About
(Scroll down to read the reviews)
Sometimes Seattleites just
have to sing about it.
WHAT: A live, unscripted musical about Seattle and the different kind of people that live there.
WHERE: 5510 University Way, Seattle (map)
WHEN: Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm. May 1-23 and June 5-20.
IS THIS IMPROV, OR A PLAY? Yes! It is a fully UNscripted play.
HOW DO I GET TICKETS? Tickets are available at the door starting one half hour before showtime or you can purchase them online here.
CAN MY KIDS COME TO THIS SHOW? Yes, although there will be adult language and themes.
WHAT IF I WANT TO BRING A GROUP? Contact us at info@jetcityimprov.com.
More about the show:
When it comes to disease and eviction, sometimes Seattleites just have to sing about it. Wing-It
Productions is proud to present Lease: Seattle's Own Rock Opera, a full length improvised rock opera in two acts.
Lease will feature your favorite Seattle stereotypical characters as they go through their passive-aggressive lives,
facing eviction from their apartment building and death by whatever affliction the audience chooses.
The cast of Lease: Seattle's Own Rock Opera includes improvisational theater veterans: Keli Carender (Uncle Mike
Ruins Christmas), Chris Dewar (Reunion Tour), Nick Edwards (The Declaration), Jana Healy (Shades of Gray), Kate Jaeger (The Irish Wake), Elicia Wickstead (Shades of Gray),
Douglas Willott (Jet City Improv), and John-Paul Wilson.
Lease is brought to you by the creative team behind CUT! and D.R., with Direction by Adina Gillett
and Musical Direction by Justin Sund. Live music for the show is provided by Chris Lundgren, recently praised for his musical prowess in
Wing-It's Shades of Gray
Performances are at 8:00pm on Thursdays and Fridays at the Historic University Theater (5510 University Way NE) and ticket prices
are $10 (GA) and $8 for students/seniors. There is an opening night gala and performance on Thursday, May 1st.
Lease: Seattle's Own Rock Opera is brought to you by Wing-It Productions, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization
dedicated to enlightening, educating and entertaining audiences of all ages by producing theatrical events
which explore theater by utilizing its improvisational roots.
This show is appropriate for all ages. There may be some adult language and themes, and parental guidance is recommended.
Reviews
The Seattle Weekly:
Billing itself as "Seattle’s Own Rock Opera," Lease is the improv fusion of Rent’s themes with the Emerald City’s stereotypical "characters." After requesting audience input on a Seattle location and disease du jour (opening night’s production featured narcolepsy and the Pike Place Market), the cast adapts a plotline, and musical numbers to accompany it, while you watch. Using Thursday’s performance as a sample: When trust-fund-baby-turned-landlord Jeff Paige’s ex-girlfriend peddles his possessions on the Internet in revenge, he sells his building to the Market as a part of plans to demolish the apartments, making room for longer fish throws. Lust, rather than the legal issues attending short-notice evictions or the tragic narcolepsy-related death of one of his tenants, changes Jeff’s mind about the sale in the end. "I Get So Pissed Off" and "I Called Dibs on a Life Worth Living" were among the night’s memorable musical gems. The live score by Chris Lundgren is as unobtrusive as it is skillfully executed. Nick Edwards, Douglas Willott, and Christopher A. Dewar shone last Thursday, but every performance’s dynamic is different, and the ensemble promises enough talent to share the spotlight. (Younger patrons should be advised of the show’s R rating for language.) VIRGINIA ZECH
The UW Daily:
Audience members watching the premiere of Lease: Seattle’s Own Rock Opera might see some seemingly familiar faces. The eight-person cast mirrors Emerald City stereotypes in the May 1 premiere of the improvised live musical brought to you by Wing-It Productions, known for being the group behind Jet City Improv. There is no script and no set plot, and no one, including the actors, knows quite what’s going to happen.
Things get exciting when cast member Douglas Willott appears with plaid Chuck Taylor-clad feet just a yard away from front-row viewers. “This show is completely improvised except for the opening number, which is totally choreographed, scripted,” Willott said, partly for emphasis and partly to remind his audience that Lease is rated R, a contrast to the all-ages nature of Jet City Improv.
After fielding thematic suggestions from the crowd—for example, one night Pike Place Market was chosen as a Seattle icon and narcolepsy was the featured affliction — the full cast busts out in song and dance to a Broadway-style tune referencing flavored coffee drinks and rainy weather. It’s hard to believe performer Jana Healy when she says the group has only been practicing for about two months.
Happily, the cohesion doesn’t end when this lone pre-planned sequence does. Soon the audience meets a misfit raver, gorgeous goth, blogging hipster, starving artist, cutting emo, preppy frat boy, barista barfly and tattooed metro bus driver. Whether in solo performances, duets or whole-group arrangements, these pigeonholed Seattleites spout lyrics and pitches as interwoven as tapestry.
This brings up the live music, which is also improvised. Pianist-guitarist Chris Lundgren said he tries to match the onstage emotion. It’s hard enough for the acting singers to come up with wild lyrics, so he tries to build blocks.
So if it’s all improvised, what can viewers expect in the upcoming shows? Character names and costumes remain the same, though their backgrounds and behaviors will vary dynamically. The actors designed costumes mostly on their own and from their real-life wardrobes. “I think the costumes give you a certain kind of attitude, but your attitude can vary,” raver Kate Jaeger said. The general setting is an apartment complex in Seattle, but the set is simple, with only two balconies, half a dozen chairs and some potted plants. “You can always expect to see something that’s funny, something that’s heartwarming and also great music,” cast member Nick Edwards said.
Expect surprises and great things from Lease.
Audience members watching the premiere of Lease: Seattle’s Own Rock Opera might see some seemingly familiar faces. The eight-person cast mirrors Emerald City stereotypes in the May 1 premiere of the improvised live musical brought to you by Wing-It Productions, known for being the group behind Jet City Improv. There is no script and no set plot, and no one, including the actors, knows quite what’s going to happen.
Things get exciting when cast member Douglas Willott appears with plaid Chuck Taylor-clad feet just a yard away from front-row viewers. “This show is completely improvised except for the opening number, which is totally choreographed, scripted,” Willott said, partly for emphasis and partly to remind his audience that Lease is rated R, a contrast to the all-ages nature of Jet City Improv.
After fielding thematic suggestions from the crowd—for example, one night Pike Place Market was chosen as a Seattle icon and narcolepsy was the featured affliction — the full cast busts out in song and dance to a Broadway-style tune referencing flavored coffee drinks and rainy weather. It’s hard to believe performer Jana Healy when she says the group has only been practicing for about two months.
Happily, the cohesion doesn’t end when this lone pre-planned sequence does. Soon the audience meets a misfit raver, gorgeous goth, blogging hipster, starving artist, cutting emo, preppy frat boy, barista barfly and tattooed metro bus driver. Whether in solo performances, duets or whole-group arrangements, these pigeonholed Seattleites spout lyrics and pitches as interwoven as tapestry.
This brings up the live music, which is also improvised. Pianist-guitarist Chris Lundgren said he tries to match the onstage emotion. It’s hard enough for the acting singers to come up with wild lyrics, so he tries to build blocks.
So if it’s all improvised, what can viewers expect in the upcoming shows? Character names and costumes remain the same, though their backgrounds and behaviors will vary dynamically. The actors designed costumes mostly on their own and from their real-life wardrobes. “I think the costumes give you a certain kind of attitude, but your attitude can vary,” raver Kate Jaeger said. The general setting is an apartment complex in Seattle, but the set is simple, with only two balconies, half a dozen chairs and some potted plants. “You can always expect to see something that’s funny, something that’s heartwarming and also great music,” cast member Nick Edwards said.
Expect surprises and great things from Lease.