(VARIETÉ) There is nothing more
exuberant and life-affirming than varieté, that precocious child of broad American vaudeville and classy Old World cirque: The cathartic comedy of
old-style clowns (think Chaplin, not Bozo), the daring flights of aerialists, the robust muscles of acrobats, and the bright pageantry of
jugglers, dancers, and musicians from Seattle's Circus Contraption to Berlin's Hacki Ginda. Plus: cancan girls! And
beer! (
Hale's Palladium, 4301 Leary Way NW, 800-838-3006. 3 and 7:30 pm, $7.50–$20. See www.moisturefestival.com. Through April 9.)