Review: Speech and Debate
If you like ‘Glee’, you’ll like this.
Posted by: Laura Dannen on Jan 26, 2010 at 09:00AM
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REVIEW: If you’re going to see anything this week, make it Seattle Repertory Theatre’s Speech and Debate, a comedy about three high schoolers who find unlikely friendship as they work together to expose a sex scandal in their hometown of Salem, Ore. On the surface, the play seems targeted at teens—lots of scenes about sexually charged IMing and blogging. But at its core, it deals with very real topics—loneliness, small-town prejudice, high school insecurities—and appeals to all ages, thanks to a disarmingly honest, irreverent script by Stephen Karam. It takes skill to create a character like drama geek Diwata (Erin Stewart), who has a penchant for scat singing and wearing nude body stockings. And Stewart plays the part convincingly—with a hint of Molly Shannon’s awkward Catholic schoolgirl Mary Katherine Gallagher. Doesn’t matter if high school was a few years or a few decades ago for you—nude body stockings are always funny. (Through February 21)
Tags: SRT, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Speech and Debate, Review
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