A match made in ...

Pam Nolte as the matchmaker

The Broadway hit, The Matchmaker by Thornton Wilder, tells the story of a woman determined to win the prize of a rich husband for herself, though she pretends to have the interests of others in mind. It's the hilarious tale of marrying up (finding a mate with money), despite the conventions of culture and expectations of society.

The Taproot Theatre production stars Pam Nolte as the matchmaker; her hapless target is the rich businessman Horace Vandergelder, convincingly played by Robert Gallaher. Directed by Scott Nolte, the play had the audience in stitches. I blinked in amazement a few times at the twists and turns of the plot as the cast frolicked around the simple stage. Once again, the set designers provided just enough furnishings to support the lively acting.

Brad Walker as Barnaby Tucker

I have to say that the spinster aunt, played by Kim Morris, stole the show and upped the energy with her rousing performance in the production last weekend. Our other favorites were the young apprentices, played by Robert Hines and Brad Walker.

The play whirls by with lots of energy: you're never far from the action inside the intimate space of Taproot! I was so engrossed that I was surprised by the intermission. Afterwards on the sidewalk, people continued buzzing and chuckling over the antics of the characters.

Asha Stichter and Natalie Moe watch the action.

This feel-good play is the perfect entertainment after a stressful work-week. I recommend it for girlfriends on a night out, date night for couples, or as a fun family activity with teens and older. College students will easily identify with the break-from-constraints hijinks of the young characters, too. Come prepared to laugh aloud, relax, and walk away feeling good.

Photos are by Erik Stuhaug. Media tickets were provided by Taproot. The show runs until October 19 | For tickets call 206.781.9707 or click here.

Go see this show!

I love going to Taproot Theatre and am looking forward to a show on the weekend. I'll let you know how it goes. Here's the info for all you Wodehouse and Jeeves and Wooster fans:

Photo by Eric Stuhaug

Jeeves in Bloom at Taproot Theatre

Posted: 04 Feb 2013 03:08 AM PST

The press release said: “Laugh away the winter blues with P.G. Wodehouse’s classic characters in Jeeves in Bloom.” I had to try – you know. January can be the longest month of the year, and I was about done. So, Saturday night, my husband and I kicked off February, used the tickets provided by Taproot...
Read More »

What if C. S. Lewis talked to Sigmund Freud?

I didn't know what to expect. I'd heard several excellent reports on the Taproot Theatre production of "Freud's Last Session." (But you never know what to expect from what others say.) Two people on stage for 75 minutes? Could be good. Or, on the other hand ... well, I had to see for myself.

Imagine if Sigmund Freud and C. S. Lewis had an hour to expound and question each other about personal accountability, the meaning of life, and ultimate destiny. That's the premise of the award-winning play by Mark St. Germain (Best 2011 Off-Broadway Alliance Play).

The play drafts Lewis (Matt Shimkus) in his 40s––coming into his full philosophical and literary power, and Freud (Nolan Palmer) in his 80s––at the end of his life, suffering from oral cancer. The set of a mid-century London studio replete with antiques, a chaise longue, and Oriental rugs was beautiful enough to make several of my neighbors sigh with contentment.

Freud and Lewis spar: if God were good, wouldn't we always be happy? What is the purpose of suffering? Can we choose to end our lives or is suicide the ultimate selfishness.

"Perhaps, if pleasure is God's whisper, pain is his megaphone," responds Lewis. Perhaps, he suggests, instead of being absent as atheists suppose, God appears to us incognito, surrounding us and inviting us into relationship.

Freud shrugs off the recognition of a greater purpose as the two circle the stage, parrying, asking, and admitting their finite grasp of life's Questions.

The frequent interplay of actors and historical props (including radio broadcasts) makes Taproot one of our favorite companies. The snippets about Lewis, Tolkien and the others in their Inklings' literature group, the settings of WWII, and insights into peer personalities like Weldon helped me to contextualize other information I've picked up by reading and watching movies.

The usual white-haired Saturday matinee crowd was liberally sprinkled with college and middle-aged attendees. It was fun to watch varied responses to the repartee on the stage: we sat riveted by the circling and clash of the actors. The audience packed the space; I appreciated my media tickets.

I like to listen to eavesdrop during intermission (this play had none) and afterwards in the foyer. However, people slowly walked out of the theater to the street, thinking but not speaking. Not until we were a block away did I began to hear both thoughtful and agitated comments on what we'd seen.

Adults who wonder at the contrast between the world's beauty and God's reticence to intervene in life's unpleasantness and pain will identify with the discussion from both sides. Older teens and college students will love the frank and often humorous exploration of human choices, conscience vs. parental repression, the origin of our beliefs, the influence of fathers, and current issues that haunt us, like suicide. Some explicit language makes this inappropriate for children. (Let them sit this one out with a babysitter.)

You have three more weeks to see "Freud's Last Session" in Taproot's 85th Ave. theater. It closes April 28. Don't miss it! You can get tickets for this and the upcoming show "Leaving Iowa" on Taproot’s Website.

Photos by Erik Stuhaug.

2012-13 Season - Taproot Theatre

I love this company. Every show has been interesting and has showcased human life and interactions. Can't wait for the new line-up. Thought I'd include their press release below, so all you theatre lovers can get your tickets early. If you've never been to a live show, get ready to be wowed and to step into the story!
------------------------
 

Taproot Theatre Company announces 2012 Season

Season includes two regional premieres, a sparkling musical full of nostalgia, and a heartland comedy that’ll make you relive your family vacations

SEATTLE – June 28, 2011 – Taproot Theatre Company is excited to announce the lineup for its 36^th season, a year packed with comedy, classics and romance. The season features two regional premieres, a comedic road trip with the family, and a musical full of nostalgia and harmony. Taproot Theatre’s Company’s 2012 Season runs from January through October. The resubscription period is currently underway, with subscriptions opening to the general public on October 3.

Taproot Theatre’s 2012 opens with Molière’s Tartuffe (translated by Richard Wilbur), a fast -paced farce that will have audiences rolling with laughter and rhyming in couplets (February 1-March 3).

Next comes the regional premiere of Freud’s Last Session, the off-Broadway hit by Mark St. Germain. Two of the 20^th century’s greatest minds—C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud—spar to the end in this fictional meeting (March 21- April 21).

In the spring, Taproot Theatre gets in vacation mode with Leaving Iowa. By Tim Clue and Spike Manton, this warm and funny celebration of the classic family road trip reminds us that sometimes the journey is just as important as the destination (May 16- June 16). 

Then it’s Chaps, which is perhaps your only chance to see a British cowboy croon at the moon, in this musical by Jahnna Beecham and Malcolm Hillgartner, with vocal arrangements by Malcolm Hillgartner and Chip Duford (July 11-August 11).

Finally, Taproot Theatre wraps up its 2012 Season in the fall with the regional premiere of Dorothy Sayer’s Gaudy Night, adapted by Frances Limoncelli. Sayers’ signature wit, insight and charm will delight you in this dazzling mystery (September 19-October 20).

Ticket and Subscription Information:

Performances take place Wednesday through Saturday evenings, with matinees on Saturdays. Taproot Theatre is currently in its resubscription period; subscriptions open to the public on October 3, and single tickets go on sale in January 2011.

Subscribers save up to 18% over single ticket prices, plus enjoy great benefits like priority seating, discounts on additional tickets, free ticket exchanges, a subscriber rewards card and more. Subscribers have a number of packages to choose from, including three- and five-play season subscriptions and a Flex Pass subscription, which gives patrons more flexibility when scheduling their tickets.

For more information about subscriptions and single tickets, visit www.taproottheatre.org or contact the box office at 206.781.9707 or box@taproottheatre.org.  The box office is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 5:00 p.m., and until show time on performance nights.

All performances are held at Taproot Theatre, located at 204 N. 85^th St. in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood. The 226-seat theatre is wheelchair accessible and is equipped with assisted listening devices.

ABOUT TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY

Taproot Theatre Company is a professional, non‐profit theatre company with a multi‐faceted production program. Founded in 1976, Taproot Theatre serves the Pacific Northwest with Mainstage Productions, Touring Productions and the Acting Studio. Taproot exists to create theatre that explores the beauty and questions of life while bringing hope to our search for meaning. Taproot Theatre Company is a member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), Theatre Puget Sound (TPS), and the Greenwood‐Phinney Chamber of Commerce.

Thanks to our opening night sponsor, The Upper Crust. Support for Taproot Theatre’s 2012 Mainstage season is generously provided by The Charles Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences, The Seattle Foundation, ArtsFund, 4Culture, PONCHO, and the Nesholm Family Foundation.