The Stranger

(THEATER) I haven't seen the production, but I've read the world-premiere script by local playwright Elizabeth Heffron, and it's subtler, lighter, and funnier than the title indicates. The play features a 22-year-old Army bride, an Esperanto club, and Thomas Aquinas, the Catholic saint and theologian, whose theory of "delayed ensoulment," once accepted as church doctrine, means a fetus isn't human until the second trimester. Whatever your right-to-life politics are, Mitzi's Abortion will complicate them. (Note: The Sunday, July 23, evening performance is pay what you can.) (ACT Theatre,700 Union Ave, 292-7676. 7:30 pm, $10–$54. Through Aug 20.) by Brendan Kiley

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(TALK) As a second grader, my friend Tom had two crushes. One on Eileen McCarthy, his playmate, and another on John Dean, President Nixon's legal counsel who exposed the Watergate cover-up. Tom met his longtime crush earlier this year when Dean spoke at Town Hall about the Bush administration's eavesdropping program, and reports that the button-down conservative is still crushworthy. See for yourself as Dean returns to discuss his latest presidential takedown, Conservatives Without Conscience. (Town Hall Seattle, 1119 Eighth Ave, 624-6600. 7:30 pm, $5.) by Josh Feit

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(LEGAL GAMBLING/VARIETY SHOW) After a good couple of years honing its shtick and delighting crowds at the Rendezvous, Big Wheel Bingo—the po-mo game show/variety hour masterminded by Kaleb Hagan-Kerr, who doubles as host Bing Wheeler—finds a new home among the Frenchy psychedelica of Can Can Kitchen and Cabaret. It's a night of glitzy game-show theatrics; special guest stars; good old-fashioned bingo; and thanks to the new locale, surprisingly yummy food and drink. (Can Can, 94 Pike Street, 652-0832. 9:30 pm, bingo is free, 21+.) by David Schmader

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(MUSIC) You already know why you need to go to the Capitol Hill Block Party. This year's lineup is fucking killer! Obviously, the Murder City Devils are reuniting Saturday night, but you'll also get to see Pretty Girls Make Graves, Band of Horses, Himsa, Thee Emergency, Common Market, the Divorce, and dozens of others! Full schedule is at www.capitolhillblockparty.com. There's beer, sunshine, and food. No one's too cool for that shit. Go. (10th Ave and E Pike St. Fri 3 pm–1:30 am, Sat 1 pm–1:30 am, $12, all ages.) by Megan Seling

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(FILM) Todd Solondz's hilariously caustic portrayal of the humiliations of junior-high-school life won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. The film's geeky heroine, Dawn "Wiener Dog" Wiener, attempts to navigate her way through puberty while enduring one indignity after another from her peers, family, and teachers. As always at Central Cinema, you can enjoy snacks and beer while watching. (Central Cinema, 1411 21st Ave, 686-6684. 7:15 and 9:30 pm, $5, late show 21+. Runs July 26–30.) by Gillian Anderson

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