Stage
Openings & EvEnts
Beauty of the Father In Nilo Cruz’s play, the ghost of Spanish playwright Federico Garcia Lorca converses with the living. Presented by Latino Theatre Projects in English. Burien Little Theater, S.W. 146th St. and Fourth Ave. S.W., Des Moines, 242-5180, latinotheatreprojects.org. $17–$20. Opens Aug. 2. 8 p.m. Fri.–Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Aug. 25.
Black Lodge Burlesque An evening of striptease, vocal, and comedy acts with a David Lynch theme. Re-bar, 1114 Howell St., rebarseattle.com. $12. 7 p.m. Fri., Aug. 2–Sat., Aug. 3.
Camp Death Blood Squad’s horror-improv show sends up the summer-camp-slasher genre. Balagan Theatre, 1117 E. Pike St., 800-838-3006, balagantheatre.org. $10. Opens Aug. 3. 11 p.m. Sat. Ends Aug. 17.
The Government Inspector SPT’s Youth Program presents Gogol’s 1836 satire of small-town politics. Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, 7312 W. Green Lake Ave. N., 524-1300, seattlepublictheater.org. Donation. 7 p.m. Fri., Aug. 2, 2 & 7 p.m. Sat., Aug. 3, 2 p.m. Sun., Aug. 4.
Guys and Dolls Frank Loesser’s classic musical pits a gambler against a missionary. Presented by Twelfth Night Productions. West Seattle High School Theater, 3000 California Ave. S.W., 800-838-3006, brownpapertickets.com. $16–$19. Opens Aug. 2. 7:30 p.m. Fri.–Sat. plus 2 p.m. Sun., Aug. 11 & 18. Ends Aug. 18.
Men of Action Jet City’s improv takeoff of adventure movies and their intrepid heroes. Wing-It Productions, 5510 University Way N.E., 781-3879, jetcityimprov.com. $12–$15. Opens Aug. 1. 8 p.m. Thurs.–Fri. (except Labor Day weekend). Ends Sept. 20.
Seattle: B-Sides & Rarities Jennifer Jasper, Paul Mullin, and others in an evening of “theater, music, poetry, and stories celebrating our beloved passive-aggressive, self-satisfied, faux-hippy, civic-development-stallin’, traffic-nightmare-creatin’, built-on-its-own-ashes city.”West of Lenin, 203 N. 36th St., 800-838-3006, brown papertickets.com. $15–$18. 7:30 p.m. Mon., Aug. 5.
Speech and Debate YTN alumni gather to perform Stephen Karam’s Oregon-set play about a school sex scandal. Youth Theatre Northwest, 8805 S.E. 40th St., Mercer Island, 232-4145 x109, youththeatre.org. $5–$8. 7 p.m., Thurs., Aug. 1–Sat., Aug. 3.
Spin the Bottle Annex Theatre’s late-night variety show, every first Friday. August’s show includes “joyful yet subversive neo-bluegrass,” “pixie-ish yet snarling tunes,” “rambunctiously masculine smut,” and much more. Annex Theatre, 1100 E. Pike St., 232-4145 x109, annextheatre.org. $5–$10. 11 p.m. Sat., Aug. 3.
The Sugar Frosted Crunchy Flake Friday Evening Cartoon Hour! Unnatural Redhead Productions’ Saturday-morning-themed burlesque show. JewelBox/Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave., 800-838-3006, brownpapertickets.com. $12–$25. 8 p.m. Fri., Aug. 2.
The Tempest The BPA Shakespeare Society performs in IslandWood’s Creaky Tree Meadow. Islandwood, 4450 Blakely Ave. N.E., Bainbridge Island, 842-8469, bainbridge performingarts.org. $15–$20. 7 p.m. Aug. 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8.
30 Hours: Don’t grow up, it’s a trap Blood Ensemble is giving itself just (yes) 30 hours to come up with a new show on the title theme. Stone Soup Theatre, 4035 Stone Way N.E., 800-838-3006, bloodensemble.org. $5–$8. 7:30 & 8:30 p.m. Wed., Aug. 7.
Current runs
The Clockwork Professor The Pork Filled Players premiere Maggie Lee’s “action-packed adventure of fantastical science fiction with a steampunk twist.” Theater Off Jackson, 409 Seventh Ave. S., 800-838-3006, porkfilled.com. $12–$15. 8 p.m. Thurs.–Sat. Ends Aug. 3.
Doubt Theatre 9/12 presents John Patrick Shanley’s Catholic-school-set drama. Trinity Episcopal Church, 609 Eighth Ave., 332-7908, theatre912.com. Pay what you can. 8 p.m. Fri.–Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Aug. 4.
Game Show Jeffrey Finn & Bob Walton’s dark look at the genre—and you can win actual prizes! Theater Schmeater, 1500 Summit Ave., 324-5801, schmeater.org. $18–$23. 8 p.m. Fri.–Sat. Ends Aug. 17.
GreenStage
A Midsummer Night’s Dream and King Lear, plus Twelfth Night and The Merry Wives of Windsor in scaled-down “Backyard Bard” productions, in various outdoor venues, all free. Runs Thurs.–Sun. through Aug. 18; see greenstage.org for complete date and venue info.
Gruesome Playground Injuries Rajiv Joseph’s play chronicles “the decades-spanning relationship of an accident-prone daredevil and a corrosive masochist who navigate friendship.” Presented by Azeotrope. WET, 608 19th Ave. E., 800-838-3006. $25 Runs Fri.–Sun. evenings, plus some weekends and Mondays; see azotheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends Aug. 11.
Illyria SEE REVIEW, PAGE 19.
Little Women: The Broadway Musical Self-explanatory, I would think. Second Story Repertory Theatre, 16587 N.E. 74th St., Redmond, 425-881-6777, secondstoryrep.org. $27. 7 p.m. Fri., 2 & 7 p.m. Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Aug. 4.
lysistrata SEE REVIEW, PAGE 19.
Owl & Pussycat theater simple mashes up Lear with Shakespeare, vaudeville, and more. Performed in various area venues; see theatersimple.org for full info. Donation. 5 p.m. Sat., Aug. 3–Sun., Aug. 4, 1 p.m. Sun., Aug. 11.
Picnic William Inge’s play about a drifter and the small town he upsets. There will be abs. Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave., 800-838-3006, reacttheatre.org. $12–$16. 8 p.m. Fri., 2 & 8 p.m. Sat. EXTENDED: Performances added Aug. 1 & 4. Ends Aug. 4.
Piggyback Stand-up becomes theater as comics and improvisers collaborate. Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, 800-838-3006, unexpected productions.org. $5. 8:30 p.m. Sun. Ends Aug. 4.
Poisoning Pigeons in the Park The return of the Arne Zaslove–directed revue of the satirical songs of Tom Lehrer. West of Lenin, 203 N. 36th St., 800-838-3006, westoflenin.com. $20–$25. 8 p.m. Thurs.–Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Aug. 11.
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Rapture, Blister, Burn Catherine (Kristen Potter), the 42-year-old uber-intellectual protagonist of Gina Gionfriddo’s idea play, returns home following her mother’s heart attack. The visit also has her rethinking her feminist life choices; she also checks on former grad-school roommate Gwen (Kathryn Van Meter), who chose the path of homemaking and motherhood with her husband Don (Jeffrey Frace), Catherine’s old boyfriend. Don, now a college dean, allows Catherine to teach a course in her mother’s living room, which conveniently allows a survey of feminist history peppered with so many jokes that many get lost in the laughs that precede them (a nifty problem to have). That Catherine’s only two students are Gwen and her subversive babysitter Avery (bodacious Mariel Neto) betrays Gionfriddo’s background in TV writing, where storycrafting economy trumps plausibility as long as it’s funny enough. Anita Montgomery directs the hijinks. MARGARET FRIEDMAN ACT Theatre, 700 Union St., 292-7676. $41 and up. Runs Tues.–Sun.; see acttheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends Aug. 11.
Rent Core Theatrics stages Jonathan Larson’s tale of love and loss in NYC. Cadle Theater, 12033 N.E. 80th St., Kirkland, 425-827-7030, coretheatrics.com. $16–$18. 7 p.m. Fri.–Sat., plus 2 p.m. Sun., Aug. 4. Ends Aug. 4.
7 Deadly Birthdays Copious Love’s comedy about growing up Catholic and dealing with sin. Washington Hall, 153 14th Ave., 800-838-3006. $12–$15. Runs Thurs.–Sun.; see copiouslove.org for schedule. Ends Aug. 3.
Skid Road A new improv show rewrites the legends of Seattle’s founding. Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, 800-838-3006, unexpected productions.org. $15. 8:30 p.m. Fri.–Sat. Ends Aug. 10.
Teatro ZinZanni: Lucky in Love The spiegeltent becomes Casino ZinZanni in their new Vegas-themed show. Teatro ZinZanni, 222 Mercer St., 802-0015. $106 and up. Runs Thurs.–Sun.; see dreams.zinzanni.org for exact schedule. Ends Sept. 8.
The Totally True and Almost Accurate Adventures of Pinocchio A theater troupe wants to stage the classic, but runs into problems. Runs Sat.–Sun; see balagantheatre.org for schedule and venues. Ends Aug. 4.
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Trouble in Mind Alice Childress (1916–1994) won an Obie for this 1955 play. Plans for a transfer to Broadway didn’t work out, perhaps because white producers didn’t like her depiction of their world. Now director Valerie Curtis-Newton is determined to redress Childress’ relative obscurity. Skillfully, movingly, entertainingly, shatteringly, Trouble catalogs the charades and compromises (i.e., sellings-out) demanded of “negro” stage professionals trying to make it on Broadway. Intiman’s splendid rendering marries beautiful acting to the powerful architecture of a laser-sharp script that ricochets between hope and heartache. Wiletta Mayer (Tracy Michelle Hughes) arrives for her first day of Broadway rehearsal, where she and other black cast members are confounded by the destructively narrow vision of producer/director Al Manners (Tim Gouran). In a play about a lynching, he wants Southern dialect and old stereotypes; his performers are uncomfortable, but they also want the job. Wiletta’s desire to change one tiny element of the script becomes a do-or-die compulsion (professionally, at least), forcing a well-earned dramatic standoff with Manners. MARGARET FRIEDMAN Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center, 726-5190. $20–$50. See intiman.org for schedule. Ends Sept. 15.
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We Won’t Pay! We Won’t Pay! Dario Fo’s 1974 farce about life in an exploitive, inflationary economy is an intelligently ridiculous examination of whether looting is justified under a corrupt regime—timely in our era of unprecedented income inequality. Two housewives stagger in the door dripping with groceries that one of them, Antonia (the delightful Tracy Michelle Hughes) “donated” to herself during a customer-declared free-for-all at the supermarket. Antonia drags her B-52-haired friend Margherita (Kylee Rouselot) into the coverup plot, which involves concealing the loot in a fake pregnancy. Soon their law-abiding but equally loony husbands Giovanni (Burton Curtis) and Luiggi (G. Valmont Thomas) smell trouble about the suspicious impending birth. Director Jane Nichols deftly articulates the quick beats that can be so easily muddled in farce. MARGARET FRIEDMAN Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center, 726-5190. $20–$50. See intiman.org for schedule. Ends Sept. 15.
Wooden O The Seattle Shakespeare Company presents Henry V and The Tempest in various parks all over greater Seattle, all free. Runs Wed.–Sun. through Aug. 11; see seattleshakespeare.org for complete date and venue info.
Dance
Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation Public performances in this weeklong festival include “Dance Innovators in Performance,” with John Jasperse, Sara Shelton Mann, and several others at 8 p.m. Thurs., Aug. 1, and a closing-night performance 7 p.m. Sat., Aug. 3. Broadway Performance Hall, 1625 Broadway, 325-8773, velocitydancecenter.org. $12.
Seattle Summer Butoh Festival Performance installations in conjunction with First Thursday, and other events through Aug. 10; see daipanbutoh.com for full lineup. Tashiro Kaplan Lofts, 115 Prefontaine Place S. 6–9 p.m. Thurs., Aug. 1, plus Aug. 6, 9, & 10.
Cinderella—An Egyptian Story The Eastern roots of a Western tale are revealed with dancers, storytellers, and live Arabic music., Angle Lake Park, 19408 International Blvd., planetsuzanna.com. 7 p.m. Sat., Aug. 3.
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A Meeting in an Unlikely Place SEE THE WIRE, PAGE 17.
Classical, Etc.
The Pirates of Penzance The 5th Avenue’s production of the venerable Gilbert and Sullivan operetta draws heavily from Joseph Papp’s Broadway production of 1981. This approach, basically, is bigger and brasher, which has its pros and cons. In director James Rocco’s hands, hardly a line or a bit of business doesn’t get italicized, but at its best this italicization brings out Gilbert’s slyest ironies. GAVIN BORCHERT 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 Fifth Ave., 625-1900, 5thavenue.org. $29 and up. Runs Tues.–Sun; see 5thavenue.org for exact schedule. Ends Aug. 4.
Marrowstone Music Festival One more weekend of chamber and orchestral music (7:30 p.m. Thurs. & Sat., 3 p.m. Sun.), sponsored by the Seattle Youth Symphony. Aug. 1 Eric Banks’ opera trilogy Our Earth.
Aug. 3 Faculty chamber music: Borodin and Durufle. Aug. 4 Orchestral faves by Berlioz, Grieg, and more. Western Washington University, Performing Arts Center, Bellingham, 360-650-6146, marrowstone.org, tickets.wwu.edu.
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Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival Some unusual programming here: lots of Mozart, but also lots of Taneyev, and excerpts from Hindemith’s weirdly satirical Minimax suite. See methowmusicfestival.org for full details. Signal Hill Ranch, 115 Signal Hill Road, Twisp. $25. 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Aug. 1 & Sat., Aug. 3.
Whidbey Island Music Festival Music by Bach and his baroque colleagues. Aug. 2 & 4 Handel arias as interludes among a handful of concerti grossi. Aug. 3 Bach cantatas and other festive music. (Fri.–Sat. at St. Augustine’s in the Woods, 5217 S. Honeymoon Bay Rd.; Sun. at Greenbank Farm, 765 Wonn Rd.) whidbeyisland musicfestival.org. $20–$25. 7:30 p.m. Fri., Aug. 2–Sat., Aug. 3, 3 p.m. Sun., Aug. 4.
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Seattle Opera: “Make Some Noise!” SEE THE WIRE, PAGE 17.
Olympic Music Festival Chamber music in a rustic repurposed barn, each Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. through Sept. 1. Aug. 3–4 Bartok’s savory Romanian Folk Dances, plus Brahms, Enescu, and Haydn. Olympic Music Festival, Center Road, Quilcene, 360-732-4800, olympic musicfestival.org. $18–$33.
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Seattle Opera Their quadrennial production of Wagner’s Ring is one of the opera world’s most acclaimed, drawing pilgrims from all over the world. Cycle 1, Aug. 4–9; Cycle 2, Aug. 12–17; Cycle 3, Aug. 20–25. Also see seattleopera.org for a zillion auxiliary events, from scholarly talks to Pacific Science Center’s “Laser Ring” on Aug. 11. McCaw Hall, Seattle Center, 389-7676. $300–$1,460 per cycle.
