Barreling Past Mediocrity and Stagnation, Shoving Conformist Theater into Deathly Abyss

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Openings & Previews

365 Days/365 Plays Suzan-Lori Parks' yearlong theater project, a cycle of 365 short plays, offers one- to 10-minute performances from a great variety of performers in venues across the city. Week 1: The Mahogany Project at Joanna's Soul Cafe, 2514 E. Cherry St. 7:30 p.m. Wed. Nov. 15-Sat. Nov. 18, 3 p.m. Sun. Nov. 19. Week 2: Akropolis Performance Lab at Volunteer Park Water Tower, 8 p.m. Mon. Nov. 20-Tues. Nov. 21, and at N.W. 45th Street and University Way, 4 p.m. Wed. Nov. 22. www.365seattle.com.

The Book of Nathan In Joe Mitchell's play, winner of the 2005 Northwest Playwright Competition, an African-American Army chaplain in prison is offered a pardon at a high cost. Theater Schmeater, 1500 Summit Ave., 206-325-6500, www.ticketwindowonline.com, www.schmeater.org. $18 (18 and under free). Free preview Thurs. Nov. 16; opens Fri. Nov. 17. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. Ends Sat. Dec. 18.

Children of Eden Stephen (Wicked) Schwartz's 1991 musical based on the book of Genesis. Civic Light Opera at Magnuson Community Center, 7400 Sand Point Way N.E., 206-363-2809, www.clo-musicaltheatre.org. $25-$35. Opens Fri. Nov. 17. 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Sun. Dec. 3.

A Dangerous Age A romance between a Marine and an actor—both played by Mark Pinkosh—in Godfrey Hamilton's one-man comedy/drama, receiving its U.S. premiere. Balagan Theatre at Capitol Hill Arts Center (CHAC), Lower Level, 1621 12th Ave., 800-838-3006, www.brownpapertickets.com, www.capitolhillarts.com. $9-$15. Opens Thurs. Nov. 16. 7:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Sat. Dec. 2.

Drugs Short, sinister comedies about foot soldiers in the War on Drugs. Waffle Theater at Seattle Center House, fourth floor, 206-888-8791. $5. 8 p.m. Fri. Nov. 17-Sat. Nov. 18 only.

The Gingerbread Boy Hijinks in a holiday cookie factory in this family puppet play. Thistle Theatre at Bellevue Youth Theatre, 16661 Northrup Way, Bellevue, 206-524-3388, www.thistletheatre.org. $7-$9. 2 & 4 p.m. Sat. Nov. 18-Sun. Nov. 19 only.

Love is Love Four actresses play 12 characters in musical vignettes inspired by essays in the New York Times' "Modern Love" column. Music and lyrics by Rich Gray and Martin Charnin. Village Theatre Village Originals at The Moore Theatre, 1932 Second Ave., 425-392-2202, www.themoore.com. $20. 8 p.m. Tues. Nov. 21, 2 & 7:30 p.m. Wed. Nov. 22 only.

Memory House In Kathleen Tolan's play, a divorced woman confronts her departing daughter on New Year's Eve. Allison Narver directs. Seattle Repertory Theatre at the Leo K. Theatre, Seattle Center, Second Avenue and Mercer Street, 206-443-2222, www.seattlerep.org. $10-$40. Previews begin Thurs. Nov. 16; opens Tues. Nov. 21. 7:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Ends Sun. Dec. 17.

The Peer Gynt Project An adaptation of Ibsen's, um . . . what do you call a bildungsroman if it's a play? A bildungsspiel? Part I opens 8 p.m. Fri. Nov. 17; Part II opens 8 p.m. Sat. Nov. 18. Various times and dates through Dec. 3; www.cornish.edu for schedule. Free.

Revenge of Tokyo 2025 A collaborative/interactive music/dance/performance art event/party, staged by Social Living Productions, taking as its theme past and future visions of Japan. Barca, 1510 11th Ave., www.tokyo2025.com. $15-$17. 9 p.m. Sat. Nov. 18 only.

The Secret Ruths of Island House A special fund-raising performance of this play (an original play built around real-life interviews with seven women named Ruth who live in a retirement home in Mercer Island) that won honors and accolades at fringe festivals in San Francisco, Boulder, and New York City. Nebunele Theatre at the Theatre Off Jackson, 409 Seventh Ave. S., 800-838-3006, www.brownpapertickets.com. $15-$18. 7:30 p.m. Wed. Nov. 15.

Tres Historias de la Vida (Three Life Stories) A Spanish-language play about coping with diabetes developed from real-life stories. Betcha wont see anything like this at Seattle Rep. Rainier Valley Cultural Center, 3515 S. Alaska St. Free. 2 p.m. Sat. Nov. 18.

Last Chance

The Air is Peopled With Cruel and Fearsome Birds Implied Violence's stated mission is "to barrel past mediocrity and stagnation, and to shove conformist theatre into a deathly [sic] abyss." Their latest creation, The Air is Peopled with Cruel and Fearsome Birds, foregoes a linear structure, or anything resembling a plot, and orbits around a dejected woman named Hester played by actors Mandie O'Connell and drcm. It's the first and last piece to make an appearance at Vill-ville, a makeshift theatre space that combines dorm-room disorganization with bozo chic. Thrown into the mix are more props than you can shake a stick at, including frilly red panties, fruit, and cap guns. Channeling Artaud's Theater of Cruelty, Implied Violence uses choreography and strident, often repetitive sound to convey emotion, but cream pies tossed into pie-holes nip any sentimentality in the bud, ironically resulting in a fat-free pathos. Vill-ville, 1534 First Ave. S., 206-340-2703, www.impliedviolence.com. $5-$15. 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Ends Sat. Nov. 18. SUZANNE BEAL

Best of Train of Thought The greatest hits from four years of shows by this comedy trio. Northwest Actor's Studio, Cabaret Theater, 1100 E. Pike St., 3rd floor, www.trainofthought.info. $8-$10. 10:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Ends Sat. Nov. 18.

Cowboy Versus Samurai Do catch this little-play-that-could—it's a hilarious commentary on racial stereotypes under the umbrella of a modern-day Cyrano de Bergerac love story. Written by Michael Golamco and directed by Miko Premo, Samurai follows a Caucasian cowboy, Del (Travis Myers), and the only two Asian-Americans, Travis (Ray Tagavilla) and Chester (Jose Abaoag), in Breakneck, Wyo., as their lives become amusingly disrupted by the arrival of Veronica Lee (Khanh Doan), a Korean-American from New York City. Travis—the show's standout star—soon learns about Veronica's "preferences" for white men, so he decides to help Del win her love, through poignant letters. The combative-but-lovable Chester provides comic relief throughout. He worships Bruce Lee, protests a transcontinental railroad celebration, and dresses as a ninja, all while trying to figure out which Asian country he hails from (he doesn't know—the play explains why). Besides the conversation on prejudice and interracial dating you'll have afterward, the play's best contribution to your life will be the inside jokes you'll later throw around with your friends. Any other "stupid dumbs" out there? SIS Productions at Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave., 206-323-9443, www.sis-productions.org. $8-$12. 8 p.m. Fri., 3 & 8 p.m. Sat. Ends Sat. Nov. 18. MOLLY LORI

Hogwash An improvised tale in which kids guide the "choose your own story" format. Jerk Alert Productions at the Historic University Theater, Historic University Theater, 5510 University Ave. N.E., 206-297-1767. $10. 2 p.m. Sat. Ends Sat. Nov. 18.

I Thought I Heard Elliott Bay Jack Cook and his Blues band, the Phantoms of Soul, tell the story of Seattle's early blues scene in the 1950s through song and narration in this "bluesical" based on the journal of Northwest blues scholar Raymond Barrow. Unity Theater, Unity Masonic Lodge, 2nd floor, 119 North Bend Way, North Bend, www.unitytheater.org. $10-$12.50. 7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Ends Sat. Nov. 18.

The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe This dramatization by students aged 6 to 18 is not a professional production, but that doesn't stop kids from enjoying it. In fact, children get a kick out of seeing actors their age. The performance is a valiant effort at C.S. Lewis' classic story of children lost in a bewitched land—complete with sword fights, English accents, and snow falling upon a well-crafted set. Youth Theatre Northwest, 8805 S.E. 40th St., Mercer Island, 206-232-4145 ext. 109, www.youththeatre.org. $11-$15. 7 p.m. Fri., 2 & 7 p.m. Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Sun. Nov. 19. NINA SHAPIRO

Native Son Intiman's production of Native Son (adapted from Richard Wright's novel by Wright and Paul Green, directed by Kent Gash) opens with a breathtaking image: out of the darkness emerges actor Ato Essandoh in the lead role, his bare body bathed in an eerie, shimmering light. Frozen in a Jesus pose, he stares brazenly into the ether, defying the audience to behold his complete exposure. As Bigger Thomas, one of the great antiheroes of 20th-century literature, Essandoh is a revelation, embodying the character in all his hellish complexity: the haughty swagger that walks a faultline of fear, the maniac rage, the absurd hilarity of Bigger's fate. It is an awesome performance, as riveting as can be and utterly in tune with the mad, jazzy march of Wright's narrative. Bigger's story—centered on his accidental murder of the debauched, idealistic daughter of a piously liberal couple who hire him as their driver—is stripped to its bare elements; where Wright's novel was gritty, insular, and deliberate, the play is heavily symbolic and at times laden with a kind of postmodern artifice, devices such as mock-newsreel narration and characters who directly address the audience. The language is sharp, melodic, and occasionally shockingly harsh. Gash does a keen job orchestrating these elements, giving the production a consistent atmosphere of brooding dread, eased at moments by bursts of streetwise humor and by the fine musical accompaniment of guitarist/composer Chic Street Man. Intiman Theater, 201 Mercer St., Seattle Center, 206-269-1900, www.intiman.org. 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Thurs. & Sun.; also 2 p.m. matinees most Sat. & Sun. Ends Sun. Nov. 19. RICHARD MORIN

The Phaedra Project "Piteous object. Trophy of the wrath of heaven." Lovers of language shouldn't miss this adaptation of the plays of Racine and Euripides, in which passion tears apart a royal family who repeatedly, eloquently damn each other to hell, or to whatever fate the gods have in store. Fringe theater group Ghost Light's goal is to "tell timeless stories so that they resonate with a modern audience;" founder Beth Raas, who directs Phaedra, has accomplished that here with an intimate set and powerful performances. Ghost Light Theatricals at The Chamber Theater, Oddfellows Building, 915 E. Pine St., 4th floor, 800-838-3006, www.brownpapertickets.com, www.ghostlighttheatricals.org. $10-$12. 7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Sun. Nov. 19. RACHEL SHIMP

Pork Filled PlayersGo East, Young Ham! is this Asian-American sketch comedy troupe's latest show. Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave., 206-325-6500, www.ticketwindowonline.com, www.porkfilled.com. $6-$9. 10:30 pm. Fri.-Sat. Ends Fri. Nov. 17.

W(h)acked Making up for a lack of representation on stage, Live Girls! Theater has dedicated itself since 1999 to producing new work by women. Stephanie Timm's world premiere of W(h)acked might be the first to take to take the idea of a world without men to such extravagant lengths. Sister Lottie Limerick-Peevy is the Lizzie Borden- style icon of a small group of female serial killers whose victims are exclusively male and, by necessity, pure as the driven snow. Given that a good man is hard to find, their acts of murder have been few and far between. Live Girls! Theater, 2220 N.W. Market St., 800-838-8006, www.livegirlstheater.org. $10-$15. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Fri., 4 & 8 p.m. Sat. Ends Sat. Nov. 18. SUZANNE BEAL

The Winter's Tale Shakespeare's story of jealousy and forgiveness is pushed into the realm fantastic with director Mark Harrison's masterful reimagining. Stark, evocative sets and skilled use of color set the Bard's story free on an open but rich stage, and deliver a beautiful fairytale with real heartwarming power. Strong performances by Paul Stetler and Jayne Muirhead, with the comic genius of Troy Fischnaller and a fine supporting cast, are powerfully enhanced by the minimal design, nuanced costumery, and delicate lighting. They suggest an unplaceable pan-asian aesthetic that lends a timeless quality, while the use of paper cranes, puppetry, and sailing ships conjures an air of fantasy. The bear alone should not be missed. The strong production team very effectively maximized the Center House Theatre's intimate setting with original work, and propelled this lesser-known comedy into a wonderfully memorable tale. Center House Theatre at Seattle Center, 206-733-8222, www.seattleshakespeare.org. $18-$32. 7:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Ends Sun. Nov. 19. NEIL CORCORAN

You're a Good Man, Charlie BrownPeanuts live! SPU Theatre at E.E. Bach Theatre, McKinley Hall, Seattle Pacific University, 3307 Third Ave. W., 206-281-2959. www.spu.edu. $8-$10. 7:30 p.m. Thurs.-Fri., 2 p.m. Sat. Ends Sat. Nov. 18.