THURSDAY 10/28


Planet Hot Rod

(HARLEY GATHERING) The town of Fife was cracker before cracker was cool, so can it really become a trendy destination for lovers of Latin cuisine? It will if Planet Hot Rod has its way -- this Fife biker bar is offering big biker tacos for just one dollar at its Thursday Harley gatherings. Don't mind all the furry men dressed like big gay Daddy Bears; don't mind the biker women with their leathery chaps and buttery skin. Just eat your taco and repeat after me: Viva Fife y sus tacos deliciosos! -- NATHAN THORNBURGH

Planet Hot Rod, 7403 Pacific Highway in Fife, 253-926-3599, 4 pm until dark.


THURSDAY 10/28


Communicating Doors

(THEATER) Some people call playwright Alan Ayckbourn Britain's answer to Neil Simon, but they never say whether they consider that a good thing. Prolific, popular, and generally pretty funny, Ayckbourn, to set the record straight, has a much more adventurously articulate sense of farce than Simon. Case in point: Communicating Doors, which is closing ACT's Mainstage season, features a young prostitute who learns that the connecting doors in her hotel suite can send her back and forth in time. It's a "comedic thriller" that ACT is calling "Psycho meets Back to the Future." We'll just have to trust them that that's a good thing. -- STEVE WIECKING

A Contemporary Theatre, 700 Union Street, 292-7676, 7:30 pm, through Nov 21, $10-40.


FRIDAY 10/29


Tibetan Monks

(MUSIC, WORLD HEALING) Those wacky lamas are at it again, rocking the Rialto Tibetan-style. Each monk possesses the awe-inspiring ability to intone all three notes of a chord simultaneously. They've had success at other small gigs, including the Olympics in Atlanta, and movies like Seven Years in Tibet and Kundun. Important facts, in no particular order: His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the godfather of Richard Gere's child; the Tibetans have been poorly treated by China. -- JEFF DEROCHE

Rialto Theater, 901 Broadway, Tacoma, 253-591-5894, Fri-Sat, 7:30 pm, $14/$20/$26.


FRIDAY 10/29


Dusk

(ART) The fortuitous proximity of the current creepy-crawly season and the impending, no doubt apocalyptic, odometer flip to 1/1/2000 has inspired CoCA to put together a show exploring goth culture. Centered around a series of photos of L.A. goths by Mike Kelley (the guy who had Seattle Art Museum shaking in its boots) and Cameron Jaime, Dusk includes photography, video, painting, and sculpture. The opening party features goth/industrial records spun by J. Justice and DJ Azrael, and a no-host bar. -- ERIC FREDERICKSEN

Center on Contemporary Art, 65 Cedar St, 728-1980, 8 pm, $6/$3 in costume.


FRIDAY 10/29


Rachel Rosenthal

(THEATER) Over the past 30 years, Rachel Rosenthal has built a reputation as one of the preeminent women theater artists in the U.S. Here's your chance to see the iconic artiste on her farewell tour. Timepiece is a multi-media performance piece blending athletic movement, text, and a live "soundscape" to explore time, memory, and mortality; the L.A. Times called it Rosenthal's definitive masterwork. -- DAVID SCHMADER

The Experimental Theater, Evergreen State College, Olympia, 360-866-6833, 8 pm (also on Saturday, 8 pm), $15.


SATURDAY 10/30


Monster Mayhem #4

(HALLOWEEN) Most of the press releases we get in this office are semi- literate, boilerplate, publicist double-talk, so sincerity shines like a candle in a jack-o'-lantern. And the genuine fun being offered at Mothership for Halloween speaks for itself: "For the Love of Suffering! Division 9! Faces Pale! Abusement Park! Relic! Resin Room! Mac! Church of Hate! Guests! Midnight Costume Contest With Cash Prizes!" That's what I like to see: no more fucking around, kids. CASH PRIZES and GUESTS. Not some goddamn rubber spider on a string. -- ERIN FRANZMAN

Mothership, 7404 Pacific Hwy, Milton, 253-922-1930, 7 pm, $10 (admission also good for Planet Hot Rod).


SATURDAY 10/30


Freak Night III

(RAVE) When the clock strikes 12:00 it will be Halloween, but if you attend this event I bet you won't even notice. No, you'll be too busy licking the walls and marveling at the wonder of other people's genitalia, all jacked up on whatever nasty drugs you're taking that night. Among others, this star-studded USC production features Carl Cox (U.K.), DJ Dan (San Francisco), and Seattle "Godfather" Donald Glaude. Bring friends, a stash, and lots of protection. -- JEFF DEROCHE

For information call 888-221-7491 or 516-8660, event scheduled from Sat 10/30, 8 pm to Sun 10/31, 6 am, presale tickets are $27, at the door $32.


SATURDAY 10/30


Party on the Kalakala

(FILM/MUSIC/DANCE) Perhaps you've seen the Kalakala -- that Airstreamâ„¢ trailer of a ferry boat -- on Lake Union or on the news. Well, now's your chance to party on the old boat! Starting at 9 pm on Saturday, October 30, people will gather to watch the creepy silent film Nosferatu, along with other short films; listen to music by the Black Cat Orchestra, Ensemble Sub Masa, and Kultur Shock; and dance with the Butoh group PAN. Money raised will benefit the Kalakala. -- ANDY SPLETZER

Kalakala, 9 pm until 1 am, 2506 N Northlake Way, next to Gasworks Park, 634-3817, $10 suggested donation


SUNDAY 10/31


Monster Tattoos

(TATTOO) Here's a scary concept: an entirely permanent Halloween costume! Today only, Top Tattoo's offering 30 percent off all monster tats. You'll be glowing, you'll be in pain, you'll be ready for anything. -- TRACI VOGEL

Top Tattoo, 19918 Aurora Ave N at Aurora & 200th, noon-10 pm, 533-8677.


SUNDAY 10/31


Faust

(FILM) The famous magic and comedy duo Penn & Teller break their usual routine (and Teller breaks his usual silence) as Teller translates F.W. Murnau's German silent classic, Faust (1926). The film -- about Satan's struggle with an angel for world domination -- will include live musical accompaniment (featuring a Wurlitzer organ), creating an authentically spooky, silent-era atmosphere. A world premiere screening! -- MIN LIAO

The Paramount, 911 Pine St, 467-5510, 7 pm, $20.


MONDAY 11/1


Ha Jin

(READING) With every new work, the prolific Ha Jin confirms his reputation as a remarkable writer who is skilled at political sly-shots and universally recognizable characters. Jin's 1998 debut novel, In the Pond, told the variously wry and heartbreaking story of Shao Bin, whose self-identification as an artist puts him into direct conflict with propaganda-mad factory China. Jin reads tonight from his newest novel, Waiting. A great opportunity to catch an American writer who's writing for canonical history. -- TRACI VOGEL

Seattle Downtown Library, Lee Auditorium, 1000 Fourth Ave, 7 pm, free.


TUESDAY 11/2


Viva Cuba!

(COOKING CLASS) You're in the kitchen of a pink-and-blue house in old Havana, your bare feet on crumbling linoleum. In between sips of rum, you will make crab and cornmeal stew, or black beans and fried plantains, or yuca con mojo de ajo for supper. You will seduce your dinner guest with this sensual food, rich with flavor and tradition. Okay, so I've read too many Cuban romance novels. But I still wanna learn how to make fried bananas and something called yuca taste good. -- MIN LIAO

Still Life in Fremont, 709 N 35th St, 547-9850, 6:30-9:30 pm, $45 (includes recipes, ingredients, equipment), pre-payment is required, call first to register.


WEDNESDAY 11/3


The Psychic Life of Savages

(THEATER) Now this sounds ideal -- throw a bunch of unhinged poets in a room together and watch them decimate one another. Playwright Amy Freed parodies laugh-less Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, and the ghost of Emily Dickinson in The Psychic Life of Savages, a West Coast premiere that opens the 30th anniversary season at the Empty Space. Freed apparently has a field day with the egos and obsessions of her fictional creations in this comedy that promises to be very smart and "wickedly funny." Leslie Swackhamer directs. -- STEVE WIECKING

Empty Space Theatre, 3509 Fremont Ave N, 547-7500, 7:30 pm, through Dec 5, $18-26.