For lots of us, “dinner and a show” means gnawing on frozen pizza in front of the boob tube. That can be entertaining enough, sure, but there are plenty of opportunities to give those words a more traditional spin. At Crepe de Paris (1333 Fifth Ave., 206-623-4111), the current show comes courtesy of nationally acclaimed local composer Richard Gray. Songs like “Galloping Gertie” (about the Tacoma Narrows bridge, youngster) and musical comedy skits are his shtick; coming soon, Forbidden Xmas, his holiday show. And hey, no commercials. Friday and Saturday night combos are currently $47; for 20 bucks, you can skip dinner and just see the show, but the best seats go to the big spenders.
Onstage now at Thumper’s (1500 E. Madison St., 206-328-3800) is There’s a Lady on Stage, but we’ll leave it up to you to decide about that. Arnaldo! (the exclamation mark is apparently part of the name; she’s a “drag chanteuse”) performs cabaret favorites and originals. And of course, there’s Teatro ZinZanni (2301 Sixth Ave., 206-802-0015, www.zinzanni.org) and the Pink Door (1919 Post Alley, 206-443-3241, www.thepinkdoor.net), both cabaret houses where trapeze artists fly overhead as you try to duck and chew at the same time, and Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley(2033 Sixth Ave., 206-441-9729, www.jazzalley.com), where dinner swings in a swank environment. Or the Triple Door’s Mainstage(216 Union St., 206-838-4333, www.thetripledoor.net), a grand ’20s-era vaudeville hall revived for world music, singer/songwriters, jazz, indie rock, and more. Typical dinner theater isn’t offered, but with hyperattentive service and a menu that draws from Wild Ginger, the Triple Door’s upstairs neighbor/big brother, it’s easy to manage both.
Interested in a one-night stand? On Nov. 11, an ad-hoc dinning room will be set inside the gorgeous lobby of the Paramount Theatre (911 Pine St., 206-467-5510, www.theparamount.com) where local food industry kingpin Tom Douglas will create a special three-course menu to precede a performance by Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. If all goes well, perhaps there will be a repeat performance.
