SGSS Newsletter - September 2019

- Gregory Nominations for Princess Ida - Gregory comments from Princess Ida and Tommy - Vote for the People’s Choice Awards -

Princess Ida nominated for 3 Gregory Awards!

We couldn’t be more proud of our summer 2019 production of Princess Ida: noteworthy performances, fantastic reviews, and to cap it off: 3 nominations for the 11th Annual Gregory Awards (Seattle’s version of the Tony’s)!

• Outstanding Choreography - Crystal Dawn Munkers

• Outstanding Costume - Doris Black

• Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Musical - Mark Rabe

The awards ceremony will be held on October 28th at the Marion Oliver McCaw Hall. More information on the awards & the event can be found here.

Keep reading to learn how YOU can vote for our production in the People’s Choice Awards…

A few of the comments from the Gregory Awards Nominators who attended our show:

C A S T :

Christine Riippi (Arac) - A sexy amazon who pummeled her male opponent during the great fight choreography. A strong singer, dancer, slayer.

Colin Brisky (Hilarion) - Beautiful singer and we could understand every word and nuance.

Hayley Gaarde (Psyche) - Hayley has a beautiful voice and an amazing presence. It was such a joy to see her use it.

Karin Terry (Guron) - As one-third of the comedic trio of soldiers, her performance was a masterclass in character movement.

Mark Rabe (King Gama) - Mark is a wonderful comic actor. Great character work.

P R O D U C T I O N :

Comments (Direction) - Beautiful stage pictures. Scenes flowed into each other with ease. Great pace.

Comments (Ensemble) - Flawless, couldn't be better. What talent!!!!!

Comments (Scenic) - Bill Forrester expertly designed a minimal, yet very effective set that was very pretty to look at when combined with the lighting.

Comments (Choreography) - Creative, original and appropriate, in character and delightful. When the first choreography is evident, it is so polished and bright that you know your [sic] in good hands.

Comments (Costume) - Amazing, with the little touches of spats that get removed and the funny mustaches, but the authenticity of "something" at the same time. Funny but real but creative.

D E F I N I N G M O M E N T :

I enjoyed the Keystone Cop clowning of Princess Ida's "brothers", particularly the scene in which they reveal themselves to be women and then take on the men in hand-to-hand combat. Topsy turvy silliness at its best.

Stunning combination of Costume, Light, music and voices creating a surprisingly relevant work.

O T H E R / F I N A L C O M M E N T S :

The Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society has produced a great show that the audience loved!

Additional comments from the Gregory Nominators can be found here. I haven’t been able to find a search word to filter only the “Princess Ida” comments, but this link will show our comments listed first.

The 2019 nominators had the following to say about our August 2018 production of The Who’s TOMMY:

C A S T :

Comments (Ensemble) - This ensemble committed deeply to the world of the play and to each other. They enthusiastically gave it their all with trust and synchronicity.

Fiona Alhadeff (Young Tommy) - One of the most remarkable performances by a young actor I've seen in recent memory (and that's without any spoken lines!). Talented in the extreme, this is a young performer to watch.

Garrett Dill / Emily Welter / Varsha Raghavan (Tommy) - Excellent work as a team creating the various parts of the character; each individual was a strong character and yet they were able to collaborate into a singular entity quite well

Rory Eaden (Cousin Kevin) - Loved his stage presence and the ability to be convincingly sinister without transgressing into outright camp.

Ryan McCabe (Uncle Ernie) - He gave "Fiddle About" such a salaciously creepy edge it made my skin crawl. The sales pitch at the end was a startling and wonderful revelation.

P R O D U C T I O N :

Comments (Lighting) - Ahren Buhmann's projections were phenomenal! They WERE the set and enhanced the story. Outstanding lighting and projections - these elements set the entire tone for the show and were a vital part in telling the story.

Comments (Choreography) - My favorite element of the production. Elicited a few gasps of delight from the audience at points. The use of voguing-like choreography to evoke the levers of a pinball machine was inspired.

Comments (Direction) - I respected the idea to cast Tommy as three people, and was intrigued with the ideas behind the color and gender blind casting.

D E F I N I N G M O M E N T :

Full cast fast, large movement and choreography and singing on multiple levels in a tight yet-somehow-loose staging and backed with amazing set graphics - this was an experience that delivered to a broader audience than the original.

Particular to this production, I loved watching a play featuring an interracial, homosexual couple that didn't have to spend the whole play talking about exactly that. We could let them be a family and get on with it.

The entire production had a look, feel, and vibe that pulled the audience into the experience. The projections, lighting, and choreography set the tone for outstanding ensemble work.

Additional comments from the Gregory Nominators can be found here.

The 2019 Gregory Awards’ People’s Choice Awards

Your voice matters - give Princess Ida, The Who’s TOMMY, and The Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society some love by voting for us here. They’ve filled in a dropdown list for each category to make it easier to find your favorite pick, or you can manually type in your choices.

Voting closes on October 9th, 2019, so don’t miss a chance to support Princess Ida, TOMMY, and the work that SGSS does!