Suffs is the best kind of history-inspired theatre: a musical that presents us a nuanced look at the successes, failures, struggles, oversights, and interpersonal relationships related to this slicefrom the past. It prioritizes telling its audiences a compelling narrative about the suffragist movement over bogging us down with facts. Replete with an amazing cast, high-caliber production elements, and a story that offers lessons about both our history and future, Suffs’ current tour stop at The 5^th Avenue Theatre is not to be missed.

Twenty years into Boal’s tenure as artistic director at the company, it is enjoyable to see a company that does Balanchine so well, right here in Seattle. Jewels sets a high bar that hopefully the rest of PNB’s season will rise to. If so, we’re in for a treat.

ReAct Theatre’s The Laramie Project is a thoughtful and well-paced production that honors the integrity of its source material. It may not always fully tap into the deepest wells of emotion, but it succeeds in telling a story that must continue to be told. Matthew Shepard’s legacy is not only a reminder of the consequences of hatred and violence but also a call to empathy and action. This production keeps that legacy alive, and in doing so, invites its audience to remember, reflect, and, most importantly, feel.

If you’re looking to see a murder mystery that differs from the usual stage offerings, Yaga is the show for you. Far more than another whodunnit, Dacha Theatre’s current production serves up a murder mystery rolled up in psychological horror and twisted folklore with a sprinkling of delicious, vicious feminism. Featuring three talented performers tackling numerous roles, stunning visuals, and a thrilling audio landscape, Yaga promises to be a show talked about long after it closes.

Blue Hour Theatre’s staged reading of Drowned Cats made the most of its limited resources by capitalizing on the bounty it did have: a talented local team and an exciting new script. Their rendition of this new play was thoughtful, nuanced, and filled with a sense of urgency that honored the script’s chosen subject of preparing for a devastating storm. All in all, this was a solid one-night presentation that promises good things to come for both this play and the company

Village Theatre’s Brigadoon is a feast for the senses and the heart. With its breathtaking set design, subtle and evocative lighting, powerful ensemble work, and a cast of standout performances, this production brings the classic Lerner and Loewe musical to vivid life. It offers audiences a few precious hours of enchantment, while posing questions about love, sacrifice, and the world we choose to build. As the mist clears and Brigadoon fades from view, you may find yourself wondering—if given the chance to leave behind the chaos of today’s world, would you take it?

Oscar Wilde famously described The Importance of Being Earnest as “a trivial comedy for serious people,” and Taproot’s production captures that paradox beautifully. It offers abundant laughter, yes, but also a thoughtful reflection on sincerity and social expectation. Even today, when questions of identity and perception are as charged as ever, Wilde’s humor still has bite. This production is a joy: gorgeously designed, sharply performed, and consistently hilarious. Whether you’re drawn by the wit, the physical comedy, or the sheer pleasure of watching a masterfully assembled cast at work, this production delivers on every level. It’s the kind of show you want to recommend immediately to friends, knowing they’ll thank you after a night spent laughing and marveling at Wilde’s genius and the wonderful way in which this group presents it.

Seattle’s The Underground Theatre brings the West Coast premiere of For Colored Boyz (on the verge of a nervous breakdown / when freedom ain’t enuff) to Base Camp Studios through September 21. This raw, urgent choreopoem traces the Black male experience in America through poetry, movement, and music. With powerful performances and stunning choreography, it challenges audiences to listen, reflect, and act.

“This is the kind of art that some would rather silence—but it’s exactly the kind of art we must fight to give oxygen to.”

At its core, The Revolutionists is about free speech, empowerment, self-determination, and the power of story. Its dialogue is modern, though its setting remains the turbulent days of the French Revolution, creating a bridge between past and present. Lakewood Playhouse’s production captures both the play’s humor and its urgency, making audiences laugh one moment and reflect deeply the next. By the end, as each woman meets her fate, the laughter fades into a resonant silence, leaving behind a powerful reminder of how vital it is to keep speaking, writing, and fighting for what matters. It’s a compelling opening to the season at Lakewood Playhouse, proof that under Joseph Walsh’s leadership, the organization is boldly stepping forward both artistically and thematically, carrying the momentum from last season’s The Spitfire Grill into a new era of thought-provoking and visually transformative theatre.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Kitsap Forest Theatre takes risks, and while not every risk fully lands, the sheer commitment of the production is undeniable. From costumes and props to music and movement, the Appalachian concept is applied top to bottom, and the company embraces it wholeheartedly. In the end, the production manages to entertain, surprise, and provoke thought—reminding us of the enduring flexibility of Shakespeare’s comedy and the power of theatre to reshape familiar stories in daring new ways.

Dear Jack, Dear Louise is more than a wartime romance. It is a meditation on patience, hope, and the courage required to trust another person in uncertain times. Key City Public Theatre achieves intimacy without sentimentality, humor without frivolity, and romance without cliché. Every element — the emotional performances of Krista Curry and Erik Gratton, the understated set, the evocative lighting and sound, and precise period costumes — works in concert to transport the audience into the emotional world of these letters. By the final scene, as the last letter is read, the audience is left with a sense of fulfillment and quiet awe: a reminder that love, connection, and human resilience endure, even when faced with the distance and uncertainty of war. This is theatre that lingers, inviting reflection long after the curtain falls.

Renton Civic Theatre’s Little Women may not capture the full depth of Alcott’s novel, but the cast more than makes up for it with heartfelt performances and stunning vocals. At the center is Sonja Rose Usher’s radiant Jo March, whose energy and expressiveness drive the production. With strong ensemble work, beautiful music, and thoughtful design, this is a show well worth seeing.

Exotic Deadly is a fast-paced, laugh-out-loud satire about MSG and our fraught relationship with it. But it’s more than that. Keiko Green’s writing is so deft that the humor sweeps you away, only for you to realize later she’s offering a warning: abandon critical thinking, and we’ll believe anything we’re told—like a blind man in the market buying whatever he’s sold. In this production, playwright, director, and cast unite to create an important allegory delivered with joy and energy. Keiko continues to craft witty, incisive theatre, and the group in this co-production doesn’t just perform her work—they embody it. It’s a busy time in theatre, with so many shows opening this month, but this is one you won’t want to miss.

Whether you’ve devoured all the Jurassic Park books and films or have just a passing familiarity with this franchise, Jurassic Parking Lot is a show that entertains. The Habit’s latest production honors the spirit of the Jurassic Park series while amplifying the comedy times a hundred through farcical hijinks, witty banter, delightful song parodies, and dancing dinosaurs that are alternately sensual and hilarious. To paraphrase both the original Jurassic and this latest parody – comedy, uh, finds a way.

POTUS succeeds as both sharp satire and hilarious farce. It doesn’t ask you to parse policies or take a side — it just invites you to recognize the absurdity of power and laugh at the chaos. And in today’s climate, that feels less like escapism and more like relief. It’s fast, funny, and refreshingly non-partisan — a reminder that while some men fumble their way through the highest office in the land, it’s often the women around them who keep the country, and the comedy, alive. And when a story that is this funny is told by a cast as good as this one is, it is a true delight.

The Play That Goes Wrong at Seattle Rep delivers exactly what its title promises and more — a night of mayhem, expertly executed. Seattle Rep has engineered a catastrophe that audiences will be delighted to watch collapse night after night, and with this production Dámaso and the theatre have a bona fide crowd-pleaser on their hands, picking up exactly where they left off last season.

Theatre Battery’s Threepenny Opera is the kind of show that rivets you to your seat and haunts your thoughts long after the curtain falls. This production does an excellent job of showcasing both why the original socio-political opera was so powerful while adapting the text, music, and staging for a modern audience. If you’re looking for a show that features spectacular musicians and vocalists, takes place in a unique found location, and serves up Cabaret-style political commentary that makes you both laugh and cringe in recognition, this one is a do-not-miss.

It seems there is no way to look around within the current zeitgeist without coming across any mention of a multiverse, a concept in which every choice we make, or don’t make, results in a new and different timeline, the result of which is a collection of universes, a multiverse, each with a unique combination of realities. Perhaps the best example of this being depicted on stage is with Nick Payne’s Constellations, and what emerges with the SecondStory Rep production of his play is a version that captures both the vastness of Payne’s multiverse and the intimacy of a two-person love story. Exceptional performances by actors BJ Smyth and Leah Shannon, under the direction of Doug Fahl, succeed in showing us how endless the possibilities are — and how precious each choice can be.

Although Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is produced a fair amount, Rainy Day Artistic Collective’s reimagining proves that this centuries-old play can still offer us fresh insights into both the era it was written in and our own time. Instead of shying away from the queer subtext found in the original, Rainy Day capitalizes on and broadens the text’s queer themes to boldly explore love, the gender spectrum, and both the beauty and (within the Malvolio plotline) horror that can arise from actions propelled by desire. Whether you love the original Shakespeare play, have mixed emotions about how the canonical script frequently reinforces rather than challenges heteronormativity, or have never seen Twelfth Night, this is a joyfully, smartly queered production worth seeing.