By: Live Wire Staff

(Update 12/12/07! Hear more about this weekend's show and see some videos of Striking 12 on Seattlest.) Continuing their streak of theatrical hits, CHAC and Theater Under Ground announce the exclusive Seattle premiere of the Off-Broadway sensation Striking 12, a refreshingly alternative holiday show for those who aren’t even sure if they like holiday shows. A Christmas Carol, it ain’t. The NY Times calls Striking 12 “Thoroughly Winning!” and Variety raves “Induces chills!” Following sold out runs around the country, the original cast of Striking 12 will stop in Seattle for two days only on December 14 and 15 for a limited engagement at Capitol Hill Arts Center. Don’t miss this quirky and unexpected holiday hit that Playbill.com calls “the best new musical that nobody has heard of.”

 

Tis the Season. Deal With It.

A cross between a rock concert and a holiday show, Striking 12 tells the story of a grumpy, overworked office-worker who resolves to spend New Year’s Eve alone in his apartment. When an unexpected visitor brings some much-needed cheer, the evening springs to life through an eclectic GrooveLily score that combines pop, rock, jazz, showtunes, and more. Striking 12 takes a wry look at corporate America, Seasonal Affective Disorder, and the expectations of the holiday season in a high-powered spectacle that the NY Post calls “a cure for midnight blues” and the San Francisco Chronicle gushes “joyously upbeat . . . captivating!”

Seattle’s Audience a Crucial Judge of Broadway’s Finest Work

“Seattle has long been recognized as at the forefront of the theatre scene nationally, and recently NY Producers have chosen Seattle as a premiere testing ground for hit shows that go on to New York,” says Kwatinetz. Some of the recent hits he cites include: Young Frankenstein (The Paramount), The Wedding Singer, Hairspray (5th Avenue), The Light in the Piazza (Intiman), and Masked (CHAC).

Kwatinetz continues, “As Seattle grows, it is becoming not only a development site for new pieces, but also a critical stopping point for any major artistic work to make its mark. Many touring companies have avoided Seattle in fear of its well deserved reputation for savvy and critical audiences. At CHAC, we’ll continue to program the best in local theater, but we also want our audiences to have access to a selection of the best of what’s happening across the country.”

Striking 12 caught the attention of CHAC Producing Artistic Director Matthew Kwatinetz several years ago when it was developed at Theatre Works in the Bay Area, and then moved to partner theatre Ars Nova, in NYC, which has shared acts with CHAC such as Mike Daisey, The Trachtenberg Family Slide Show Players, and Jollyship the Whizbang. Kwatinetz again ran into Striking 12 when in 2006-07 he worked on the producing team of Masked Off-Broadway at the Daryl Roth Theatre, just after Striking 12 vacated to head out on tour.

Award-Winning Team and Show with Seattle Ties

Striking 12 was nominated for the prestigious Lucille Lortel Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical. The creative team includes Tony Award winning playwright Rachel Sheinkin, writer of The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee, and director Ted Sperling, who won the 2005 Tony Award for Best Orchestration for his work on The Light in the Piazza, a show he championed from its first workshop at Sundance to the premiere in Seattle. The spine of the show is formed by celebrated pop-rock trio GrooveLily, who in November 2007 received two exclusive LA Ovation awards, and won the Bay Area Critics’ Circle Award for Best Touring Company for Striking 12. GrooveLily recently completed performances of an innovative production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by the renowned director Tina Landau (Steppenwolf Theatre). Striking 12 was developed at TheatreWorks (San Jose, CA), had its first Off-Broadway run at Ars Nova, and then ran the following year at the Daryl Roth Theatre in Union Square, NY.

See Event Details

Buy Tickets

 

WHEN: December 14, 2007 at 8:30pm

December 15, 2007 at 6pm and 8:30pm

WHERE: CHAC Showroom, 1621 – 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122, 206.388.0569

TICKETS: $25 ADV before Dec. 1, $30 adv, $35 door, and $75 VIP (limited)

Buy Tickets Now Online or Call 1.888.838.3006.

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WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING ABOUT STRIKING 12

More info at www.striking12.com

“Thoroughly winning! More artfully crafted and engaging than virtually all the standard mold musicals these days. Alive with wit and humor” -NY TIMES

“As much rock concert as theater. The harmonies induce chills!” -VARIETY

“Ideal holiday entertainment for adults, Striking 12 strikes gold” -LA TIMES

“Luminous! The songs are lively, lyrical, and fresh on the ear. Enjoyably offbeat entertainment.” -THE STAR LEDGER

"Valerie Vigoda unleashes a diva-worthy torrent of passion" -WASHINGTON POST

“an absolute delight” -FAHRENHEIT SAN DIEGO

Bay Area Theatre Critics' Circle award, Best Touring Company: Striking 12 -BATCC

“the hippest holiday show in recent memory…too hot to miss.”-SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS

“thoroughly entertaining and musically rich”-CHAD JONES, OAKLAND TRIBUNE

“truly amazing” -PALO ALTO WEEKLY

“Heady fun.” -MT, SING OUT! MAGAZINE

”an inventive presentation….wholly entertaining.” -PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

“spiritually uplifting…. Angelic” -OTTAWA SUN

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ABOUT CHAC

CHAC presents collaborative and dynamic programs that fulfill the three guiding principles of its mission: art has value; art nourishes like food; show business is a business. Located at 1621 – 12th Ave., CHAC is proud to share its facility with several collaborative organizations that all have a stake in the arts. More information can be found at www.capitolhillarts.com.

ABOUT GROOVELILY

New York City trio GrooveLily inhabits that contemporary space where creative musicians ignore the boundaries laid down by words like rock, folk, jazz, and pop. Intelligent original songs with no shortage of wit connect lush musical textures and soaring vocals with the blazing six-string electric violin of Valerie Vigoda, the lightning-fingered piano of Brendan Milburn, and the joyful drums of Gene Lewin. With backgrounds in classical music, musical theater, jazz, and rock, the three members of GrooveLily are making a new music that's all their own. Buoyed by the success of their critically-acclaimed holiday concert-musical Striking 12, GrooveLily looks forward to making your acquaintance. www.groovelily.com