THE BIG FRIENDLY GIANT
A kind vegan suffering from a crippling speech impediment and an extraordinary case of acromegaly befriends an orphan, meets the Queen of England, and saves the continent. Seattle Children's Theatre, 201 Thomas St, 443-0807. $12-$26. Fri at 7 pm, Sat-Sun at 2 and 5:30 pm. Through Dec 22.
THE EDUCATION OF RANDY NEWMAN
"Full disclosure: I left at intermission because I couldn't stand another moment of this affront of a show, which takes a huge body of songs from one of the rock era's most fascinating, prolific, underappreciated songwriters, strips them of all their soul, distills their lyrical complexity into a vague dramatic thread, and robs them of everything that makes them great." (Sean Nelson) ACT Theatre, 700 Union St, 292-7676. $37.50-$50. Fri-Sat at 8 pm, Sun-Thurs at 7:30 pm, matinees Nov 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, Dec 1 at 2 pm. Through Dec 1.
THE FOURSOME
Four former chums dye out the gray and squeeze their fat asses into their old size 31 jeans for a college reunion. Edge of the World Theatre, 9673 Firdale Ave, 542-7529. $17-$20. Thurs-Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 7:30 pm, with matinees Sat at 4 pm, no Thanksgiving performance. Through Nov 30.
* GILGAMESH, IOWA
Opening. See Stranger Suggests. Union Garage Performance Center, 1418 10th Ave, 352-1777. $12. Thurs-Sat at 8 pm. Through Nov 23.
INVADERS FROM EARTH
Consolidated Works continues its multimedia exploration of duality with Invaders from Earth, Dawson Nichols' original adaptation of the eponymous pulp sci-fi novel. "Invaders does not fulfill its promise. In fact, it stinks. It takes itself seriously, but not seriously enough; it occasionally winks at its own kitsch-factor, but not so much that we can laugh along with. Instead, we laugh at. And, sometimes, wince." (Brendan Kiley) Consolidated Works, 500 Boren Ave N, 325-6500. $14. Fri-Sun at 8 pm. Through Nov 23.
KNEE DESIRES THE DIRT
Final week. Mirror Stage Company debuts with the comfortable territory of maternal struggle in the South. "Two intense mother-daughter relationships, sex, death, cancer, job loss, rotten romance, and ghostly visitation. Unfortunately, the rich, philosophical monologues are not enough to hold together the different elements of this overly busy script." (Rebecca Brown) Mirror Stage Company at Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, 325-6500. $10-$25. Thurs-Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 2 pm and 7 pm. Through Nov 10.
LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES
Final week. Cruel Intentions, only in fancier pants. Marquise Productions at Nippon Kan Theatre, 628 S Washington St, 325-6500. $12-$15. Fri-Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 7 pm. Through Nov 10.
LIGHT UP THE SKY
Opening. Onstage glamour versus offstage pandemonium focus Moss Hart's 1948 self-referential deconstruction of the paradoxical nature of Broadway productions. Seattle Repertory Theatre, 155 Mercer St, 443-2210. $15-$40. Tues-Sun at 7:30 pm, with matinees Sat-Sun at 2 pm. Through Dec 15.
THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE
Opening. You are secretly as excited as I am. Seattle Children's Theatre, 201 Thomas St, 441-3322. $12-$26. Fri at 7 pm, Sat-Sun at 2 and 5:30 pm. Through Jan 11.
* LOOT
See review this issue. Intiman Theatre, 201 Mercer St, 269-1900. $27-$42. Tues-Thurs at 7:30, Fri-Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 2 pm, 7:30 pm. Matinee Tues Nov 12 at 2 pm. Through Nov 12.
THE LOVER
Based on Ivan Turgenev's novel On the Eve, The Lover concerns the romance and revolution of young idealists just prior to the Crimean War. UW School of Drama at Meany Studio Theatre, University of Washington campus, 543-5140. $8-$12. Wed-Thurs at 7 pm, Fri-Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 2 pm. Through Nov 17.
MY LADY'S HAND
Penned by local playwright Tess Thompson Hardwick, My Lady's Hand finds a young novelist forced to cope with sudden paralysis and a collapsing marriage. Moonlight Productions at Open Circle Theater, 429 Boren Ave N, 325-6500. $12. Thurs-Sat at 8 pm. Through Nov 23.
NORA
Ingmar Bergman's revision of Henrik Ibsen's deconstruction of holy matrimony, the controversial A Doll's House, as sparsely directed by University of Washington professor Jon Jory. UW School of Drama at University of Washington, Hutchinson Hall, Studio 201. $9. Fri-Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 2 pm, Wed-Thurs at 7 pm, with late-night performance Fri Nov 15 at 11:30 pm. Through Nov 17.
NOTES FROM UNDERGROUND
Opening. You remember Dostoyevsky, right? That wisecracking modernist the Russian government called "the Bob Hope of our century"? Theater Simple revives its popular rendition of Feodor's classic slapstick farce Notes from Underground for a 10th-anniversary edition. Theater Simple at Capitol Hill Arts Cooperative, 1621 12th Ave NE, 784-8647. $10-$12. Thurs-Sat at 8 pm. Through Nov 23.
* RASH
See review this issue. Lauren Weedman at Empty Space Theatre, 3509 Fremont Ave N, 547-7500. $10-$35, opening night $40. Tues-Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri-Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 7:30 pm, Sat-Sun matinees at 2 pm. Through Nov 24.
THE SEAGULL
Final week. Chekhov, unrequited love, water fowl. UW School of Drama at Penthouse Theatre, University of Washington campus, 543-5140. $5-$12. Wed-Thurs at 7 pm, Fri-Sat at 8 pm. Through Nov 10.
DAVID SHINER IN THE ROUND
Currently in residence at ACT Theatre preparing a work for next year, Tony Award-winning professional jackass David Shiner milks some old standards in his popular repertoire. ACT Theatre, 700 Union, 292-7676. $24.50-$29.50. Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri-Sat at 8 pm, with matinees Sat-Sun at 2 pm. Through Nov 23.
THE TEMPEST
Shipwrecked sailors hallucinate sprites and ogres. Romantic high jinks ensue. Seattle Shakespeare Company at Seattle Center House, Seattle Center, 325-6500. $12-$24. Thurs-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm. Through Nov 24.
* TWO FOR THE SEESAW
See review this issue. IN-G Productions at Freehold's East Hall Theatre, 1529 10th Ave, second floor, 325-6500. $12. Thurs-Fri Nov 7-8 at 8 pm. Through Nov 8.
WHEN GRACE COMES IN
Final week. A senator's wife and an ex-painter's process of spiritual reawakening in the midst of a midlife crisis. "No, you're not imagining things--Heather McDonald's When Grace Comes In is confusing as hell. Still, the poetry of the script and the undeniable elegance and ingenuity of its staging had me enthralled. Once I finally figured out what the heck was going on, of course." (Adrian Ryan) Seattle Repertory Theatre, 155 Mercer St, 443-2222. $10-$46. Sat-Sun at 2 pm and 7:30 pm, Tues-Fri at 7:30 pm. Through Nov 10.
* WHEN WE DEAD AWAKEN
Final week. A curried-goat-enhanced performance of Henrik Ibsen's final play. "With an expressionistic flair, the six actors move around on the tiny stage as if performing a modern dance--and I mean that in a good way. These playful elements, of a sort one rarely associates with Ibsen, succeed in creating a thoroughly satisfying evening of theater." (Gregory Zura) Steeplechase Productions at Liberty Deli, 2722 Alki Ave SW, 935-8420. $29 with dinner and show, $15 show only. Thurs-Sat at 7:30 pm, no dinner Thurs. Through Nov 9.
FESTIVALS, CABARET, & COMEDY
* JELLO-A-GO-GO
Final week. Monkey Wrench Puppet Lab, the masterminds behind Suzy and Nice Nice and the ever-popular Drunk Puppet Nite, present their latest abomination of puppet theater. Monkey Wrench Puppet Lab at Theatre Off Jackson, 409 Seventh Ave S, 463-4848. $4-$12. Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 4 pm and 8 pm.
KARAOKE CABARET III
One night only. Life is a cabaret of drunken fools aimlessly belting Rodgers & Hammerstein. ArtsWest, 4711 California Ave SW, 938-0339. $8-$10. Fri at 9 pm.
MACABARET
Final week. A self-proclaimed hit at this year's Fringe Festival, Macabaret revives its weary corpse for the holiday season with a song-set that playfully tickles morbid fascination. Straight-Edge Theatrics at Northwest Actors Studio, 1100 E Pike St, third floor, 632-9800. $8. Daily at 8 pm. Through Nov 9.
ONE MAN AND THE BAND
This week only. Phil Incorbia presents a feature-length evening of improv. Wing-It Productions at Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave, 441-5823. $8. Fri-Sat at 8 pm.
SOME KIND OF CULT vs. THE THIRD FLOOR
This week only. Local sketch troupe Some Kind of Cult teams with Portland's the Third Floor for a crowd-pleasing greatest-hits retrospective. Some Kind of Cult and the Third Floor at Northwest Actors Studio, 1100 E Pike St, third floor, 324-6328. $15. Fri-Sat at 8 pm.
DANCE
CITY NIGHT
This week only. Seattle dance staple Wade Madsen resurrects a piece from the early '80s, reworked with the help of the exemplary Black Cat Orchestra. Spectrum Dance Theater at Kirkland Performance Center, 350 Kirkland Ave, Kirkland, 893-9900. $10-$24. Fri-Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 2 pm.
COMPOSER/CHOREOGRAPHER 6
This week only. The goal of this annual program is that the paired composer and choreographer try to work equally--that neither end of the collaboration dictates to the other. Of course, in practice this process has endless permutations, but the struggle to find balance can have great results. Featuring Tom Baker with Corrie Befort, Chris DeLaurenti with KT Niehoff, and Ellen Fullman with Tonya Lockyer, among others. Velocity MainSpace Theater, 915 E Pine St, 545-8848. $10-$15. Fri-Sun at 8 pm.
RADIANCE
One night only. Sure, it's funny for the first five minutes, but after a half-hour of spangles, navel jewelry, and bafflingly supple bellies, the gag of Middle Eastern, Flamenco, and East Indian "Dances of Passion" has a way of wearing off. Seattle Art Museum, 100 University St, 325-6500. $20-$22. Sat at 8 pm.
WORLD PREMIERE
Opening. Though its umbrella title is a little illusory (three-fourths of the pieces involved are at least 30 years old), Pacific Northwest Ballet promises an array of versatile works including Balanchine's Concerto Barocco, José Limon's The Moor's Pavane, Glen Tetley's Voluntaries, and the only piece produced this decade, Paul Gibson's Rush. Pacific Northwest Ballet at Mercer Arts Arena, 363 Mercer St, 389-7676. $16-$110. Thurs-Sat at 7:30 pm, with Sat matinees at 2 pm. Through Nov 16.
