Theater: Ties that Bind
By John Levesque February 26, 2013
On its face, the idea of a mother and her adult daughter living together isnt all that odd. But a mother and her daughter living together in squalid seclusion inside a rundown, raccoon-infested mansion in the Hamptons? Now theres an opportunity for some storytelling. Toss in bona fides like their being one-time socialites related to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and youve got the Grey Gardens trifecta: a documentary film (1975), a Hollywood movie (2009) and, perhaps most bizarrely, a Broadway musical that won three Tony Awards in 2007. ACT Theatre and The 5th Avenue Theatre are reprising the musical version for a 10-week run at ACTs Allen Theatre. Patti Cohenour, Jessica Skerritt and Suzy Hunt star in this sometimes poignant, sometimes hilarious examination of Big Edie and Little Edie Beale and their fall from an aristocratic pedestal into an eccentric world of delusion and devotion. March 16May 26. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St., Seattle. 206.292.7676, acttheatre.org.
Some people are just meant to be together, even if one of them thinks the other is going to hell when he dies. In the ArtsWest production of Next Fall, Luke believes he will go to heaven for accepting Jesus Christ as his savior. Adam, Lukes partner of four years, is a committed nonbeliever. Yet theyre in love and in a committed relationship. An accident puts Lukes life in danger, forcing Adam to confront Lukes conservative Christian family and their idea of unconditional love. When Next Fall played Broadway in 2010, The New York Times called it a smart, sensitive, immensely appealing and utterly contemporary comedy. March 13April 6. ArtsWest Playhouse and Gallery, 4711 California Ave. SW, Seattle. 206.938.0339, artswest.org.