Dogg’s Hamlet, Cahoot’s Macbeth is comprised of two individual plays that could easily stand on their own and have a degree of importance in the telling of their stories, but when told together, as they were designed, they become a thesis on language, government oppression, and subversion. This is a piece that will sneak up on you. You’ll be challenged intellectually, linguistically, and emotionally, but when the dust settles, you’ll come to realize that what you just witnessed was a smart, important, entertaining, and very well acted evening of theatre.

This production of Macbeth is a clear indication that after centuries of having his plays presented in any variety of ways, Shakespeare isn’t going anywhere. Macbeth at OSF is dark, it’s passionate, it’s thrilling, and it’s the most tragic of tragedies. It’s a play with a vision from Director Evren Odcikin that grabs the audience and doesn’t dare let go. It’s most definitely a cornerstone production for the OSF 2024 season, and if you only had the chance to take in one play while in Ashland, this being it would be very well worth it.

Witness for the Prosecution may not feel like standard Agatha Christie, there’s no Hercule Poirot and there’s no gathering of potential suspects only to have them eliminated one by one until the crime is solved. With this courtroom drama, the author more than makes up for it with her depiction of a trial containing more twists and turns than you’ll see on any of the many such programs on TV. With a solid design, and a cast that excels, led by an emotionally superlative performance by Alyssa Hersey and under the direction of Jeffrey Bassett, the Jewel Box production of Witness for the Prosecution could very well leave you wondering whodunit even after the crime has been solved.

If you’re looking for a happy, feel good night at the theatre that isn’t going to ask a lot of you, it’s clear that The Niceties is not for you. This play demands a lot of its audience. It’ll make you think, not just about the history that you’ve been taught, and why it’s not truly a complete, but also the reason why the particular things you learned were deemed the only important things that transpired in our wide history. I’m not a fan of some of the construction of the story, but I am a fan of the idea of The Niceties, and its vision. In addition to that, I’m a huge fan of this production and more than anything the two actors that put all of themselves into these performances and make The Niceties an impactful piece of theatre.

Ten Acrobats in an Amazing Leap of Faith challenges the audience to contemplate their own experiences in the context of the story of a Muslim-American family of Egyptian immigrants. The story itself may be specific to this family, but its messages are universal. We are all impacted by the prisons we live in, and it’s up to us to determine for ourselves if we are going to be characterized by the pressures we face or if we’re going to break out of them and be true to ourselves. Further, once we answer that, how do we balance between our own truths and those of the people we love? The Centerstage production takes this circus and brings it to the audience in such a way that it feels accessible and relatable, whether we have first hand experience with an immigrant story or not.

Matilda the Musical is fun version of a classic Ronald Dahl story, and the Kitsap Forest Theatre production features a wonderfully talented cast of leads and an ensemble that is enchanting to watch and hear, with voices that fill up the outdoor space where the show is being presented. It’s a show that knows its venue and takes advantage of the space to present a show that is wholly entertaining and enjoyable for the entire family.

The Smell of the Kill may have closed this past weekend at Bremerton Community Theatre, but it’s a good enough production that it is most certainly worthy of getting the word out about it. The cast, under the direction of Eric Wise was excellent in their delivery, confident, natural, and strong. The production design was sound, and put together, my only wish for this production is that it would have had a longer run so more people could see it.

The Taproot production of Sherlock Holmes and the Precarious Position is fun, funny, and is an excellent way to spend an evening (or afternoon) out. Quickly paced, this mystery based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s characters keeps the audiences on their toes until the inevitable happens, when Holmes and Watson “find their man”. It’s the journey that’s the treat here, though. Karen Lund has put together a nice group, led by a cast of four excellent actors, that come together to tell a story that is a nice diversion and an entertaining play. It’s not going to set the world on fire, but it doesn’t need to, it’s wonderful just the way it is.

The Village Theatre production of Once on This Island, the story of how love and the ultimate sacrifice can heal wounds that have been growing for generations, is an immersive, stunningly designed, and beautifully presented piece of musical theatre. Think of this as Romeo and Juliet meets The Little Mermaid, set on a tropical island. The story is told by way of a convergence between design and performance that is first rate, not just musical theatre, but a true visual and auditory experience, one that draws the audience into it and makes them feel that they are part of this wonderful story.

Though it sounds cliche, Unrivaled proves that the more things change, the more they stay the same. What keeps us coming back to stories of relationships and their humanity is that at the end of the day, relationships are the one thing we all have in common. Unrivaled feels like a modern story of trust and insecurity, love and heartbreak, as well as the age old challenges of being a woman in a man’s world told with the backdrop of 11th Century Japan. The co-production between Seattle Public Theatre and SIS Productions is a very well presented story that shows while we may falter apart, together we are Unrivaled.

There’s a saying, “Gold is where you find it”. Sometimes the best art can be found in the most unassuming places, and within Seattle’s arts community there’s no shortage of places that are tucked in corners or even underground. This is why The Underground Theater is so aptly named, and why Brown Bodies on a Blue Earth is the perfect show to have its world premiere with this company and underground at Base Camp Studios. Playwright Cris Eli Blak has created a dystopian world that shines a light on both racial and socioeconomic discrimination as well as climate change and how adaptable, or non adaptable people can be when dealing with all of these issues along with the grief of loss. It’s a complex story, constructed very well, and performed emotionally and passionately by a cast that is bought into their characters and leaves everything on the stage floor.

Letters of Suresh leaves the audience thinking; thinking about how we as a species communicate and interact, and a lot about religion, how we coexist among others who have been raised with a different faith, or even challenging the idea of God. There’s a lot beyond this as well, too much to list out here, but all presented so well within the context of the story. It is such a well written piece, and so expertly performed that if you’re not able to get out to see it, it’s an opportunity missed.

The Savannah Sipping Society is a wonderful story of discovery, friendship, community, and how sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone every once in a while can help heal the pain of loss and make you realize that there’s no limit to what you can do, especially when you have a group of supportive friends at your side. The Edmonds Driftwood production tells this story in such a wonderful way, with a superb quartet of actors and a creative team who present director Joe Goins’ vision with so much detail and quality that you’d think you were actually sitting on a veranda in Savannah yourself, experiencing everything along with these ladies, just without the humidity.

The musical version of The Wedding Singer exists solely because of and in service to the movie of the same name, starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. Western Washington Center for the Arts has chosen The Wedding Singer, the musical comedy, to close out its residence at the Bay Street location where they have produced shows for so long, and they’ve done a fine job in presenting an entertaining musical experience, despite performing from a book that is generally bland in comparison to the film on which it was based.

At the end of the day, there’s no denying that The Lehman Trilogy is a long show, probably the longest on stage in the region this season, for sure on the professional side of the house. But what John Langs has done in casting this trio of actors, and compiling this creative team, is to take a long, detailed, and dialogue heavy play and create a piece that is paced quickly, flows well, and engages the audience from start to finish. The story of the Lehman brothers is one that underscores what can happen when people have the opportunity to follow the American dream, but what can also happen when the baton of that dream is handed to those who have lost touch with what drove the dream into existence to begin with. It’s a story of family and loyalty, one of hope and heartbreak, and ultimately one about the ups and downs of unchecked capitalism. You’re sure to come out of The Lehman Trilogy with an opinion about this family, our economic system and stature, and our country as a whole. Most likely it’ll be different than your neighbor’s opinion, and it could very well be a changed opinion from what you entered ACT’s Falls Theatre with before sitting down to enjoy The Lehman Trilogy, which you will most definitely do, it’s an excellent telling of an intriguing story.

One would think that Romeo and Juliet has run its course, having premiered in 1957 it has to be one of the most performed Shakespeare plays ever. Any other play by any other author would go the way of the dodo, perhaps resurrected only after a long time spent on the shelf. But what keeps Romeo and Juliet going are productions like this one at Seattle Shakespeare. By far one of the most engaging, accessible, and outright enjoyable versions of this classic that I’ve seen, director Sheila Daniels has captured the true essence of this tragic tale, and with a stellar cast and creative design work, Sheila has reinvigorated my love of Shakespeare. If that sounds extreme, I would challenge you to see it yourself, and you may find that you have the same reaction.

Animals Out of Paper is the first of a pair of plays written by Rajiv Joseph running simultaneously on stage at 12th Avenue Arts, co-produced by ReAct Theatre and Pratidhwani. Directed by Julie Beckman, it uses origami as a metaphor for life, showing what can happen when we let go of the control we have over our lives and let events unfold, and how the experiences that transpire may just teach us a thing or two about each other, and ourselves. It’s well constructed, and nicely presented, and definitely something that is worth taking the time to let unfold in front of you.

In a world where it seems people have a difficult time connecting, and where divisiveness is rampant in society, sometimes all we need is a little love. That’s where Almost, Maine comes in. A show that distills the human condition down to the core experiences of love, longing, heartache, and hope, Almost, Maine features a small but mighty cast that presents this series of stories in a realistic and relatable way. With so much heaviness in the world, when we’re all searching for a little levity, Almost, Maine may just be exactly what we need.

Cabaret is a musical that never seems to age. It’s as relevant today as it was when it was first performed, which is both good and bad. The bad is clear, there are plenty of parallels in America today that mirror the events leading up to the Nazis taking power in Germany in World War 2. The good, though, is that we get to appreciate the genius that is this show written by John Kander (music), Fred Ebb (lyrics), and Joe Masteroff (book). We also get to appreciate when it’s so well performed as it is in the BPA production. Under the direction of Jessica Low, this cast featuring superlative performances by Bo Mellinger, Chris Clark, and Talena Laine delivers what may just be the show this season that sticks in your soul more than any other.

English is a well written and creatively constructed look at language, culture, and personality. The story reflects on how each of these are intertwined in the context of Iranian students studying to become proficient in English, and how the learning of this new language changes them, how it impacts their relationships, and how they wrestle to live in the world of a new language while still trying to keep in touch with their own culture. The ArtsWest/Seda produced English is a superbly directed and acted piece of art that will be relatable not just to anyone who has attempted to learn a foreign language for any reason, but even more so to those who feel a new language is the ticket out of a particularly harsh situation, or for those who feel trapped between cultures. It’s told with respect to the Iranian culture and Farsi language and is worthy of its Pulitzer Prize.