Stage

Blood Relations Sharon Pollock brings the saga of Lizzie Borden to the stage. Opens Sept. 12. 7:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. plus Mon., Sept. 22; 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Sept. 27. Center Theatre at the Cornish Playhouse Studio, Seattle Center $15-$25 Monday, September 22, 2014

Can Can Cabarets Seattle’s center for neo-burlesque presents shows and/or live music nearly every night; see website for full details and ticket prices. Can Can, 94 Pike St. Downstairs from Matts & Chez Chea, Seattle see website Monday, September 22, 2014

Comedy Underground See website for complete schedule, including their “Monday Madness” open-mike night, 8 p.m. Comedy Underground, 109 S. Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104 $6 Monday, September 22, 2014

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In the Heights Considering how word-intensive hip-hop is, you’d think building theater pieces around it would be the most obvious step in the world. Yet only Lin-Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) and Quiara Alegria Hudes (book) have had any significant success along these lines, serving rap with plenty of salsa in their 2008 Best Musical Tony-winner, set in Manhattan’s heavily Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. Its innovativeness is admirable (if not immediately hummable), but what really thrills me about this tale of a bodega owner, the abuela who raised him, a hairdresser, a cab driver, his conflicted daughter, and others is a couple of old-fashioned plot twists. You may see them coming; I didn’t. Bring Kleenex. (Runs near daily through Oct. 26; then moves to Everett Oct. 31-Nov. 23. See villagetheatre.org for schedule.) GAVIN BORCHERT Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah $35-$67 Monday, September 22, 2014

Laughs Stand-up and other comedy. See website for complete schedule, including open-mike night.  Laughs Comedy Spot, 12099 124th Ave. N.E., Kirkland, WA 98034 $10-$20 Monday, September 22, 2014

Pink Door Cabaret Trapeze performances (6:15-8:45 p.m.) by Bridget Gunning (Sun.) and Tanya Brno (Mon.). Saturdays, go “Behind the Pink Door” (11 p.m.,). See website for full details.   The Pink Door, 1919 Post Alley, Seattle $20 cover Monday, September 22, 2014

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A Chorus Line The opening number of A Chorus Line ripples with imperfection. This is how it is supposed to be, of course. The legendary musical, which opened on Broadway in 1975, offers a view of the unrefined side of musical theater. Framed in a day of auditions, aspiring stage performers desperately vie for a spot in the chorus line. We see the performers on a bare stage missing their steps, falling out of rhythm, fading into the background, and comically overacting to move to the fore. It’s all expertly plotted, of course, since the 5th’s mostly native production relies on the original Michael Bennett choreography. Still, you feel real empathy for these artists struggling under the critical eye of director Zach (the very commanding, stentorian Andrew Palermo). A Chorus Line is and was a radical departure from traditionally polished Broadway fare, since it concentrates on backstage drama. Director David Bennett manages that messy process with aplomb, though some flaws show here. Almost all 17 performers are treated as equals, pretty much requiring that each be a triple threat: able to sing, dance, and act. It’s a nearly impossible standard, but A Chorus Line reminds you, over and over again, that these performers are fallible human beings. (Runs Tues.-Sun.; See 5thavenue.org for schedule. Ends Sept. 28.) MARK BAUMGARTEN 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101 $29 and up Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Can Can Cabarets Seattle’s center for neo-burlesque presents shows and/or live music nearly every night; see website for full details and ticket prices. Can Can, 94 Pike St. Downstairs from Matts & Chez Chea, Seattle see website Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Comedy Underground See website for complete schedule, including their “Monday Madness” open-mike night, 8 p.m. Comedy Underground, 109 S. Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104 $6 Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Comedy Womb This “female-focused but not female-exclusive” show includes a headliner and an open-mike segment, in the Grotto underneath the Rendezvous. JewelBox Theater at the Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave., Seattle, WA 98121 $5 Tuesday, September 23, 2014

• 

In the Heights Considering how word-intensive hip-hop is, you’d think building theater pieces around it would be the most obvious step in the world. Yet only Lin-Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) and Quiara Alegria Hudes (book) have had any significant success along these lines, serving rap with plenty of salsa in their 2008 Best Musical Tony-winner, set in Manhattan’s heavily Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. Its innovativeness is admirable (if not immediately hummable), but what really thrills me about this tale of a bodega owner, the abuela who raised him, a hairdresser, a cab driver, his conflicted daughter, and others is a couple of old-fashioned plot twists. You may see them coming; I didn’t. Bring Kleenex. (Runs near daily through Oct. 26; then moves to Everett Oct. 31-Nov. 23. See villagetheatre.org for schedule.) GAVIN BORCHERT Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah $35-$67 Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Laughs Stand-up and other comedy. See website for complete schedule, including open-mike night.  Laughs Comedy Spot, 12099 124th Ave. N.E., Kirkland, WA 98034 $10-$20 Tuesday, September 23, 2014

The Invisible Hand There are many reasons to go to the theater, but to see something that feels like a film or a TV episode usually isn’t one. That’s the main problem with Ayad Akhtar’s new play about a bright young money guy, Nick (Connor Toms), who has been kidnapped in Karachi by Islamic terrorists. Because his employer doesn’t negotiate with terrorists, Nick offers to earn his ransom by trading on the volatile Pakistani financial markets. Nick’s captors include Dar (the boyish Erwin Galan), Dar’s ambitious supervisor Bashir (the apt Elijah Alexander), and their commander Imam Saleem (William Ontiveros), an older cleric. Though Akhtar’s given each one an affable side as well as a ruthless one, they still come off as cartoonish, probably because they spend so much time in well-coached accents explaining things you would learn in The Economist. Previously a Pulitzer winning for Disgraced, Akhtar has a topical engagement with the world is important enough that audiences can probably forgive some theatrical shortcomings. For fans of shows like Homeland, this didactic, issue-exposing play may hit the spot; others may groan at the exposition. (Runs Tues.-Sun.; see website for exact schedule. Ends Sept. 28.) MARGARET FRIEDMAN ACT Theatre, 700 Union St., Seattle, WA 98101 $55 and up Tuesday, September 23, 2014

• 

A Chorus Line The opening number of A Chorus Line ripples with imperfection. This is how it is supposed to be, of course. The legendary musical, which opened on Broadway in 1975, offers a view of the unrefined side of musical theater. Framed in a day of auditions, aspiring stage performers desperately vie for a spot in the chorus line. We see the performers on a bare stage missing their steps, falling out of rhythm, fading into the background, and comically overacting to move to the fore. It’s all expertly plotted, of course, since the 5th’s mostly native production relies on the original Michael Bennett choreography. Still, you feel real empathy for these artists struggling under the critical eye of director Zach (the very commanding, stentorian Andrew Palermo). A Chorus Line is and was a radical departure from traditionally polished Broadway fare, since it concentrates on backstage drama. Director David Bennett manages that messy process with aplomb, though some flaws show here. Almost all 17 performers are treated as equals, pretty much requiring that each be a triple threat: able to sing, dance, and act. It’s a nearly impossible standard, but A Chorus Line reminds you, over and over again, that these performers are fallible human beings. (Runs Tues.-Sun.; See 5thavenue.org for schedule. Ends Sept. 28.) MARK BAUMGARTEN 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101 $29 and up Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Can Can Cabarets Seattle’s center for neo-burlesque presents shows and/or live music nearly every night; see website for full details and ticket prices. Can Can, 94 Pike St. Downstairs from Matts & Chez Chea, Seattle see website Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Comedy Underground See website for complete schedule, including their “Monday Madness” open-mike night, 8 p.m. Comedy Underground, 109 S. Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104 $6 Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Comedy Womb This “female-focused but not female-exclusive” show includes a headliner and an open-mike segment, in the Grotto underneath the Rendezvous. JewelBox Theater at the Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave., Seattle, WA 98121 $5 Wednesday, September 24, 2014

I Am of Ireland Subtitled “A Celebration in Story, Song, and Dance,” Book-It stages tales by Yeats and others. Previews begin Sept. 17, opens Sept. 20. Runs Wed.-Sun.; see book-it.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 12. Center Theatre at the Armory, Seattle Center $25 Wednesday, September 24, 2014

• 

In the Heights Considering how word-intensive hip-hop is, you’d think building theater pieces around it would be the most obvious step in the world. Yet only Lin-Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) and Quiara Alegria Hudes (book) have had any significant success along these lines, serving rap with plenty of salsa in their 2008 Best Musical Tony-winner, set in Manhattan’s heavily Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. Its innovativeness is admirable (if not immediately hummable), but what really thrills me about this tale of a bodega owner, the abuela who raised him, a hairdresser, a cab driver, his conflicted daughter, and others is a couple of old-fashioned plot twists. You may see them coming; I didn’t. Bring Kleenex. (Runs near daily through Oct. 26; then moves to Everett Oct. 31-Nov. 23. See villagetheatre.org for schedule.) GAVIN BORCHERT Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah $35-$67 Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Laughs Stand-up and other comedy. See website for complete schedule, including open-mike night.  Laughs Comedy Spot, 12099 124th Ave. N.E., Kirkland, WA 98034 $10-$20 Wednesday, September 24, 2014

The Fabulous Lipitones When one member of a barbershop quartet drops dead (I love it already!), they have to scramble for a replacement in John Markus and Mark St. Germain’s comedy with music. Previews Sept. 17 & 18, opens Sept. 19. Runs Wed.-Sat; see taproottheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 18. Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St., Seattle $15-$40 Wednesday, September 24, 2014

The Invisible Hand There are many reasons to go to the theater, but to see something that feels like a film or a TV episode usually isn’t one. That’s the main problem with Ayad Akhtar’s new play about a bright young money guy, Nick (Connor Toms), who has been kidnapped in Karachi by Islamic terrorists. Because his employer doesn’t negotiate with terrorists, Nick offers to earn his ransom by trading on the volatile Pakistani financial markets. Nick’s captors include Dar (the boyish Erwin Galan), Dar’s ambitious supervisor Bashir (the apt Elijah Alexander), and their commander Imam Saleem (William Ontiveros), an older cleric. Though Akhtar’s given each one an affable side as well as a ruthless one, they still come off as cartoonish, probably because they spend so much time in well-coached accents explaining things you would learn in The Economist. Previously a Pulitzer winning for Disgraced, Akhtar has a topical engagement with the world is important enough that audiences can probably forgive some theatrical shortcomings. For fans of shows like Homeland, this didactic, issue-exposing play may hit the spot; others may groan at the exposition. (Runs Tues.-Sun.; see website for exact schedule. Ends Sept. 28.) MARGARET FRIEDMAN ACT Theatre, 700 Union St., Seattle, WA 98101 $55 and up Wednesday, September 24, 2014

The Mountaintop So: Ferguson, Missouri, and the federal takeover of that city’s police department; the shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown; the coming midterm elections with new voter-ID laws and restricted early-voting periods in swing states that disproportionately affect minorities, the poor, and the young; black families sliding down the economic ladder, with less economic mobility and household wealth than 40 years ago; our first African-American president getting shellacked in the polls. All that prior audacity of hope has collided with an electorate that now seems tired of talking about race. At the same time, it’s the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, which is why director Valerie Curtis-Newton is now staging this imaginary account of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night in Memphis. Katori Hall’s drama debuted on Broadway four years ago with Samuel L. Jackson as King and Angela Bassett as a hotel maid who visits him on April 3, 1968. (Here those roles are played by Reginald Andre Jackson and Brianne Hill.) The timing may make it more topical now, as King muses on the past and (unfinished) future of the civil-rights movement. The Mountaintop provides a good opportunity for such stock-taking, and also sets the stage for the historical-minded dramas ahead. Seattle Rep is staging local playwright Robert Schenkkan’s Tony-winning All the Way and The Great Society in November and December. The first is LBJ’s story alone; the second-following passage of the Civil Rights Act and his re-election-Johnson shares with King, Robert F. Kennedy, and other historical figures. Johnson’s concern for racial and economic equality run up against costly wartime spending; and at the same time, as he predicted, Southern Democrats would abandon the party. Incredibly, we face the same dilemma today. (Preview Sept. 10, opens Sept. 11. 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 3 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 5.) BRIAN MILLER ArtsWest, 4711 California Ave. S.W., Seattle, WA 98116 $15-$34.50 Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Jay Hollingsworth’s True Story Hollingsworth asks visiting and local comics to actually explain the stories behind their supposedly true stories. 7:30 p.m., last Wednesday of every month.  The Parlor Collection, 700 Bellevue Way N.E., Bellevue see website Wednesday, September 24, 2014, 7:30pm

Flipside Comedy Show Stand-up every Wednesday at this bastion of old-school Seattle charm. 13 Coins, 125 Boren Ave. N., Seattle See website Wednesday, September 24, 2014, 8pm

Duos Comedy Showcase Unexpected Productions presents comedians two at a time. Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, Seattle $5 Wednesday, September 24, 2014, 8:30pm

• 

A Chorus Line The opening number of A Chorus Line ripples with imperfection. This is how it is supposed to be, of course. The legendary musical, which opened on Broadway in 1975, offers a view of the unrefined side of musical theater. Framed in a day of auditions, aspiring stage performers desperately vie for a spot in the chorus line. We see the performers on a bare stage missing their steps, falling out of rhythm, fading into the background, and comically overacting to move to the fore. It’s all expertly plotted, of course, since the 5th’s mostly native production relies on the original Michael Bennett choreography. Still, you feel real empathy for these artists struggling under the critical eye of director Zach (the very commanding, stentorian Andrew Palermo). A Chorus Line is and was a radical departure from traditionally polished Broadway fare, since it concentrates on backstage drama. Director David Bennett manages that messy process with aplomb, though some flaws show here. Almost all 17 performers are treated as equals, pretty much requiring that each be a triple threat: able to sing, dance, and act. It’s a nearly impossible standard, but A Chorus Line reminds you, over and over again, that these performers are fallible human beings. (Runs Tues.-Sun.; See 5thavenue.org for schedule. Ends Sept. 28.) MARK BAUMGARTEN 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101 $29 and up Thursday, September 25, 2014

Blood Relations Sharon Pollock brings the saga of Lizzie Borden to the stage. Opens Sept. 12. 7:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. plus Mon., Sept. 22; 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Sept. 27. Center Theatre at the Cornish Playhouse Studio, Seattle Center $15-$25 Thursday, September 25, 2014

Can Can Cabarets Seattle’s center for neo-burlesque presents shows and/or live music nearly every night; see website for full details and ticket prices. Can Can, 94 Pike St. Downstairs from Matts & Chez Chea, Seattle see website Thursday, September 25, 2014

Comedy Underground See website for complete schedule, including their “Monday Madness” open-mike night, 8 p.m. Comedy Underground, 109 S. Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104 $6 Thursday, September 25, 2014

Don Quixote & Sancho Panza: Homeless in Seattle eSe Teatro’s update of Cervantes’ picaresque is “dedicated to all the gentlemen and gentlewomen who roam the streets with dignity.” Opens Sept. 12. Runs Thurs.-Sun.; see acttheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends Sept. 28. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St., Seattle, WA 98101 $25-$30 Thursday, September 25, 2014

I Am of Ireland Subtitled “A Celebration in Story, Song, and Dance,” Book-It stages tales by Yeats and others. Previews begin Sept. 17, opens Sept. 20. Runs Wed.-Sun.; see book-it.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 12. Center Theatre at the Armory, Seattle Center $25 Thursday, September 25, 2014

• 

In the Heights Considering how word-intensive hip-hop is, you’d think building theater pieces around it would be the most obvious step in the world. Yet only Lin-Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) and Quiara Alegria Hudes (book) have had any significant success along these lines, serving rap with plenty of salsa in their 2008 Best Musical Tony-winner, set in Manhattan’s heavily Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. Its innovativeness is admirable (if not immediately hummable), but what really thrills me about this tale of a bodega owner, the abuela who raised him, a hairdresser, a cab driver, his conflicted daughter, and others is a couple of old-fashioned plot twists. You may see them coming; I didn’t. Bring Kleenex. (Runs near daily through Oct. 26; then moves to Everett Oct. 31-Nov. 23. See villagetheatre.org for schedule.) GAVIN BORCHERT Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah $35-$67 Thursday, September 25, 2014

Laughs Stand-up and other comedy. See website for complete schedule, including open-mike night.  Laughs Comedy Spot, 12099 124th Ave. N.E., Kirkland, WA 98034 $10-$20 Thursday, September 25, 2014

Man of La Mancha Another take on Don Quixote, this time in musical play-within-a-play form. Opens Sept. 12. 7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. plus Thurs., Sept. 25; 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Sept. 28. Seattle Musical Theatre at Magnuson Park, $20-$35 Thursday, September 25, 2014

Parlor Live Comedy Club See website for schedule. The Parlor Collection, 700 Bellevue Way N.E., Bellevue $15-$30 Thursday, September 25, 2014

The Bunner Sisters The Athena Theatre Project’s inaugural show is this Edith Wharton adaptation. Preview Sept. 18, opens Sept. 19. 8 p.m. Wed.-Sat. plus Mon., Sept. 29, 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 5. Theater Off Jackson, 409 7th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104 $15-$22 Thursday, September 25, 2014

The Fabulous Lipitones When one member of a barbershop quartet drops dead (I love it already!), they have to scramble for a replacement in John Markus and Mark St. Germain’s comedy with music. Previews Sept. 17 & 18, opens Sept. 19. Runs Wed.-Sat; see taproottheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 18. Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St., Seattle $15-$40 Thursday, September 25, 2014

The Invisible Hand There are many reasons to go to the theater, but to see something that feels like a film or a TV episode usually isn’t one. That’s the main problem with Ayad Akhtar’s new play about a bright young money guy, Nick (Connor Toms), who has been kidnapped in Karachi by Islamic terrorists. Because his employer doesn’t negotiate with terrorists, Nick offers to earn his ransom by trading on the volatile Pakistani financial markets. Nick’s captors include Dar (the boyish Erwin Galan), Dar’s ambitious supervisor Bashir (the apt Elijah Alexander), and their commander Imam Saleem (William Ontiveros), an older cleric. Though Akhtar’s given each one an affable side as well as a ruthless one, they still come off as cartoonish, probably because they spend so much time in well-coached accents explaining things you would learn in The Economist. Previously a Pulitzer winning for Disgraced, Akhtar has a topical engagement with the world is important enough that audiences can probably forgive some theatrical shortcomings. For fans of shows like Homeland, this didactic, issue-exposing play may hit the spot; others may groan at the exposition. (Runs Tues.-Sun.; see website for exact schedule. Ends Sept. 28.) MARGARET FRIEDMAN ACT Theatre, 700 Union St., Seattle, WA 98101 $55 and up Thursday, September 25, 2014

The Mountaintop So: Ferguson, Missouri, and the federal takeover of that city’s police department; the shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown; the coming midterm elections with new voter-ID laws and restricted early-voting periods in swing states that disproportionately affect minorities, the poor, and the young; black families sliding down the economic ladder, with less economic mobility and household wealth than 40 years ago; our first African-American president getting shellacked in the polls. All that prior audacity of hope has collided with an electorate that now seems tired of talking about race. At the same time, it’s the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, which is why director Valerie Curtis-Newton is now staging this imaginary account of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night in Memphis. Katori Hall’s drama debuted on Broadway four years ago with Samuel L. Jackson as King and Angela Bassett as a hotel maid who visits him on April 3, 1968. (Here those roles are played by Reginald Andre Jackson and Brianne Hill.) The timing may make it more topical now, as King muses on the past and (unfinished) future of the civil-rights movement. The Mountaintop provides a good opportunity for such stock-taking, and also sets the stage for the historical-minded dramas ahead. Seattle Rep is staging local playwright Robert Schenkkan’s Tony-winning All the Way and The Great Society in November and December. The first is LBJ’s story alone; the second-following passage of the Civil Rights Act and his re-election-Johnson shares with King, Robert F. Kennedy, and other historical figures. Johnson’s concern for racial and economic equality run up against costly wartime spending; and at the same time, as he predicted, Southern Democrats would abandon the party. Incredibly, we face the same dilemma today. (Preview Sept. 10, opens Sept. 11. 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 3 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 5.) BRIAN MILLER ArtsWest, 4711 California Ave. S.W., Seattle, WA 98116 $15-$34.50 Thursday, September 25, 2014

Mary’s Wedding New Century Theatre Company presents Stephen Massicotte’s reality-blurring play about a WWI romance. Preview Sept. 18, opens Sept. 19. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sun. plus Mon., Oct. 6. Ends Oct. 11. West of Lenin, 203 N. 36th St., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$30 Thursday, September 25, 2014, 8pm

Seascape Two couples-one of them lizards-discuss ??humanity, evolution, and the concept of time” in Albee’s play. Opens Sept. 12. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. Ends Oct. 11. Theater Schmeater, 2125 Third Ave. $18-$25 Thursday, September 25, 2014, 8pm

Brainstorm One word launches a whole show from Improv Anonymous. 8:30 p.m. Thurs. Ends Sept. 25. Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, Seattle $5-$7 Thursday, September 25, 2014, 8:30pm

Improv Anonymous: The Harold A narrative improv format created by legendary improv teacher Del Close.  Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, Seattle $7 Thursday, September 25, 2014, 8:30pm

• 

A Chorus Line The opening number of A Chorus Line ripples with imperfection. This is how it is supposed to be, of course. The legendary musical, which opened on Broadway in 1975, offers a view of the unrefined side of musical theater. Framed in a day of auditions, aspiring stage performers desperately vie for a spot in the chorus line. We see the performers on a bare stage missing their steps, falling out of rhythm, fading into the background, and comically overacting to move to the fore. It’s all expertly plotted, of course, since the 5th’s mostly native production relies on the original Michael Bennett choreography. Still, you feel real empathy for these artists struggling under the critical eye of director Zach (the very commanding, stentorian Andrew Palermo). A Chorus Line is and was a radical departure from traditionally polished Broadway fare, since it concentrates on backstage drama. Director David Bennett manages that messy process with aplomb, though some flaws show here. Almost all 17 performers are treated as equals, pretty much requiring that each be a triple threat: able to sing, dance, and act. It’s a nearly impossible standard, but A Chorus Line reminds you, over and over again, that these performers are fallible human beings. (Runs Tues.-Sun.; See 5thavenue.org for schedule. Ends Sept. 28.) MARK BAUMGARTEN 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101 $29 and up Friday, September 26, 2014

Blood Relations Sharon Pollock brings the saga of Lizzie Borden to the stage. Opens Sept. 12. 7:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. plus Mon., Sept. 22; 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Sept. 27. Center Theatre at the Cornish Playhouse Studio, Seattle Center $15-$25 Friday, September 26, 2014

Can Can Cabarets Seattle’s center for neo-burlesque presents shows and/or live music nearly every night; see website for full details and ticket prices. Can Can, 94 Pike St. Downstairs from Matts & Chez Chea, Seattle see website Friday, September 26, 2014

Comedy Underground See website for complete schedule, including their “Monday Madness” open-mike night, 8 p.m. Comedy Underground, 109 S. Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104 $6 Friday, September 26, 2014

ComedySportz Seattle Comedy Group moves their improv show to the former Empty Space. 8 & 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Atlas Theater, 3509 Fremont Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103 $14 Friday, September 26, 2014

Death and the Maiden In Ariel Dorfman’s play, a former political prisoner confronts her captor. Opens Sept. 5. 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Sept. 28. The Ballard Underground, 2220 N.W. Market St., Seattle $14 Friday, September 26, 2014

Don Quixote & Sancho Panza: Homeless in Seattle eSe Teatro’s update of Cervantes’ picaresque is “dedicated to all the gentlemen and gentlewomen who roam the streets with dignity.” Opens Sept. 12. Runs Thurs.-Sun.; see acttheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends Sept. 28. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St., Seattle, WA 98101 $25-$30 Friday, September 26, 2014

I Am of Ireland Subtitled “A Celebration in Story, Song, and Dance,” Book-It stages tales by Yeats and others. Previews begin Sept. 17, opens Sept. 20. Runs Wed.-Sun.; see book-it.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 12. Center Theatre at the Armory, Seattle Center $25 Friday, September 26, 2014

• 

In the Heights Considering how word-intensive hip-hop is, you’d think building theater pieces around it would be the most obvious step in the world. Yet only Lin-Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) and Quiara Alegria Hudes (book) have had any significant success along these lines, serving rap with plenty of salsa in their 2008 Best Musical Tony-winner, set in Manhattan’s heavily Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. Its innovativeness is admirable (if not immediately hummable), but what really thrills me about this tale of a bodega owner, the abuela who raised him, a hairdresser, a cab driver, his conflicted daughter, and others is a couple of old-fashioned plot twists. You may see them coming; I didn’t. Bring Kleenex. (Runs near daily through Oct. 26; then moves to Everett Oct. 31-Nov. 23. See villagetheatre.org for schedule.) GAVIN BORCHERT Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah $35-$67 Friday, September 26, 2014

Laughs Stand-up and other comedy. See website for complete schedule, including open-mike night.  Laughs Comedy Spot, 12099 124th Ave. N.E., Kirkland, WA 98034 $10-$20 Friday, September 26, 2014

Man of La Mancha Another take on Don Quixote, this time in musical play-within-a-play form. Opens Sept. 12. 7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. plus Thurs., Sept. 25; 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Sept. 28. Seattle Musical Theatre at Magnuson Park, $20-$35 Friday, September 26, 2014

Parlor Live Comedy Club See website for schedule. The Parlor Collection, 700 Bellevue Way N.E., Bellevue $15-$30 Friday, September 26, 2014

Slip/Shot Jacqueline Goldfinger’s drama debuted two years ago in Philadelphia, not long after the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida. By sheer coincidence, her play concerns the shooting of a young black man by a white cop-only the setting is a half-century earlier, in 1963 Tallahassee. But still: Florida, so everyone viewed the play through the Martin case. Two years later, Slip/Shot has an unhappy new context: the Michael Brown killing in Ferguson, Missouri. The key plot difference here, as compared to those actual news events, is that the shooting is an accident which the white policeman regrets. And at the same time, both the white and black parties in the play are aware how past inequality is shifting. The victim is a star student headed to college, while the cop has barely risen beyond the cotton field. Two Americas are finding a new power dynamic in Goldfinger’s tale, and there is damage on both sides of the equation. Given its historical setting, Slip/Shot is also one of several plays this fall dealing with the unfinished business of the Civil Rights movement, including the ongoing The Mountaintop at ArtsWest and the coming All the Way and The Great Society at Seattle Rep. BRIAN MILLER Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, 7312 W. Green Lake Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$32 Friday, September 26, 2014

The Bunner Sisters The Athena Theatre Project’s inaugural show is this Edith Wharton adaptation. Preview Sept. 18, opens Sept. 19. 8 p.m. Wed.-Sat. plus Mon., Sept. 29, 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 5. Theater Off Jackson, 409 7th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104 $15-$22 Friday, September 26, 2014

The Fabulous Lipitones When one member of a barbershop quartet drops dead (I love it already!), they have to scramble for a replacement in John Markus and Mark St. Germain’s comedy with music. Previews Sept. 17 & 18, opens Sept. 19. Runs Wed.-Sat; see taproottheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 18. Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St., Seattle $15-$40 Friday, September 26, 2014

The Invisible Hand There are many reasons to go to the theater, but to see something that feels like a film or a TV episode usually isn’t one. That’s the main problem with Ayad Akhtar’s new play about a bright young money guy, Nick (Connor Toms), who has been kidnapped in Karachi by Islamic terrorists. Because his employer doesn’t negotiate with terrorists, Nick offers to earn his ransom by trading on the volatile Pakistani financial markets. Nick’s captors include Dar (the boyish Erwin Galan), Dar’s ambitious supervisor Bashir (the apt Elijah Alexander), and their commander Imam Saleem (William Ontiveros), an older cleric. Though Akhtar’s given each one an affable side as well as a ruthless one, they still come off as cartoonish, probably because they spend so much time in well-coached accents explaining things you would learn in The Economist. Previously a Pulitzer winning for Disgraced, Akhtar has a topical engagement with the world is important enough that audiences can probably forgive some theatrical shortcomings. For fans of shows like Homeland, this didactic, issue-exposing play may hit the spot; others may groan at the exposition. (Runs Tues.-Sun.; see website for exact schedule. Ends Sept. 28.) MARGARET FRIEDMAN ACT Theatre, 700 Union St., Seattle, WA 98101 $55 and up Friday, September 26, 2014

The Mountaintop So: Ferguson, Missouri, and the federal takeover of that city’s police department; the shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown; the coming midterm elections with new voter-ID laws and restricted early-voting periods in swing states that disproportionately affect minorities, the poor, and the young; black families sliding down the economic ladder, with less economic mobility and household wealth than 40 years ago; our first African-American president getting shellacked in the polls. All that prior audacity of hope has collided with an electorate that now seems tired of talking about race. At the same time, it’s the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, which is why director Valerie Curtis-Newton is now staging this imaginary account of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night in Memphis. Katori Hall’s drama debuted on Broadway four years ago with Samuel L. Jackson as King and Angela Bassett as a hotel maid who visits him on April 3, 1968. (Here those roles are played by Reginald Andre Jackson and Brianne Hill.) The timing may make it more topical now, as King muses on the past and (unfinished) future of the civil-rights movement. The Mountaintop provides a good opportunity for such stock-taking, and also sets the stage for the historical-minded dramas ahead. Seattle Rep is staging local playwright Robert Schenkkan’s Tony-winning All the Way and The Great Society in November and December. The first is LBJ’s story alone; the second-following passage of the Civil Rights Act and his re-election-Johnson shares with King, Robert F. Kennedy, and other historical figures. Johnson’s concern for racial and economic equality run up against costly wartime spending; and at the same time, as he predicted, Southern Democrats would abandon the party. Incredibly, we face the same dilemma today. (Preview Sept. 10, opens Sept. 11. 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 3 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 5.) BRIAN MILLER ArtsWest, 4711 California Ave. S.W., Seattle, WA 98116 $15-$34.50 Friday, September 26, 2014

PROK Open Mike Sign up for this generally zany and enjoyable evening, when professionals are also known to drop by.  The People’s Republic Kafe, 1718 12th Ave., Seattle Free Friday, September 26, 2014, 6:30pm

Mary’s Wedding New Century Theatre Company presents Stephen Massicotte’s reality-blurring play about a WWI romance. Preview Sept. 18, opens Sept. 19. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sun. plus Mon., Oct. 6. Ends Oct. 11. West of Lenin, 203 N. 36th St., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$30 Friday, September 26, 2014, 8pm

Seascape Two couples-one of them lizards-discuss “humanity, evolution, and the concept of time” in Albee’s play. Opens Sept. 12. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. Ends Oct. 11. Theater Schmeater, 2125 Third Ave. $18-$25 Friday, September 26, 2014, 8pm

Searching for the Super Scene Fast-paced improv from Unexpected Productions. 8:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, Seattle $12-$15 Friday, September 26, 2014, 8:30pm

House of Ink In this improvised murder mystery, authors get bumped off one by one. 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Ends Oct. 4. $5-$7 Friday, September 26, 2014, 10pm

TheatreSports Unexpected Productions’ long-running (since 1983!) improv comedy show, pitting two teams against each other in front of a panel of judges. 10:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, Seattle $15 Friday, September 26, 2014, 10:30pm

• 

A Chorus Line The opening number of A Chorus Line ripples with imperfection. This is how it is supposed to be, of course. The legendary musical, which opened on Broadway in 1975, offers a view of the unrefined side of musical theater. Framed in a day of auditions, aspiring stage performers desperately vie for a spot in the chorus line. We see the performers on a bare stage missing their steps, falling out of rhythm, fading into the background, and comically overacting to move to the fore. It’s all expertly plotted, of course, since the 5th’s mostly native production relies on the original Michael Bennett choreography. Still, you feel real empathy for these artists struggling under the critical eye of director Zach (the very commanding, stentorian Andrew Palermo). A Chorus Line is and was a radical departure from traditionally polished Broadway fare, since it concentrates on backstage drama. Director David Bennett manages that messy process with aplomb, though some flaws show here. Almost all 17 performers are treated as equals, pretty much requiring that each be a triple threat: able to sing, dance, and act. It’s a nearly impossible standard, but A Chorus Line reminds you, over and over again, that these performers are fallible human beings. (Runs Tues.-Sun.; See 5thavenue.org for schedule. Ends Sept. 28.) MARK BAUMGARTEN 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101 $29 and up Saturday, September 27, 2014

Blood Relations Sharon Pollock brings the saga of Lizzie Borden to the stage. Opens Sept. 12. 7:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. plus Mon., Sept. 22; 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Sept. 27. Center Theatre at the Cornish Playhouse Studio, Seattle Center $15-$25 Saturday, September 27, 2014

Can Can Cabarets Seattle’s center for neo-burlesque presents shows and/or live music nearly every night; see website for full details and ticket prices. Can Can, 94 Pike St. Downstairs from Matts & Chez Chea, Seattle see website Saturday, September 27, 2014

Comedy Underground See website for complete schedule, including their “Monday Madness” open-mike night, 8 p.m. Comedy Underground, 109 S. Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104 $6 Saturday, September 27, 2014

ComedySportz Seattle Comedy Group moves their improv show to the former Empty Space. 8 & 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Atlas Theater, 3509 Fremont Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103 $14 Saturday, September 27, 2014

Death and the Maiden In Ariel Dorfman’s play, a former political prisoner confronts her captor. Opens Sept. 5. 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Sept. 28. The Ballard Underground, 2220 N.W. Market St., Seattle $14 Saturday, September 27, 2014

Don Quixote & Sancho Panza: Homeless in Seattle eSe Teatro’s update of Cervantes’ picaresque is “dedicated to all the gentlemen and gentlewomen who roam the streets with dignity.” Opens Sept. 12. Runs Thurs.-Sun.; see acttheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends Sept. 28. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St., Seattle, WA 98101 $25-$30 Saturday, September 27, 2014

I Am of Ireland Subtitled “A Celebration in Story, Song, and Dance,” Book-It stages tales by Yeats and others. Previews begin Sept. 17, opens Sept. 20. Runs Wed.-Sun.; see book-it.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 12. Center Theatre at the Armory, Seattle Center $25 Saturday, September 27, 2014

• 

In the Heights Considering how word-intensive hip-hop is, you’d think building theater pieces around it would be the most obvious step in the world. Yet only Lin-Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) and Quiara Alegria Hudes (book) have had any significant success along these lines, serving rap with plenty of salsa in their 2008 Best Musical Tony-winner, set in Manhattan’s heavily Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. Its innovativeness is admirable (if not immediately hummable), but what really thrills me about this tale of a bodega owner, the abuela who raised him, a hairdresser, a cab driver, his conflicted daughter, and others is a couple of old-fashioned plot twists. You may see them coming; I didn’t. Bring Kleenex. (Runs near daily through Oct. 26; then moves to Everett Oct. 31-Nov. 23. See villagetheatre.org for schedule.) GAVIN BORCHERT Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah $35-$67 Saturday, September 27, 2014

Laughs Stand-up and other comedy. See website for complete schedule, including open-mike night.  Laughs Comedy Spot, 12099 124th Ave. N.E., Kirkland, WA 98034 $10-$20 Saturday, September 27, 2014

Man of La Mancha Another take on Don Quixote, this time in musical play-within-a-play form. Opens Sept. 12. 7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. plus Thurs., Sept. 25; 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Sept. 28. Seattle Musical Theatre at Magnuson Park, $20-$35 Saturday, September 27, 2014

Parlor Live Comedy Club See website for schedule. The Parlor Collection, 700 Bellevue Way N.E., Bellevue $15-$30 Saturday, September 27, 2014

Pink Door Cabaret Trapeze performances (6:15-8:45 p.m.) by Bridget Gunning (Sun.) and Tanya Brno (Mon.). Saturdays, go “Behind the Pink Door” (11 p.m.,). See website for full details.   The Pink Door, 1919 Post Alley, Seattle $20 cover Saturday, September 27, 2014

Slip/Shot Jacqueline Goldfinger’s drama debuted two years ago in Philadelphia, not long after the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida. By sheer coincidence, her play concerns the shooting of a young black man by a white cop-only the setting is a half-century earlier, in 1963 Tallahassee. But still: Florida, so everyone viewed the play through the Martin case. Two years later, Slip/Shot has an unhappy new context: the Michael Brown killing in Ferguson, Missouri. The key plot difference here, as compared to those actual news events, is that the shooting is an accident which the white policeman regrets. And at the same time, both the white and black parties in the play are aware how past inequality is shifting. The victim is a star student headed to college, while the cop has barely risen beyond the cotton field. Two Americas are finding a new power dynamic in Goldfinger’s tale, and there is damage on both sides of the equation. Given its historical setting, Slip/Shot is also one of several plays this fall dealing with the unfinished business of the Civil Rights movement, including the ongoing The Mountaintop at ArtsWest and the coming All the Way and The Great Society at Seattle Rep. BRIAN MILLER Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, 7312 W. Green Lake Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$32 Saturday, September 27, 2014

The Bunner Sisters The Athena Theatre Project’s inaugural show is this Edith Wharton adaptation. Preview Sept. 18, opens Sept. 19. 8 p.m. Wed.-Sat. plus Mon., Sept. 29, 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 5. Theater Off Jackson, 409 7th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104 $15-$22 Saturday, September 27, 2014

The Fabulous Lipitones When one member of a barbershop quartet drops dead (I love it already!), they have to scramble for a replacement in John Markus and Mark St. Germain’s comedy with music. Previews Sept. 17 & 18, opens Sept. 19. Runs Wed.-Sat; see taproottheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 18. Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St., Seattle $15-$40 Saturday, September 27, 2014

The Invisible Hand There are many reasons to go to the theater, but to see something that feels like a film or a TV episode usually isn’t one. That’s the main problem with Ayad Akhtar’s new play about a bright young money guy, Nick (Connor Toms), who has been kidnapped in Karachi by Islamic terrorists. Because his employer doesn’t negotiate with terrorists, Nick offers to earn his ransom by trading on the volatile Pakistani financial markets. Nick’s captors include Dar (the boyish Erwin Galan), Dar’s ambitious supervisor Bashir (the apt Elijah Alexander), and their commander Imam Saleem (William Ontiveros), an older cleric. Though Akhtar’s given each one an affable side as well as a ruthless one, they still come off as cartoonish, probably because they spend so much time in well-coached accents explaining things you would learn in The Economist. Previously a Pulitzer winning for Disgraced, Akhtar has a topical engagement with the world is important enough that audiences can probably forgive some theatrical shortcomings. For fans of shows like Homeland, this didactic, issue-exposing play may hit the spot; others may groan at the exposition. (Runs Tues.-Sun.; see website for exact schedule. Ends Sept. 28.) MARGARET FRIEDMAN ACT Theatre, 700 Union St., Seattle, WA 98101 $55 and up Saturday, September 27, 2014

The Mountaintop So: Ferguson, Missouri, and the federal takeover of that city’s police department; the shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown; the coming midterm elections with new voter-ID laws and restricted early-voting periods in swing states that disproportionately affect minorities, the poor, and the young; black families sliding down the economic ladder, with less economic mobility and household wealth than 40 years ago; our first African-American president getting shellacked in the polls. All that prior audacity of hope has collided with an electorate that now seems tired of talking about race. At the same time, it’s the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, which is why director Valerie Curtis-Newton is now staging this imaginary account of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night in Memphis. Katori Hall’s drama debuted on Broadway four years ago with Samuel L. Jackson as King and Angela Bassett as a hotel maid who visits him on April 3, 1968. (Here those roles are played by Reginald Andre Jackson and Brianne Hill.) The timing may make it more topical now, as King muses on the past and (unfinished) future of the civil-rights movement. The Mountaintop provides a good opportunity for such stock-taking, and also sets the stage for the historical-minded dramas ahead. Seattle Rep is staging local playwright Robert Schenkkan’s Tony-winning All the Way and The Great Society in November and December. The first is LBJ’s story alone; the second-following passage of the Civil Rights Act and his re-election-Johnson shares with King, Robert F. Kennedy, and other historical figures. Johnson’s concern for racial and economic equality run up against costly wartime spending; and at the same time, as he predicted, Southern Democrats would abandon the party. Incredibly, we face the same dilemma today. (Preview Sept. 10, opens Sept. 11. 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 3 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 5.) BRIAN MILLER ArtsWest, 4711 California Ave. S.W., Seattle, WA 98116 $15-$34.50 Saturday, September 27, 2014

Mary’s Wedding New Century Theatre Company presents Stephen Massicotte’s reality-blurring play about a WWI romance. Preview Sept. 18, opens Sept. 19. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sun. plus Mon., Oct. 6. Ends Oct. 11. West of Lenin, 203 N. 36th St., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$30 Saturday, September 27, 2014, 8pm

Seascape Two couples-one of them lizards-discuss “humanity, evolution, and the concept of time” in Albee’s play. Opens Sept. 12. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. Ends Oct. 11. Theater Schmeater, 2125 Third Ave. $18-$25 Saturday, September 27, 2014, 8pm

Searching for the Super Scene Fast-paced improv from Unexpected Productions. 8:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, Seattle $12-$15 Saturday, September 27, 2014, 8:30pm

House of Ink In this improvised murder mystery, authors get bumped off one by one. 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Ends Oct. 4. $5-$7 Saturday, September 27, 2014, 10pm

TheatreSports Unexpected Productions’ long-running (since 1983!) improv comedy show, pitting two teams against each other in front of a panel of judges. 10:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, Seattle $15 Saturday, September 27, 2014, 10:30pm

• 

A Chorus Line The opening number of A Chorus Line ripples with imperfection. This is how it is supposed to be, of course. The legendary musical, which opened on Broadway in 1975, offers a view of the unrefined side of musical theater. Framed in a day of auditions, aspiring stage performers desperately vie for a spot in the chorus line. We see the performers on a bare stage missing their steps, falling out of rhythm, fading into the background, and comically overacting to move to the fore. It’s all expertly plotted, of course, since the 5th’s mostly native production relies on the original Michael Bennett choreography. Still, you feel real empathy for these artists struggling under the critical eye of director Zach (the very commanding, stentorian Andrew Palermo). A Chorus Line is and was a radical departure from traditionally polished Broadway fare, since it concentrates on backstage drama. Director David Bennett manages that messy process with aplomb, though some flaws show here. Almost all 17 performers are treated as equals, pretty much requiring that each be a triple threat: able to sing, dance, and act. It’s a nearly impossible standard, but A Chorus Line reminds you, over and over again, that these performers are fallible human beings. (Runs Tues.-Sun.; See 5thavenue.org for schedule. Ends Sept. 28.) MARK BAUMGARTEN 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101 $29 and up Sunday, September 28, 2014

Can Can Cabarets Seattle’s center for neo-burlesque presents shows and/or live music nearly every night; see website for full details and ticket prices. Can Can, 94 Pike St. Downstairs from Matts & Chez Chea, Seattle see website Sunday, September 28, 2014

Comedy Underground See website for complete schedule, including their “Monday Madness” open-mike night, 8 p.m. Comedy Underground, 109 S. Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104 $6 Sunday, September 28, 2014

Death and the Maiden In Ariel Dorfman’s play, a former political prisoner confronts her captor. Opens Sept. 5. 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Sept. 28. The Ballard Underground, 2220 N.W. Market St., Seattle $14 Sunday, September 28, 2014

Don Quixote & Sancho Panza: Homeless in Seattle eSe Teatro’s update of Cervantes’ picaresque is “dedicated to all the gentlemen and gentlewomen who roam the streets with dignity.” Opens Sept. 12. Runs Thurs.-Sun.; see acttheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends Sept. 28. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St., Seattle, WA 98101 $25-$30 Sunday, September 28, 2014

I Am of Ireland Subtitled “A Celebration in Story, Song, and Dance,” Book-It stages tales by Yeats and others. Previews begin Sept. 17, opens Sept. 20. Runs Wed.-Sun.; see book-it.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 12. Center Theatre at the Armory, Seattle Center $25 Sunday, September 28, 2014

• 

In the Heights Considering how word-intensive hip-hop is, you’d think building theater pieces around it would be the most obvious step in the world. Yet only Lin-Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) and Quiara Alegria Hudes (book) have had any significant success along these lines, serving rap with plenty of salsa in their 2008 Best Musical Tony-winner, set in Manhattan’s heavily Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. Its innovativeness is admirable (if not immediately hummable), but what really thrills me about this tale of a bodega owner, the abuela who raised him, a hairdresser, a cab driver, his conflicted daughter, and others is a couple of old-fashioned plot twists. You may see them coming; I didn’t. Bring Kleenex. (Runs near daily through Oct. 26; then moves to Everett Oct. 31-Nov. 23. See villagetheatre.org for schedule.) GAVIN BORCHERT Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah $35-$67 Sunday, September 28, 2014

Laughs Stand-up and other comedy. See website for complete schedule, including open-mike night.  Laughs Comedy Spot, 12099 124th Ave. N.E., Kirkland, WA 98034 $10-$20 Sunday, September 28, 2014

Man of La Mancha Another take on Don Quixote, this time in musical play-within-a-play form. Opens Sept. 12. 7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. plus Thurs., Sept. 25; 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Sept. 28. Seattle Musical Theatre at Magnuson Park, $20-$35 Sunday, September 28, 2014

Parlor Live Comedy Club See website for schedule. The Parlor Collection, 700 Bellevue Way N.E., Bellevue $15-$30 Sunday, September 28, 2014

Pink Door Cabaret Trapeze performances (6:15-8:45 p.m.) by Bridget Gunning (Sun.) and Tanya Brno (Mon.). Saturdays, go “Behind the Pink Door” (11 p.m.,). See website for full details.   The Pink Door, 1919 Post Alley, Seattle $20 cover Sunday, September 28, 2014

Slip/Shot Jacqueline Goldfinger’s drama debuted two years ago in Philadelphia, not long after the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida. By sheer coincidence, her play concerns the shooting of a young black man by a white cop-only the setting is a half-century earlier, in 1963 Tallahassee. But still: Florida, so everyone viewed the play through the Martin case. Two years later, Slip/Shot has an unhappy new context: the Michael Brown killing in Ferguson, Missouri. The key plot difference here, as compared to those actual news events, is that the shooting is an accident which the white policeman regrets. And at the same time, both the white and black parties in the play are aware how past inequality is shifting. The victim is a star student headed to college, while the cop has barely risen beyond the cotton field. Two Americas are finding a new power dynamic in Goldfinger’s tale, and there is damage on both sides of the equation. Given its historical setting, Slip/Shot is also one of several plays this fall dealing with the unfinished business of the Civil Rights movement, including the ongoing The Mountaintop at ArtsWest and the coming All the Way and The Great Society at Seattle Rep. BRIAN MILLER Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, 7312 W. Green Lake Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$32 Sunday, September 28, 2014

The Bunner Sisters The Athena Theatre Project’s inaugural show is this Edith Wharton adaptation. Preview Sept. 18, opens Sept. 19. 8 p.m. Wed.-Sat. plus Mon., Sept. 29, 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 5. Theater Off Jackson, 409 7th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104 $15-$22 Sunday, September 28, 2014

The Invisible Hand There are many reasons to go to the theater, but to see something that feels like a film or a TV episode usually isn’t one. That’s the main problem with Ayad Akhtar’s new play about a bright young money guy, Nick (Connor Toms), who has been kidnapped in Karachi by Islamic terrorists. Because his employer doesn’t negotiate with terrorists, Nick offers to earn his ransom by trading on the volatile Pakistani financial markets. Nick’s captors include Dar (the boyish Erwin Galan), Dar’s ambitious supervisor Bashir (the apt Elijah Alexander), and their commander Imam Saleem (William Ontiveros), an older cleric. Though Akhtar’s given each one an affable side as well as a ruthless one, they still come off as cartoonish, probably because they spend so much time in well-coached accents explaining things you would learn in The Economist. Previously a Pulitzer winning for Disgraced, Akhtar has a topical engagement with the world is important enough that audiences can probably forgive some theatrical shortcomings. For fans of shows like Homeland, this didactic, issue-exposing play may hit the spot; others may groan at the exposition. (Runs Tues.-Sun.; see website for exact schedule. Ends Sept. 28.) MARGARET FRIEDMAN ACT Theatre, 700 Union St., Seattle, WA 98101 $55 and up Sunday, September 28, 2014

The Mountaintop So: Ferguson, Missouri, and the federal takeover of that city’s police department; the shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown; the coming midterm elections with new voter-ID laws and restricted early-voting periods in swing states that disproportionately affect minorities, the poor, and the young; black families sliding down the economic ladder, with less economic mobility and household wealth than 40 years ago; our first African-American president getting shellacked in the polls. All that prior audacity of hope has collided with an electorate that now seems tired of talking about race. At the same time, it’s the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, which is why director Valerie Curtis-Newton is now staging this imaginary account of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night in Memphis. Katori Hall’s drama debuted on Broadway four years ago with Samuel L. Jackson as King and Angela Bassett as a hotel maid who visits him on April 3, 1968. (Here those roles are played by Reginald Andre Jackson and Brianne Hill.) The timing may make it more topical now, as King muses on the past and (unfinished) future of the civil-rights movement. The Mountaintop provides a good opportunity for such stock-taking, and also sets the stage for the historical-minded dramas ahead. Seattle Rep is staging local playwright Robert Schenkkan’s Tony-winning All the Way and The Great Society in November and December. The first is LBJ’s story alone; the second-following passage of the Civil Rights Act and his re-election-Johnson shares with King, Robert F. Kennedy, and other historical figures. Johnson’s concern for racial and economic equality run up against costly wartime spending; and at the same time, as he predicted, Southern Democrats would abandon the party. Incredibly, we face the same dilemma today. (Preview Sept. 10, opens Sept. 11. 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 3 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 5.) BRIAN MILLER ArtsWest, 4711 California Ave. S.W., Seattle, WA 98116 $15-$34.50 Sunday, September 28, 2014

Wicked Wiz of Oz A 45-minute mashup of your favorite Oz musicals, part of the “Mimosas With Mama” drag brunch. Narwhal, 1118 E. Pike St., Seattle $15-$20 Sunday, September 28, 2014, 1:30pm

Mary’s Wedding New Century Theatre Company presents Stephen Massicotte’s reality-blurring play about a WWI romance. Preview Sept. 18, opens Sept. 19. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sun. plus Mon., Oct. 6. Ends Oct. 11. West of Lenin, 203 N. 36th St., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$30 Sunday, September 28, 2014, 8pm

Piggyback Stand-up and improv unite. 8:30 p.m. Sun.  Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, Seattle $10 Sunday, September 28, 2014, 8:30pm

Can Can Cabarets Seattle’s center for neo-burlesque presents shows and/or live music nearly every night; see website for full details and ticket prices. Can Can, 94 Pike St. Downstairs from Matts & Chez Chea, Seattle see website Monday, September 29, 2014

Comedy Underground See website for complete schedule, including their “Monday Madness” open-mike night, 8 p.m. Comedy Underground, 109 S. Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104 $6 Monday, September 29, 2014

• 

In the Heights Considering how word-intensive hip-hop is, you’d think building theater pieces around it would be the most obvious step in the world. Yet only Lin-Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) and Quiara Alegria Hudes (book) have had any significant success along these lines, serving rap with plenty of salsa in their 2008 Best Musical Tony-winner, set in Manhattan’s heavily Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. Its innovativeness is admirable (if not immediately hummable), but what really thrills me about this tale of a bodega owner, the abuela who raised him, a hairdresser, a cab driver, his conflicted daughter, and others is a couple of old-fashioned plot twists. You may see them coming; I didn’t. Bring Kleenex. (Runs near daily through Oct. 26; then moves to Everett Oct. 31-Nov. 23. See villagetheatre.org for schedule.) GAVIN BORCHERT Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah $35-$67 Monday, September 29, 2014

Laughs Stand-up and other comedy. See website for complete schedule, including open-mike night.  Laughs Comedy Spot, 12099 124th Ave. N.E., Kirkland, WA 98034 $10-$20 Monday, September 29, 2014

Pink Door Cabaret Trapeze performances (6:15-8:45 p.m.) by Bridget Gunning (Sun.) and Tanya Brno (Mon.). Saturdays, go “Behind the Pink Door” (11 p.m.,). See website for full details.   The Pink Door, 1919 Post Alley, Seattle $20 cover Monday, September 29, 2014

Slip/Shot Jacqueline Goldfinger’s drama debuted two years ago in Philadelphia, not long after the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida. By sheer coincidence, her play concerns the shooting of a young black man by a white cop-only the setting is a half-century earlier, in 1963 Tallahassee. But still: Florida, so everyone viewed the play through the Martin case. Two years later, Slip/Shot has an unhappy new context: the Michael Brown killing in Ferguson, Missouri. The key plot difference here, as compared to those actual news events, is that the shooting is an accident which the white policeman regrets. And at the same time, both the white and black parties in the play are aware how past inequality is shifting. The victim is a star student headed to college, while the cop has barely risen beyond the cotton field. Two Americas are finding a new power dynamic in Goldfinger’s tale, and there is damage on both sides of the equation. Given its historical setting, Slip/Shot is also one of several plays this fall dealing with the unfinished business of the Civil Rights movement, including the ongoing The Mountaintop at ArtsWest and the coming All the Way and The Great Society at Seattle Rep. BRIAN MILLER Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, 7312 W. Green Lake Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$32 Monday, September 29, 2014

The Bunner Sisters The Athena Theatre Project’s inaugural show is this Edith Wharton adaptation. Preview Sept. 18, opens Sept. 19. 8 p.m. Wed.-Sat. plus Mon., Sept. 29, 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 5. Theater Off Jackson, 409 7th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104 $15-$22 Monday, September 29, 2014, 8pm

Can Can Cabarets Seattle’s center for neo-burlesque presents shows and/or live music nearly every night; see website for full details and ticket prices. Can Can, 94 Pike St. Downstairs from Matts & Chez Chea, Seattle see website Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Comedy Underground See website for complete schedule, including their “Monday Madness” open-mike night, 8 p.m. Comedy Underground, 109 S. Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104 $6 Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Comedy Womb This “female-focused but not female-exclusive” show includes a headliner and an open-mike segment, in the Grotto underneath the Rendezvous. JewelBox Theater at the Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave., Seattle, WA 98121 $5 Tuesday, September 30, 2014

• 

In the Heights Considering how word-intensive hip-hop is, you’d think building theater pieces around it would be the most obvious step in the world. Yet only Lin-Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) and Quiara Alegria Hudes (book) have had any significant success along these lines, serving rap with plenty of salsa in their 2008 Best Musical Tony-winner, set in Manhattan’s heavily Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. Its innovativeness is admirable (if not immediately hummable), but what really thrills me about this tale of a bodega owner, the abuela who raised him, a hairdresser, a cab driver, his conflicted daughter, and others is a couple of old-fashioned plot twists. You may see them coming; I didn’t. Bring Kleenex. (Runs near daily through Oct. 26; then moves to Everett Oct. 31-Nov. 23. See villagetheatre.org for schedule.) GAVIN BORCHERT Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah $35-$67 Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Laughs Stand-up and other comedy. See website for complete schedule, including open-mike night.  Laughs Comedy Spot, 12099 124th Ave. N.E., Kirkland, WA 98034 $10-$20 Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Slip/Shot Jacqueline Goldfinger’s drama debuted two years ago in Philadelphia, not long after the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida. By sheer coincidence, her play concerns the shooting of a young black man by a white cop-only the setting is a half-century earlier, in 1963 Tallahassee. But still: Florida, so everyone viewed the play through the Martin case. Two years later, Slip/Shot has an unhappy new context: the Michael Brown killing in Ferguson, Missouri. The key plot difference here, as compared to those actual news events, is that the shooting is an accident which the white policeman regrets. And at the same time, both the white and black parties in the play are aware how past inequality is shifting. The victim is a star student headed to college, while the cop has barely risen beyond the cotton field. Two Americas are finding a new power dynamic in Goldfinger’s tale, and there is damage on both sides of the equation. Given its historical setting, Slip/Shot is also one of several plays this fall dealing with the unfinished business of the Civil Rights movement, including the ongoing The Mountaintop at ArtsWest and the coming All the Way and The Great Society at Seattle Rep. BRIAN MILLER Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, 7312 W. Green Lake Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$32 Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Can Can Cabarets Seattle’s center for neo-burlesque presents shows and/or live music nearly every night; see website for full details and ticket prices. Can Can, 94 Pike St. Downstairs from Matts & Chez Chea, Seattle see website Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Comedy Underground See website for complete schedule, including their “Monday Madness” open-mike night, 8 p.m. Comedy Underground, 109 S. Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104 $6 Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Comedy Womb This “female-focused but not female-exclusive” show includes a headliner and an open-mike segment, in the Grotto underneath the Rendezvous. JewelBox Theater at the Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave., Seattle, WA 98121 $5 Wednesday, October 1, 2014

I Am of Ireland Subtitled “A Celebration in Story, Song, and Dance,” Book-It stages tales by Yeats and others. Previews begin Sept. 17, opens Sept. 20. Runs Wed.-Sun.; see book-it.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 12. Center Theatre at the Armory, Seattle Center $25 Wednesday, October 1, 2014

• 

In the Heights Considering how word-intensive hip-hop is, you’d think building theater pieces around it would be the most obvious step in the world. Yet only Lin-Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) and Quiara Alegria Hudes (book) have had any significant success along these lines, serving rap with plenty of salsa in their 2008 Best Musical Tony-winner, set in Manhattan’s heavily Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. Its innovativeness is admirable (if not immediately hummable), but what really thrills me about this tale of a bodega owner, the abuela who raised him, a hairdresser, a cab driver, his conflicted daughter, and others is a couple of old-fashioned plot twists. You may see them coming; I didn’t. Bring Kleenex. (Runs near daily through Oct. 26; then moves to Everett Oct. 31-Nov. 23. See villagetheatre.org for schedule.) GAVIN BORCHERT Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah $35-$67 Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Laughs Stand-up and other comedy. See website for complete schedule, including open-mike night.  Laughs Comedy Spot, 12099 124th Ave. N.E., Kirkland, WA 98034 $10-$20 Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Slip/Shot Jacqueline Goldfinger’s drama debuted two years ago in Philadelphia, not long after the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida. By sheer coincidence, her play concerns the shooting of a young black man by a white cop-only the setting is a half-century earlier, in 1963 Tallahassee. But still: Florida, so everyone viewed the play through the Martin case. Two years later, Slip/Shot has an unhappy new context: the Michael Brown killing in Ferguson, Missouri. The key plot difference here, as compared to those actual news events, is that the shooting is an accident which the white policeman regrets. And at the same time, both the white and black parties in the play are aware how past inequality is shifting. The victim is a star student headed to college, while the cop has barely risen beyond the cotton field. Two Americas are finding a new power dynamic in Goldfinger’s tale, and there is damage on both sides of the equation. Given its historical setting, Slip/Shot is also one of several plays this fall dealing with the unfinished business of the Civil Rights movement, including the ongoing The Mountaintop at ArtsWest and the coming All the Way and The Great Society at Seattle Rep. BRIAN MILLER Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, 7312 W. Green Lake Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$32 Wednesday, October 1, 2014

The Fabulous Lipitones When one member of a barbershop quartet drops dead (I love it already!), they have to scramble for a replacement in John Markus and Mark St. Germain’s comedy with music. Previews Sept. 17 & 18, opens Sept. 19. Runs Wed.-Sat; see taproottheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 18. Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St., Seattle $15-$40 Wednesday, October 1, 2014

The Mountaintop So: Ferguson, Missouri, and the federal takeover of that city’s police department; the shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown; the coming midterm elections with new voter-ID laws and restricted early-voting periods in swing states that disproportionately affect minorities, the poor, and the young; black families sliding down the economic ladder, with less economic mobility and household wealth than 40 years ago; our first African-American president getting shellacked in the polls. All that prior audacity of hope has collided with an electorate that now seems tired of talking about race. At the same time, it’s the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, which is why director Valerie Curtis-Newton is now staging this imaginary account of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night in Memphis. Katori Hall’s drama debuted on Broadway four years ago with Samuel L. Jackson as King and Angela Bassett as a hotel maid who visits him on April 3, 1968. (Here those roles are played by Reginald Andre Jackson and Brianne Hill.) The timing may make it more topical now, as King muses on the past and (unfinished) future of the civil-rights movement. The Mountaintop provides a good opportunity for such stock-taking, and also sets the stage for the historical-minded dramas ahead. Seattle Rep is staging local playwright Robert Schenkkan’s Tony-winning All the Way and The Great Society in November and December. The first is LBJ’s story alone; the second-following passage of the Civil Rights Act and his re-election-Johnson shares with King, Robert F. Kennedy, and other historical figures. Johnson’s concern for racial and economic equality run up against costly wartime spending; and at the same time, as he predicted, Southern Democrats would abandon the party. Incredibly, we face the same dilemma today. (Preview Sept. 10, opens Sept. 11. 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 3 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 5.) BRIAN MILLER ArtsWest, 4711 California Ave. S.W., Seattle, WA 98116 $15-$34.50 Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Flipside Comedy Show Stand-up every Wednesday at this bastion of old-school Seattle charm. 13 Coins, 125 Boren Ave. N., Seattle See website Wednesday, October 1, 2014, 8pm

Duos Comedy Showcase Unexpected Productions presents comedians two at a time. Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, Seattle $5 Wednesday, October 1, 2014, 8:30pm

Can Can Cabarets Seattle’s center for neo-burlesque presents shows and/or live music nearly every night; see website for full details and ticket prices. Can Can, 94 Pike St. Downstairs from Matts & Chez Chea, Seattle see website Thursday, October 2, 2014

Comedy Underground See website for complete schedule, including their “Monday Madness” open-mike night, 8 p.m. Comedy Underground, 109 S. Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104 $6 Thursday, October 2, 2014

I Am of Ireland Subtitled “A Celebration in Story, Song, and Dance,” Book-It stages tales by Yeats and others. Previews begin Sept. 17, opens Sept. 20. Runs Wed.-Sun.; see book-it.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 12. Center Theatre at the Armory, Seattle Center $25 Thursday, October 2, 2014

• 

In the Heights Considering how word-intensive hip-hop is, you’d think building theater pieces around it would be the most obvious step in the world. Yet only Lin-Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) and Quiara Alegria Hudes (book) have had any significant success along these lines, serving rap with plenty of salsa in their 2008 Best Musical Tony-winner, set in Manhattan’s heavily Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. Its innovativeness is admirable (if not immediately hummable), but what really thrills me about this tale of a bodega owner, the abuela who raised him, a hairdresser, a cab driver, his conflicted daughter, and others is a couple of old-fashioned plot twists. You may see them coming; I didn’t. Bring Kleenex. (Runs near daily through Oct. 26; then moves to Everett Oct. 31-Nov. 23. See villagetheatre.org for schedule.) GAVIN BORCHERT Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah $35-$67 Thursday, October 2, 2014

Laughs Stand-up and other comedy. See website for complete schedule, including open-mike night.  Laughs Comedy Spot, 12099 124th Ave. N.E., Kirkland, WA 98034 $10-$20 Thursday, October 2, 2014

Parlor Live Comedy Club See website for schedule. The Parlor Collection, 700 Bellevue Way N.E., Bellevue $15-$30 Thursday, October 2, 2014

Slip/Shot Jacqueline Goldfinger’s drama debuted two years ago in Philadelphia, not long after the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida. By sheer coincidence, her play concerns the shooting of a young black man by a white cop-only the setting is a half-century earlier, in 1963 Tallahassee. But still: Florida, so everyone viewed the play through the Martin case. Two years later, Slip/Shot has an unhappy new context: the Michael Brown killing in Ferguson, Missouri. The key plot difference here, as compared to those actual news events, is that the shooting is an accident which the white policeman regrets. And at the same time, both the white and black parties in the play are aware how past inequality is shifting. The victim is a star student headed to college, while the cop has barely risen beyond the cotton field. Two Americas are finding a new power dynamic in Goldfinger’s tale, and there is damage on both sides of the equation. Given its historical setting, Slip/Shot is also one of several plays this fall dealing with the unfinished business of the Civil Rights movement, including the ongoing The Mountaintop at ArtsWest and the coming All the Way and The Great Society at Seattle Rep. BRIAN MILLER Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, 7312 W. Green Lake Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$32 Thursday, October 2, 2014

The Bunner Sisters The Athena Theatre Project’s inaugural show is this Edith Wharton adaptation. Preview Sept. 18, opens Sept. 19. 8 p.m. Wed.-Sat. plus Mon., Sept. 29, 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 5. Theater Off Jackson, 409 7th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104 $15-$22 Thursday, October 2, 2014

The Fabulous Lipitones When one member of a barbershop quartet drops dead (I love it already!), they have to scramble for a replacement in John Markus and Mark St. Germain’s comedy with music. Previews Sept. 17 & 18, opens Sept. 19. Runs Wed.-Sat; see taproottheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 18. Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St., Seattle $15-$40 Thursday, October 2, 2014

The Mountaintop So: Ferguson, Missouri, and the federal takeover of that city’s police department; the shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown; the coming midterm elections with new voter-ID laws and restricted early-voting periods in swing states that disproportionately affect minorities, the poor, and the young; black families sliding down the economic ladder, with less economic mobility and household wealth than 40 years ago; our first African-American president getting shellacked in the polls. All that prior audacity of hope has collided with an electorate that now seems tired of talking about race. At the same time, it’s the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, which is why director Valerie Curtis-Newton is now staging this imaginary account of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night in Memphis. Katori Hall’s drama debuted on Broadway four years ago with Samuel L. Jackson as King and Angela Bassett as a hotel maid who visits him on April 3, 1968. (Here those roles are played by Reginald Andre Jackson and Brianne Hill.) The timing may make it more topical now, as King muses on the past and (unfinished) future of the civil-rights movement. The Mountaintop provides a good opportunity for such stock-taking, and also sets the stage for the historical-minded dramas ahead. Seattle Rep is staging local playwright Robert Schenkkan’s Tony-winning All the Way and The Great Society in November and December. The first is LBJ’s story alone; the second-following passage of the Civil Rights Act and his re-election-Johnson shares with King, Robert F. Kennedy, and other historical figures. Johnson’s concern for racial and economic equality run up against costly wartime spending; and at the same time, as he predicted, Southern Democrats would abandon the party. Incredibly, we face the same dilemma today. (Preview Sept. 10, opens Sept. 11. 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 3 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 5.) BRIAN MILLER ArtsWest, 4711 California Ave. S.W., Seattle, WA 98116 $15-$34.50 Thursday, October 2, 2014

Mary’s Wedding New Century Theatre Company presents Stephen Massicotte’s reality-blurring play about a WWI romance. Preview Sept. 18, opens Sept. 19. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sun. plus Mon., Oct. 6. Ends Oct. 11. West of Lenin, 203 N. 36th St., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$30 Thursday, October 2, 2014, 8pm

Seascape Two couples-one of them lizards-discuss “humanity, evolution, and the concept of time” in Albee’s play. Opens Sept. 12. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. Ends Oct. 11. Theater Schmeater, 2125 Third Ave. $18-$25 Thursday, October 2, 2014, 8pm

Improv Anonymous: The Harold A narrative improv format created by legendary improv teacher Del Close.  Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, Seattle $7 Thursday, October 2, 2014, 8:30pm

Can Can Cabarets Seattle’s center for neo-burlesque presents shows and/or live music nearly every night; see website for full details and ticket prices. Can Can, 94 Pike St. Downstairs from Matts & Chez Chea, Seattle see website Friday, October 3, 2014

Comedy Underground See website for complete schedule, including their “Monday Madness” open-mike night, 8 p.m. Comedy Underground, 109 S. Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104 $6 Friday, October 3, 2014

ComedySportz Seattle Comedy Group moves their improv show to the former Empty Space. 8 & 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Atlas Theater, 3509 Fremont Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103 $14 Friday, October 3, 2014

I Am of Ireland Subtitled “A Celebration in Story, Song, and Dance,” Book-It stages tales by Yeats and others. Previews begin Sept. 17, opens Sept. 20. Runs Wed.-Sun.; see book-it.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 12. Center Theatre at the Armory, Seattle Center $25 Friday, October 3, 2014

• 

In the Heights Considering how word-intensive hip-hop is, you’d think building theater pieces around it would be the most obvious step in the world. Yet only Lin-Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) and Quiara Alegria Hudes (book) have had any significant success along these lines, serving rap with plenty of salsa in their 2008 Best Musical Tony-winner, set in Manhattan’s heavily Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. Its innovativeness is admirable (if not immediately hummable), but what really thrills me about this tale of a bodega owner, the abuela who raised him, a hairdresser, a cab driver, his conflicted daughter, and others is a couple of old-fashioned plot twists. You may see them coming; I didn’t. Bring Kleenex. (Runs near daily through Oct. 26; then moves to Everett Oct. 31-Nov. 23. See villagetheatre.org for schedule.) GAVIN BORCHERT Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah $35-$67 Friday, October 3, 2014

Laughs Stand-up and other comedy. See website for complete schedule, including open-mike night.  Laughs Comedy Spot, 12099 124th Ave. N.E., Kirkland, WA 98034 $10-$20 Friday, October 3, 2014

Parlor Live Comedy Club See website for schedule. The Parlor Collection, 700 Bellevue Way N.E., Bellevue $15-$30 Friday, October 3, 2014

Slip/Shot Jacqueline Goldfinger’s drama debuted two years ago in Philadelphia, not long after the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida. By sheer coincidence, her play concerns the shooting of a young black man by a white cop-only the setting is a half-century earlier, in 1963 Tallahassee. But still: Florida, so everyone viewed the play through the Martin case. Two years later, Slip/Shot has an unhappy new context: the Michael Brown killing in Ferguson, Missouri. The key plot difference here, as compared to those actual news events, is that the shooting is an accident which the white policeman regrets. And at the same time, both the white and black parties in the play are aware how past inequality is shifting. The victim is a star student headed to college, while the cop has barely risen beyond the cotton field. Two Americas are finding a new power dynamic in Goldfinger’s tale, and there is damage on both sides of the equation. Given its historical setting, Slip/Shot is also one of several plays this fall dealing with the unfinished business of the Civil Rights movement, including the ongoing The Mountaintop at ArtsWest and the coming All the Way and The Great Society at Seattle Rep. BRIAN MILLER Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, 7312 W. Green Lake Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$32 Friday, October 3, 2014

The Bunner Sisters The Athena Theatre Project’s inaugural show is this Edith Wharton adaptation. Preview Sept. 18, opens Sept. 19. 8 p.m. Wed.-Sat. plus Mon., Sept. 29, 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 5. Theater Off Jackson, 409 7th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104 $15-$22 Friday, October 3, 2014

The Fabulous Lipitones When one member of a barbershop quartet drops dead (I love it already!), they have to scramble for a replacement in John Markus and Mark St. Germain’s comedy with music. Previews Sept. 17 & 18, opens Sept. 19. Runs Wed.-Sat; see taproottheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 18. Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St., Seattle $15-$40 Friday, October 3, 2014

The Mountaintop So: Ferguson, Missouri, and the federal takeover of that city’s police department; the shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown; the coming midterm elections with new voter-ID laws and restricted early-voting periods in swing states that disproportionately affect minorities, the poor, and the young; black families sliding down the economic ladder, with less economic mobility and household wealth than 40 years ago; our first African-American president getting shellacked in the polls. All that prior audacity of hope has collided with an electorate that now seems tired of talking about race. At the same time, it’s the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, which is why director Valerie Curtis-Newton is now staging this imaginary account of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night in Memphis. Katori Hall’s drama debuted on Broadway four years ago with Samuel L. Jackson as King and Angela Bassett as a hotel maid who visits him on April 3, 1968. (Here those roles are played by Reginald Andre Jackson and Brianne Hill.) The timing may make it more topical now, as King muses on the past and (unfinished) future of the civil-rights movement. The Mountaintop provides a good opportunity for such stock-taking, and also sets the stage for the historical-minded dramas ahead. Seattle Rep is staging local playwright Robert Schenkkan’s Tony-winning All the Way and The Great Society in November and December. The first is LBJ’s story alone; the second-following passage of the Civil Rights Act and his re-election-Johnson shares with King, Robert F. Kennedy, and other historical figures. Johnson’s concern for racial and economic equality run up against costly wartime spending; and at the same time, as he predicted, Southern Democrats would abandon the party. Incredibly, we face the same dilemma today. (Preview Sept. 10, opens Sept. 11. 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 3 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 5.) BRIAN MILLER ArtsWest, 4711 California Ave. S.W., Seattle, WA 98116 $15-$34.50 Friday, October 3, 2014

PROK Open Mike Sign up for this generally zany and enjoyable evening, when professionals are also known to drop by.  The People’s Republic Kafe, 1718 12th Ave., Seattle Free Friday, October 3, 2014, 6:30pm

Mary’s Wedding New Century Theatre Company presents Stephen Massicotte’s reality-blurring play about a WWI romance. Preview Sept. 18, opens Sept. 19. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sun. plus Mon., Oct. 6. Ends Oct. 11. West of Lenin, 203 N. 36th St., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$30 Friday, October 3, 2014, 8pm

Seascape Two couples-one of them lizards-discuss “humanity, evolution, and the concept of time” in Albee’s play. Opens Sept. 12. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. Ends Oct. 11. Theater Schmeater, 2125 Third Ave. $18-$25 Friday, October 3, 2014, 8pm

Searching for the Super Scene Fast-paced improv from Unexpected Productions. 8:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, Seattle $12-$15 Friday, October 3, 2014, 8:30pm

House of Ink In this improvised murder mystery, authors get bumped off one by one. 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Ends Oct. 4. $5-$7 Friday, October 3, 2014, 10pm

TheatreSports Unexpected Productions’ long-running (since 1983!) improv comedy show, pitting two teams against each other in front of a panel of judges. 10:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, Seattle $15 Friday, October 3, 2014, 10:30pm

Spin the Bottle Annex Theatre’s late-night variety show. Annex Theatre, 1110 Pike St., Seattle, WA 98122 $5-$10 Friday, October 3, 2014, 11pm

Can Can Cabarets Seattle’s center for neo-burlesque presents shows and/or live music nearly every night; see website for full details and ticket prices. Can Can, 94 Pike St. Downstairs from Matts & Chez Chea, Seattle see website Saturday, October 4, 2014

Comedy Underground See website for complete schedule, including their “Monday Madness” open-mike night, 8 p.m. Comedy Underground, 109 S. Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104 $6 Saturday, October 4, 2014

ComedySportz Seattle Comedy Group moves their improv show to the former Empty Space. 8 & 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Atlas Theater, 3509 Fremont Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103 $14 Saturday, October 4, 2014

I Am of Ireland Subtitled “A Celebration in Story, Song, and Dance,” Book-It stages tales by Yeats and others. Previews begin Sept. 17, opens Sept. 20. Runs Wed.-Sun.; see book-it.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 12. Center Theatre at the Armory, Seattle Center $25 Saturday, October 4, 2014

• 

In the Heights Considering how word-intensive hip-hop is, you’d think building theater pieces around it would be the most obvious step in the world. Yet only Lin-Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) and Quiara Alegria Hudes (book) have had any significant success along these lines, serving rap with plenty of salsa in their 2008 Best Musical Tony-winner, set in Manhattan’s heavily Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. Its innovativeness is admirable (if not immediately hummable), but what really thrills me about this tale of a bodega owner, the abuela who raised him, a hairdresser, a cab driver, his conflicted daughter, and others is a couple of old-fashioned plot twists. You may see them coming; I didn’t. Bring Kleenex. (Runs near daily through Oct. 26; then moves to Everett Oct. 31-Nov. 23. See villagetheatre.org for schedule.) GAVIN BORCHERT Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah $35-$67 Saturday, October 4, 2014

Laughs Stand-up and other comedy. See website for complete schedule, including open-mike night.  Laughs Comedy Spot, 12099 124th Ave. N.E., Kirkland, WA 98034 $10-$20 Saturday, October 4, 2014

Parlor Live Comedy Club See website for schedule. The Parlor Collection, 700 Bellevue Way N.E., Bellevue $15-$30 Saturday, October 4, 2014

Pink Door Cabaret Trapeze performances (6:15-8:45 p.m.) by Bridget Gunning (Sun.) and Tanya Brno (Mon.). Saturdays, go “Behind the Pink Door” (11 p.m.,). See website for full details.   The Pink Door, 1919 Post Alley, Seattle $20 cover Saturday, October 4, 2014

Slip/Shot Jacqueline Goldfinger’s drama debuted two years ago in Philadelphia, not long after the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida. By sheer coincidence, her play concerns the shooting of a young black man by a white cop-only the setting is a half-century earlier, in 1963 Tallahassee. But still: Florida, so everyone viewed the play through the Martin case. Two years later, Slip/Shot has an unhappy new context: the Michael Brown killing in Ferguson, Missouri. The key plot difference here, as compared to those actual news events, is that the shooting is an accident which the white policeman regrets. And at the same time, both the white and black parties in the play are aware how past inequality is shifting. The victim is a star student headed to college, while the cop has barely risen beyond the cotton field. Two Americas are finding a new power dynamic in Goldfinger’s tale, and there is damage on both sides of the equation. Given its historical setting, Slip/Shot is also one of several plays this fall dealing with the unfinished business of the Civil Rights movement, including the ongoing The Mountaintop at ArtsWest and the coming All the Way and The Great Society at Seattle Rep. BRIAN MILLER Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, 7312 W. Green Lake Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$32 Saturday, October 4, 2014

The Bunner Sisters The Athena Theatre Project’s inaugural show is this Edith Wharton adaptation. Preview Sept. 18, opens Sept. 19. 8 p.m. Wed.-Sat. plus Mon., Sept. 29, 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 5. Theater Off Jackson, 409 7th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104 $15-$22 Saturday, October 4, 2014

The Fabulous Lipitones When one member of a barbershop quartet drops dead (I love it already!), they have to scramble for a replacement in John Markus and Mark St. Germain’s comedy with music. Previews Sept. 17 & 18, opens Sept. 19. Runs Wed.-Sat; see taproottheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 18. Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St., Seattle $15-$40 Saturday, October 4, 2014

The Mountaintop So: Ferguson, Missouri, and the federal takeover of that city’s police department; the shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown; the coming midterm elections with new voter-ID laws and restricted early-voting periods in swing states that disproportionately affect minorities, the poor, and the young; black families sliding down the economic ladder, with less economic mobility and household wealth than 40 years ago; our first African-American president getting shellacked in the polls. All that prior audacity of hope has collided with an electorate that now seems tired of talking about race. At the same time, it’s the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, which is why director Valerie Curtis-Newton is now staging this imaginary account of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night in Memphis. Katori Hall’s drama debuted on Broadway four years ago with Samuel L. Jackson as King and Angela Bassett as a hotel maid who visits him on April 3, 1968. (Here those roles are played by Reginald Andre Jackson and Brianne Hill.) The timing may make it more topical now, as King muses on the past and (unfinished) future of the civil-rights movement. The Mountaintop provides a good opportunity for such stock-taking, and also sets the stage for the historical-minded dramas ahead. Seattle Rep is staging local playwright Robert Schenkkan’s Tony-winning All the Way and The Great Society in November and December. The first is LBJ’s story alone; the second-following passage of the Civil Rights Act and his re-election-Johnson shares with King, Robert F. Kennedy, and other historical figures. Johnson’s concern for racial and economic equality run up against costly wartime spending; and at the same time, as he predicted, Southern Democrats would abandon the party. Incredibly, we face the same dilemma today. (Preview Sept. 10, opens Sept. 11. 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 3 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 5.) BRIAN MILLER ArtsWest, 4711 California Ave. S.W., Seattle, WA 98116 $15-$34.50 Saturday, October 4, 2014

The Edge Bainbridge Island’s own improv troupe.  Bainbridge Performing Arts, 200 Madison Ave. N., Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 $12-$16 Saturday, October 4, 2014, 7:30pm

Mary’s Wedding New Century Theatre Company presents Stephen Massicotte’s reality-blurring play about a WWI romance. Preview Sept. 18, opens Sept. 19. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sun. plus Mon., Oct. 6. Ends Oct. 11. West of Lenin, 203 N. 36th St., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$30 Saturday, October 4, 2014, 8pm

Seascape Two couples-one of them lizards-discuss “humanity, evolution, and the concept of time” in Albee’s play. Opens Sept. 12. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. Ends Oct. 11. Theater Schmeater, 2125 Third Ave. $18-$25 Saturday, October 4, 2014, 8pm

Searching for the Super Scene Fast-paced improv from Unexpected Productions. 8:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, Seattle $12-$15 Saturday, October 4, 2014, 8:30pm

House of Ink In this improvised murder mystery, authors get bumped off one by one. 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Ends Oct. 4. $5-$7 Saturday, October 4, 2014, 10pm

TheatreSports Unexpected Productions’ long-running (since 1983!) improv comedy show, pitting two teams against each other in front of a panel of judges. 10:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, Seattle $15 Saturday, October 4, 2014, 10:30pm

Can Can Cabarets Seattle’s center for neo-burlesque presents shows and/or live music nearly every night; see website for full details and ticket prices. Can Can, 94 Pike St. Downstairs from Matts & Chez Chea, Seattle see website Sunday, October 5, 2014

Comedy Underground See website for complete schedule, including their “Monday Madness” open-mike night, 8 p.m. Comedy Underground, 109 S. Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104 $6 Sunday, October 5, 2014

I Am of Ireland Subtitled “A Celebration in Story, Song, and Dance,” Book-It stages tales by Yeats and others. Previews begin Sept. 17, opens Sept. 20. Runs Wed.-Sun.; see book-it.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 12. Center Theatre at the Armory, Seattle Center $25 Sunday, October 5, 2014

• 

In the Heights Considering how word-intensive hip-hop is, you’d think building theater pieces around it would be the most obvious step in the world. Yet only Lin-Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) and Quiara Alegria Hudes (book) have had any significant success along these lines, serving rap with plenty of salsa in their 2008 Best Musical Tony-winner, set in Manhattan’s heavily Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. Its innovativeness is admirable (if not immediately hummable), but what really thrills me about this tale of a bodega owner, the abuela who raised him, a hairdresser, a cab driver, his conflicted daughter, and others is a couple of old-fashioned plot twists. You may see them coming; I didn’t. Bring Kleenex. (Runs near daily through Oct. 26; then moves to Everett Oct. 31-Nov. 23. See villagetheatre.org for schedule.) GAVIN BORCHERT Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah $35-$67 Sunday, October 5, 2014

Laughs Stand-up and other comedy. See website for complete schedule, including open-mike night.  Laughs Comedy Spot, 12099 124th Ave. N.E., Kirkland, WA 98034 $10-$20 Sunday, October 5, 2014

Parlor Live Comedy Club See website for schedule. The Parlor Collection, 700 Bellevue Way N.E., Bellevue $15-$30 Sunday, October 5, 2014

Pink Door Cabaret Trapeze performances (6:15-8:45 p.m.) by Bridget Gunning (Sun.) and Tanya Brno (Mon.). Saturdays, go “Behind the Pink Door” (11 p.m.,). See website for full details.   The Pink Door, 1919 Post Alley, Seattle $20 cover Sunday, October 5, 2014

Slip/Shot Jacqueline Goldfinger’s drama debuted two years ago in Philadelphia, not long after the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida. By sheer coincidence, her play concerns the shooting of a young black man by a white cop-only the setting is a half-century earlier, in 1963 Tallahassee. But still: Florida, so everyone viewed the play through the Martin case. Two years later, Slip/Shot has an unhappy new context: the Michael Brown killing in Ferguson, Missouri. The key plot difference here, as compared to those actual news events, is that the shooting is an accident which the white policeman regrets. And at the same time, both the white and black parties in the play are aware how past inequality is shifting. The victim is a star student headed to college, while the cop has barely risen beyond the cotton field. Two Americas are finding a new power dynamic in Goldfinger’s tale, and there is damage on both sides of the equation. Given its historical setting, Slip/Shot is also one of several plays this fall dealing with the unfinished business of the Civil Rights movement, including the ongoing The Mountaintop at ArtsWest and the coming All the Way and The Great Society at Seattle Rep. BRIAN MILLER Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, 7312 W. Green Lake Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$32 Sunday, October 5, 2014

The Bunner Sisters The Athena Theatre Project’s inaugural show is this Edith Wharton adaptation. Preview Sept. 18, opens Sept. 19. 8 p.m. Wed.-Sat. plus Mon., Sept. 29, 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 5. Theater Off Jackson, 409 7th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104 $15-$22 Sunday, October 5, 2014

The Mountaintop So: Ferguson, Missouri, and the federal takeover of that city’s police department; the shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown; the coming midterm elections with new voter-ID laws and restricted early-voting periods in swing states that disproportionately affect minorities, the poor, and the young; black families sliding down the economic ladder, with less economic mobility and household wealth than 40 years ago; our first African-American president getting shellacked in the polls. All that prior audacity of hope has collided with an electorate that now seems tired of talking about race. At the same time, it’s the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, which is why director Valerie Curtis-Newton is now staging this imaginary account of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night in Memphis. Katori Hall’s drama debuted on Broadway four years ago with Samuel L. Jackson as King and Angela Bassett as a hotel maid who visits him on April 3, 1968. (Here those roles are played by Reginald Andre Jackson and Brianne Hill.) The timing may make it more topical now, as King muses on the past and (unfinished) future of the civil-rights movement. The Mountaintop provides a good opportunity for such stock-taking, and also sets the stage for the historical-minded dramas ahead. Seattle Rep is staging local playwright Robert Schenkkan’s Tony-winning All the Way and The Great Society in November and December. The first is LBJ’s story alone; the second-following passage of the Civil Rights Act and his re-election-Johnson shares with King, Robert F. Kennedy, and other historical figures. Johnson’s concern for racial and economic equality run up against costly wartime spending; and at the same time, as he predicted, Southern Democrats would abandon the party. Incredibly, we face the same dilemma today. (Preview Sept. 10, opens Sept. 11. 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 3 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 5.) BRIAN MILLER ArtsWest, 4711 California Ave. S.W., Seattle, WA 98116 $15-$34.50 Sunday, October 5, 2014

Wicked Wiz of Oz A 45-minute mashup of your favorite Oz musicals, part of the “Mimosas With Mama” drag brunch. Narwhal, 1118 E. Pike St., Seattle $15-$20 Sunday, October 5, 2014, 1:30pm

Weird and Awesome With Emmett Montgomery “A monthly parade [every first Sunday] of wonder and awkward sharing hosted and curated by mustache wizard Emmett Montgomery. 7:30 p.m. first Sunday of every month. Annex Theatre, 1110 Pike St., Seattle, WA 98122 $5-$10 Sunday, October 5, 2014, 7:30pm

Mary’s Wedding New Century Theatre Company presents Stephen Massicotte’s reality-blurring play about a WWI romance. Preview Sept. 18, opens Sept. 19. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sun. plus Mon., Oct. 6. Ends Oct. 11. West of Lenin, 203 N. 36th St., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$30 Sunday, October 5, 2014, 8pm

Piggyback Stand-up and improv unite. 8:30 p.m. Sun.  Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, Seattle $10 Sunday, October 5, 2014, 8:30pm

Can Can Cabarets Seattle’s center for neo-burlesque presents shows and/or live music nearly every night; see website for full details and ticket prices. Can Can, 94 Pike St. Downstairs from Matts & Chez Chea, Seattle see website Monday, October 6, 2014

Comedy Underground See website for complete schedule, including their “Monday Madness” open-mike night, 8 p.m. Comedy Underground, 109 S. Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104 $6 Monday, October 6, 2014

• 

In the Heights Considering how word-intensive hip-hop is, you’d think building theater pieces around it would be the most obvious step in the world. Yet only Lin-Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) and Quiara Alegria Hudes (book) have had any significant success along these lines, serving rap with plenty of salsa in their 2008 Best Musical Tony-winner, set in Manhattan’s heavily Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. Its innovativeness is admirable (if not immediately hummable), but what really thrills me about this tale of a bodega owner, the abuela who raised him, a hairdresser, a cab driver, his conflicted daughter, and others is a couple of old-fashioned plot twists. You may see them coming; I didn’t. Bring Kleenex. (Runs near daily through Oct. 26; then moves to Everett Oct. 31-Nov. 23. See villagetheatre.org for schedule.) GAVIN BORCHERT Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah $35-$67 Monday, October 6, 2014

Laughs Stand-up and other comedy. See website for complete schedule, including open-mike night.  Laughs Comedy Spot, 12099 124th Ave. N.E., Kirkland, WA 98034 $10-$20 Monday, October 6, 2014

Pink Door Cabaret Trapeze performances (6:15-8:45 p.m.) by Bridget Gunning (Sun.) and Tanya Brno (Mon.). Saturdays, go “Behind the Pink Door” (11 p.m.,). See website for full details.   The Pink Door, 1919 Post Alley, Seattle $20 cover Monday, October 6, 2014

Slip/Shot Jacqueline Goldfinger’s drama debuted two years ago in Philadelphia, not long after the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida. By sheer coincidence, her play concerns the shooting of a young black man by a white cop-only the setting is a half-century earlier, in 1963 Tallahassee. But still: Florida, so everyone viewed the play through the Martin case. Two years later, Slip/Shot has an unhappy new context: the Michael Brown killing in Ferguson, Missouri. The key plot difference here, as compared to those actual news events, is that the shooting is an accident which the white policeman regrets. And at the same time, both the white and black parties in the play are aware how past inequality is shifting. The victim is a star student headed to college, while the cop has barely risen beyond the cotton field. Two Americas are finding a new power dynamic in Goldfinger’s tale, and there is damage on both sides of the equation. Given its historical setting, Slip/Shot is also one of several plays this fall dealing with the unfinished business of the Civil Rights movement, including the ongoing The Mountaintop at ArtsWest and the coming All the Way and The Great Society at Seattle Rep. BRIAN MILLER Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, 7312 W. Green Lake Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$32 Monday, October 6, 2014

Mary’s Wedding New Century Theatre Company presents Stephen Massicotte’s reality-blurring play about a WWI romance. Preview Sept. 18, opens Sept. 19. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sun. plus Mon., Oct. 6. Ends Oct. 11. West of Lenin, 203 N. 36th St., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$30 Monday, October 6, 2014, 8pm

Pagliacci Comedy Night Local and national comics, every first Monday. Beer and wine will be available with ID. 8 p.m., first Monday of every month. Pagliacci Pizza, 426 Broadway Ave. E., Seattle, WA 98102 Free Monday, October 6, 2014, 8pm

Can Can Cabarets Seattle’s center for neo-burlesque presents shows and/or live music nearly every night; see website for full details and ticket prices. Can Can, 94 Pike St. Downstairs from Matts & Chez Chea, Seattle see website Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Comedy Underground See website for complete schedule, including their “Monday Madness” open-mike night, 8 p.m. Comedy Underground, 109 S. Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104 $6 Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Comedy Womb This “female-focused but not female-exclusive” show includes a headliner and an open-mike segment, in the Grotto underneath the Rendezvous. JewelBox Theater at the Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave., Seattle, WA 98121 $5 Tuesday, October 7, 2014

• 

In the Heights Considering how word-intensive hip-hop is, you’d think building theater pieces around it would be the most obvious step in the world. Yet only Lin-Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) and Quiara Alegria Hudes (book) have had any significant success along these lines, serving rap with plenty of salsa in their 2008 Best Musical Tony-winner, set in Manhattan’s heavily Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. Its innovativeness is admirable (if not immediately hummable), but what really thrills me about this tale of a bodega owner, the abuela who raised him, a hairdresser, a cab driver, his conflicted daughter, and others is a couple of old-fashioned plot twists. You may see them coming; I didn’t. Bring Kleenex. (Runs near daily through Oct. 26; then moves to Everett Oct. 31-Nov. 23. See villagetheatre.org for schedule.) GAVIN BORCHERT Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah $35-$67 Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Laughs Stand-up and other comedy. See website for complete schedule, including open-mike night.  Laughs Comedy Spot, 12099 124th Ave. N.E., Kirkland, WA 98034 $10-$20 Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Slip/Shot Jacqueline Goldfinger’s drama debuted two years ago in Philadelphia, not long after the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida. By sheer coincidence, her play concerns the shooting of a young black man by a white cop-only the setting is a half-century earlier, in 1963 Tallahassee. But still: Florida, so everyone viewed the play through the Martin case. Two years later, Slip/Shot has an unhappy new context: the Michael Brown killing in Ferguson, Missouri. The key plot difference here, as compared to those actual news events, is that the shooting is an accident which the white policeman regrets. And at the same time, both the white and black parties in the play are aware how past inequality is shifting. The victim is a star student headed to college, while the cop has barely risen beyond the cotton field. Two Americas are finding a new power dynamic in Goldfinger’s tale, and there is damage on both sides of the equation. Given its historical setting, Slip/Shot is also one of several plays this fall dealing with the unfinished business of the Civil Rights movement, including the ongoing The Mountaintop at ArtsWest and the coming All the Way and The Great Society at Seattle Rep. BRIAN MILLER Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, 7312 W. Green Lake Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$32 Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Can Can Cabarets Seattle’s center for neo-burlesque presents shows and/or live music nearly every night; see website for full details and ticket prices. Can Can, 94 Pike St. Downstairs from Matts & Chez Chea, Seattle see website Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Comedy Underground See website for complete schedule, including their “Monday Madness” open-mike night, 8 p.m. Comedy Underground, 109 S. Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104 $6 Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Comedy Womb This “female-focused but not female-exclusive” show includes a headliner and an open-mike segment, in the Grotto underneath the Rendezvous. JewelBox Theater at the Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave., Seattle, WA 98121 $5 Wednesday, October 8, 2014

I Am of Ireland Subtitled “A Celebration in Story, Song, and Dance,” Book-It stages tales by Yeats and others. Previews begin Sept. 17, opens Sept. 20. Runs Wed.-Sun.; see book-it.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 12. Center Theatre at the Armory, Seattle Center $25 Wednesday, October 8, 2014

• 

In the Heights Considering how word-intensive hip-hop is, you’d think building theater pieces around it would be the most obvious step in the world. Yet only Lin-Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) and Quiara Alegria Hudes (book) have had any significant success along these lines, serving rap with plenty of salsa in their 2008 Best Musical Tony-winner, set in Manhattan’s heavily Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. Its innovativeness is admirable (if not immediately hummable), but what really thrills me about this tale of a bodega owner, the abuela who raised him, a hairdresser, a cab driver, his conflicted daughter, and others is a couple of old-fashioned plot twists. You may see them coming; I didn’t. Bring Kleenex. (Runs near daily through Oct. 26; then moves to Everett Oct. 31-Nov. 23. See villagetheatre.org for schedule.) GAVIN BORCHERT Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah $35-$67 Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Laughs Stand-up and other comedy. See website for complete schedule, including open-mike night.  Laughs Comedy Spot, 12099 124th Ave. N.E., Kirkland, WA 98034 $10-$20 Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Slip/Shot Jacqueline Goldfinger’s drama debuted two years ago in Philadelphia, not long after the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida. By sheer coincidence, her play concerns the shooting of a young black man by a white cop-only the setting is a half-century earlier, in 1963 Tallahassee. But still: Florida, so everyone viewed the play through the Martin case. Two years later, Slip/Shot has an unhappy new context: the Michael Brown killing in Ferguson, Missouri. The key plot difference here, as compared to those actual news events, is that the shooting is an accident which the white policeman regrets. And at the same time, both the white and black parties in the play are aware how past inequality is shifting. The victim is a star student headed to college, while the cop has barely risen beyond the cotton field. Two Americas are finding a new power dynamic in Goldfinger’s tale, and there is damage on both sides of the equation. Given its historical setting, Slip/Shot is also one of several plays this fall dealing with the unfinished business of the Civil Rights movement, including the ongoing The Mountaintop at ArtsWest and the coming All the Way and The Great Society at Seattle Rep. BRIAN MILLER Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, 7312 W. Green Lake Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$32 Wednesday, October 8, 2014

The Fabulous Lipitones When one member of a barbershop quartet drops dead (I love it already!), they have to scramble for a replacement in John Markus and Mark St. Germain’s comedy with music. Previews Sept. 17 & 18, opens Sept. 19. Runs Wed.-Sat; see taproottheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 18. Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St., Seattle $15-$40 Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Flipside Comedy Show Stand-up every Wednesday at this bastion of old-school Seattle charm. 13 Coins, 125 Boren Ave. N., Seattle See website Wednesday, October 8, 2014, 8pm

Duos Comedy Showcase Unexpected Productions presents comedians two at a time. Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, Seattle $5 Wednesday, October 8, 2014, 8:30pm

Can Can Cabarets Seattle’s center for neo-burlesque presents shows and/or live music nearly every night; see website for full details and ticket prices. Can Can, 94 Pike St. Downstairs from Matts & Chez Chea, Seattle see website Thursday, October 9, 2014

Comedy Underground See website for complete schedule, including their “Monday Madness” open-mike night, 8 p.m. Comedy Underground, 109 S. Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104 $6 Thursday, October 9, 2014

I Am of Ireland Subtitled “A Celebration in Story, Song, and Dance,” Book-It stages tales by Yeats and others. Previews begin Sept. 17, opens Sept. 20. Runs Wed.-Sun.; see book-it.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 12. Center Theatre at the Armory, Seattle Center $25 Thursday, October 9, 2014

• 

In the Heights Considering how word-intensive hip-hop is, you’d think building theater pieces around it would be the most obvious step in the world. Yet only Lin-Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) and Quiara Alegria Hudes (book) have had any significant success along these lines, serving rap with plenty of salsa in their 2008 Best Musical Tony-winner, set in Manhattan’s heavily Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. Its innovativeness is admirable (if not immediately hummable), but what really thrills me about this tale of a bodega owner, the abuela who raised him, a hairdresser, a cab driver, his conflicted daughter, and others is a couple of old-fashioned plot twists. You may see them coming; I didn’t. Bring Kleenex. (Runs near daily through Oct. 26; then moves to Everett Oct. 31-Nov. 23. See villagetheatre.org for schedule.) GAVIN BORCHERT Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah $35-$67 Thursday, October 9, 2014

Laughs Stand-up and other comedy. See website for complete schedule, including open-mike night.  Laughs Comedy Spot, 12099 124th Ave. N.E., Kirkland, WA 98034 $10-$20 Thursday, October 9, 2014

Parlor Live Comedy Club See website for schedule. The Parlor Collection, 700 Bellevue Way N.E., Bellevue $15-$30 Thursday, October 9, 2014

Slip/Shot Jacqueline Goldfinger’s drama debuted two years ago in Philadelphia, not long after the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida. By sheer coincidence, her play concerns the shooting of a young black man by a white cop-only the setting is a half-century earlier, in 1963 Tallahassee. But still: Florida, so everyone viewed the play through the Martin case. Two years later, Slip/Shot has an unhappy new context: the Michael Brown killing in Ferguson, Missouri. The key plot difference here, as compared to those actual news events, is that the shooting is an accident which the white policeman regrets. And at the same time, both the white and black parties in the play are aware how past inequality is shifting. The victim is a star student headed to college, while the cop has barely risen beyond the cotton field. Two Americas are finding a new power dynamic in Goldfinger’s tale, and there is damage on both sides of the equation. Given its historical setting, Slip/Shot is also one of several plays this fall dealing with the unfinished business of the Civil Rights movement, including the ongoing The Mountaintop at ArtsWest and the coming All the Way and The Great Society at Seattle Rep. BRIAN MILLER Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, 7312 W. Green Lake Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$32 Thursday, October 9, 2014

The Fabulous Lipitones When one member of a barbershop quartet drops dead (I love it already!), they have to scramble for a replacement in John Markus and Mark St. Germain’s comedy with music. Previews Sept. 17 & 18, opens Sept. 19. Runs Wed.-Sat; see taproottheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 18. Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St., Seattle $15-$40 Thursday, October 9, 2014

Mary’s Wedding New Century Theatre Company presents Stephen Massicotte’s reality-blurring play about a WWI romance. Preview Sept. 18, opens Sept. 19. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sun. plus Mon., Oct. 6. Ends Oct. 11. West of Lenin, 203 N. 36th St., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$30 Thursday, October 9, 2014, 8pm

Seascape Two couples-one of them lizards-discuss “humanity, evolution, and the concept of time” in Albee’s play. Opens Sept. 12. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. Ends Oct. 11. Theater Schmeater, 2125 Third Ave. $18-$25 Thursday, October 9, 2014, 8pm

Improv Anonymous: The Harold A narrative improv format created by legendary improv teacher Del Close.  Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, Seattle $7 Thursday, October 9, 2014, 8:30pm

Can Can Cabarets Seattle’s center for neo-burlesque presents shows and/or live music nearly every night; see website for full details and ticket prices. Can Can, 94 Pike St. Downstairs from Matts & Chez Chea, Seattle see website Friday, October 10, 2014

Comedy Underground See website for complete schedule, including their “Monday Madness” open-mike night, 8 p.m. Comedy Underground, 109 S. Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104 $6 Friday, October 10, 2014

ComedySportz Seattle Comedy Group moves their improv show to the former Empty Space. 8 & 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Atlas Theater, 3509 Fremont Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103 $14 Friday, October 10, 2014

I Am of Ireland Subtitled “A Celebration in Story, Song, and Dance,” Book-It stages tales by Yeats and others. Previews begin Sept. 17, opens Sept. 20. Runs Wed.-Sun.; see book-it.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 12. Center Theatre at the Armory, Seattle Center $25 Friday, October 10, 2014

• 

In the Heights Considering how word-intensive hip-hop is, you’d think building theater pieces around it would be the most obvious step in the world. Yet only Lin-Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) and Quiara Alegria Hudes (book) have had any significant success along these lines, serving rap with plenty of salsa in their 2008 Best Musical Tony-winner, set in Manhattan’s heavily Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. Its innovativeness is admirable (if not immediately hummable), but what really thrills me about this tale of a bodega owner, the abuela who raised him, a hairdresser, a cab driver, his conflicted daughter, and others is a couple of old-fashioned plot twists. You may see them coming; I didn’t. Bring Kleenex. (Runs near daily through Oct. 26; then moves to Everett Oct. 31-Nov. 23. See villagetheatre.org for schedule.) GAVIN BORCHERT Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah $35-$67 Friday, October 10, 2014

Laughs Stand-up and other comedy. See website for complete schedule, including open-mike night.  Laughs Comedy Spot, 12099 124th Ave. N.E., Kirkland, WA 98034 $10-$20 Friday, October 10, 2014

Parlor Live Comedy Club See website for schedule. The Parlor Collection, 700 Bellevue Way N.E., Bellevue $15-$30 Friday, October 10, 2014

Slip/Shot Jacqueline Goldfinger’s drama debuted two years ago in Philadelphia, not long after the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida. By sheer coincidence, her play concerns the shooting of a young black man by a white cop-only the setting is a half-century earlier, in 1963 Tallahassee. But still: Florida, so everyone viewed the play through the Martin case. Two years later, Slip/Shot has an unhappy new context: the Michael Brown killing in Ferguson, Missouri. The key plot difference here, as compared to those actual news events, is that the shooting is an accident which the white policeman regrets. And at the same time, both the white and black parties in the play are aware how past inequality is shifting. The victim is a star student headed to college, while the cop has barely risen beyond the cotton field. Two Americas are finding a new power dynamic in Goldfinger’s tale, and there is damage on both sides of the equation. Given its historical setting, Slip/Shot is also one of several plays this fall dealing with the unfinished business of the Civil Rights movement, including the ongoing The Mountaintop at ArtsWest and the coming All the Way and The Great Society at Seattle Rep. BRIAN MILLER Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, 7312 W. Green Lake Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$32 Friday, October 10, 2014

The Fabulous Lipitones When one member of a barbershop quartet drops dead (I love it already!), they have to scramble for a replacement in John Markus and Mark St. Germain’s comedy with music. Previews Sept. 17 & 18, opens Sept. 19. Runs Wed.-Sat; see taproottheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 18. Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St., Seattle $15-$40 Friday, October 10, 2014

PROK Open Mike Sign up for this generally zany and enjoyable evening, when professionals are also known to drop by.  The People’s Republic Kafe, 1718 12th Ave., Seattle Free Friday, October 10, 2014, 6:30pm

Mary’s Wedding New Century Theatre Company presents Stephen Massicotte’s reality-blurring play about a WWI romance. Preview Sept. 18, opens Sept. 19. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sun. plus Mon., Oct. 6. Ends Oct. 11. West of Lenin, 203 N. 36th St., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$30 Friday, October 10, 2014, 8pm

Seascape Two couples-one of them lizards-discuss “humanity, evolution, and the concept of time” in Albee’s play. Opens Sept. 12. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. Ends Oct. 11. Theater Schmeater, 2125 Third Ave. $18-$25 Friday, October 10, 2014, 8pm

Searching for the Super Scene Fast-paced improv from Unexpected Productions. 8:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, Seattle $12-$15 Friday, October 10, 2014, 8:30pm

TheatreSports Unexpected Productions’ long-running (since 1983!) improv comedy show, pitting two teams against each other in front of a panel of judges. 10:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, Seattle $15 Friday, October 10, 2014, 10:30pm

Can Can Cabarets Seattle’s center for neo-burlesque presents shows and/or live music nearly every night; see website for full details and ticket prices. Can Can, 94 Pike St. Downstairs from Matts & Chez Chea, Seattle see website Saturday, October 11, 2014

Comedy Underground See website for complete schedule, including their “Monday Madness” open-mike night, 8 p.m. Comedy Underground, 109 S. Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104 $6 Saturday, October 11, 2014

ComedySportz Seattle Comedy Group moves their improv show to the former Empty Space. 8 & 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Atlas Theater, 3509 Fremont Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103 $14 Saturday, October 11, 2014

I Am of Ireland Subtitled “A Celebration in Story, Song, and Dance,” Book-It stages tales by Yeats and others. Previews begin Sept. 17, opens Sept. 20. Runs Wed.-Sun.; see book-it.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 12. Center Theatre at the Armory, Seattle Center $25 Saturday, October 11, 2014

• 

In the Heights Considering how word-intensive hip-hop is, you’d think building theater pieces around it would be the most obvious step in the world. Yet only Lin-Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) and Quiara Alegria Hudes (book) have had any significant success along these lines, serving rap with plenty of salsa in their 2008 Best Musical Tony-winner, set in Manhattan’s heavily Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. Its innovativeness is admirable (if not immediately hummable), but what really thrills me about this tale of a bodega owner, the abuela who raised him, a hairdresser, a cab driver, his conflicted daughter, and others is a couple of old-fashioned plot twists. You may see them coming; I didn’t. Bring Kleenex. (Runs near daily through Oct. 26; then moves to Everett Oct. 31-Nov. 23. See villagetheatre.org for schedule.) GAVIN BORCHERT Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah $35-$67 Saturday, October 11, 2014

Laughs Stand-up and other comedy. See website for complete schedule, including open-mike night.  Laughs Comedy Spot, 12099 124th Ave. N.E., Kirkland, WA 98034 $10-$20 Saturday, October 11, 2014

Parlor Live Comedy Club See website for schedule. The Parlor Collection, 700 Bellevue Way N.E., Bellevue $15-$30 Saturday, October 11, 2014

Pink Door Cabaret Trapeze performances (6:15-8:45 p.m.) by Bridget Gunning (Sun.) and Tanya Brno (Mon.). Saturdays, go “Behind the Pink Door” (11 p.m.,). See website for full details.   The Pink Door, 1919 Post Alley, Seattle $20 cover Saturday, October 11, 2014

Slip/Shot Jacqueline Goldfinger’s drama debuted two years ago in Philadelphia, not long after the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida. By sheer coincidence, her play concerns the shooting of a young black man by a white cop-only the setting is a half-century earlier, in 1963 Tallahassee. But still: Florida, so everyone viewed the play through the Martin case. Two years later, Slip/Shot has an unhappy new context: the Michael Brown killing in Ferguson, Missouri. The key plot difference here, as compared to those actual news events, is that the shooting is an accident which the white policeman regrets. And at the same time, both the white and black parties in the play are aware how past inequality is shifting. The victim is a star student headed to college, while the cop has barely risen beyond the cotton field. Two Americas are finding a new power dynamic in Goldfinger’s tale, and there is damage on both sides of the equation. Given its historical setting, Slip/Shot is also one of several plays this fall dealing with the unfinished business of the Civil Rights movement, including the ongoing The Mountaintop at ArtsWest and the coming All the Way and The Great Society at Seattle Rep. BRIAN MILLER Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, 7312 W. Green Lake Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$32 Saturday, October 11, 2014

The Fabulous Lipitones When one member of a barbershop quartet drops dead (I love it already!), they have to scramble for a replacement in John Markus and Mark St. Germain’s comedy with music. Previews Sept. 17 & 18, opens Sept. 19. Runs Wed.-Sat; see taproottheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 18. Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St., Seattle $15-$40 Saturday, October 11, 2014

Mary’s Wedding New Century Theatre Company presents Stephen Massicotte’s reality-blurring play about a WWI romance. Preview Sept. 18, opens Sept. 19. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sun. plus Mon., Oct. 6. Ends Oct. 11. West of Lenin, 203 N. 36th St., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$30 Saturday, October 11, 2014, 8pm

Seascape Two couples-one of them lizards-discuss “humanity, evolution, and the concept of time” in Albee’s play. Opens Sept. 12. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. Ends Oct. 11. Theater Schmeater, 2125 Third Ave. $18-$25 Saturday, October 11, 2014, 8pm

Searching for the Super Scene Fast-paced improv from Unexpected Productions. 8:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, Seattle $12-$15 Saturday, October 11, 2014, 8:30pm

TheatreSports Unexpected Productions’ long-running (since 1983!) improv comedy show, pitting two teams against each other in front of a panel of judges. 10:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, Seattle $15 Saturday, October 11, 2014, 10:30pm

Can Can Cabarets Seattle’s center for neo-burlesque presents shows and/or live music nearly every night; see website for full details and ticket prices. Can Can, 94 Pike St. Downstairs from Matts & Chez Chea, Seattle see website Sunday, October 12, 2014

Comedy Underground See website for complete schedule, including their “Monday Madness” open-mike night, 8 p.m. Comedy Underground, 109 S. Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104 $6 Sunday, October 12, 2014

I Am of Ireland Subtitled “A Celebration in Story, Song, and Dance,” Book-It stages tales by Yeats and others. Previews begin Sept. 17, opens Sept. 20. Runs Wed.-Sun.; see book-it.org for exact schedule. Ends Oct. 12. Center Theatre at the Armory, Seattle Center $25 Sunday, October 12, 2014

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In the Heights Considering how word-intensive hip-hop is, you’d think building theater pieces around it would be the most obvious step in the world. Yet only Lin-Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) and Quiara Alegria Hudes (book) have had any significant success along these lines, serving rap with plenty of salsa in their 2008 Best Musical Tony-winner, set in Manhattan’s heavily Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. Its innovativeness is admirable (if not immediately hummable), but what really thrills me about this tale of a bodega owner, the abuela who raised him, a hairdresser, a cab driver, his conflicted daughter, and others is a couple of old-fashioned plot twists. You may see them coming; I didn’t. Bring Kleenex. (Runs near daily through Oct. 26; then moves to Everett Oct. 31-Nov. 23. See villagetheatre.org for schedule.) GAVIN BORCHERT Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah $35-$67 Sunday, October 12, 2014

Laughs Stand-up and other comedy. See website for complete schedule, including open-mike night.  Laughs Comedy Spot, 12099 124th Ave. N.E., Kirkland, WA 98034 $10-$20 Sunday, October 12, 2014

Parlor Live Comedy Club See website for schedule. The Parlor Collection, 700 Bellevue Way N.E., Bellevue $15-$30 Sunday, October 12, 2014

Pink Door Cabaret Trapeze performances (6:15-8:45 p.m.) by Bridget Gunning (Sun.) and Tanya Brno (Mon.). Saturdays, go “Behind the Pink Door” (11 p.m.,). See website for full details.   The Pink Door, 1919 Post Alley, Seattle $20 cover Sunday, October 12, 2014

Slip/Shot Jacqueline Goldfinger’s drama debuted two years ago in Philadelphia, not long after the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida. By sheer coincidence, her play concerns the shooting of a young black man by a white cop-only the setting is a half-century earlier, in 1963 Tallahassee. But still: Florida, so everyone viewed the play through the Martin case. Two years later, Slip/Shot has an unhappy new context: the Michael Brown killing in Ferguson, Missouri. The key plot difference here, as compared to those actual news events, is that the shooting is an accident which the white policeman regrets. And at the same time, both the white and black parties in the play are aware how past inequality is shifting. The victim is a star student headed to college, while the cop has barely risen beyond the cotton field. Two Americas are finding a new power dynamic in Goldfinger’s tale, and there is damage on both sides of the equation. Given its historical setting, Slip/Shot is also one of several plays this fall dealing with the unfinished business of the Civil Rights movement, including the ongoing The Mountaintop at ArtsWest and the coming All the Way and The Great Society at Seattle Rep. BRIAN MILLER Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, 7312 W. Green Lake Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103 $15-$32 Sunday, October 12, 2014

Wicked Wiz of Oz A 45-minute mashup of your favorite Oz musicals, part of the “Mimosas With Mama” drag brunch. Narwhal, 1118 E. Pike St., Seattle $15-$20 Sunday, October 12, 2014, 1:30pm