Stage Openings & Events Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very

By By Gavin Borchert • October 21, 2014 2:54 pm

Stage

Openings & Events

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Judith Viorst herself wrote the book and lyrics for this musical adaptation of her popular kids’ book. SecondStory Repertory, 16587 N.E. 74th St., 425-881-6777, secondstoryrep.org. $10. Opens Nov. 1. 1 & 3 p.m. Sat.–Sun. Ends Nov. 23.

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Lewis Black SEE THE PICK LIST, PAGE 20.

The Edge Bainbridge Island’s own improv troupe presents a special 20th anniversary show. Bainbridge Performing Arts, 200 Madison Ave. N., Bainbridge Island, 842-8569, bainbridgeperformingarts.org. $12–$16. 7:30 p.m. Sat., Nov. 1.

Endgame/NDGM Beckett’s theater-of-the-absurd classic is paired with Blood Ensemble’s reimagining of Beckett’s themes. Ballard Underground, 2220 N.W. Market St., ghostlighttheatricals.org. $18–$20. Opens Oct. 31. 7:30 p.m. Fri.–Sat. plus Mon., Nov. 3 & Thurs., Nov. 13 & 20; also 2 p.m. Sun., Nov. 9. Ends Nov. 22.

Fast Company “Meet the Kwans: a Chinese-American family of expert con artists” in Carla Ching’s comic crime caper. Theatre Off Jackson, 409 Seventh Ave. S., 800-838-3006, porkfilled.com. $12–$18. Opens Nov. 1. 8 p.m. Thurs.–Sat., plus 8 p.m. Mon., Nov. 10 and 2 p.m. Sun., Nov. 16. Ends Nov. 22.

Fernando The Seattle Playwrights’ Circle presents a reading of John C. Davenport’s play, which promises “passion, family, folklore, mysticism and baseball.” Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave. $5. 6 p.m. Sun., Nov. 2.

5 By Beckett

Act Without Words I and II, Rough for Theatre I and II, and Catastrophe, presented by Sound Theatre Company as part of the Seattle Beckett Festival. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St., 292-7676, acttheatre.org. $15–$25. Opens Nov. 1. 8 p.m. Thurs.–Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Nov. 9.

I Never Betrayed the Revolution Christopher Danowski’s play sends up Soviet history. West of Lenin (get it?), 203 N. 36th St., 800-838-3006, west
oflenin.com. $15–$20. Preview Oct. 30, opens Oct. 31. 8 p.m. Thurs.–Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., plus 8 p.m. Mon., Nov. 10. Ends Nov. 23.

The Lives of the Great Russian Composers Celebrating the works of Pushkin, Lermontov, and Shakespeare in music and prose. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St., 292-7676, acttheatre.org. $10–$15. 7 p.m. Tues., Nov. 4.

Polaroid Stories Naomi Iizuka’s “spellbinding tale of young people pushed to society’s fringe, inspired in part by Ovid’s Metamorphoses.” Cornish Playhouse Studio, 201 Mercer St., 800-838-3006, cornish.edu. $5–$12. 8 p.m. Wed., Oct. 29–Fri., Oct. 31; 2 & 8 p.m. Sat., Nov. 1; 7 p.m. Sun., Nov. 2.

Three Sisters To accompany Christopher Durang’s comic take on Chekhov now running at ACT, here’s the original. Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center, 800-838-3006, cornish.edu. $5–$17. Opens Oct. 31. 8 p.m. Fri.–Sat. plus 2 p.m. Nov. 2 & 8. Ends Nov. 8.

The Tiger Lillies Music and black humor combine to make “anarchic Brechtian street opera.” Teatro ZinZanni, 222 Mercer St., 802-0015, zinzanni.com/seattle. $32–$42. 7:30 p.m. Tues., Nov. 4–Wed., Nov. 5.

CURRENT RUNS

Afterlife An improv look at The Big Question. Unexpected Productions’ Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, unexpectedproductions.org. $12–$15. 8:30 p.m. Fri.–Sat. Ends Nov. 22.

Blood Countess Kelleen Conway Blanchard’s play about Elizabeth Bathory and her unorthodox beauty regimen. Annex Theatre, 1100 E. Pike St., annex
theatre.org. $5–$20. 8 p.m. Thurs.–Sat. plus Mon., 
Nov. 10. Ends Nov. 22.

Campfire Improv scenes based on spooky ghost stories. Unexpected Productions’ Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, unexpectedproductions.org. $10. 8:30 p.m. Thurs. Ends Oct. 30.

Clues Jet City’s board-game-based improvised murder mystery. Jet City Improv, 5510 University Way N.E., 352-8291, jetcityimprov.org. $12–$15. 8 p.m. Thurs.–Fri. Ends Nov. 21.

Disaster Movie An improv take on one of Hollywood’s most spoofable genres. Unexpected Productions’ Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, unexpected
productions.org. $7. 8:30 p.m. Sun. Ends Nov. 23.

Dogfight SEE REVIEW, PAGE 21.

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The Garden of Rikki Tikki Tavi Friendship and cooperation are the messages in this adaptation of a classic Kipling tale. Seattle Children’s Theatre, Seattle Center, 441-3322. $15–$36. Runs Thurs.–Sun.; see sct.org for exact schedule. Ends Nov. 9.

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Hamlet SEE REVIEW, PAGE 21.

Horse Girls Did you go through a horse phase growing up? The ladies in Jenny Rachel Weiner’s play did. Annex Theatre, 1100 E. Pike St., annextheatre.org. $5–$10. Opens Oct. 28. 8 p.m. Tues.–Wed. Ends Nov. 19.

Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom In Jennifer Haley’s play, suburban teens become addicted to a video game as reality begins to blur. Cabaret Theatre, Hutchinson Hall, UW campus, uwuts.org. $5–$10. 7:30 p.m. Wed.–Sun. Ends Nov. 2.

Or, the Whale A call-center employee shares Moby-Dick over the phone in this extrapolation of Melville. Stage One Theater, North Seattle College, 9600 College Way N., ponyworld.org. $16. 8 p.m. Thurs.–Sat. plus Mon., Nov. 3. Ends Nov. 15.

The Rocky Horror Show The camp musical that launched a thousand handfuls of rice. Renton Civic Theatre, 507 S. Third St., Renton, 425-226-5529, renton
civictheatre.org. $20–$25. 7:30 p.m. Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri.–Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., plus 11:45 p.m. Oct. 31. Ends Nov. 1.

Split Second Improv Second Story’s improv competition. SecondStory Repertory, 16587 N.E. 74th St., Redmond, 425-881-6777, secondstoryrep.org. $20. Two shows each Sat.: 7 p.m. for families, 8 p.m. could get naughtier. Ends Dec. 13.

Stories for Bad Children Cautionary tales from the Vox Fabuli Puppets and others. Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave., voxfabuli.com. $15–$18. 8 p.m. Fri.–Sat. Ends Nov. 1.

Supraliminal Seattle Immersive Theatre’s interactive tale about the paranormal, both set in and staged at the Georgetown Steam Plant. Meet at South Seattle College, 6000 16th Ave. S.W., and you’ll be bused there. seattleimmersivetheatre.org. $50. 7:30 p.m. Fri.–Sat. EXTENDED through Nov. 15.

Teatro ZinZanni: Hacienda Holiday TZZ’s new show keeps its dinner-cabaret formula fresh with acts that mash up entertainment skills in pairs: aerial plus dance en pointe by PNB alumna Ariana Lallone; trapeze plus contortion with Duo Rose; juggling plus the speed and aesthetic of thrash metal by Gamal David Garcia; and ballroom dance plus pole work by the astounding Vertical Tango. All this is organized by just the lightest spritz of storyline: Vivian Beaumount and Clifton Caswell (Christine Deaver and Kevin Kent) return to a swanky hotel to renew their vows. By the end, the gender-melding is complete—Beaumount and Caswell reconcile, each adopting at least two sexes, maybe more. It’s a romantic finale as spicy as the Southwest-inspired menu. GAVIN BORCHERT Teatro ZinZanni, 222 Mercer St., 802-0015. $99 and up. Runs Thurs.–Sun. plus some Wed.; see zinzanni.com/seattle for exact schedule. Ends Jan. 31.

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This Is Halloween SEE THE WEEK AHEAD, 
PAGE 35.

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Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike SEE REVIEW, PAGE 21.

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The Vaudevillians Two song-and-dance artistes, touring Antarctica in the ’20s, get frozen in an avalanche for 90-some years and stage a post-thaw comeback. Jerick Hoffer and Richard Andriessen, in their stage personae of Jinkx Monsoon and Major Scales, assume the characters of chanteuse Kitty Witless and pianist Doctor Dan Von Dandy, who awaken to find their numbers have, in the intervening decades, been plagiarized as pop hits. Hoffer in drag becomes a brassy belter with remarkable lungs and fabulous gams; I’d love to see him as Chicago’s Roxie Hart. There’s a hint of Megan Mullally’s Karen Walker in his vocal inflections as Witless—maybe Karen impersonating a Carol Channing impersonator, or vice versa. Their flow of shtick never slows, gags and mugging are sprayed at a machine-gun pace, and in the audaciously invasive audience-participation segments, Hoffer’s ad-lib skills are peerless. If the pair stretches Act 2 a bit thin, Witless will be damned if she doesn’t make up for it. GAVIN BORCHERT Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle Center, 443-2222. $17–$67. 7:30 p.m. Wed.–Sun. plus some matinees; see 
seattlerep.org for exact schedule. Ends Nov. 2.

Zombie Cheerleaders From Hell! Burlesque troupe The Heavenly Spies promises “a sinister evening of terrifying masks and gravity-defying hair.” The Can Can, 94 Pike St., heavenly-spies.com, thecancan.com. $20–$100. 7 & 9:30 p.m. Thurs.–Sat. Ends Nov. 1.

Dance

Ghost Game VIII: 13 Witches SEE THE PICK LIST, PAGE 20.

International Ballet Theatre: Dracula The Saturday evening performance is followed by a Halloween costume party. Meydenbauer Theater, 11100 N.E. Sixth St., Bellevue, 425-284-0444, IBTbellevue.org. $25–$45. 7:30 p.m. Fri., Oct. 31, 2 & 7:30 p.m. Sat., Nov. 1, 2 p.m. Sun., Nov. 2.

Classical, Etc.

60×60 In the New Media Gallery, a collage of an hour’s worth of one-minute electroacoustic pieces. Jack Straw Studios, 4261 Roosevelt Way N.E., jackstraw.org. Free. 7 p.m. Wed., Oct. 29.

Seattle Opera The sexual politics in Mozart’s Don Giovanni are nearly impossible to navigate; to make the Don likable glamorizes a serial seducer, but to remove all redeeming qualities raises the question “So what does anyone see in him?” and makes the three women circling him look like masochists, idiots, or both. The solution may be to emphasize the comedy, and Seattle Opera’s revival of its 2007 production moves a bit in this direction—most apparent in Elizabeth Caballero’s flamboyant performance as Donna Elvira, the Don’s spurned lover. Nicolas Cavallier plays the title role lighter, less reptilian; he may even have smiled once. His voice is more wool than silk, which can be commanding, but which leaves his two main arias a little gruff and labored. Vocally, the most wondrous of all, as expected, is Lawrence Brownlee as Don Ottavio, proving why he’s one of today’s most sought-after lyric tenors. GAVIN BORCHERT McCaw Hall, Seattle Center, 389-7676, seattleopera.com. $25–$223. 7:30 p.m. Wed.–Sat. plus Fri., Oct. 31. Ends Nov. 1.

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UW Symphony Strauss’ jaunty Horn Concerto no. 1 (with the Seattle Symphony’s Jeff Fair) plus Dvorak and Mendelssohn. Meany Hall, UW campus, 543-4880, music.washington.edu. $10–$15. 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Oct. 30.

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Seattle Symphony SEE EAR SUPPLY, BELOW..

Halloween Organ Concert An annual tradition from students of Carole Terry. Kane Hall, UW campus, 685-8384, music.washington.edu. $15. 7:30 p.m. Fri., Oct. 31.

The Met: Live in HD Opera from NYC at a moviehouse near you. This week, Bizet’s Carmen: a bit long, but otherwise perfect for opera newbies (you can already whistle a few of the tunes). See fathom
events.com for participating theaters. 10 a.m. Sat., Nov. 1; encored 6:30 p.m. Wed., Nov. 5.

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JONATHAN POWELL Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji’s 1949 Sequentia cyclica super Dies irae—377 pages long, seven hours of music in all, deployed in bouts of roughly three, two, and two hours with two intermissions. You’ve heard nothing like it in this city, I promise you. PONCHO Concert Hall, Cornish College of the Arts, 710 E. Roy St., cornish.edu. $10–$22. 2 p.m. Sat., Nov. 1.

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Seattle Baroque Music from colonial Boston, from theater to home to church, including homegrown composers and European music popular at the time. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 325-7066, earlymusic
guild.org. $20–$45. 8 p.m. Sat., Nov. 1.

Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra “Quincy and Ray on Jackson Street” salutes 1940s jazz on the Seattle street where Jones and Charles got their starts. Benaroya Recital Hall, Third Ave. & Union St., 7:30 p.m. Sat., Nov. 1; Kirkland Performance Center, 350 Kirkland Ave., Kirkland, 2 p.m. Sun., Nov. 2. $15–$47. 523-6159, srjo.org.

Lake Washington Symphony Michael Miropolsky conducts The Planets, Dvorak, and Mendelssohn. Westminster Chapel, 13646 N.E. 24th St., Bellevue, 800-838-3006, lwso.org. $15–$30. 3 p.m. Sun., Nov. 2.

Opera on Tap Bel canto and beer at The Royal Room, 5000 Rainier Ave. S., operaontap.org/seattle. $5. 8 p.m. Sun., Nov. 2.

NOW Ensemble Music by Judd Greenstein and Derek Bermel, part of the Town Music series at Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., townhallseattle.org. $5–$25. 7:30 p.m. Wed., Nov. 5.