer MSG.

From September to June, teen writers in Seattle attend and review an array of art events; spanning from comedy to classical ballet and everything in between. They work with Teen Editors to polish, and publish their reviews for the TeenTix blog. The TeenTix Newsroom empowers teen writers to interact with art in a meaningful way, and compensates them for their contribution to the arts. Here’s everything you need to know about the TeenTix Newsroom, plus some advice from last year’s Newsroom members.

How do you know if the TeenTix Newsroom is right for you? 

A young Monika used to believe that life awaited us at the end of the tunnel, a twist on the common phrase which, to her, meant perseverance through hard times would be rewarded with a better life. Yesterday, Monika graduated from high school and she has changed. She thinks that it would be better to find another life, being another person might be better than grasping at the light or life at the end of the tunnel.

This change in Monika's perspective has been built up on the losses she has experienced during her lifetime. Monika feels unable to move towards her future, unlike her best friend Thea; who is headed to Columbia College in the fall. Monika can’t help but compare herself to her friend, which causes a rift in their relationship. For Monika, Thea is a reminder of a life she is missing out on. This year Monika lost Shun, a classmate who didn’t make it to graduation. When it seems as though nothing else can mend her wounds, Monika turns to legend, her last hope of bringing him back. A tunnel, said to test anyone who wants to resurrect a dead soul. The tests within the tunnel, bring a whirlwind of  memories best not remembered and unspeakable secrets. Its name, accurately given, is the Yomigaeri Tunnel, "yomigaeri" being the Japanese word for resurrection. 

The not-for-profit chamber music venue Emerald City Music (ECM) delivered a thoughtful retrospection on the oldest instrument in human history, the flute. This concert, curated by Artistic Director Kristin Lee and flutist Sungwoo Kim, was a part of their EVOLUTION series, including examinations of the cello, piano, and improvisation. Furthermore, this series seeks to critically present the history of various instruments and contrast the old and new ends of their repertoire. 

This is highly characteristic of the organization. ECM often takes a particularly creative hand in curating its program, juxtaposing genres, cultures, and time periods with one another to engage listeners more critically. Examples of this unique approach include their concert "Inspired by Gamelan," which featured a suite of modern classical compositions that draw from the distinct sound of the Indonesian classical musical practice. 

Whim W’him’s Spring ‘25 left me wonderstruck. The show consisted of three sections, each choreographed by a different artist–Olivier Wevers, Mark Caserta, and Lauren Edson, with Olivier being the founder and artistic director of Whim W’him, a contemporary dance company. The talent of the company’s seven dancers–Jacob Beasley, Owen Fulton, Stella Jacobs, Aliya Janov, Daeyana Moss, Ashley Rivette, and Kyle Sangil–is incredible. From their technique and facial expressions to their execution, they are a treat to view. This show was my very first contemporary dance show, and I was so excited to watch it. Dance is such an expressive and engaging art form, and Whim W’him made my love for it grow. When I left the theater, I felt the need to dance again. 

The first piece, Rituals for the Mother, choreographed by Whim W’him founder and Artistic Director Olivier Wevers, was contemplative, peaceful, and spiritual. The dancers were dressed in deep green long-sleeved shirts and formal pants, and the women wore their hair in tight buns. The music was full of percussion and engaging rhythms. The dancers moved together like waves in the sea: frantic yet calm, curious yet peaceful. There were moments of control, playing, and fighting. Throughout, the dancers continuously tormented one of the male dancers. This dancer was the only dancer who was dressed differently (he wasn’t wearing a shirt). They held him above the ground as he struggled to run away, moving in tandem, keeping him confined. The scene transitions to a rectangular white light on stage while everything else goes dark. There were two men on stage (Beasley and Fulton); the first was the one who was being controlled (Beasley), standing in the light, and the second was one of the controllers, standing in the dark. Sometimes they performed synchronized with identical moves, while other times the man in the dark (Fulton) only watched the man on the inside. The two swapped places several times, changing the dynamic of the scene. At first, it seemed like a mirroring effect, but as they went on, it was more watching and interacting with one another, together or apart. No matter what they did, the light was there, though it occasionally changed angles. At one point, they were both together, then back-to-back and separated, dancing to their own rhythms–but once again, they found each other. Whim W'him Spring '25. Photo by Jim Coleman.

This Side of Falling by Eunice Chan depicts a story of a high school senior girl named Nina Yeung, a high school senior and talented violinist whose life is thrown into disarray after the suicide of Ethan Travvers — her friend, her maybe-love, and her burst of color in an otherwise monochrome world. As Nina juggles the pressures of college applications, her senior recital, and strained family dynamics, she is haunted by memories of Ethan. She questions her perception of him when he was alive. Chan’s book is a beautifully written book that explores grief, identity, pressure, and relationships between characters, and the importance of moving on.

One of the most unique aspects of this book is its raw portrayal of grief. Nina’s world completely shatters with Ethan’s absence; her reality starts spiraling, her behavior, and her beliefs as well. Before meeting Ethan, Nina had always maintained a strict structure and schedule in her life; however, after meeting him, this structure is shattered, and with his absence, all of what she knows is broken again. The structure of the book mirrors this emotional confusion, with disjointed timelines and blurred transitions between Nina’s memories while she’s reminiscing about the past and dealing with what is going on presently. While the timeline of the book does occasionally become confusing and disorienting, this nonlinear format reflects the way that grief heavily distorts your sense of time, clarity, and reality. 

Inherently, the ballet Coppélia by Leo Delibes is a very silly story. The events following a boy mistakenly falling in love with a doll are undeniably absurd, and they offer a brand of comedy far from the stiff-upper-lip that many associate with ballet. These comedic elements can distract from the fact that Coppélia is an incredibly demanding ballet, with difficult choreography, complicated and multi-faceted roles, a larger-than-usual amount of high energy group numbers, and lots of unforgivingly uptempo songs. Balancing Coppélia’s comedy and technicality is a challenge for any company performing it. Olympic Ballet Theatre gracefully took on this challenge with just the right amount of whimsy, humor, and pure talent to perfect the classic fairy tale, which its company performed May 10 and 11.

OBT dancer Jacqueline Iwamura and guest artist Guillaume Basso fully embody the two leading characters, Swanilda and Franz, right from the jump. They were played with immense energy and sass pouring from both. Iwamura’s Swanilda was sweet, social, and delightfully impish. While Swanilda relishes in the mischief she causes across the story, she is still full of love and energy, wonderfully demonstrated through Iwamura’s buoyant and springy steps in her first variation that teem with joy. Basso brought the perfect energy to Franz, playing him as a boyish, lovable yet absent-minded dope. While the unfortunate situations he gets himself in are entirely predictable and avoidable, one can’t help but pity him with how genuine, open-hearted, and foolish Basso portrays him. 

Step backstage with Alex Katz’s Theater and Dance as you’re welcomed into the inner workings of an artist. 

Alex Katz is a painter who over the course of his career, has collaborated with many dancers and choreographers, and has had a grand contribution to theater overall. This exhibit at the Frye allows you to reflect on Katz’s work over the years, featuring anything from thoughtful behind-the-scenes sketches to eye-catching wall-length backdrops. 

Fooling someone from the distance of a traditional stage is one thing. Fooling someone sitting directly in front of you is much more difficult—and astounding. I discovered this when I was ten years old, during my magic trick phase. I spent hours carefully practicing card tricks from books, and yet my demonstrations failed to elicit the awe that I hoped for from my family. In The Unfair Advantage at Seattle Rep, Australian card shark and magician Harry Milas has mastered the ability to fool and amaze his audience up close.

Using a simple but effective format, Milas exposes techniques used to cheat at cards. First, he demonstrates an awe-inspiring card trick, then—unless the trick is strictly for the sake of magic—he explains the secret behind it. Along the way, he sprinkles in anecdotes from his personal magic journey. Audience members must sign a confidentiality agreement before the hour-long show, which is followed by an optional Q&A session. I admit that the NDA made me dubious, but as I soon discovered, The Unfair Advantage is not just a tell-all. Instead, Milas reveals the methods used by card sharks while still preserving the mystery and quiet wonder associated with magic.

Laughs in Spanish by Alexis Scheer in many ways, serves as a tribute to the vibrant city of Miami. The production more or less conveys a sense of the city, particularly through its set design, use of Spanglish, and lively dancing. However, while the play generally succeeds in this regard, the overall experience feels lacking, like being on the periphery rather than fully immersed in the moment. The play is playful, unserious at moments, yet the plot tends to be anticlimactic and low stakes, particularly towards the end. 

The play opens in utter disarray as paintings have been stolen, and Mari, the main character, is expected to hold an art gallery show that evening. With no paintings to display, her fiery temper (panic mode)  and workaholic nature add to the overall chaos of the situation. However, with the support of her friends and family, the situation begins to stabilize. Juan, a Miami police officer, leads the investigation, while his girlfriend, Caro, offers to lend her paintings for the show. Additionally, Mari’s mother, Estella, unexpectedly arrives in Miami,  accompanied by her assistant and former school friend, Jenny, who further helps.  

Have you ever wanted to see a telenovela, pero, different from all the traditional ones? Laughs in Spanish serves up all the drama and chaos you expect but in a more modern way. 

The play Laughs in Spanish, written by Alexis Scheer and directed by Dámaso Rodríguez, is an amusing, chaotic and  heartfelt comedy that mixes both English and Spanish to deliver the perfect blend of both. Set in Miami during Art Basel, the story kicks off in the middle of a crisis followed by family drama and unexpected discoveries, showing a realistic mother-daughter relationship, strong chemistry between the characters and themes of inclusivity. The talented cast includes Diana Burbano, Diana Garle, Cheyenne Barton, Gabriell Salgado and Beth Pollack.

Laughs In Spanish tells the story of an art show in Miami as an unexpected turn threatens to derail the whole show. While the show has this mysterious turn, it also highlights themes such as family relationships, romance, parenthood, marriage, and real-world themes often faced in today's society. 

Overall, Laughs in Spanish was a mixture of comedic and serious, with lots of plot twists, shocks, and even hidden romance. Although the play did fall short in the opening music and the language department, the play was still an enjoyable experience. 

Laughs in Spanish promises just that. It’s filled with energy, secrets and an awkward love story. You’ll gasp between the laughs and won’t want to look away, except for maybe the romance scenes. Immediately, Laughs in Spanish takes the audience to a vibrant day in Miami. It centers around a gallery owner, Mariana, who has to figure out how to fix things a day before her art show. The play does a good job showing what Miami is like with the cool sounds and visuals, making the play overall entertaining to watch but the romance in the story feels a bit awkward and out of place. The day before Mariana's art show, her paintings disappear while her mom Estella, a movie star, appears and tries to help out. But things only get more complicated and involve themes of family and relationships. Estella's assistant Jenny, who is also Mariana’s love interest, is introduced as well. Her intern Carolina, who is also an artist, uses her art to save the show while Carolina's boyfriend Juan, the cop, tries to figure out who stole the paintings. 

One way the play was successful was being entertaining, keeping the audience engaged. Right from the beginning, it grabbed the attention of the audience with the powerful acting in Mariana’s reaction to her paintings being stolen. It was packed with yelling and panic, making the audience invested in the problem. The plot had surprising twists like when there was a scene where Carolina and Juan both made an unexpected confession and got the audience eager to see what will happen next. There were also random moments of dancing that were fun to watch and got the audience reacting. However, some people might’ve thought that there was a little too much going on, with all the different things happening and it may have been confusing or boring for them. Or that even though there were surprises, some may have been able to predict some of the things that happened because similar things have happened in other stories or movies. For example, it wasn’t shocking how Mariana and Estella's relationship got fixed or the identity of the thief. But even with these potential counter arguments, the strong acting and high energy throughout the play still made it fun to watch. 

Laughs in Spanish was a play performed at Seattle Rep, written by Alexis Scheer. It's set in Miami, Florida, during the holiday season. The play is funny, entertaining, and keeps the viewer wanting more. It's a good play that I would ultimately recommend, even with there being some critiques I would make, such as the set. There are a lot of strong suits, though, like how it was a very light-hearted play even through the deeper topics they talk about and the characters' outfits. The play follows Mariana, an art gallery director, in the Miami area along with her assistant Carolina. The night before an art exhibition was supposed to happen, all the paintings were stolen. Juan, who happens to be Carolina's boyfriend, ends up being the cop on the scene after Mariana calls the police. Shortly after Mariana's mom, Estella, and her assistant, Jenny, show up.

I really enjoyed how the play touches on some deeper topics while still maintaining a more lighthearted demeanor. It touches on insecurity, identity, and feeling unready. Mari really struggles with comparing herself to her mom because her mom was a huge movie star, being immensely popular and not wanting to be like her. Mari won best in show for a painting she made. To celebrate, she went to a bar. She left momentarily to get money out of the ATM. When she came back, all the attention was on her mom. Before Mari told Estella about what actually happened though Estella was making jokes about what could have happened, she said, “I swear to god if he put a finger on you I will hunt him down and cut his dick off” which ultimately led to it feeling like a calmer conversation than if there weren't any jokes. Caro also expresses how unready she felt when she told Juan she was pregnant, she did not know if she wanted to bring a child into the world. Although throughout her talking to Juan, she was making jokes which helped it from being a hard, almost rigid conversation. Instead, it was easy and felt more free flowing. While they were talking, Caro said, “I hope it-THEY-I hope they feel empowered to be whatever gender or non-gender they feel.” It was said in a very non-serious tone, and it helped maintain the light-hearted feeling they were going for instead of an abrupt sad scene.

Have you ever stolen a famous painter’s artwork to help your pregnant girlfriend’s dreams come true? Juan the police officer did, in the wild and articulate play Laughs in Spanish, written by Alexis Scheer. This chaotic, emotional, and hilarious story is centered around Mariana, a post-college Latina woman who runs an art gallery in Miami. Just before the biggest art show of her career, her artist's paintings are mysteriously stolen. To make things even more stressful, her famous actress mother shows up unexpectedly, stirring things up even more. What follows is a fast-paced mess of events involving pregnancy, stolen art, court orders, love, and lots of hilarious and heartfelt moments. Laughs in Spanish is a unique and powerful representation of Latinx and queer identities, filled with real life struggles and very funny moments.

One of the things I appreciated most about this play was how it showcased the ups and downs of queer and Latina life without ever feeling preachy or too serious. The characters felt authentic, their chemistry was strong, and their personalities were very extravagant  in a good way. Even though the play had a lot going on, it was clear that the writer, Alexis Scheer, put a lot of care into making every character feel like they belonged and had a purpose, even if some of the plot lines felt a bit overwhelming (which I’ll talk more about later).

From the moment the lights go up, you’re exposed to the stage full of Miami energy, pulling you into a fast-paced and heartwarming narrative that balances humor and cultural depth. The play quickly evolved into a relatable exploration of identity, family, and culture. Laughs in Spanish proves to be a celebration of what it means to live, laugh, and love in two languages.

Laughs in Spanish, written by Alexis Scheer, is a fast-paced play set in Miami. The play follows Mariana’s immersive world as a gallery owner who has to handle valuable paintings disappearing right before a major art show. The plot is based on Mari as she scrambles to recover from a disaster that could ruin her career. She’s joined by her assistant, Caro, a struggling artist, and a bumbling cop, Juan, who is dating Caro. Things get even more dramatic as her plan to fix everything gets interrupted by her mother, Estella, and her assistant, Jenny. The characters are bold and complex, the different dynamics bring humorous and emotional depth to the play. As characters interact, secrets are revealed, tension rises, and we are taken through a hilarious journey in the life of a Latina family. Immediately captivated by a chaotically heartwarming and relatable plot, Laughs in Spanish is a culturally rich play that is full of humor. 

Have you ever gone to the theater expecting one of those remake comedy shows only to leave completely changed in opinion, by that I meant utterly transformed, by a performance that makes you both laugh and pause? Laughs in Spanish at Seattle Rep demonstrates this transformation with a precise blend of wardrobe choices, props, and, most notably, the actors’ commanding presence. The journey unfolds in phases, from moments that leave you speechless, to intimate, raw exchanges, and finally, a display of compassionate, captivating artistry.

This production wastes no time in disorienting its audience in the best possible way. Early in the show, as the stage bursts with bold, saturated colors and rapid-fire dialogue illustrating Miami’s vibrant art scene kinda vibe, the sudden color changes come to a stop. During Mari’s (Beth Pollack) meticulously planned gallery opening, displays of artworks mysteriously vanish. Rather than spiraling into immediate panic, the stage sinks into a hushed quiet as the lighting softens to a warm, almost hypnotic glow. In that hushed intensity, Mari, typically the embodiment of control, stands alone in the center of the gallery. The backdrop of swirling abstract art in hues of blue and orange evoked a delicate boundary between order and chaos, making every detail even more striking. 

What happens when an art gallery becomes ground zero for unexpected chaos? Laughs in Spanish takes its audience on a journey full of fast-paced dialogue combined with unforeseen scenes. The stage performance alternates between powerful dramatic moments and comedic scenes, which drew me in because of its energetic energy throughout the play. I attended the Seattle Rep Theater production of Laughs in Spanish last week. The story follows Mari, a director of an art gallery in Miami when her major art exhibition collapses due to both stolen paintings and family conflicts. The play by Alexis Scheer takes place in Miami while combining comedic elements with deep themes about cultural identity and ambition. Through laughter and disorder, the play investigates how people manage their life ambitions against their family obligations. 

The play begins during the setup for a high-profile Miami art event. Mariana, a gallery director who wants to succeed, is about to lose her job. She finds out that some expensive paintings have been stolen. It’s a serious problem that gets worse when her intern Carolina, Miami cop Juan, and her mother Estella get involved, each making the situation more complicated. But beneath the humor and chaos, Laughs in Spanish is a story about self-worth, identity, and the ways we fight to be seen in the spaces we occupy.