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I recently had the pleasure to visit Jazz Alley to hear Stanly Jordan play a solo set.
Jazz...
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I recently had the pleasure to visit Jazz Alley to hear Stanly Jordan play a solo set.
Jazz Alley is probably one of the best all jazz venues I have ever set foot into. The entry fee is very affordable (most shows range $20-$30). I have seen the same artists play at Blues Alley in Washington DC for 3 times the price.
Reservations are recommended in advance although walk ins are welcome due to availability. Reservations can be made by phone, on line, or tickets can be purchased via Ticketmaster (although not recommended due to outrageous ticketmaster fees).
The sound in this place is fantastic and there seems to be not a bad seat in the house.
The food is ok and overpriced but to be expected for this type of venue. The drinks are reasonably priced and a limited scotch list is available.
If you are a looking for a place to see a great jazz show, Jazz Alley truly is the premier venue for jazz in the Pacific Northwest.
See you all at the Ahmad Jamal show.
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Neumo's is decorated in what can only be called an "evil clown" motif. I'm not sure what...
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Neumo's is decorated in what can only be called an "evil clown" motif. I'm not sure what that has to do with indie rock, but there you are. It's a small place, and during sold-out shows it can be just short of impossible to move around the main floor. Sight lines are not great for those under five-foot-five, and the balcony fills up fast, so arrive early. The environment (of slightly tipsy Capitol Hill pubcrawlers) can feel a little artificial, and some evenings is downright depressing. All this aside, the venue has lots of good qualities: their calendar is consistently filled with (mostly) interesting new acts, and features occasional visits from influential rock veterans. The security guys are alert and no-nonsense and seem to keep obnoxious drunks in check. Tickets tend to be much cheaper than events at The Showbox. Worth several visits.
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When they started building this place, I thought to myself "no way. I give it a day,...
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When they started building this place, I thought to myself "no way. I give it a day, tops." But this was before those advertisements, like the one that implies that Seattle has only one season or whatever. The acoustics in this theater is amazing. Treat yourself to a fun night of the classics, music style.
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5th Avenue Theatre
Category:
Uncategorized
1305 4th Ave
Seattle,
Washington 98101
(206) 624-1669
Simply stated, I love this theater! They have so many great shows playing here, I wish I could...
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Simply stated, I love this theater! They have so many great shows playing here, I wish I could clone myself to go and see all of them. And then there is the ambiance of the theater itself. The elaborate moldings make the venue seem very glamorous. Unfortunately, given the casual nature of Seattle, the illusion is lost when you see many of the patrons milling about in inappropriate attire. So, my suggestion is find a show you want to see, get all dressed up and head to the theater.
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Seattle is very fortunate to have three major theaters that have achieved national prominence (the...
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Seattle is very fortunate to have three major theaters that have achieved national prominence (the others being Seattle Rep and ACT). In a world where increasingly everything is "virtual" but not very real, it is indeed refreshing to have the "real thing"--live theater--of this calibre.
Intiman was awarded with the Regional Theater Tony Award in June of this year, and it was richly deserved.
Many, many fine productions have been staged here, including the world premieres of "The Light in the Piazza" and "The Kentucky Cycle" (which won the Pulitzer Prize 15 years ago; its author Robert Shenkhan now lives in Seattke).
Among the fine plays staged here include "Homebody/Kabul" by Tony Kushner (this was not long after 9/11, "Nickel and Dimed,"
"Dying Gaul," "How I Learned How to Drive," and Ionesco's "The Chairs."
The artistic director Barlett Sher is a rising star in the American theater and has already received two nominations for Best Director, for his Broadway stagings of "Light in the Piazza" and the revival last season of the Clifford Odets' classic of "Awake and Sing"--all the while being artistic director of Intiman!
He has put together a mixture of classics ("Glass Menagerie," Hellman's "Little Foxes," Shakespeare, commedia dell'arte, Chekhov's "Three Sisters," etc.), recent Broadway imports, as well as new works. Currently the Intiman is devoting much of its programming to "an American Cycle."
Most of the plays are staged in a steeply pitched arc leading from a hemispherical proscenium. The main floor and mezzanine have high ceilings and an airy openness that are somewhat atypical (compared to Seattle Rep or ACT, for instance), more Lincoln Center than one would expect. A nice courtyard fronts the theater and in the summer box meals can be ordered in advance.
There are usually several special events associated with each the run of each play. For instance, I saw here Adam Guettel, the composer (he graced the front cover of NY Times Magazine during the two-month run of "Piazza"), Speight Jenkins (Seattle Opera), and Victoria Clark (who went on to bring the role to Broadway and won a Tony for Best Actress, as predicted in The Stranger two years before the actual Broadway run) in a round-table discussion.
Here's to hoping he'll stay here for a long while. His compatriot Daniel Sullivan, long-time artistic director of Seattle Rep, went on to become a major Broadway director with a Tony for "Proof" and last season's staging of "Three Days of Rain" with Julia Roberts.
For those with a serious interest in theater-- literature in general--Intiman has become a wonderful cultural mainstay in Seattle.
And for those under $25, the $10 tickets are an outstanding bargain. There are very few movie flicks out there, in my opinion, that warrant paying the same $10 for a comparable experience.
But after all, theater is theater, one the oldest forms of the performing arts, deeply embedded in the collective cultural experience of humanity.
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I had been taking tap dancing from Marlo Martin for a year when she and fellow instructor,...
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I had been taking tap dancing from Marlo Martin for a year when she and fellow instructor, Veronica Lee, opened their own dance school. Located in Greenlake, the school offers classes in modern, jazz, ballet, tap and hip-hop for adults, and a variety of classes for kids and teens. The classes are pay as you go, and good for beginners (I was an ultimate beginner) as well as those with experience. The instructors are friendly and great dancers. Try them out for a good workout for both the body and mind! I highly recommend them!
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Stone Soup Theatre
Category:
Acting Instruction
4035 Stone Way N
Seattle,
Washington 98103
(206) 633-1883
Went to see the opening of "Durang 7" an evening of Christopher Durang one acts this...
More 2 months ago
Went to see the opening of "Durang 7" an evening of Christopher Durang one acts this Halloween weekend. It was an perfect way to start the eveening off as the plays had enough surreal out this world humor. And there were even some cool costumes thrown in. It's amazing how well the plays hold together ranging from theater parodies, political satire, to somethinf unexpectedly poignant ("Funeral Parlor"). The cast is awesome and the intimate setting really makes this work as a kind of grown up cabaret. thiis will play through 22nd November so check it out. You won't be dissapointed
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The Vera Project
Category:
Entertainment & Arts
1916 4th Ave
Seattle,
Washington 98101
(206) 956-8372
I've only been to the Vera Project once, but I was very impressed with it. If it had been around...
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I've only been to the Vera Project once, but I was very impressed with it. If it had been around before I was 21 I'm sure I would have gone more often. It's nice that somewhere is trying to put on good all-ages shows in Seattle! They did a great job putting on the show I saw by The Evens.
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Make sure you take in this year's production of 'Black Nativity' at Intiman Theatre. The yearly...
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Make sure you take in this year's production of 'Black Nativity' at Intiman Theatre. The yearly production of Langston Hughes' gospel musical play is always a blast. You'll be treated to a gospel choir directed by Seattle's famous Rev. Pat Wright, as well as a rousing and creative telling of the nativity story from local actors usually ranging from ages 7-75. It's a great show, and only happens once a year. Make it a tradition.
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ACT Theatre
Category:
Theater
Seattle,
Washington 98101
(206) .29-2.7660
Seating & View is perfect. For the first time I had a great experience at a downtown Seattle...
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Seating & View is perfect. For the first time I had a great experience at a downtown Seattle theatre, able to watch the whole show and not leave early because I cant see with the heads in front of me.
Each row of seats is raised a level higher like on stairs so that no one can possibly block your view. I wont do sitting on pillows, its not my style to haul a pillow around when I'm all dressed up.
Staff... very friendly. Although the ticket person was quite incompetant when I needed to replace my ticket.. it asked me to stand aside while it continued taking money for other peoples ticket and the line was endless. So I went to the info person and was helped immediately with my ticket. So even though the ticketer was incompetant, it did not prevent me from getting more than my moneys worth at the ACT.
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