Stage

Openings & Events

Maria Bamford The Crazy Target Lady from those holiday ads is also a critical darling among stand-ups. The Neptune, 1303 N.E. 45th St., 877-784-4849, stgpresents.org. $25.50. 8 p.m. Thurs., Sept. 12.

Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo WET begins its fall season with Rajiv Joseph’s 2009 magical-realist fable of the early Iraq War, in which two American soldiers guard—and eventually kill—the once-proud predator in Baghdad’s ruined bestiary. The talking tiger, played by Mike Dooly, doesn’t die; its philosophical ghost hangs around to haunt the quarrelsome G.I.s (as does the ghost of Uday Hussein, the psychopathic son of the deposed dictator, who keeps his dead brother’s head in a bag). The play is set in 2003, when few could’ve imagined the occupation would last another decade. Certainly unprepared are the two soldiers (Jonathan Crimeni and Ryan Higgins), who depend upon an Iraqi translator (Erwin Galan), formerly Uday’s gardener, with an agenda of his own. All parties are degraded in their micro-conflict. If the tiger comes off best, it’s because he appeals to justice beyond his cage; meanwhile, his human tormentors fight over the spoils of war. Michael Place directs Joseph’s Pulitzer-nominated drama. BRIAN MILLER Washington Ensemble Theatre, 608 19th Ave. E., 325-5105, washingtonensemble.org. $15–$20. Preview Sept. 12, opens Sept. 13. 7:30 p.m. Thurs.–Mon. Ends Oct. 7.

Burlesque Royale The Shanghai Pearl headlines this all-star revue, with San Francisco’s Grant Avenue Follies, “living legends from the Golden Era of Burlesque!” The Triple Door, 216 Union St., 838-4333, tripledoor.com. $25–$35. 7:30 & 10:30 p.m. Sat., Sept. 14.

Cupcake Fall Reading Series Live Girls!’s readings of new works. Annex Theatre, 1100 E. Pike St., lgtheater.org. $8. 7 p.m. Thurs., Sept. 12–Sun., Sept. 15.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Two con men in France vie to see who’s the con-iest. Seattle Musical Theatre, 7400 Sand Point Way N.E. # 101N, 800-838-3006, seattle
musicaltheatre.org. $30–$40. Opens Sept. 13. 7:30 p.m. Fri.–Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., plus 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Oct. 3. Ends Oct. 6.

Don Quixote & Sancho Panza, Homeless in Seattle For Hispanic Heritage Month, eSe Teatro reads of Rose Cano’s take on Cervantes. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St., eseteatro.org. $10. 2:30 p.m. Sun., Sept. 15.

Four Little Girls: Birmingham 1963 To mark the event’s 50th anniversary, staged readings of Christina Ham’s play about the Birmingham church bombings. Seattle Academy of Arts & Sciences Theatre, 1100 12th Ave. E., project1voice.org. Free. 4:30 p.m. Sun., Sept. 15.

N3RDZ! This “Geeky Gala of Nerdy Burlesque” stars Iva Handfull, Violet DeVille, Tawdry Quirks, Jesus la Pinga, and many others. Re-bar, 1114 Howell St., violetdeville.com/nerdz. $13–$40. 7:30 p.m. Fri., Sept. 13.

Rosemary RiOT [productions] debuts with Seth Tarkus’ punk-flavored drama about a girl trying to escape Bremerton. Inscape, 815 Seattle Blvd. S., 800-838-3006. $10. Opens Sept. 12. Runs Thurs.–Sun.; see brownpaper
tickets.com for exact schedule. Ends Sept. 21.

Soft Click of a Switch MAP Theatre’s second production is Carter W. Lewis’ play about two ordinary guys who start building bombs. West of Lenin, 203 N. 36th St., 800-838-3006, map-theatre.com, brownpapertickets.com. Pay what you can. Preview Sept. 12, opens Sept. 13. 
8 p.m. Thurs.–Sat. plus Mon., Sept. 23. Ends Sept. 28.

Teatro ZinZanni: Hail Caesar: Forbidden Oasis Frank Ferrante returns as mad chef Caesar, with Dreya Weber as his sultry accomplice Cleo. Teatro ZinZanni, 222 Mercer St., 802-0015. $108 and up. Opens Sept. 12. Runs Wed.–Sun.; see dreams.zinzanni.org for exact schedule. Ends Jan. 26.

Daniel Tosh Stand-up’s new frat boy-you-love-to-hate. (Dane Cook is so over.) The Paramount, 911 Pine St., 682-1414, stgpresents.org. $59.75–$75. 8 p.m. Fri., Sept. 13, 7:30 & 9 p.m. Sat., Sept. 14.

The Wild Party Relive the Roaring ‘20s in Andrew Lippa’s musical. Bainbridge Performing Arts, 200 Madison Ave. N., Bainbridge Island, 842-8569, bainbridgeperforming
arts.org. $20. 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Sept. 12–Sat., Sept. 14; 
3 p.m. Sun., Sept. 15.

Xanadu SEE THE AGENDA, PAGE 23.

Current Runs

The Banyan Tree “What happens when immigrant Indians throw down roots in foreign soil?” asks this play. Second Story Repertory Theatre, 16587 N.E. 74th St., Redmond, 425-881-6777, secondstoryrep.org. $15. 8 p.m. Fri.–Sat., 2 p.m. Sat.–Sun. Ends Sept. 15.

Break-Up Songs Your tales of romantic trauma become improv theater. Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, 800-838-3006, unexpectedproductions.org. $12–$15. 8:30 p.m. Fri.–Sat. Ends Sept. 21.

Les Miserables Balagan’s production replaces Broadway epicness with “intensely intimate and immersive staging.” Erickson Theatre Off Broadway, 1524 Harvard Ave., balagantheatre.org. $5–$30. 8 p.m. Thurs.–Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Sept. 28.

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Lysistrata Setting Aristophanes’ salacious tale—about a coalition of Athenian and Spartan women who unite in a sex strike against their warrior husbands to end the Peloponnesian War—as a play within a play, performed at a U.S. camp in Afghanistan, makes the heroines’ crusade more urgent. Directed by Sheila Daniels, it’s a forcible reminder of wars still being fought on the other side of the globe. Would an antiwar play like Lysistrata even be allowed on an Army base? MARGARET FRIEDMAN Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center, 726-5190. $20–$50. See intiman.org for exact schedule. Ends Sept. 12.

Men of Action Jet City’s improv takeoff of adventure movies and their intrepid heroes. Wing-It Productions, 5510 University Way N.E., 781-3879, jetcityimprov.com. $12–$15. 8 p.m. Thurs.–Fri. Ends Sept. 20.

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Middletown SEE REVIEW, PAGE 23.

The Raft Rock Paper Theater’s debut stars comics Ryan Sanders and Mike Mathieu as two men lost at sea and coping as best they can. TPS Theatre 4, Seattle Center, rockpapertheater.com. $10. 8 p.m. Fri.–Sat. Ends Sept. 14.

The Realm of Whispering Ghosts Subtitled “If Truman Met Einstein,” Arne Zaslove’s Noh-inspired new play explores the legacy of the Hiroshima bombing. Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, 7312 W. Green Lake Ave. N., 800-838-3006, brownpapertickets.com. $15–$27. 7:30 p.m. Thurs.–Sat., 2 & 7:30 p.m. Sun. Ends Sept. 15.

Secondhand Lions The premiere of a musical based on the Michael Caine/Robert Duvall fantasy/adventure film. 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 Fifth Ave., 625-1900. $29 and up. Previews through Sept. 25, opens Sept. 26. Runs Tues.–Sun.; see 5thavenue.org for schedule. Ends Oct. 6.

Stu for Silverton This new musical tells the absolutely true story of a small Oregon town and its transgender mayor. Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center, 726-5190. $20–$50. See intiman.org for schedule. Ends Sept. 15.

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Trouble in Mind Alice Childress’ 1955 Obie winner catalogs the compromises (i.e., sellings-out) demanded of “negro” stage professionals trying to make it on Broadway. Wiletta Mayer (Tracy Michelle Hughes) arrives for her first day of Broadway rehearsal, where she and other black cast members are confounded by the destructively narrow vision of producer/director Al Manners (Tim Gouran). In a play about a lynching, he wants Southern dialect and old stereotypes; his performers are uncomfortable, but they also want the job. Intiman’s splendid rendering marries beautiful acting to the powerful architecture of a laser-sharp script. MARGARET FRIEDMAN Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center, 726-5190. $20–$50. See intiman.org for schedule. Ends Sept. 15.

We Won’t Pay! We Won’t Pay! Dario Fo’s 1974 farce about life in an exploitive, inflationary economy is an intelligently ridiculous examination of whether looting is justified under a corrupt regime—timely in our era of unprecedented income inequality. Director Jane Nichols deftly articulates the quick beats that can be so easily muddled in farce. MARGARET FRIEDMAN Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center, 726-5190. $20–$50. See intiman.org for schedule. Ends Sept. 14.

Words, Sounds, Silence UP’s new improv show “illuminates three things present in a single moment . . . It is in the silence that we truly see the impact of the message conveyed between the lines of verbal language.” Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, 800-838-3006, unexpected
productions.org. $7. 8:30 p.m. Thurs. Ends Sept. 26.

Dance

Daniel Linehan New work from the choreographer: Not About Everything and The Karaoke Dialogues. Velocity Dance Center, 1621 12th Ave., 325-8773, velocitydance
center.org. $12–$18. 8 p.m. Thurs., Sept. 12–Sat., Sept. 14.

Carmona Flamenco Traditional music and dance. Cafe Solstice, 4116 University Way N.E., 932-4067, carmona2@comcast.net. $15–$20. 8 & 9:30 p.m. Sat., Sept. 14.

Splinter Dance Company Dance theater on the subjects of “gender (in)equality, economic disparity, war, and domestic violence.” The Neptune, 1303 N.E. 45th St., 877-784-4849, stgpresents.org. Free. 7:30 p.m. Tues., Sept. 17.

Classical, Etc.

Composer spotlight Thomas Makucevich discusses his electronic music and explorations in computer-music languages. Jack Straw Studios, 4261 Roosevelt Way N.E., jackstraw.org. Free. 7:30 p.m. Wed., Sept. 11.

Grand Violin Duo Indian classical music performed by the father-and-son Subramaniam duo. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 652-4255, townhallseattle.org. $25–$100. 8 p.m. Fri., Sept. 13.

Russian Kaleidoscope An evening of bonbons—or zakuski—from the Russian Chamber Music Foundation of Seattle. Mercer Island Presbyterian Church, 3605 84th Ave. S.E., Mercer Island, 425-829-1345, russianchamber
music.org. $10–$20. 7:30 p.m. Fri., Sept. 13.

Auburn Symphony Light favorites: Bernstein, Delibes, Verdi, and much more. Auburn Performing Arts Center, 700 E. Main St., Auburn, 253-887-7777, auburnsymphony.org. $10–$34. 2:30 p.m. Sun., Sept. 15.

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Seattle Symphony SEE EAR SUPPLY, PAGE 25.

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Seattle Symphony SEE SEVEN NIGHTS, PAGE 33.