Aside from the nearly 200 New Year's Eve events happening on Saturday, the local arts scene is pretty quiet this weekābut our critics have still picked the best events for you. See their event recommendations below, including the last week of Vietgone, the documentary By Sidney Lumet, and an LGBTQ Hanukkah celebration. For even more events this week, check out our music critics' picks for the 29 best concerts this week, our food critic's New Year's Eve dinner recommendations, or our complete New Year's Eve calendar.
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MONDAY
THEATER & DANCEHomo for the Holidays
This drag and burlesque gigglefest features a bunch of wacky little holiday-themed skits that our own Dan Savage once called "FUCKING GREATā¦ FUCKING HILARIOUS!" Now in its ninth year, Homo for the Holidays is joined by Waxie Moon, with the likes of the great BenDeLaCreme and Cherdonna. You should get plastered before you go, if only to help make your yuletide gayer. RICH SMITH
MONDAY-WEDNESDAY
PERFORMANCEA Christmas Carol
ACT Theatre's production of A Christmas Carol is a dependable, simple pleasure, with just enough variation to warrant returning year after year.
George Balanchine's The Nutcracker
If you haven't seen this Christmas classic since you were a kid, give it a go this year. In 2014 PNB replaced its beloved Maurice Sendak set with one by Ian Falconer, who did the Olivia the Pig books, and I'm glad that they did. The new set is gorgeous in a Wes Anderson-y way, and it reflects the genuine weirdness and beauty in the story. I mean, the last 45 minutes of this thing is Katy Perry video starring dancing desserts and a glittery peacock that moves like a sexy broken river. Bring a pot lozenge. RICH SMITH
MONDAY-THURSDAY
FILMIt's A Wonderful Life
Shortly after It's a Wonderful Life's 1946 release, James Agee, one of the few American film critics of that era still worth reading , noted the film's grueling aspect. "Often," he wrote, "in its pile-driving emotional exuberance, it outrages, insults, or at least accosts without introduction, the cooler and more responsible parts of the mind." These aesthetic cautions are followed, however, by a telling addendum: "It is nevertheless recommended," Agee allowed, "and will be reviewed at length as soon as the paralyzing joys of the season permit." Paralyzing joys are the very heart of George Bailey's dilemma; they are, to borrow words from George's father, "deep in the race." The sacrifices George makes for being "the richest man in town" resonate bitterly even as they lead to the finale's effusive payoff. Those sacrifices are what make It's a Wonderful Life, in all its "Capraesque" glory, endure. SEAN NELSON
Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker
Celebrate the 11th anniversary of The Burlesque Nutcracker with Lily Verlaine and Jasper McCann. If you're looking for a sexy holiday show experience, this promises both familiar stories and exciting, clothes-dropping times.
MONDAY-FRIDAY
PERFORMANCEPeter and the Starcatcher
Peter and the Starcatcher is a Tony Award-winning play about Peter Pan's backstoryāwritten by Rick Elice, with music by Wayne Barker, and based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.
MONDAY-SATURDAY
PERFORMANCECan Can Cabaret Presents Wonderland
Can Can will transform its venue into a snowy chalet and populate it with teasing beauties. VIP tickets get you champagne and a meal as well.
Dina Martina Christmas Show
You'd think the chubby-older-woman-with-a-hairy-back-and-no-talent-but-thinks-she's-God's-gift-to-singing shtick would get old, but it doesn't, because Grady West, who inhabits her horrible fashion choices, is a world-class artist, a first-rate writer, and a comedy genius. (He has a Stranger Genius Award.) There's something so enduringly brilliant about Dina Martina's incurably bonkers self-empowerment, but also something grim and beastly about who she would be without it. I saw the Dina Martina Christmas Show with someone who hadn't seen a Dina show in a decade, and she couldn't believe how much funnier it was than she remembered. CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE
Disney's The Little Mermaid
5th Avenue Theatre's production of Disney's The Little Mermaid is like one giant fuck you to winter. And winter cometh. The air is colder. Don't you just want to be under the water where everything's hotter? You do. But there's more than just seasonal utility here. The music by Alan Menken is great, and lyricist Howard Ashman was a genius who did not enjoy nearly enough time on this planet. Seattleās own Diana Huey will surely charm as Ariel, and I have every faith that the 5th Avenue will come through with some underwater dazzle. Dazzle aside, in the consumerist glare of the holiday season, this show reminds us of the power of the human voice, promotes the joys of fostering an active imagination over the ease of passive consumption (compare snarfblatts), and advocates for meaningful connections to others who are not like you. Not bad for a family-friendly affair. RICH SMITH
MONDAY-SUNDAY
FILMThe Princess Bride Quote-Along
Everyone who can factually claim to be an American has seen The Princess Bride 150 times. So why go see it on the big screen? Here's why: It's delightful and hilarious, and the goopy framing device gets out of the way fast, and there's that amazing scene where our heroine stands atop a hill, exclaims, "Oh, my love!" and hurls herself into a full-body roll. Plus, you can shout, āMy name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!ā in a theater.
TUESDAY
READINGS & TALKSJessica Bennett with Jeannie Yandel
Journalist Jessica Bennett and her colleague Jesse Ellison wrote a story about the history of sexism at Newsweek while working at Newsweek. That's the level of fearlessness we're talking about when we're talking about Bennett. She's a model for smashing the patriarchy in the workplace, and she's got a new book about that very thing. It's called Feminist Fight Club: An Office Survival Manual (For a Sexist Workplace). Saskia Wariner illustrates Bennett's hilarious and right-on assessments of and solutions for combating today's more insidious forms of sexism. It's funny, clear, useful, empowering, and introduces to the lexicon approximately 15 new feminist portmanteaus. Plus, Broad City's Ilana Glazer likes it, and that's enough for me. RICH SMITH
Highbrow/Lowbrow: A Very Varied Variety Show!
Highbrow/Lowbrow is a monthly show that promises a very varied (in style, form, and apparent classiness) variety show that features drag, burlesque, musical theatre, and dance. This glittery and festive edition, with a theme of "Welcome To Our Home," will celebrate the show's one-year anniversary, the holidays, and the birthday of host Maggie McMuffin.
Light the Night: An LGBTQ Hanukkah Celebration
On the fourth night of Hanukkah, celebrate with queer Jewish groups PAVE, Jconnect Seattle, and Kolenu. Play dreidel games, munch kosher latkes, and light the candles to the accordion tunes of Cantor David Serkin-Poole.
TUESDAY-SUNDAY
PERFORMANCEVietgone
So often we hear stories about the end of the American war in Vietnam that focus on the experiences of shell-shocked American soldiers returning to a country they don't quite understand anymore. But this ain't your typical play about the legacy of that war. Directed by May Adrales and produced in association with Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Qui Nguyen's geeky, formally adventurous, and energetic love story centers on the lives of two Vietnamese immigrants as they travel around the US learning the language and navigating the complexities of refugee camps. Los Angeles Times theater critic Charles McNulty says the play won him over with its innovative use of music and language, but also "with its simple honesty." RICH SMITH
WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY
PERFORMANCEThe Four Seasons
An exploration of color and beauty, Vivaldi's master work The Four Seasons has been paired with Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, a performance of tango-inspired dance arranged by Argentinian composer Astor Piazzola, and featuring dancers Touceda and Lucero.
WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY
ARTKat Larson: The Ghost from Vega
Iām writing this early because of strange holiday deadlines, so I havenāt actually seen the show yet. But listen, this is a show by Seattle artist Kat Larson, who really has somethingāsomething physical, spiritual, and politicalāin her video, video-painting, sculpture, and performative installations. And she doesnāt show that often. So do yourself a favor. Go to this show, which the gallery says tells the story of "a being from another planet who crash lands on Earth and, over time, becomes a ghost with no means to return home.ā JEN GRAVES
THURSDAY-SATURDAY
PERFORMANCEWelcome to Arroyo's
Kristoffer Diaz's new play traces the history of hiphop to reveal truths about "love, loss, and identity." Latina director Jay OāLeary leads an ensemble of new artists of color.
FRIDAY
PERFORMANCEEat The Rich: A Grotesque Gorlesque Motorhead Tribute Fundraiser
Grotesque Gorelesque bring their typical godless sexual bloodbath to the stage, but this time presenting "Eat the Rich," a Motorhead-themed burlesque benefit show for Stone Soup Group.
Regal Hag Dizko
This looks like a gathering of free witches if I ever did see one. First off, you got the hilariously creepy drag stylings of disaster casserole (thanks, Kim) Jackie Hell. Other performance offerings include L80 and Sol Dea. If you're too shy to slam dance to riot grrrl and queercore DJ sets from Kook Teflon and Niki Sugar, then grab a waffle and a beer and have your tarot read in the corner of the Funhouse. You'll need some guidance to navigate the darkness descending everywhere in 2017. RICH SMITH
Underwear Night: Jingle Balls
Are your balls jingling? Well that means either you need to see a doctor immediately or you're preparing for the Christmas edition of Underwear Night at OutWest. Provided you can figure out how to get to West Seattle, you'll be sure to enjoy yourself: Sexy bartenders and sexy VJ Andy will turn your head upon arrival, and there's never a cover so you can spend that money on tips because brrrrr they're probably very chilly. "Underwear is not a necessity" the bar says, which probably means you don't have to strip down, but I want to believe it means you're welcome to go fully nude. (You are not. Please don't try.) MATT BAUME
FRIDAY-SUNDAY
FILMBy Sidney Lumet
This documentary opens with the late, great director Sidney Lumet describing a moment deep in his past that shaped the moral vision of his work. He was a GI and on a train in Calcutta with other GIs. He saw one GI grab a girl from a platform and pull her into a car. He walked over to this car and saw something that put him in a state of shock. This is the cruel world he lived in. Many of Lumetās dark and moody films, such as Serpico and The Pawnbroker and The Offense, which are discussed by Lumet in this excellent documentary, reveal he never recovered from that initial shock on the Calcutta train. CHARLES MUDEDE
SUNDAY
COMEDYWeird and Awesome with Emmett Montgomery
On the first Sunday of each month, comedy, variety, and "a parade of wonder and awkward sharing" are hosted by the self-proclaimed "mustache wizard" Emmett Montgomery. The first edition of the year will feature performances from Rick Miller, Travis Vogt, Kevin Clarke, Cris Rodriguez, Hanna Brooks Olsen, Day Job, and Kourtney Shane Williams.
