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Hello, Dolly! at Tacoma Musical Playhouse is visually impressive, and Director/ Choreographer Jon Douglas Rake got some amazing dance moves out of his cast. The play, by Michael Stewart with music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, is based on Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker. Of course, many people are familiar with
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Always, Patsy Cline is a musical for people that love music but are not particularly fond of musicals. It's more like a concert with a play interspersed between the songs. The story is about the beginning of the six-year friendship between country star Patsy Cline and Louise Seger.Walking into Tacoma
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Tacoma Musical Playhouse's production of Nine was everything Director and Choreographer Jon-Douglas Rake announced. Based on Fellini's film 8 1/2, it was indeed beautiful - the women, the acting, the set, the songs, the orchestra, the casting, all of it. TMP did a wonderful job producing a spectacle worth seeing.
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Oh, the farce - such ridiculousness, always treading the fine line between absurdity and hilarity. Tacoma Little Theatre's production, directed by Frank Kohel, of A Flea in Her Ear is no exception. For the production TLT chose a new version of George Feydeau's French farce as translated by David Ives.
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The opening lines of Tacoma Musical Playhouse's production The Drowsy Chaperone epitomize what I have thought every time I've waited for one of the theater company's shows to begin: "Dear God, please let it be a good show. And let it be short, oh, Lord in Heaven, please. Two hours
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Comedian W. C. Fields once quipped, "Never work with animals or children." Fortunately, Tacoma Little Theatre ignored his admonishment and produced Annie. In the director's notes, Michael O'Hara comments we are ". . . still dealing with the familiar themes of unemployment, poverty, hunger, stock market woes and war as
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The strength of a play cannot rely on a good script alone. Likewise, good actors cannot make up for terrible writing. Thankfully, eleemosynary, currently on stage at Tacoma Little Theatre, features a great script with a trio of delightfully talented actors bringing it to life. Written by Lee Blessing, eleemosynary
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"We are obligated by law to inform you that this play contains adult language and themes," director Scott Campbell warns before the opening of the world premiere of Under the Circumstances, a play with the purpose of exploring "the relationship between words, friendship, and our own sense of self." Written by
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All Shook Up is currently running at Tacoma Musical Playhouse. It's a play inspired by and featuring the songs of Elvis Presley, with a book by Joe DiPietro. The play is also based on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, which does a much better job with the formulaic plot line: boy wants
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If you believe that it isn't polite or proper to discuss religion or politics, you may be offended by Bernard Shaw's Major Barbara. Thankfully for Tacoma, theaters and actors have never been too concerned with being considered polite or proper. Although Shaw wrote this play in 1905, it is still
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Tacoma's Eastside has a reputation. A reputation it's been trying to change. Part of the struggle is that changing this reputation requires working on many fronts - crime, property values, potholes, lack of amenities and schools. When Tacomans think of Lincoln High School, they sometimes think of poverty, gangs or
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Flower Drum Song at Tacoma Musical Playhouse is being touted as the most beautiful production ever to hit their stage. If all an audience was doing was looking at actors, costuming or lighting, or listening to a couple songs - the play might qualify. However, people go to the
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If you've ever acted, directed or "teched" for a play (or even wanted to do any of those things), Tacoma Little Theatre's production of Noises Off is the play to see. In three acts that seem to take far less time than their two hours, the audience watches as the
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Ah, the wedding singer. Every wedding has one (well, almost). Whether it's during the ceremony or the reception, and whether it's a live person or even a CD, weddings almost always include music of some sort. Tacoma Musical Playhouse brings music of the ‘80s to the stage with the musical
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Dirty. Well, there was a little vulgarity. Rotten. Actually, the opposite. Scoundrels. That's what everyone came to see. Theatre Northwest's production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, based on the movie, was a laugh out loud musical. Yes, a musical - AND funny. On purpose. The production can be broken down into several categories: script (including
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Theatre people are superstitious. This goes for most artists and even athletes but theatre people are SUPER superstitious. Don't say good luck or call "The Scottish Play" by name in a theatre. And, while not really a superstition, it's at least a well-known and accepted tradition that opening night is not
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Mark lives in New York's Lower East Side, essentially squatting in an industrial loft with other artist types. His girlfriend, Maureen, left for a woman - Joanne. His musician roommate, Roger, has AIDS. His friend, Tom, gets mugged and is rescued by a drag queen, Angel. Roger gets pursued by
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"You look hungry. I'll fix you a sandwich. It's no trouble." Everyone's either got, knows or wishes for a grandma like this. Grandparents are wonderful; just ask character Caitlain O'Hare in Over the River and Through the Woods, a play that aims for the heartstrings with a story that sees main