Must-see Seattle theater in November 2024

Staff Picks

As someone who grew up in Seattle, I’m not certain where the expression The Big Dark came from. Frankly, I’ve always kind of resented the hyperbolic expression. Sure, maybe you can’t do as much paddleboarding or pickleballing, but who cares? There are so many great activities available to brighten your days, and cozying up in the theater — including these five excellent options — is one of my favorites.

“Edgar & Annabel”

Who’s ready for a story about an Orwellian government? Perhaps it’s a small comfort that this play, written by British playwright Sam Holcroft and presented in Seattle by Pony World Theatre, actually premiered in 2011 at the National Theatre in London. It’s a nice reminder that our current cultural anxiety isn’t unique. 

In this particular dystopian play, billed as a “darkly comedic spy thriller,” Edgar and Annabel seem to be the perfect suburban couple, but those bland personas cover up their real identities as resistance movement fighters. Audience members are invited (but not required) to arrive early before each performance, to participate in “a collection of puzzles meant to train the next generation of agents tasked with seeking out subversive elements.” 

Through Nov. 30; 12th Avenue Arts, 1620 12th Ave., Seattle; $12-$90; ponyworld.org

“Tennessee Rising: The Dawn of Tennessee Williams”

This solo show, written and performed by Jacob Storms, is the third presentation in the inaugural season of the Intiman Cabaret, an intimate program of Intiman Theatre featuring table and bar seating and cocktail lounge service, all for a 21-and-older crowd. “Tennessee Rising” explores the early years of playwright Tennessee Williams, born Thomas Lanier Williams III in 1911. With the world edging closer to World War II, the young gay writer escapes his family home in Mississippi and creates a new persona as he “grapples with first love, professional triumph and torment, heartbreak, and ultimately ‘the catastrophe of success.’ ” 

Nov. 8-10; Intiman Cabaret at Erickson Theatre, 1524 Harvard Ave., Seattle; 21-and-older; tickets start at $35 with a two-drink minimum; 206-315-5838, intiman.org

“Legally Blonde”

The world sure has changed since Elle Woods, the spirited, surprising heroine of “Legally Blonde,” first took over American pop culture via the 2001 film starring Reese Witherspoon. And our culture has evolved plenty since the musical adaptation burst onto Broadway in 2007. How will 2024 audiences feel about Woods, the sorority sister-turned-star law student, spurred into action when her rotten boyfriend dumps her for someone more serious? With her chihuahua Bruiser in tow, Elle follows that pretentious jerk to Harvard Law to prove she can do anything, all while wearing levels of pink that would make Barbie blush. The Broadway production earned seven 2007 Tony Award nominations. To quote Woods: What, like it’s hard? 

Nov. 12-Dec. 22 at Village Theatre Issaquah, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah. Jan. 4-26, 2025, at Village Theatre Everett, 2710 Wetmore Ave., Everett. $44-$123; 425-392-2202, villagetheatre.org

“Indian School” 

This solo performance from Seattle artist Timothy White Eagle blends theater, storytelling and ritual to explore themes of cultural displacement and identity. In this piece, he weaves together the personal and the national. There’s the story of his grandfather, forcibly removed from his tribal family and sent to the Phoenix Indian School in Arizona, and White Eagle’s own story of adoption. Also, as press materials explain, he pulls together “timelines from America’s ongoing projects of genocide and hydraulic engineering that reshape landscapes and relationships to land” — more specifically, our modern reshaping of the Colorado River, a critical resource for the region’s Native peoples. White Eagle is a sensitive, compelling performer and thinker, and his narrative of intergenerational trauma and resilience is sure to be moving.  

Nov. 14-16; On the Boards, 100 W. Roy St., Seattle; $20-$265; 206-217-9886, ontheboards.org

“Mary Poppins” 

Thank heavens for a family-friendly December show that isn’t overtly holiday flavored! Though it is the sugary-sweet, magical story of the world’s most famous nanny, Mary Poppins, who floats into the lives of the unhappy Banks children while their parents, a busy banker and a dedicated suffragette, are occupied elsewhere. Based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the beloved 1964 Disney film, this musical adaptation features a book by “Downton Abbey” creator Julian Fellowes with plenty of beloved songs and dancing chimney sweeps.

Nov. 22-Dec. 26; The 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 Fifth Ave., Seattle; $30-$165; 206-625-1900, 5thavenue.org

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