Five hours, folks. That’s what we were in for at Book-It’s epic June adaptation of Michael Chabon’s epic Pulitzer-winner The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, which spans 1938–54 as two cousins build and destroy a comic-book empire. Extravagantly realized through dozens of sets, lush live music, and an addictive cast of 18, the show took us from comic page through social and professional lives all the way to an ice-filled outpost via a harrowing small-plane ride through a lightning storm. The hours vanished in a blink. book-it.org

Read all of our picks for Arts & Culture, and explore the rest of this year’s edition of Best of Seattle.