Theater: Animal Attractions
By Seattle Business Magazine December 5, 2012
This article originally appeared in the January 2013 issue of Seattle magazine.
David Mamet’s Obie-winning play from 1975, American Buffalo, chronicles a day in the lives of three men working in a rundown junk shop and plotting to steal a collection of rare coins. Mamet-speak is in full force here, offering testosterone-fueled poetry the characters use to intimidate, ridicule and manipulate. Not surprisingly, the heist goes awry, making for a powerful, funny and eventually tragic story. See local superstars Hans Altwies and Charles Leggett sink their teeth into these juicy roles. 1/112/3. Times and prices vary. Seattle Repertory Theatre, 155 Mercer St.; 206.443.2222; seattlerep.org.
If youve been worried about feeling just too happy lately, take in a viewing of Anton Chekhovs The Seagull, which follows 10 characters through bouts of depression, unrequited love and artistic paralysis. First produced in 1896 to boos and critical disdain, this enduring masterpiece of subtextual content remains a classic thanks to Chekhovs keen portrayal of human foibles. With celebrated local director John Langs at the helm of this productionitself the result of a special local theatrical endeavor called The Seagull Projectexpect to experience the entire spectrum of human emotion, from passion to pathos. 1/232/10. Times and prices vary. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St.; 206.292.7676; acttheatre.org.