Stage

Openings & Previews

365 Days/365 Plays Suzan-Lori Parks’ cycle offers free short performances in venues across the city. See www.365seattle.com for performers, locations, and times.

AGABOOM Cirque de Soleil’s comedy-a-la-Russe extravaganza. Meydenbauer Center, 11100 N.E. Sixth St., Bellevue, 325-6500, www.TicketWindowOnline.com. $20-$40. Opens Feb. 16. 7:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sat.-Sun., 5 p.m. Sun. Ends Feb. 25.

Before It Hits Home An African-American AIDS sufferer returns home in Cheryl West’s play. Brownbox Theatre at Rainier Valley Cultural Arts Center, 3515 S. Alaska St., 800-838-3006, www.brownpapertickets.com. $12-$15.Opens Feb. 17. 7:30 p.m. Sat., 3 p.m. Sun. Ends March 25.

Buddy Billy Joe Huels stars as Buddy Holly in this bio-musical. 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 Fifth Ave., 625-1900, www.5thavenue.org. $20-$73. 7:30 p.m. Tues.-Wed., 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sat., 1:30 & 7 p.m. Sun. Ends March 4.

Crumbs Are Also Bread During a bitter winter in the tiny town of Breadmouth, buried desires begin to surreally surface in this dark comedy by Stephanie Timm (Frankenocchio). WET at The Little Theater, 608 19th Ave. E., 800-838-3006, www.brownpapertickets.com. $10-$18. Previews 7:30 p.m. Wed. Feb. 14-Thurs. Feb. 15. Opens Feb. 16. 8 p.m. Mon., Thurs.-Sun. Ends March 12.

Human Borders The premiere of Rubi Romero’s play about Mexican immigrants and human trafficking. Stage One Theater, North Seattle Community College, 9600 College Way N. Free. Opens Feb. 16. 7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun.

Laughter on the 23rd Floor Neil Simon’s play-a-clef about his days as a writer for Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows. SecondStory Repertory, 16587 N.E. 74th St., Redmond, 425-881-6777, www.SecondStoryRep.org. $18-$24. Opens Feb. 16. 8:15 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Ends March 10.

# Seattle Festival of Improv Theater Hearing the sinister canned chuckles of network television in your dreams? The denizens of the improv world want to remind you what true, deep, call-an-ambulance-honey-I-think-I-just-busted-a-rib laughter feels like. Spanning four nights and two theaters, eleven troupes will deliver high-caliber (and lowbrow) humor. Stewarded by Emo Phillips, the festival will feature national acts like his duo BassImprov, “Dirty Water,” a band of anything-goes barflies from South Boston, and “Loose Screws” from Hawaii with a 45-minute improvised kabuki play, as well as homegrown talent from Wing-It and Unexpected Productions. As with any improv show, it’s mostly what the audience chooses to make of it; think of the festival as your chance to play director to dozens of live actors, helpless to resist. See Web site for complete schedule. JENNA NAND Historic University Theater, 5510 University Way N.E., www.seattleimprov.com. $15 (all-access pass $45). 8 & 10:30 p.m. Thurs., Feb. 15-Sun., Feb. 18.

A View From the Bridge A staged reading of Arthur Miller’s Italian immigrant drama. Our American Theatre at Theater Off Jackson, 409 Seventh Ave. S., www.ouramericantheater.org. Donation. 7 p.m. Mon., Feb. 19 only.

Last Chance

# An Enemy of the People SEE REVIEW, FEB. 7. Strawberry Theater Workshop at Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave., 322-7030, www.strawshop.org. $20 (pay-what-you-can Thurs.). 7:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. Ends Feb. 17.

The Equation Charles Waxberg’s play skips through time, to Depression-era NYC and back, to unearth a mystery. Balagan Theatre at Capitol Hill Arts Center, 1621 12th Ave., 800-838-3006, www.brownpapertickets.com. 7:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. Ends Feb. 17.

The Mandrake Niccolò Machiavelli’s raunchy 16th-century satire of sexuality, fidelity, and morality. Theater Schmeater, 1500 Summit Ave., 800-838-3006, www.brownpapertickets.com. $15-$18 (pay-what-you-can Thurs.). 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. Ends Feb. 17.

Small Town SEE REVIEW, FEB. 7. Annex Theatre at Capitol Hill Arts Center, 1621 12th Ave., www.annextheatre.org. $7-$10. 7:30 p.m. Tues.-Wed., also 2 p.m. Sun., Feb. 18, 7:30 p.m. Mon., Feb. 19. Ends Feb. 21.

# Travesties SEE REVIEW, JAN. 31. Seattle Public Theater, 7312 W. Greenlake Dr. N., 524-1300. $14-$24. 7:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. Extended through Feb. 17.

The Twilight Zone Stagings of two episodes of the TV suspense series which center on writing: “The Obsolete Man” and “A World of His Own.” Theater Schmeater, 1500 Summit Ave., 800-838-3006, www.brownpapertickets.com. $10-$12. 11 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Ends Feb. 17.

Who Says This Isn’t Love? Romantic vignettes by local playwrights, from the sentimental to the sexy. WARP at Northwest Actors Studio, 1100 E. Pike St., 229-7919. $10. 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m. Wed., Feb. 14. Ends Feb. 17.

Continuing Runs

# A Clockwork Orange: Remixed Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 expose of ultraviolence, translated to the stage. Open Circle Theater, 429 Boren Ave. N, 382-4250, www.octheater.com. $15. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. Ends Feb. 24.

The God Committee One heart and four patients who need it–how will the docs decide? Taproot Theater, 204 N. 85th St., 292-ARTS, www.ticketmaster.com. $23-$32. 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri., 2 & 8 p.m. Sat. Ends March 3.

# Piece of You An offhand comment in the diaries of heiress Barbara Hutton led to Sue Peters’ first full-length play: Hutton mentions a night in January 1955 spent with the then-unknown James Dean, and Peters imagines what went on in that hotel room in a thoughtful, stylish character study. Live Girls! Theater, 2220 N.W. Market St., 800-838-3006, www.brownpapertickets.com. $12 (pay-what-you-can Mon.). 7:30 p.m. Mon., Fri.-Sat.Ends Feb. 24.

Super Females! Drag-queen superheroes battle evil condo developers and other villains. Bad Actor Productions at Northwest Actors Studio, 1100 E. Pike St., 324-6328, www.nwactorsstudio.org. $12. 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Ends March 3.

A Tale of Two Cities Dickens’ dashing epic of the French revolution, adapted by Jane Jones and Kevin McKeon, with music by Joshua Kohl. Book-It Repertory Theatre. Center House Theatre, 305 Harrison St. (Seattle Center), 216-0833, www.book-it.org. $15-$32. 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Ends March 4.

Classical

Seattle Symphony Eri Klas guest-conducts music by Rimsky-Korsakov, Sibelius, and Arvo Part. Benaroya Hall, 200 University St., 215-4747, www.seattlesymphony.org. $15-$89. 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Feb. 15, 8 p.m. Sat., Feb. 17.

Great Music for Great Cathedrals Choirs, brass, organs, and lighting in this pre-Lent multimedia celebration. St. James Cathedral, 804 Ninth Ave., 382-4874, www.stjames-cathedral.org. $23. 8 p.m. Fri., Feb. 16.

Sumi Jo A special event with this high-flying soprano, pianist Ingrid Fuzjko Hemming, and conductor Steven Mercurio. Benaroya Hall, 200 University St., 292-ARTS. $25-$85. 8 p.m. Fri., Feb. 16.

# The Coronation of Poppea Claudio Monteverdi’s elegantly decadent 1642 tale of vice rewarded, in a fully-staged version directed by Theodore Deacon. Intiman Theater, Seattle Center, 325-7066, www.earlymusicguild.org. $35-$100. 7:30 p.m. Fri., Feb. 16-Sat., Feb. 17.

# Sacred Harp Convention The tradition of shape-note hymn singing survives in this annual gathering, an open community sing using The Sacred Harp songbook. Sunset Hill Community Association Hall, 3003 N.W. 66th St., 706-0648, pnwshs.org. Freewill offering. 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Sat., Feb. 17-Sun., Feb. 18.

Christina Valdes New music for piano by lots of French composers, including UW faculty member Joel-Francois Durand. Brechemin Auditorium, School of Music, UW campus, 685-8384, www.music.washington.edu. $10. 7:30 p.m. Sat., Feb. 17.

Juana Zayas This Cuban pianist plays two notorious finger-busters, Liszt’s La campanella and Balakirev’s Islamey, plus music by Mozart and Prokofiev. Meany Hall, UW campus, 543-4880, www.uwworldseries.org. $33. 8 p.m. Tues., Feb. 20.