OPENING AND CURRENT RUNS
12 MINUTES MAX
Two nights only. This month's edition of the dance/theater/music showcase features Troy Miszklevitz as Brit rocker Izzy Rhapsody, a Kurt Weill cabaret, and a dance solo by Ezra Dickensen. On the Boards, 100 W Roy St. Tickets at the door only, $7. Sun-Mon March 13-14 at 7 pm.
ANNA KARENINA
Opening. This adaptation (by British playwright Helen Edmundson) of the Tolstoy epic about adultery in the Russian aristocracy is being staged by Open Circle vets Chris Mayse (Orpheus) and José Amador (A Walk in the Dark). Atlas Theatre at Open Circle Theatre, 429 Boren Ave N, 679-1565. $8-$10. Preview performance Thurs March 10 at 8 pm. Opening Fri March 11 at 8 pm. Sat at 8 pm. Through April 2.
BAREFOOT IN THE PARK
The early Neil Simon play about a pair of newlyweds attempting to adjust to their shared life in a itty-bitty Manhattan walkup. ArtsWest, 4711 California Ave SW, 938-0339. $10-$30. Thurs-Sat at 7:30 pm. Through March 26.
BRENT OR BRENDA?
Opening. A remount of the crazily popular Scot Augustson play about a poor little straight dude who just wants to wear lacy underwear. Same Brent (Ben Laurance), same ensemble (Jennifer Jasper and Stacey Plum); plus an all-new Hungarian narrator (Wendy O. Henry). Ethereal Mutt at Re-bar, 1114 Howell St, 325-6500. $15. Opening Thurs March 10 at 8 pm. Fri-Sat at 8 pm. Through April 17.
A CHORUS LINE
Final week. The 1975 musical about 25 dancers competing for a measly eight roles on a chorus line. Tits and ass, tights and taps. Westlake Dance Center at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, 104 17th Ave S, 621-7378. $13-$15. Fri-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sat at 2:30 pm. Through March 12.
THE CHOSEN
Extended. "The 1999 adaptation of Chaim Potok's classic young-adult novel pares the devastating story of a boy's religious and emotional estrangement from his father down to an elemental simplicity. This production at the Rep is packed with smart choices, but it's Gabriel Baron's performance that fuels the pathos and incredible tenderness of the entire show." (Annie Wagner) Seattle Repertory Theatre, 155 Mercer St, Seattle Center, 443-2222. $10-$46. Thurs-Fri at 7:30 pm, Sat at 2 and 7:30 pm, Tues-Wed at 7:30 pm. Through Sat March 12 (original cast), through March 20 (w/Aaron Posner replacing Aaron Serotsky).
COMMUNICATING DOORS
Final week. The company that brought you No Sex Please, We're British presents another middling comedy from across the Atlantic: Alan Ayckbourn's 1994 play about a lady named Poopay and her adventures in inadvertent time travel. Next Step Theater Group at Theatre 4, Seattle Center House, fourth floor, 325-6500. $8-$10. Thurs-Fri at 7:30 pm, Sat at 2 and 7:30 pm. Through March 12.
A COMPANY OF WAYWARD SAINTS
One week only. A student production of the George Herman play about a squabbling commedia dell'arte troupe. Seattle Community College Drama Department at Erickson Theatre Off Broadway, 1524 Harvard Ave, 325-6500. $10-$15. Preview performances Mon-Tues March 14-15 at 7:30 pm. Opening Wed March 16 at 7:30 pm. Through March 20.
DEFENDING THE CAVEMAN
This mid-'90s relic by comedian Rob Becker is about the supposed prehistoric propensities of the two sexes, and is performed by former Portlander Isaac Lamb. There was no excuse for this show then; there's none now. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St, 292-7676. $35-$39.50. Thurs-Fri at 7:30 pm, Sat at 5 and 8 pm, Sun at 3 pm. Tickets available through April 17.
DINNER & DREAMS
Ongoing. The rabidly successful dinner theater/circus hybrid; now featuring Ukranian contortionist Vita Radionova; El Vez, Seattle's own Mexican Elvis; Russian trapeze artists Duo Artemiev; and (through March 20 only) R&B diva Thelma Houston, who remains residually famous for her 1977 hit "Don't Leave Me This Way." Teatro ZinZanni, 2301 Sixth Ave, 802-0015. $89-$109. Thurs-Sat at 6:30 pm, Sun at 5:30 pm.
THE EXORCIST: THE MUSICAL
Final week. "The actors--particularly hackneyed drag queen Em'ma Gawd! (as Regan's nanny)--repeatedly find themselves on the ka-thud! end of jokes that don't work." (Josh Feit) Bad Actor Productions at Northwest Actors Studio, 1100 E Pike St. Tickets at the door only, $10-$12. Fri at 9 pm, Sat at 8 pm. Through March 12.
FLORENCIA EN EL AMAZONAS
An operatic homage to Gabriel García Márquez. Seattle Opera at McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St, 389-7676. $44-$123 Fri-Sat at 7:30 pm. Through March 12.
FOR LOVE OR MONEY
Final week. The sketch comedy troupe Kazoo! presents a new show. Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave, 441-5823. $10. Fri-Sat March 4-5 at 8 pm. Through March 12.
GLITTRA'S MISSION
SCT partner Speeltheater Holland developed this adaptation of a children's story about an inquisitive 6-year-old Swede named Martin and his guardian angel Glittra, who's skilled at getting the kid out of all kind of scrapes. 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 March 26.
HOBSON'S CHOICE
"This early 20th-century play, about a hard-drinking, bourgeois store owner named Henry Hobson and his three uppity daughters, could have been enlivened by a production highlighting the electric charge of social transgression and upheaval. Instead, director Keith Dahlgren boxes his actors into corners of the clunky set (between a desk and the edge of the stage, in the shadow of a massive brick column, etc.) and drains every ounce of conflict out of long, static scenes. Ailsa Prideaux-Mooney, as the gifted eldest daughter Maggie, is engagingly determined at the beginning of the first act. But as the play wears on and she encounters only limp opposition (Christopher Shine, in particular, is all wrong for the cantankerous Hobson of the first two acts), her headlong march becomes so familiar it could almost lull you to sleep. " (Annie Wagner) Exchange Theatre at Seattle Public Theatre at the Bathhouse, 7312 W Green Lake Dr N, 425-254-0090. $18-$20. Thurs-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm. Through March 27.
INFLUENCE
"Influence is a semi-autobiographical play about a pompous theater critic who writes and directs a semi-autobiographical play, and while the premise sounds ripe, the fact that the plot of the play-within-a-play is so close to the play itself means that the line between writing that is consciously bad (the inner play) and unintentionally bad (the outer one) is fatally blurred. Influence is being billed as a 'sexy comedy about Seattle theatre.' Do not be fooled. The purported sexiness consists of a girl with no pants on slobbering over the playwright's alter ego (who, thankfully, remains clothed); any hint of eroticism that might flare up is quickly distinguished by Dave Matthews Band, whose drab and sexless songs are used to transition between scenes. As for comedy, the jokes are at once obvious and deeply embittered. There is, however, some decent acting (Brandon Whitehead, in the role of the playwright/director, does some pretty hilarious open-mouthed breathing)." (Annie Wagner) Velocity MainSpace Theatre, 915 E Pine St, second floor, brownpapertickets.com. $12-$18. Fri-Sat at 8 pm. On Fri March 11, stick around for an earnest post-play discussion with former Seattle Weekly staffers: "Alternative Papers, Alternative Arts: Are Either Fulfilling Their Mission?" Through March 26.
KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS
Opening. An original adaptation of the 1949 comedic screenplay, in which a man sets about murdering his way into the aristocracy. SecondStory Repertory, above Border's, Redmond Town Center, 425-881-6777. $16-$20. Preview performance Thurs March 10 at 8:15 pm. Opening Fri March 11 at 8:15 pm. Sat at 8:15 pm. Through April 2.
LATE NIGHT CATECHISM
Ongoing. Long-running interactive Catholic school comedy, in which a nun tells you everything you need to know about your everlasting soul. Cloud 9 Productions at ACT Theatre, 700 Union St, 292-7676. $24.50-$29.50. Thurs-Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 2 pm.
MY BOAT TO BAINBRIDGE
"An extremely low-key tribute to a middle-aged crisis of heterosexual masculinity. Mainly this tired theme takes the form of a creepy obsession about his pet dog's severed testicles, but there's also a good deal of lame nostalgia for the Seattle of yore, and frequent mimicking of birdcalls. " (Annie Wagner) Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, 781-9273. $15. Fri at 8 pm. Through April 29.
NEXT TUESDAY
Final week. "An intriguing movement play set to metronomes, xylophones, and dopey jazz fusion. Members of the ensemble shuffle past a gray suggestion of a brownstone building, combining and recombining to represent herds of children, partygoers, and all manner of residents and passersby." (Annie Wagner) Washington Ensemble Theatre at the Little Theatre, 608 19th Ave E, 325-5105. $15. Thurs-Mon at 8 pm. Through March 14.
NOTORIOUS WOMEN
Final week. The public kickoff for a touring tribute to the lives of famous and infamous women (Billie Holiday, Burmese freedom fighter Aung San Suu Kyi, Cuban ballerina Alicia Alonso, et al.). Written and directed by Live Girls! artistic directors Zoe Fitzgerald and Meghan Shalom Arnette, respectively. Live Girls! Theater, 620 Alaskan Way, second floor, 568-1985 ext. 3. $12 donation. Fri March 11 at 8 pm.
OIL
One night only. A touring one-man show by Gary Austin (founder of the improv-based Groundling Theater in L.A.) about growing up as the son of a lifelong Halliburton employee. Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, www.brownpapertickets.com. $13.50. Mon March 14 at 8 pm.
REBECCA
"One of the most bungling theater productions I've seen in at least two months. Massively popular among women of a certain age, the novel is a bizarre hybrid of Gothic romance and murder mystery; its appeal comes from women's desire to identify with the abject naiveté of the heroine--and from the horrified satisfaction we take in finally seeing her punished for marrying up. So when director Jane Jones casts Annette Toutonghi in the role of the second Mrs. de Winter, I have to wonder what the hell she's thinking. Toutonghi is a fine actor, but she's not exactly dewy, and watching her character bleat cute little lines like, "I wish I were a woman of 36, dressed in black satin with a string of pearls!" is just embarrassing." (Annie Wagner) Book-It Repertory Theatre at Seattle Center House Theatre, 216-0833. $15-$30. Thurs-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm, Wed at 7:30 pm. Through March 26.
SATURDAY MORNING CARTOON SHOW
The improvised homage to Scooby and his ilk returns for a new run. Jet City Improv at Historic University Theater, 5510 University Way NE, 781-3879. $8-$10. Thurs-Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 2 pm. Through May 20.
THE SECRET IN THE WINGS
See review this issue. Seattle Repertory Theatre, 155 Mercer St, 443-2222. $10-$46. Thurs-Fri at 7:30 pm, Sat-Sun at 2 and 7:30 pm, Tues-Wed at 7:30 pm. Through March 26.
THE SHAPE OF THINGS
Opening. ReAct Artistic Director David Hsieh directs the Neil LaBute play--which he recently made into a movie--about jealousy and manipulation at a Midwestern art school. With Angela DiMarco as Evelyn and real-life hubby David S. Hogan as Adam (both were recently seen in bodyBODY: You Can't Tell by Looking). Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, 364-3283. $9-$12. Opening Thurs March 10 at 7:30 pm. Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 2 and 8 pm. Through March 26.
THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES
The long-running vagina chatalotta at Stone Soup Theatre, 4035 Stone Way N, 633-1883. $15-$18. Thurs-Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 3 and 8 pm. Through March 19.
WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?
The outdoor theater company comes inside for Edward Albee's 1963 play about mind games and married couples. GreenStage at Sand Point Magnuson Park, Building 30, 748-1551. Free, donations accepted. Thurs-Sat at 7:30 pm. Through March 19.
THE WOMAN IN BLACK
Final week. David Pichette and Mark Anders star in this Gothic ghost play, which was adapted from a novel by Susan Hill and has been running in London's West End for 14 scary years. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St, 292-7676. $10-$35. Thurs at 7 pm, Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 2 pm. Through March 13.
DANCE
BEIJING MODERN DANCE COMPANY
One night only. The company's first U.S. tour is maybe trying a little hard to be relevant to the Western world: the evening-length work is about China's slacker generation, and is set to Pink Floyd's The Wall. The Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St, 292-2787. $22-$45. Sat March 12 at 8 pm.
DEAR BIRD,
One weekend only. Your chance to read other people's mail! This multimedia performance includes dance from Seattle choreographer Christiana Axelsen and S.F. choreographer Marielle Amrhein, and an interactive installation of letters from friends (boo) and lovers (hot!) all over the country. Chamber Theater, 915 E Pine St, fourth floor, 265-3445. $10-$15. Fri-Sat March 11-12 at 8 pm.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
One night only. This occasional series is an opportunity for dance works-in-progress to receive critical feedback. Velocity MainSpace Theatre, 915 E Pine St, second floor. Free to the public. Sat March 12, 3-5 pm.
CABARET
FRICKER'S FOLLIES
One night only. A "showcase of oddities," with burlesque from Cat's Meow. Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave. $10 (21+ w/ ID required). Sun March 13 at 9 pm.
MUSICA VITAE! CABARET
Ongoing. A cabaret about the search for a musical holy grail. Century Ballroom, 915 E Pine St, 325-6500. $15 (under 21, cabaret only)-$55 (dinner, cabaret, dancing). Sat at 7:30 pm.
SPRING BRUNCH WITH DINA MARTINA
Opening. A wake-up call with the demented songstress. Thumper's, 1500 E Madison St, 328-3800. $10 (show only). Opening Sun March 13 at noon and 3 pm. Through April 10.
WHEN PIGS FLY
A grab bag of songs, dances, and running gags, directed by Rick Anderson (best known for the excruciating Party). Gaydar Productions at Thumper's, 1500 E Madison St, 328-3800. $15. Fri-Sat at 8:30 pm. Through April 9.
SPRING BRUNCH WITH DINA MARTINA Opening. A wake-up call with the demented songstress. Thumper's, 1500 E Madison St, 328-3800. $10 (show only). Opening Sun March 13 at noon and 3 pm. Through April 10. LATE NIGHT
EXOTICA
Burlesque from the Atomic Bombshells. Mirabeau Room, 529 Queen Anne Ave N. $10 (21+ w/ ID required). Wed at 10 pm. Through May 18.
IMPROV & COMEDY
Seattle goga (improv) at Seattle Public Theatre at the Bathhouse, 7312 W Green Lake Dr N. $7. Sat March 12 at 10:30 pm. G.I.A. (improv) at Northwest Actors Studio, 1100 E Pike St, 324-6328. $8. Fri-Sat at 8 pm. Jet City Improv at Historic University Theater, 5510 University Way NE, 325-6500. $8-$10. Fri at 10:30 pm, Sat at 8 and 10:30 pm. Sisters of Sal (improv) at ArtsWest, 4711 California Ave SW, 938-0339. $5-$7. TheatreSports at Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, 781-9273. $8-$10. Fri-Sat at 10:30 pm, Sun at 7 pm. Josh Wolf (standup) at Comedy Underground, 222 S Main St, 628-0303. $6-$12. Thurs at 8:30 pm, Fri-Sat at 8:30 and 10:30 pm.
SPECIAL EVENTS
HILLBILLY HOMICIDE
Two nights only. A fundraiser for Open Circle's Meathook: The Musical, featuring music and all manner of faux Appalachian revelry. In addition, members of the Seattle theater community will be invited (for a the price of a New York Times) to thwack a piñata representation of yours truly, splitting my simulacrum into pieces and then feasting upon my entrails. This will undoubtedly be the most creative act these artists engage in all year--don't miss it! Re-bar, 1114 Howell St. $12 at the door. Sun-Mon March 13-14 at 8 pm.
