Get ready for a relentless drumbeat (think of it as an early Christmas present) leading up to what may be the most exciting regional theatre event in the Pacific Northwest (and country) for the 2014-15 season.
Seattle’s the place, December 2014 is the date.
Why all the hoopla? Theatre projects this big don’t come along every year. Or even decade. And this particular ringer has Oregon (the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, to be exact) written all over it.
Seattle Rep (living up to its name) will be producing both plays from Robert Schenkkan’s OSF-hatched (via the incredible American Revolutions program) LBJ epic in repertory during the month of December (and thru January 4). ALL THE WAY and THE GREAT SOCIETY, which by then will both have premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, will be running simultaneously using the same cast. Exact dates are not yet listed, but no doubt weekends will offer the chance to easily catch both plays – perhaps on the same day.
So if you’ve been meaning to visit Seattle and maybe see some theatre (as opposed to theatuh) – here’s your golden opportunity. December in Seattle (not unlike Portland – but it’s worse in Seattle) will be cold, dark and wet. Which means that inside it will be warm, cozy, and well lit (except when the lights go down). Seattle’s dazzling restaurants, cafes, and boutique hotels await. And what better time to go than the pre holiday buildup? It’s gonna be massive.
This will be much, much more than just another play. It will be what the most memorable live performances should always be – AN EVENT. Is Seattle going to turn out en masse to see its very own Tony Award-winning playwright’s latest creation, half of which (ALL THE WAY – still on Broadway right now with Bryan Cranston) has just laid waste the Northeast corridor from Boston to New York with accolades and raves? Oh yeah. You had better [REMOVED BY EDITOR] believe people are going to be up for it.
The mania may not reach Sea Hawks or RING proportions (be sure to check back in 2017 for the next incarnation of that madness), but Seattleites are pretty darn possessive when it comes to supporting the home team. This is the victory lap for a big joint Washington / Oregon theatre success, and it is safe to say you ain’t seen nothing like what’s gonna happen when the ticker tape parade pulls into Rain City.
The takeaway: You. Seattle. Robert Schenkkan’s two new plays. A weekend in December 2014.
BOOM!
