ANNA IN THE TROPICS
Opening. Sharon Ott directs the Pulitzer Prize-winning romantic drama by Nilo Cruz. Seattle Repertory Theatre, 155 Mercer St, Seattle Center, 443-2222. $10-$46. Preview performances Sat-Sun Oct 2-3 at 7:30 pm, Tues Oct 5 at 7:30 pm. Opening Wed Oct 6 at 7:30 pm. Through Oct 30.
AUNT DAN AND LEMON
Opening. An adaptation of Wallace Shawn's brilliant play about the twisted education of a fragile girl named Lemon. Theater Unlocked at Penny Cafe, 1707 NW Market St, 706-1426. $10 donation. Opening Thurs Sept 30 at 8 pm. Fri-Sat at 8 pm. Through Oct 23.
DEAD WOMAN HOME
Final week. "May Nazareno's text is fleshed out with sharp multimedia elements, including original music by Blair Jensen and impressive video design by Mark Ramquist. So why did the resulting one-woman show make me want to kill and/or die? The fault lies with Nazareno, who earnestly connects the dots in this documentary play-by-numbers with a stunning ignorance of theatricality. " (David Schmader) Pamana Theatre Project at Freehold's East Hall Theater, 1525 10th Ave, second floor, 325-6500. $10-$12. Thurs-Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 2 pm. Through Oct 3.
THE FANTASTICKS
A boy, a girl, and some matchmaking parents. SecondStory Repertory, 16587 NE 74th St, Redmond, 425-881-6777. $18-$22. Fri-Sat at 8:15 pm. Through Oct 9.
* FLO & GLO
Final week. See Stranger Suggests, page 27. "The gleefully absurdist one-act Flo & Glo owes a clear debt to Waiting for Godot, with a pair of Antarctic tarmac shovelers in place of Didi and Gogo. Glo is apple-cheeked and lazy, with hoops that shape her into a dumpy, slope-shouldered peasant. Even so, she has better luck with men than her coworker Flo, whose hourglass hoops cannot compensate for her hilariously squeaky verbal assault. This show is completely irresistible, and well worth the haul down south." (Annie Wagner) Do Group at JEM Arts Center, 6012 12th Ave S, 325-6500. $12.50. Thurs-Sat at 8 pm. Through Oct 2.
FRANKENOCCHIO
See review this issue. Empty Space Theatre, 3509 Fremont Ave N, 547-7500. $10-$25. Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri at 8 and 10:30 pm, Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 2 and 7:30 pm. Through Oct 16.
GENOCIDE TRAIL: A HOLOCAUST UN-SPOKEN
Final week. A "ritual poetic drama" about American Indian history. UW Ethnic Cultural Theatre, 3940 Brooklyn Ave NE, 325-6500. $10-$15. Thurs at 10 am, Fri-Sat at 8 pm. Through Oct 2.
GOOD BOYS
Opening. This play by Jane Martin is about the fathers of two boys, one of whom killed the other in a Columbine-style massacre. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St, 292-7676. $15-$24. Opening Thurs Sept 30 at 7:30 pm. Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 2 and 8 pm, Sun at 2 and 7:30 pm, Tues-Wed at 7:30 pm. Through Oct 17.
* HAMLET: MORE HONOR'D IN THE BREACH THAN THE OBSERVANCE
Re-opening. "This ingenious reworking of the script by director Rushton Howard is not only blessedly free of pretension and sterile respect, it takes remarkable chances with the play, some whimsical (Polonius, an elderly windbag, dispenses his advice on Post-it Notes) and some strikingly illuminating (Ophelia, not Hamlet, recites the famous 'To be or not to be' speech, which--along with other bits of staging--makes her character a more compelling partner to the philosophical prince than has any other production of the play I've seen)." (Bret Fetzer) Straight-Edge Theatrics and Bunny-Eats-Cake Productions at Chamber Theatre, 915 E Pike St, fourth floor, 325-6500. $10-$12. Opening Fri Oct 1 at 8 pm. Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 2 pm. Through Oct 17.
LOLA TAROT
Opening. "Improvisational ritual theater" that incorporates music, dance, improv, and tarot card readings. Rainier Valley Cultural Center, 3515 S Alaska St. Tickets available at the door only, $10-$15. Opening Thurs Sept 30 at 8 pm. Fri-Sat at 8 pm. Through Dec 11.
LOVE & TAXES
Final week. "It's hard to call the one-man show Love & Taxes a good play, but it's easy to call it great standup comedy. It is standup comedy rising to the condition of art, with a fully developed story, some moments of poetry, and lots of politics." (Charles Mudede) Intiman Playhouse, 201 Mercer St, Seattle Center, 269-1900. $10-$46. Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri-Sat at 8 pm. Through Oct 2.
MAGIC CITY
SCT's 30th anniversary season begins with this adaptation of the E. Nesbit novel about a little boy who finds himself in a city of his own making. Seattle Children's Theatre, 201 Thomas St, Seattle Center, 441-3322. $14-$28. Fri at 7 pm, Sat-Sun at 2 and 5:30 pm. Through Nov 6.
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
See review this issue. Taproot Theatre, 204 N 85th St, 781-9707. $10-$28. Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 2 and 8 pm, Wed at 7:30 pm. Through Oct 14.
OLIVER
Final week. The musical adaptation of the Dickens novel. Broadway in Seattle at Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St, 292-2787. $23-$59. Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 2 and 8 pm, Sun at 1 and 6:30 pm. Through Oct 3.
ON THE VERGE
Final week. "When you're trapped in a small black box during a show that has no business being open to the public, you're forced to use your imagination. Typically, one wonders what the cast would look like naked, or who might have slept with whom. In the case of this student production of On the Verge, I responded to the airless pretense--the game yet painful performances, the well-intentioned but lame nods to Noh and Kabuki--by imagining that the cast was on fire. " (Sean Nelson) Northwest Actor's Studio, 1100 E Pike St, 324-6328. $10-$12. Fri-Sat at 8 pm. Through Oct 2.
ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD
Tom Stoppard's comic reinvention of Hamlet. Harlequin Productions at State Theater, 202 Fourth Ave E, Olympia, 360-786-0151. $19-$28. Thurs-Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 2 pm. Through Oct 9.
SECRET HISTORIES: SEATTLE YOUTH
Opening. An original work created by Ping Chong in collaboration with four local young adults. Seattle Repertory Theatre, 155 Mercer St, Seattle Center, 443-2222. $10-$15. Opening Sun Oct 3 at 2 pm. Through Oct 9.
* R (THE SWASHBUCKLING TALE OF ANNE BONNY AND MARY READ)
Two days only. "In the fabulously titled and well-executed R (The Swashbuckling Tale of Anne Bonny and Mary Read), a two-woman show about famous 18th-century female buccaneers, Kristina Sutherland and Desiree Prewitt wisely avoid all temptations to romanticize or wax sanctimonious. Instead, they offer a compelling, straightforward story about the rise and fall of two women who preferred piracy to petticoats. Well-written and well-paced, R suffers only from a general lack of grit. " (Brendan Kiley) Macha Monkey Productions at Consolidated Works, 500 Boren Ave N, 860-2970. $12. Fri-Sat Oct 1-2 at 8 pm.
REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT
Opening. Rod Serling's play explores the travails of a retired boxer. Theater Schmeater, 1500 Summit Ave, 325-6500. $15. Preview performance Thurs Sept 30 at 8 pm. Opening Fri Oct 1 at 8 pm. Sat at 8 pm. Through Oct 30.
ROMANCE/ROMANCE
Opening. A musical in two acts about the sexual ennui of fin de siecle Viennese and modern couples summering in the Hamptons. ArtsWest, 4711 California Ave SW, 938-0339. $12-$28. Opening Wed Oct 6 at 7:30 pm. Through Oct 30.
THIS LAND
"The tenor of This Land is less nostalgic than it is fetishistic. Woody Guthrie contributed to a fascinating era in American history, but this earnest tribute doesn't do him justice." (Annie Wagner) Strawberry Theatre Workshop at Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, 800-838-3006. $15. Thurs-Sat at 7:30 pm. Through Oct 16. DANCE
AXOLOTL
See review this issue. Final week. Dance Underground, 340 15th Ave E, 790-1645. Sun at 8 pm. Through Oct 3.
SUGGESTED READING: UNTITLED
Final week. A performance by choreographer-dancer Juerg Koch, responding to Iole Alessandrini's installation Untitled. Jack Straw New Media Gallery, 4261 Roosevelt Way NE, 634-0919. Free, reservations required. Thurs-Fri at 6:30, 7, 7:30, and 8 pm. Through Oct 1.
THE TRAGEDY OF ROMEO AND JULIET
Final week. Kent Stowell choreographed this full-length ballet. McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St, Seattle Center, 441-2424. $16-$130. Thurs-Fri at 7:30 pm, Sat at 2 and 7:30 pm, Sun at 1 pm. Through Oct 3.
FESTIVALS, CABARET, & COMEDY LATE NIGHT SPECIAL EVENTS LONG RUNS
TODD BARRY, JACK SHALOUM
One weekend only. Standup comedy at Giggles Comedy Club, 5220 Roosevelt Way NE, 526-5653. $12. Fri-Sat Oct 1-2 at 8 and 10 pm.
CAMPFIRE
Opening. An improvised show based on audience stories about the unexplained. Unexpected Productions at Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, 781-9273. $10. Opening Fri Oct 1 at 8 pm. Sat at 8 pm. Through Oct 31.
CAPITOL STEPS
One night only. Former Congressional staffers "put the mock in democracy" with their musical satire. McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St, Seattle Center, 628-0888. $25-$75. Mon Oct 4 at 7:30 pm.
ELECTION SHOW 2004
"Given how rife this year's presidential election is with fodder for riffing, it's disappointing that the comic actors of Jet City Improv turn in such a politically irrelevant show." (Josh Feit) Wing-It Productions at Historic University Theater, 5510 University Way NE. Tickets available at the door only, $8-$10 (one dollar off with a voter registration card). Thurs-Fri at 8 pm. Through Oct 22.
KARATE BRIDE
One night only. A cabaret based on a book of poems by Nicole Sarrocco, with Nick Garrison, Imogen Love, and more performing. Re-bar, 1114 Howell St. Tickets available at the door only, $2. Fri Oct 1 at 8 pm.
DWIGHT SLADE
One weekend only. Standup comedy at Comedy Underground, 222 S Main St, 628-0303. $6-$12. Thurs Sept 30 at 8:30 pm, Fri-Sat Oct 1-2 at 8:30 and 10:30 pm.
TRAVEL ABROAD
Final week. Burlesque from the Atomic Bombshells at Mirabeau Room, 529 Queen Anne Ave N. Tickets available at the door only, $10. Wed at 10 pm. Through Oct 6.
LIPSHTICK
One night only. All-female improv comedy at ArtsWest, 4711 California Ave SW, 938-0339. $5-$7. Sat Oct 2 at 10:30 pm.
NEW CITY LATE NIGHT CLUB
One night only. A multidisciplinary cabaret hosted by Seanjohn Walsh and featuring Rev. Caleb. New City Warehouse, 2110 Airport Way S. Tickets available at the door only, $6. Fri Oct 1 at 10:30 pm.
SISTERS OF SAL
One night only. Long-form improv at Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, 7312 W Greenlake Dr N. Tickets available at the door only, $7. Sat Oct 2 at 10:30 pm.
SPIN THE BOTTLE
One night only. Annex Theatre's monthly cabaret, featuring a condensed Alien vs. Predator and the musical stylings of John Osebold and associates. Freehold's East Hall Theater, 915 E Pine St, second floor, 728-0933. $7. Fri Oct 1 at 11 pm.
HOTHOUSE PERFORMANCES
One week only. Four playwrights had two weeks to work with four directors to develop new plays from scratch--here are the results. Annex Theatre at Capitol Hill Arts Center, 1621 12th Ave, 728-0933. $10. Performances Thurs Sept 30-Fri Oct 1 at 8 pm, Sat at 2 and 8 pm. Gala party Thurs Sept 30 at 10 pm.
DON'T TELL MOMMA at Thumper's, 328-3800.
* THE HOKUM HALL VARIETY SHOW at Hokum Hall, 937-3613.
LATE NIGHT CATECHISM from Seattle Theatre Project at ACT, 292-7676.
TEATRO ZINZANNI, 2301 Sixth Ave, 802-0015.
