OPENING AND CURRENT RUNS
14/48: THE WORLD'S QUICKEST THEATER FESTIVAL
Opening. See Stranger Suggests, page 15. Capitol Hill Arts Center, 1621 12th Ave, 800–838–3006. $14.48. Fri–Sat at 8 and 10:30 pm. Through Jan 14.
THE COMPENDIUM OF NASTINESS
Extended. "A twisted Gothic romance with Freudian undertones performed in a velvet-lined garage called "The Womb." Writer/director Ki Gottberg invites the audience into her kitchen for champagne before leading them downstairs, where actor Elizabeth Kenny jumps between a dozen characters (with puppets!), including a sodomy-happy she-devil and a philandering junkie monk. The garage has limited seating, so make reservations." (Brendan Kiley) The Womb, tickets and directions available at 800-838-3006. $15. Fri–Sat at 8:30 pm. Through Jan 27.
GLOBAL SEXXX-ISM: UN-WRAPPED
Opening. Quoth the press release: "A production that examines patriarchy on a global scale... a collage of poetic drama, music, video, and dance... based on the concept of Ritual Poetic Drama and 'Theatre as a Tool for Social Change.'" Proceed at your own risk. The Conciliation Project at Northwest Actors Studio, 1100 E Pike St, 325–6500. $8–$15, Thurs and Sun matinee by donation. Preview performance Thurs Jan 5 at 10 am. Opening Thurs Jan 5 at 7:30 pm. Fri at 10 am and 8 pm. Sat at 8 pm. Sun at 3 pm. Tues–Wed at 10 am. Through Jan 14.
KOMMER
Opening. See Stranger Suggests, page 15. Kassys at On the Boards, 100 W Roy St, 217–9888. $22. Opening Wed Jan 11 at 8 pm. Through Jan 15.
LATE NITE CATECHISM
Ongoing. "The real point is not the adult-catechism monologue, but the script's gaps, in which Sister Aubrey Manning dispenses tissues to cover salacious displays of flesh and kitschy prizes to reward the dumbstruck targets of her improvisations. Your name, your background, and your behavior become the crux of the performance." (Annie Wagner) Cloud 9 Productions at ACT Theatre, 700 Union St, 292-7676. $24.50–$29.50. Thurs–Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 2 pm.
MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL™
Ongoing. "What makes this toweringly formulaic crap about dusty uteruses even moderately bearable? The consummate cast was ferocious and fast. Ninety tight minutes of an insane, colorful, and sometimes actually laugh-worthy little train wreck that stops just before it starts to hurt." (Adrian Ryan) ACT Theatre, 700 Union St, 292-7676. $45. Thurs–Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 4 and 8 pm, Sun at 2 pm, Tues–Wed at 8 pm. Tickets available through Jan 29.
PETER AND THE WOLF
Opening. A kid-friendly adaptation of the Prokofiev symphony with "Buster Keaton–style clowning." Seattle Children's Theatre, 201 Thomas St, 441–3322. Opening Fri Jan 6 at 7 pm. Sat at 2 and 5:30 pm. Sun at 5:30 pm. Through March 18.
RESTORATION COMEDY
Final week. "Amy Freed's Restoration Comedy isn't a meta-commentary on the frivolous plays of the 17th century so much as a CliffsNotes® study guides version of two such plays, stripped of their verbal gymnastics and inconvenient subplots and crammed with physical comedy and modern clichés. (Characters refer to their 'salad days' and say they've got 'places to go, people to see'; meanwhile, rain falls on parades, wagons are hitched to stars, etc.) Rep artistic director David Esbjornson is clearly interested in bringing theater history to bear on modern productions, but unless he finds smarter interpreters of his vision, audiences will lose their appetite for the original along with the copy. Set, costumes, music, and Sharon Ott's direction are all slightly overbaked." (Annie Wagner) Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle Center, 443-2222. $10–$46. Thurs–Fri at 7:30 pm, Sat at 2 and 7:30 pm. Through Jan 7.
RICHARD III
Opening. "Conscience is but a word that cowards use." Seattle Shakespeare Company, Seattle Center, 733–8222. $18–30. Preview performance Thurs Jan 5 at 7:30 pm. Opening Fri Jan 6 at 7:30 pm, Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm. Through Jan 29.
SLEEPING BEAUTY
"Sleeping Beauty's set is lovely, and the costumes, though fairly standard, are lush and charming. The giant, riddling spider king—a delightfully creepy bit of puppetry—drove the kids totally bonkers. The problem lies in the characters. Briar Rose (Khanh Doan) is bratty and kind of mean (with a little crazy in her eye), and Branwen (Julie Briskman) is a patronizing goody-two-shoes. Modron (Anne Allgood) seems not so much evil as bullied by her stupid cupcake of a sister. Also, it's a musical, but the songs are unmemorable." (Lindy West) Seattle Children's Theatre, 201 Thomas St, 441-3322. $15–$30. Fri at 7 pm, Sat–Sun at 2 and 5:30 pm. Through Feb 4.
CABARET
COLUMBIA CITY CABARET
Aerialists, burlesquers, comedians, drag kings and queens, et-freaking-al! Columbia City Theatre, 4916 Rainier Ave S, no reservations required. $10–$15 (21+ w/ID required). Fri at 9 pm. Through Jan 27.
LADY SINGS THE BREWS
Opening. Sylvia O'Stayformore in a new cabaret-drag show about—no, not beer—coffee. Re-bar, 1114 Howell St, 233–9873. $10. Thurs-Sat at 8 pm. Through Jan 29.
BURLESQUE BEHIND THE PINK DOOR
Paula the Swedish Housewife hosts a smorgasbord of vaudeville and burlesque entertainments. Pink Door, 1919 Post Alley, 443–3241. $10. Sat at 10 pm. Through Jan 28.
IMPROV & COMEDY
TBA at Comedy Underground, 222 Main St, 800-325-7328. $6–25 (21+ w/ID required). Thurs at 8:30 pm, Fri–Sat at 8:30 and 10:30 pm. John Bush at Giggles Comedy Club, 5220 Roosevelt Way NE, 526-5653. $12. Fri at 8 and 10:15 pm, Sat at 6 and 10:15 pm. JET CITY IMPROV at Historic University Theater, 5510 University Way NE, 325–6500. $8–10. Fri at 8 and 10:30 pm. Sat at 10:30 pm. THEATRESPORTS at Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, 781-9273. $8–$12. Fri and Sat at 8 pm. UNHINGED at Mirabeau Room, 529 Queen Anne Ave N. $6. Wed at 9 pm.SCARECROW AND MR. VOGT IN: EUROPE!
One night only. A sketch comedy tour of Europe "using 76 percent real footage shot in the Old Country." Rendezvous, 2320 Second Ave, 441–5823. $5. Thurs Jan 5 at 8 pm.
LATE NIGHT
CUPCAKE
"Sexual references, mayhem, suggestive dancing, vaudevillian chicanery, lascivious buffoonery..." They keep going, but you get the idea. Wing-It Productions at Historic University Theater, 5510 University Way NE, 325–6500. $5. Sat at midnight. Through Feb 25.
SPIN THE BOTTLE
One night only. Crispin Spaeth Dance Group, Keri Healey, Bret Fetzer, and others do their variety-show thang. Freehold's East Hall Theater, 915 E Pine St, 728–0933. $7. Fri Jan 6 at 11 pm.
THE ZESTACULAR SPECTACULAR XAVIER AND BRUNO SUPERSHOW
One night only. Troy Miszklevitz and Gabriel Baron host this local variety show. Capitol Hill Arts Center, 1621 12th Ave, 388–0521. $7. Thurs Jan 5 at 11 pm.
SPECIAL EVENTS
ELVIS INVITATIONALS
One night only. The faux Elvii swarm and compete for prizes. EMP Sky Church, 770–2702. $13–15. Sat Jan 7 at 8 pm.
MEMORY TRACE
One night only. Frances Farmer, Imelda Marcos, Patti Hearst, Virginia Woolf, and Rose Kennedy stuck in a room. A workshop directed by Sarah Rudinoff. Baba Yaga Productions at Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, 322–7030. By donation. Sat Jan 7 at 7 pm.
STARS ON ICE
One night only. A collection of recently deceased celebrities on gurneys (including Pat Morita, Richard Pryor, and Peter Jennings) wheeled in spectacular and intricate formations. KeyArena, Seattle Center, 628–0888. Sun Jan 8 at 6 pm.
WHEN THEATRE MATTERED
Opening lecture. A lecture series by UW drama professor Barry Witham. Henry Art Gallery, UW campus, 621–2230. $75 fee for the series. Wed Jan 11 at 7:30 pm. Through March 8.
