Dina Martina's Best
(CABARET) Dina Martina is one of Seattle's most astounding performers. In Miss Martina's recent Christmas show at On the Boards, for instance, Jesus Christ Himself put in an appearance, as did a seemingly fully operational Dodge Dart. Ask fans of Miss Martina (a.k.a. performer Grady West) for their favorite moments from Dina's long career (she first graced Seattle in 1989), and you'll hear about stirring tramp-clown interpretations of "In the Ghetto"; Apple Headed Doll backup singers; weightless, space-suited finales; short films; and, of course, Miss Martina's long-suffering daughter Phoebe. Packing the "best of" Dina Martina into one night is impossible, so Come Back to the Re-bar, Dina Martina, Dina Martina: The Best of Dina is a two-night extravaganza. Not to be missed. DAN SAVAGE
Re-bar, 1114 Howell St (at Boren), 325-6500, $12 each, $20 for both. Part One: Thurs-Fri at 8; Part Two: Sat-Sun at 8.
Michael Dibdin
(READING) Michael Dibdin's Aurelio Zen is a reluctant detective. Often completely uninterested in whatever spate of clues crops up, Zen is an elegant, and literary, observer. But for this new book, Seattle writer Dibdin has abandoned the circumspect Zen for a more vulnerable narrator, and consequently produced a book that is being hailed as a departure. Thanksgiving tells the story of a man whose wife has died. Stricken, the man travels first to confront his wife's ex-husband, then to his childhood home in Europe, all the while hearing his dead wife's voice, seeing her form rounding corners, her face peeking in windows. The haunted aspect of the book reverberates even more when the man discovers recorded conversations between he and his wife. In the end, whose history he accepts will determine what occurs in the future. TRACI VOGEL
Elliott Bay Book Company, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free (advance tickets).
Sub Pop Anniversary Show
(MUSIC) In case you missed the sold-out Shins show at Sit & Spin a few weeks back, here's one more opportunity to check out the pride of Sub Pop as the label celebrates another anniversary with a showcase of its bands. Unlike past label blowouts, this party is open to the public, a good thing given that word of mouth is all powerful these days, and why a virtually unknown band like the Shins are able to sell out clubs before their forthcoming album, Oh Inverted World, has yet to hit the shelves. Also on the bill are Damien Jurado, Steve Fisk, and Pleasure Forever, a San Francisco trio formerly known as Slaves. KATHLEEN WILSON
Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave, 441-5611, 9:30 pm, $5.
Last Laugh
(FILM) This German expressionist gem was made in 1924 by F. W. Murnau and was unique among silent films for being shot without printed titles to key the narrative to the audience (except for one toward the end). The story is of a doorman at the deluxe Atlantic Hotel, a man with incredible whiskers and a uniform he's so proud of that merely putting it on makes him stand straighter and stroke his moustache. His downfall brings him over the brink of humiliation and despair; he is saved by a purely postmodern wink to the audience--that single title mentioned above. The film appears with a new live score performed by the Black Cat Orchestra's Lori Goldston that should intensify an already wrenching work. EMILY HALL
Little Theatre, 608 19th Ave E, 675-2055, Fri-Sun at 7:30 & 9:15.
Christopher Hitchens
(READING) Chris-topher Hitchens' recent two-installment indictment of Cold War henchman Henry Kissinger in Harper's Magazine--an utterly compelling argument for bringing the wily statesman to trial on multiple charges of international war crimes--was a harrowing, sophisticated work of journalism-cum-humanitarian advocacy. Tonight, Hitchens reads from two just-published works: The Trial of Henry Kissinger, as well as Unacknowledged Legislation: Writers in the Public Sphere, which, by all accounts, is brilliant. When it comes to writing hard-hitting, courageous, erudite, and scathingly funny screeds on matters of sociopolitical importance, there isn't a soul today who can lay a hand on Hitchens. RICK LEVIN
Elliott Bay Book Company, 101 S Main, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
The Verities of Fire
(PERFORMANCE) After two years of enormous popularity at the annual Seattle Fringe Theatre Festival, a cascade of misfortunes snuffed Cirque de Flambe out of the just-passed event. But if you've got a craving for blazing sculptures and synchronized routines by scantily clad fire-breathers, here's an opportunity to slake your thirst. This time around, Cirque de Flambe eschews clowns in favor of a more music-, dance-, and pulchritude-centered spectacle. But you'll still get to see Pyro Boy (a.k.a. Wally Glenn, pictured) exploding in all directions. BRET FETZER
At the parking lot next to the Down Under Club, 2407 First Ave, 9 pm, $10 donation suggested. One night only.
Destruction/Construction
(REBUILD THE CITY) In an unassuming red shack near Safeco Field, First Avenue is being reassembled, post-earthquake, brick by brick. Keith Tabellione and the artists of ArtStar Project are casting thousands of miniature white bricks, and over the course of the show's run are inviting the public to help raise a scale replica of one First Avenue block. This is a labor of memory, obviously, and a reminder of the constant cycles of destruction, not just those induced by earthquake (those brought on, for example, by gentrification, a particularly touchy subject for artists). Do your part to rebuild Seattle: Stop by, lay some brick, and remember, remember, remember. EMILY HALL
Li'l Red Shack Gallery, 1028 First Ave S, 621-7807, Thurs-Sun, 12-5 pm. Through May 12.
The Master and Margarita
(THEATER) This rapid-fire, kaleidoscopic production made theater simple's name. Its vigorous adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov's sardonic novel gathered rave reviews as the troup toured through the Canadian fringe-festival circuit--reviews filled with words like "magical," "ingenious," and "voluptuous." Theater simple founders Llysa Holland and Andrew Litzky--along with their reunited original castmates Amy Augustine, James Cowan, and Monique Kleinhans--juggle multiple storylines with deceptive ease, turning Bulgakov's story into a series of tales within tales, perhaps modeled on Russian nesting dolls. Directed by Rachel Katz Carey, The Master and Margarita features low-budget but inventive theatrics and a healthy dose of male and female nudity, just to make sure theology doesn't outweigh sensuality. BRET FETZER
Sand Point Naval Reserve, Bldg 406, 7400 Sand Point Way NE, 325-6500, $15 ($25 opening-night gala on Fri April 20), Thurs-Sat at 8, Sun at 2. Through May 5.
The Subconscious Art of Graffiti Removal
(FILM) Portland filmmaker Matt McCormick ennobles the name of experimental film. Often, experimental films make huge demands, and while these demands are often richly rewarded, to the neophyte it can be an off-putting experience. Not so McCormick's excellent and strangely moving works, a selection of which will be on display at Consolidated Works. The standout is his new 16-minute documentary, The Subconscious Art of Graffiti Removal, which elegantly argues that the overlays on graffiti--the white and beige boxes businesses use to cover the stuff up--constitute a subconscious public variant on abstract expressionism. Hilarious, deeply literate, and extravagantly beautiful, this film will convert the most dire experimental film skeptic. JAMIE HOOK
Consolidated Works, 410 Terry Ave N, 860-5245, 8:30 pm, $5.
David Sedaris, Sarah Vowell
(TALK) When I was assigned to interview David Sedaris, best-selling author and public-radio star, I was thrilled. It came as a shock when his promotional liaison briskly informed me that "Mr. Sedaris doesn't do interviews." So instead, my friend Jon interviewed me about Sedaris. Jon: "Do you find it odd that a hopeless outsider like Sedaris has become a cultural signifier of hipness?" Tamara: "I won't even date a guy who hasn't read Naked." Jon: "If I were Sedaris and overheard that, I'd be sick. Tell me about your favorite Sedaris piece." Tamara: "'Big Boy.' He's at a party and discovers a monstrous piece of shit in the toilet. Disgusting! But I feel for his plight! I know this guy! I'm exactly like him!" TAMARA PARIS
Paramount Theatre, Ninth & Pine, 628-0888, 7:30 pm, $18-$35. This event is SOLD OUT, but you might be able to get a ticket from a scalper. If not, stand outside and press your ear to the bricks.
Jesus Christ Superstore
(WEBSITE) "Putting the fun back into fundamentalism and the laughter back into sectarian slaughter," declares Jesus Christ Superstore, your one-stop shopping opportunity for religious action figures. These 7.5 cm-tall toys include God Almighty (equipped with a "Kingdom-Come Kalashnikov AK-47"), Krishna (packing a laser-sighted automatic "Ganesh-garnish S&W" with silencer), and the Dalai Lama (with a "Tibetan terror" AK-12). At last, toys that truly reflect the world we live in! Appropriately, the packaging provides as much entertainment value as the toys themselves--and with Allah, "He who cannot be shown," the packaging is all. BRET FETZER
www.jesuschristsuperstore.net
Orgy 101
(WORKSHOP) If you've ever suffered through a leather contest--a beauty pageant for rough, tough leathermen (complete with strolls down the runway!)--you know how quickly good intentions can make something sexy and edgy seem silly and dull. The Seattle Institute for Sex Therapy, Education, and Research (SISTER) is positively bursting with good intentions, and it's in that same spirit that we suggest you attend its upcoming workshop, "Swinging, Swapping & Polyamory." The organizers promise a frank, facilitated discussion of "lifestyle choices that challenge the dominant paradigm for satisfying, nurturing love relationships." Hot? Not likely. But if you're interested in open relationships, this seminar comes highly recommended. Expect to be informed, not titillated. DAN SAVAGE
Seattle Institute for Sex Therapy, Education, and Research, 100 NE 56th St, 522-8588, www.sextx.com, 8 pm, free.
