Review by Jeanne Kinley Deller

Anytime audience members collectively share their exuberance with strangers while exiting a theatre, you know a pinnacle of perfection has been achieved. This was exactly the scenario after Friday night’s “Million Dollar Quartet” at Village Theatre in Issaquah where everyone was on their feet dancing for the last 15-20 minutes of peerless rock and roll and electrifying antics.

Who, at the time, would have dreamed the reenactment of a recording company’s 1956 jam session with Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins would spark audiences around the globe for over six decades?  Village Theatre’s captivating history with “Million Dollar Quartet” stretches back to its premiere during the 2006 Village Originals Festival of New Musicals. With praise to the current production team’s brilliance in collaboration, “Million Dollar Quartet” promises another unparalleled hit for Village Theatre in Issaquah and Everett.

Accolades to Jerry Lee Lewis!  Oh, wait! That wasn’t the real Jerry Lee Lewis? Meet John Countryman, who blew the audience away with his impersonation of Lewis, once described as “rock and rolls first great wild man.” Wild and crazy, John Countryman as Lewis oozed fun, and grit, and natural talent with his every move.

Don’t pass up the opportunity to revel in the reunion of the dynamic “Million Dollar Quartet” this time around. Join in the exquisite fun and laughter of the show that ends with a crowd-dancing ovation “Million Dollar Quartet” Plays Village Theatre in Issaquah now through June 23, 2019 and in Everett June 28-July 29, 2019. Tickets here. 

Photo by Mark Kitaoka

Review by Jeanne Kinley Deller

Through determination and stamina, following the 1963 Birmingham, Alabama bombings in which four young African American girls were murdered, a resilient and determined Nina Simone channels her musical gifts in a manner that bewilders those around her. “Nina Simone: Four Women” plays The Seattle Repertory Theatre in Seattle Center now through June 2, 2019. 

Nina and three very diverse women find themselves in the shell of the 16th Street Church,  grappling with the devastation in divisive and conflicting manners that cast doubts on each other. Each woman’s self-identity fluctuates according to the disparities in her background and the shade of her skin.

While Jennifer Zeyl’s stark staging transports the audience into the midst of the bombed-out church, it’s as though the four young girls whose lives were lost are ever present in spirit. Shontina Vernon is high-spirited in her role as Nina Simone, while Shaunyce Omar anchors the show in her brilliant portrayal of Sarah.

The Seattle Rep invites audiences to join in “a series of enlightening, empowering, and engaging events” with ties to current injustices. Striking similarities of the 1960s and today’s conflicted societies are unfathomable. This point was driven home in the post-play discussion of current atrocities in our local and national surrounds.

For more information on “Nina Simone: Four Women,” including tickets, special events, and post-show discussions, visit seattlerep.org. You have through June 2nd to secure seats for this heart-wrenching, thought-provoking performance at Seattle Repertory Theatre.

Photo by Nate Watters