Stage

Openings & Events

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Carousel SEE THE PICK LIST, PAGE 20.

Circus Oz That’s “Oz” as in Oztralian, “Circus” as in acrobatics, juggling, comedy, and live music. The Moore, 1932 Second Ave., 877-784-4849, stgpresents.org. $35–$55. 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Feb. 5; 8 p.m. Fri., Feb. 6; 2 & 8 p.m. Sat., Feb. 7; 2 p.m. Sun., Feb. 8.

Dear Elizabeth Sarah Ruhl’s portrait of Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell is built on their correspondence. Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle Center, 443-2222. $17–$67. Previews begin Feb. 6, opens Feb. 11. 7:30 p.m. Wed.–Sun. plus some Wed., Sat., & Sun. matinees; see seattlerep.org for exact schedule. Ends March 8.

The Edge Bainbridge Island’s own improv troupe. Bainbridge Performing Arts, 200 Madison Ave. N., Bainbridge Island, 842-8569, theedgeimprov.com. $12–$16. 7:30 p.m. Sat., Feb. 7.

I May Have Seen the Devil Alejandro Stepenberg’s take on Hamlet “transplants the action to a New England asylum circa 1946, and rewrites the lead role . . . to be played by a woman who is locked in a lesbian relationship with Ophelia.” $10–$15. 800-838-3006, brownpapertickets.com. Opens Feb. 6. 8 p.m. Fri., 2 & 8 p.m. Sat. Runs Feb. 6, 7, 27, & 28 at Theatre4, fourth floor, Seattle Center Armory; runs Feb. 13, 14, 20, & 21 at the Ballard Underground, 2220 N.W. Market St.

Spin the Bottle Annex Theatre’s late-night variety show. Annex Theatre, 1100 E. Pike St., 728-0933, annextheatre.org. $5–$10. 11 p.m. Fri., Feb. 6.

Teatro ZinZanni: The Hot Spot Frank Ferrante and Dreya Weber return for TZ’s new show, in which “love and magic in the digital age collide.” Teatro ZinZanni, 222 Mercer St., 802-0015. $99 and up. Opens Feb. 5. Runs Thurs.–Sun. plus some Wed.; see zinzanni.com/seattle for exact schedule. Ends June 7.

Three Ring Circus A new stand-­up/improv/sketch comedy show, every first Wednesday. The Grotto at the Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave. $5. 7:30 p.m. Wed., Feb. 4.

CURRENT RUNS

Annie JR. As performed by Youth Theatre Northwest. Stroum Jewish Community Center, 3801 E. Mercer Way, Mercer Island, 232-4145, youththeatre.org. $13–$17. 7 p.m. Fri–Sat., 2 p.m. Sat.–Sun. Ends Feb. 8.

Around the World in 80 Days Five actors take on a total of 39 roles in this madcap adaptation of Jules Verne’s adventure novel. Village Theatre, 303 Front St., Issaquah, 425-392-2202. $35–$67. Runs Wed.–Sun.; see villagetheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends March 1. (Runs at the Everett PAC March 6–29.)

The Black Lodge Design your own Twin Peaks episode at this improv show. Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, 587-2414, unexpected
productions.org. $12–$15. 8:30 p.m. Fri.–Sat. Ends March 7.

Cirque du Soleil “KURIOS—Cabinet of Curiosities” asks “What if by engaging our imagination and opening our minds we could unlock the door to a world of wonders?” Marymoor Park, 6046 W. Lake Sammamish Pkwy. N.E., Redmond, 800-450-1480, cirquedusoleil.com/kurios. $35–$156. 8 p.m. Tues.–Sat., 4:30 p.m. Sat. (& some Fri.), 1:30 & 5 p.m. Sun. Ends March 22.

A Delicate Balance Albee’s drama about troubled, brittle people in close quarters. Trinity Parish Church, 609 Eighth Ave., 332-7908. Pay what you can. Runs Thurs.–Sun.; see theatre912.com for exact schedule. Ends Feb. 14.

The Explorers Club In Nell Benjamin’s comedy, an intrepid woman shakes up Victorian society. Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St., 781-9707, taproot
theatre.org. $15–$40. 7:30 p.m. Wed.–Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri., 2 & 8 p.m. Sat. Ends Feb. 28.

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4,000 Miles The 20-something Leo (Adam Standley) bikes from Seattle to New York in Amy Herzog’s play, there becoming a roomate with his acerbic widowed grandmother Vera (Susan Corzatte). Safely ensconced in the comedy-of-manners genre, we spend a fun 100 minutes (with no intermission) watching these lovable Odd Couple roomies offend, oblige, and predictably re-offend each other with relatively little at stake. All four performances are delicious, including those of Adria LaMorticella (as Leo’s enigmatic girlfriend, Becca) and the typhoon-like Sara Porkalob (as his new love prospect, Amanda). This 2012 comedy is a mostly sweet stroll on the High Line, warm as a July breeze, studded with harmlessly withering one-liners and darkened only by the shadows of Leo’s best friend’s death on the bike trip and Vera’s fading memory. In terms of heartspace, director Mathew Wright’s 4,000 Miles covers a lot of ground. MARGARET FRIEDMAN ArtsWest Playhouse and Gallery, 4711 California Ave. S.W., 938-0339, artswest.org. $15–$46.50. 7:30 p.m. Wed.–Sat., 3 p.m. Sun. Ends Feb. 15.

Humble Boy SEE REVIEW, PAGE 21.

Locally Grown This festival promises “5 weekends. 9 productions. 32 performances” of new works by K. Brian Neel, Jose Amador, Jennifer Jasper, and others. New City Theater, 1404 18th Ave., 800-838-3006. $12–$15. Shows run Thurs.–Sat.; see radial
theater.org for full lineup. Ends Feb. 28.

The Modern Adventures of Sherlock Holmes The audience takes the place of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in this improv mystery. Jet City Improv, 5510 University Way N.E., 352-8291, jetcityimprov.org. $12–$15. 8 p.m. Thurs.–Fri. Ends Feb. 13.

Mwindo Cheryl L. West’s new play, based on a Central African tale, sounds roughly Lion King-y: the exiled son of a chief goes on a coming-of-age quest. Seattle Children’s Theatre, Seattle Center, 441-3322. $20–$36. Runs Fri.–Sun. plus some Thurs.; see sct.org for exact schedule. Ends Feb. 15.

Natural Marcus Gorman’s play examines shifting social relationships among six Seattleites. Annex Theatre, 1100 E. Pike St., annextheatre.org. $5–$10. 
8 p.m. Tues.–Wed. Ends Feb. 18.

Our Town Thornton Wilder’s iconic drama is opening one of the theaters at 12th Ave Arts. 1620 12th Ave., 800-838-3006, strawshop.org. $18–$36. 7:30 p.m. Thurs.–Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Feb. 21.

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The Piano Lesson In 1936 Pittsburgh, Berniece Charles (Erika LaVonn) wants to keep the past—including the piano—close. For her, the magnificent instrument is like a revered elder for whom multiple lives were sacrificed. For her brother Boy Willie (Stephen Tyrone Williams), eager to invest in land their family used to work as slaves and then sharecroppers, the piano represents a ticket to economic independence. These are the stakes in August Wilson’s 1990 Pulitzer winner. Director Timothy Bond—formerly local, now with Syracuse Stage—orchestrates breezy informality in the Charles household, and some of the richest chords involve bursts of harmonized blues and pot-banging percussion by composer Michael G. Keck. Meanwhile, beyond the family swirl, there are ominous noises and electrical blackouts, plus offstage manifestations of a ghost—the white landowner, recently drowned in the well—at the top of the stairs. These occult tendencies can feel like a bit of a deus ex machina cop-out, but they don’t ruin the pleasures of uniformly fine acting, a changed historical context since the last local staging in ’93, and the sense of enduring kinship. MARGARET FRIEDMAN Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle Center, 443-2222. $17–­$102. 7:30 Wed.–Sun. plus some Wed., Sat., Sun. matinees; see seattlerep.org for exact schedule. Ends Feb. 8.

Piggyback Improv inspired by a preceding stand-up routine. Unexpected Productions’ Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, 587-2414, unexpectedproductions.org. $10. 8:30 p.m. Sun. Ends Feb. 8.

The Secretaries A black-comic satire of gender stereotypes set in an Oregon lumber mill. Theater Schmeater, 2125 Third Ave., 324-­5801, schmeater.org. $22–$29. 8 p.m. Thurs.–Sat. Ends Feb. 14.

Sprawl Pregnant Shawna (Samie Spring Detzer) and misanthropic Monique (Laura Hanson) are a pair of realtors who’ve organized a book-club meeting at one of their listings: a crappy new spec home in a middle-of-nowhere development. Guests converge in amusing vignettes: Elaine (Marc Kenison, aka “boy-lesque” dancer Waxie Moon), the mayor’s condescending wife, prone to preening her hair into a planetary nimbus; a gay couple, both halves of whom are named William (Justin Huertas and Ben McFadden); and friends Heather (Jessie Underhill) and Bibi (Leah Salcido Pfenning). Then the book-club members are stung by soul-infiltrating insectoids, then gradually become insectoids themselves—who are far less interesting than the people they started out as. Strobe lights, swampy gases, vomiting, alien voices, seizures . . . pretty much the full warehouse of horror-genre misfortunes gets trundled out. This 90-minute one-act apocalypse comedy by Joshua Conkel—whose Milk Milk Lemonade Washington Ensemble Theatre produced in 2011—draws more laughs skewering the burbs than churning dust storms of sci-fi camp. The WET peformers, and Ali el-Gasseir’s direction, are better than the script. MARGARET FRIEDMAN 12th Avenue Arts, 1620 12th Ave., washingtonensemble.org. $15–$25. 7:30 p.m. Thurs.–Mon. EXTENDED through Feb. 7.

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The Three Sisters The plot of this 1900 classic can be summed up as “Three sisters want to move to Moscow and never do.” However, Chekhov marvelously infuses his static story with melancholy wit, as Olga (Julie Briskman), Masha (Alexandra Tavares), and Irina (Sydney Andrews) lament living in a provincial town where knowing three languages is “an unnecessary encumbrance, like a sixth finger.” Chekhov resides somewhere between naturalism and a heightened, almost enchanted realm. Directed by John Langs, this production expertly achieves both effects, allowing our imaginations to roam between them. His splendid performers live up to the stellar script. Why, 100 years after the revolution put an end to Chekhov’s Russia, does this masterpiece still hold up? Because hope and despair are timeless. Each of us has our own unsatisfied objective. Our own Moscow. ALYSSA DYKSTERHOUSE ACT, 700 Union St., 292-7676. $15–$25. Runs Thurs.–Sun.; see acttheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends Feb. 8.

Twelfth Night Shakespeare’s romance is reset in 1920s New Orleans. Meany Studio Theatre, UW campus, 543-­4880, drama.uw.edu. $10–$20. 7:30 p.m. Wed.–Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Feb. 8.

Zapoi! Quinn Armstrong’s imaginative fantasia on Soviet life. Annex Theatre, 1100 E. Pike St., annex
theatre.org. $5–$20. 8 p.m. Thurs.–Sat. plus Mon., Feb. 9. Ends Feb. 21.

Dance

So You Think You Can Dance Finalists from the TV competition series on tour. The Paramount, 911 Pine St., 877-784-4849, stgpresents.org. $35.75–$65.75. 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Feb. 5.

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Ten Tiny Dances 2015 The aphorism about good things and small packages turns out to be true when it comes to Ten Tiny Dances, an occasional series of works designed to be performed on a 4´ x 4´ platform. That’s 16 square feet—smaller than most bathrooms. So there are no arching leaps or long running sequences, but instead movement made to be seen in close. Producer Sara Jinks has recruited a varied cast for this edition, including local stalwarts Wade Madsen and Dayna Hanson, classical Indian dancer Douglas Riding, and Typing Explosion alum Sarah Paul Ocampo. Harvey Danger’s Aaron Huffman provides the music. SANDRA KURTZ Velocity Founders Theater, 1621 12th Ave., 800-838-3006, brownpaper
tickets.com. $16–$18. 8 p.m. Fri., Feb. 6–Sun., Feb. 8.

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Pacific Northwest Ballet: Don Quixote SEE REVIEW, PAGE 21.

Classical, Etc.

Seattle Symphony Christian Tetzlaff plays Beethoven’s Violin Concerto; Ludovic Morlot also conducts Berlioz, Debussy, and Ravel. Benaroya Hall, Third Ave. & Union St., 215-4747, seattle
symphony.org. $20–$122. 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Feb. 5, 
8 p.m. Sat., Feb. 7, 2 p.m. Sun., Feb. 8.

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seattle improvised music festival The 30th annual celebration of spontaneous composition pulls together a local all-star lineup—Stuart Dempster, Angelina Baldoz, Dave Knott, Wally Shoup, Susie Kozawa, Jessika Kenney, William O. Smith, Lori Goldston, Greg Campbell, organizer Paul Hoskin, and many others—plus guest musicians from as far afield as Lebanon. Chapel Performance Space, 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N. $10–$20. 8 p.m. Thurs., Feb. 5–Sat., Feb. 7.

Seattle Women’s Chorus “Reel Women” salutes women onscreen, from “Let It Go” backward. Cornish Playhouse, Seattle Center, 388-1400, seattlewomens
chorus.org. $25–$60. 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Feb. 5; 8 p.m. Fri., Feb. 6; 2 & 8 p.m. Sat., Feb. 7; 2 p.m. Sun., Feb. 8.

Ave Renaissance Women’s Choir Music from the German renaissance, accompanied by C’nardally Waytes Cornetto and Sackbut Ensemble. Trinity Parish Church, 609 Eighth Ave., 7:30 p.m. Fri. Feb. 6; Trinity Lutheran Church, 6215 196th St. S.W., Lynnwood, 7:30 p.m. Sun., Feb. 8. Donation. earlymusicguild.org.

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Mostly Nordic Five concerts, one each devoted to a Scandinavian nation, with smorgasbord to follow. First up, Finland, with the North Corner Chamber Orchestra playing Sibelius and more. Nordic Heritage Museum, 3014 N.W. 67th St., 789-5707, 
nordicmuseum.org. $47–$55 (concert only $22–$27). 
5 p.m. Sun., Feb. 8.