Our music critics have already chosen the 40 best music shows this week, but now it's our arts critics' turn to recommend the best events in their areas of expertise. Here are their picks in every genreâfrom an evening with Moby to Savage Love Live, and from Paula Poundstone to the Seattle Art Museum's Legendary Children. See them all below, and find even more events on our complete Things To Do calendar.
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MONDAY
FILMSilent Movie Mondays: A Man There Was/Terje Vigen
The great Victor Sjöström, one of the most celebrated Swedish directors, directed this early silent film about a desperate fisherman who tries to evade the British blockade during the Napoleonic Wars to feed his family. Tedde Gibson will accompany the movie on the Mighty Wurlitzer organ.
Charles Johnson: Night Hawks
In an interview with the New York Times, Charles Johnson said the title story in his new collection of short fiction, Night Hawks, emerged from "15 years of spirited eight-to-10-hour dinner conversations here in Seattle" with his friend August Wilson, the greatest playwright to ever scribble away an afternoon in a cafe on 15th Avenue. If that is not enough of a reason for you to pick up the book or listen to the MacArthur Genius/National Book Awardâwinning author read from it, then you don't deserve to read anything ever again. RICH SMITH
Ian McEwan: Machines Like Me
Ian McEwan turns to sci-fi tropes to explore the suddenness of change in human relationships in his newest novel, Machines Like Me. The book is set in an alternate-universe 1980s-era London, one in which the gay computer genius Alan Turing was not driven to his death, and where a workshy tax cheat named Charlie impulse-buys one of the first artificial humans. Together with his crush, Miranda, an upstairs neighbor who's a doctoral student, they co-program their new synthetic friendâwith momentous consequences. According to NPR's Heller McAlpin, McEwan disgusted sci-fi fans with his casual disparagement of the genre, but he seems to have brought some interesting twists on old ideas.
Nell Freudenberger: Lost and Wanted
When a rationalist physics professor, Helen, gets a call from her somewhat estrangedâand recently deceasedâfriend Charlie, she's understandably perturbed. This doesn't stop her from moving across the country to be closer to Charlie's parents. When her young son starts glimpsing Charlie in their house, she is increasingly drawn into Charlie's former life. Maureen Corrigan has called this heartfelt novel "gorgeous," while NPR noted that it "uses dense scientific concepts to illuminate everyday emotions." Claire Dederer will host this evening with the author.
The Neuroscience of a One-Track Mind: A Lecture-Concert
This highly intellectual, multidisciplinary evening will begin with a lecture by UW neuroscientist Chantel Prat on what happens in the brain when we concentrate, then continue with a solo marimba performance by Erin Jorgensen, the progenitor of Bach + Pancakes. The organizers also tease cupcakes and giveaways, so this evening sounds like it's worth your attention.
MONDAY & FRIDAY-SUNDAY
PERFORMANCEShakespeare Dice: As You Like It
Eight actors will learn the entire scriptâmeaning all the rolesâof Shakespeare's comedy As You Like It. You, the audience, get to determine who plays whom.
TUESDAY
FILM'Tolkien': Live from the Montclair Film Festival with Stephen Colbert
The soon-to-be-released biopic Tolkien, with Nicholas Hoult playing the author of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, will no doubt be a grand occasion for fantasy nerds. Watch a simulcasted Q&A from the Montclair Film Festival with Hoult, co-star Lily Collins, and director Dome Karukoski, moderated by the Tolkien fan to rule them all, Stephen Colbert.
Frederick Brown: The City Is More Than Human
Frederick Brown will read from The City is More Than Human: An Animal History of Seattle, an exploration of the way that animalsâfrom pigs to dogsâhave shaped Seattle. The book takes a broad view, explaining the way our city's former inhabitants traded livestock for pets, outlining the relationship between European American and Native American residents, and examining the nature of the modern city.
Kara Swisher
The world is hungry for someone to talk back to Big Tech, and journalist Kara Swisher is currently doing that on the daily. She does it through her column in the New York Times op-ed pages, through her Twitter megaphone (1.3 million followers and counting), through her popular Recode Decode podcast, on cable, via live-streamed chats and rants, and during onstage interviews with the likes of Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates at various packed tech conferences that she helps organize. It makes one wonder how Swisher came to seemingly possess, in human form, the same massive information processing power controlled by the companies she covers. Because it's not just the back talk that people want. They're equally hungry for someone to explain how Facebook, Google, Twitter, Microsoft, Apple, and other digital behemoths ended up swallowing, chewing up, and spitting out, in countless ADD-friendly bites, the world as it once existedâand Swisher explains that, too. RICH SMITH
Nick Estes: Our History Is the Future
University of New Mexico assistant professor Nick Estes presents his new book, which provides an overview of indigenous resistance to settler colonialism stretching back for the last 200 years, with a truth that would make even our greenest politicians flinch. "For the earth to live, capitalism must die," he writes. Though politicians now stress the need to transition to a green economy, Estes argues we'll never solve the problem unless we destroy the economic structure that created the carbon economy in the first place. The United States has largely used indigenous nations as resource colonies, he says, and they'll continue to do so until they deal with the root cause. In his examination of the #NoDAPL movement, Estes shows us how forms of indigenous resistance have worked toward that end in the past, and how they'll continue to work in the future. RICH SMITH
TUESDAY-SUNDAY
PERFORMANCENina Simone: Four Women
The play opens with a character based on Nina Simone, Peaches, playing âI Loves You, Porgy,â the signature tune of the jazz singer/pianistâs pre-protest-song era. The performance, however, is disrupted by the cries of the four girls killed in the 1963 Birmingham, Alabama, church bombing. In the second act, Nina meets another black woman, Sarah, in the ruins of the church. It soon becomes clear that Sarah, a committed member of the church, is opposed to Nina's radicalization. "I ain't into that radical business," Sarah says. The question at the core of the play becomes clear: Do we rebuild the church or destroy the current racist society? For Peaches/Simone, the answer is clear: Because there is nothing good about American society, it must be exploded and completely rebuilt from scratch. The ruins of the Alabama church should become the ruins of racism in America. CHARLES MUDEDE
Urinetown: The Musical
The themes of scarcity, greed, populism, and capitalism running amok make the triple Tony-winning post-apocalyptic musical Urinetown, with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Greg Kotis, and book by Kotis, a perfect satire for our times. This is a co-production with the 5th Avenue Theater.
WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY
PERFORMANCEThe Atomic Bombshells: Lost in Space!
As we've noted, the boisterous Atomic Bombshells troupe has been instrumental in Seattle's burlesque revival. After a successful Valentine's Day show, they'll be back with a cheeky "retro-future" adventure full of "alluring aliens, slinky space adventurers, bodacious Barbarellas, and planetary princesses," not to mention plenty of "ASSteroids."
WEDNESDAY & SATURDAY-SUNDAY
PERFORMANCECarmen
In the popular imagination, opera is everything that Carmen is not: ungainly, grandiose, psychologically cartoonish, full of eardrum-bashing orchestration rather than sinuous, sexy tunes. But Georges Bizet's Carmen is dark, intimate, catchy, and closer in plot to a film noir than an epic. Expect Seattle Opera to bring a thoughtful and nuanced perspective, carefully handling the dated theme of the exotic femme fatale. JOULE ZELMAN
WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY
PERFORMANCEBonbon
The slinky dancers of Pike Place's kitschy cabaret return with another tasty show. Ever wanted to ogle athletic dancers twirling from chandeliers inches from your face? Go. There's also a family-friendly brunch version that you can guiltlessly take your out-of-town relatives to.
Jitterbug Perfume
Former Seattle Spam-carving-competition judge and internationally renowned novelist Tom Robbins gets the Nordo dinner-theater treatment with this adaptation of Jitterbug Perfume. I've never been a huge fan of Robbins's styleâlots of literary dad jokes, cartoonish scenarios, idle embellishmentâbut Jitterbug Perfume represents his best contribution to the field, and it will be interesting to see how Nordo stages the book's big, lush worlds. Expect beets. Mysterious beets. RICH SMITH
Love, Chaos, & Dinner
Beloved circus/cabaret/comedy institution Teatro ZinZanni will reboot their successful variety show, which they describe as the "Kit Kat Klub on acid." They promise to fill their spiegeltent with "world-class acrobats, musicians, divas, illusionists, madmen, and aerialists," plus ping-pong-playing comedian Tim Tyler, trapezists Duo Rose, opera singer Kelly Britt, and the Anastasini Brothers, Lady Rizo, and Frank Ferrante.
THURSDAY
COMEDYThe Gateway Show
Itâs an experiment in stand-up: Four comics do their sets. Then these four comics get super, duper stoned. Then they perform again while occupying this much hazier headspace. Or attempt to perform again. Will the bake bring out another dimension of their comedy, or will they bomb, one by one, in forgetful spells of heaping laughter (or awkward pauses)? This sounds like an entertaining experiment, and they do it once a month. LEILANI POLK
Vir Das
Extremely popular Bollywood comedian and actor Vir Das (who has appeared in films including BadMaash Company, Delhi Belly, and Revolver Rani, and has performed stand-up comedy all over the world) will grace humble Seattle.
British Comedy Classics
The finest British comedies of the 1940s and â50sâGreen for Danger, The Man in the White Suit, The Lavender Hill Mobâhave aged marvelously well, thanks to understated, funny scripts and endlessly watchable professionals like Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood, Audrey Hepburn, and Peter Sellers. Tonight's film is John Boulting's Iâm All Right Jack, about a hopelessly unemployable upper-class gent who starts a job at his uncle's missile factory.
Author Talk: The Italian Table by Elizabeth Minchilli
Cookbook author Elizabeth Minchilli will share inspiration for creating beautiful meals at home like an Italian and sign copies. The Book Larder will serve a bite from the book.
Deborah E. Lipstadt: Antisemitism
Dr. Deborah E. Lipstadt, Dorat professor of Holocaust Studies at Emory University and a former historical consultant to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, will speak on her new book Antisemitism: Here and Now.Â
From the Collection: Peruvian Textiles
In conjunction with Cecilia Vicuña's exhibition About to Happen, learn about one of the artist's inspirations, the Inca practice of quipu. These were knotted strings used for record-keeping and writing. See some textile treasures from the collection and learn about this ancient art.
Seattle Arts & Lectures Presents: A Conversation with Melinda Gates
The businesswoman and global women's rights activist will talk about the "link between womenâs empowerment and the health of societies" as she presents her book The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World.Â
UW Science Engage!
Co-hosted by Town Hall, this series will allow UW researchers to practice science communication skills and the audience to learn about cutting-edge research. Tonight, learn about Jupiter's moon Europa, smartphone barometers, and monsoons from Mariah Danner, Conor McNicholas, and Virginia Littell.
Capitol Hill Art Walk
Every second Thursday, rain or shine, the streets of Capitol Hill are filled with tipsy art lovers checking out galleries and special events. Check out our critics' picks for this month here.
THURSDAY-SATURDAY
VISUAL ARTEdwin T. Pratt: A Living Legacy
See work by longtime Pratt artist Jite Agbro alongside Pratt Scholarship recipients from the last four years.
Opening Thursday
Swoon: Every Portrait Is a Vessel
âEvery portrait is a vesselâ is an interesting proposition. My brain begins to fill in the rest of the sentence. Every portrait is a vessel of love. A vessel of self. A vessel of truth. Every Portrait Is a Vessel is the first solo exhibition by Swoon (aka Caledonia Curry) in the Pacific Northwest. Swoon is a legendary street artist, most famous for her portraiture-based artwork and large-scale installations. At Treason, sheâll be showing a mix of new and old pieces in a range of formats, from music boxes to mixed-media pieces. JASMYNE KEIMIG
Closing Saturday
THURSDAY-SUNDAY
FESTIVALSCascadia Poetry Festival
This festival offers two book launches and honors the founder of Copper Canyon Press, Sam Hamill. Hear work by Washington State Poet Laureate Claudia Castro Luna, Copper Canyon Press co-founder William O'Daly, Shin Yu Pai, Stephen Collis, Susan Griffin, Tim McNulty, Stephen Kuusisto, Rebecca Seiferle, Thomas Walton, Nadine Maestas, Elizabeth Cooperman, Jared Leising, EJ Koh, Ian Boyden, Lyn Coffin, Kent Johnson, and others, plus flute music by Christopher Yohmei Blasdel. For poetry lovers, this may be an ideal weekend trip to Anacortes.
Red May 2019
This annual, intellectual "vacation from capitalism" offers new takes on Marx, equality, and economics in community spaces. This week, hear such talks as "The Return of Capitalism," (Sat) "The Secret History of Marxist Alien Hunters" (Sun), and more.
Seattle Beer Week 2019
Seattleâs craft-beer scene is always alive and bubbling with activity, but during Beer Week that geeky enthusiasm gets kicked into high gear, with a stacked lineup of beer dinners, festivals, socials, pub crawls, and releases galore. This year, the festivities will include Cask-O-Rama (12 casks from Seattle breweries on the bar top) at Beveridge Place Pub, a cheddar sandwich competition at Hellbent Brewing, a beer-can derby at the Pine Box, beer and doughnut pairings, and way more. JULIANNE BELL
Neve Mazique-Bianco: Lover of Low Creatures
Sara Porkalob will direct this world premiere from Neve Mazique-Bianco, a disabled dancer and choreographer who incorporates movement from contemporary, jazz, and ballet. This show promises to be a "sung-through Nubian musical ballet that tells the coming-of-age story of a young, biracial, disabled, queer child growing up deep in the heart of white, small-town New Jersey." Mazique-Bianco brings in "punk⊠vogueing⊠and Zar, a trance ritual dance originating from the Horn of Africa" to tell the story. I've never seen Porkalob direct a contemporary-dance-musical before, and Mazique-Bianco's work fuses styles I've also never seen beforeâpunk and Zar??âso I can't wait to see this. RICH SMITH
Small Mouth Sounds
Thaliaâs Umbrella will stage this "(mostly) silent comedy" about seven people trying to stay quiet at a forest retreat.
FRIDAY
COMEDYBig Queer Comedy Show Featuring Mary Jane French
LA's Mary Jane French will headline a night of gay laughs with Pacific Northwest favorites Max Delsohn, Val Nigro, Monisa Brown, Khadija Hassan, Andy Iwancio, and Clara Puton.Â
Paula Poundstone
Paula Poundstone is a divisive comedian. She placed 88 on Comedy Centralâs 2004 list of top 100 stand-ups while clocking in at No. 6 in Maxim magazineâs 2007 list of âWorst Comedians of All-Time.â Well-known for her stints on NPRâs news quiz show Wait Wait⊠Donât Tell Me, she specializes in relatable, everyday anecdotes that come loaded with humorous twists, often glazed with self-deprecation and mild absurdity. Thereâs something Seinfeldian about her act, but sheâs a bit goofier overall than Jerry. Poundstoneâs a seasoned pro, albeit not with the spiciest ingredients. DAVE SEGAL
Qt/PoC Comedy for All
Aisha Farhoud (Bumbershoot, Intersections, Arab-American Comedy Festival) will headline this diverse lineup of queer and POC comics, which also includes the hilariously sardonic Andy Iwancio, Henry Renae Williams III, LLynn Marks, and the musician Cycle of Hands.
Rosé Festival / Tasting
Savor eight blush-pink wines and try fare from Gourmand's Food Truck.
Moby: Then It Fell Apart
Moby will chat with KUOW's Ross Reynolds about the storms of the celebrity lifeâ"hanging out with David Bowie and Lou Reed, Christina Ricci and Madonna, taking ecstasy for breakfast, drinking bottles of vodka, and sleeping with supermodels"âand how, as the title of his new book suggests, such joys cannot last.
Legendary Children
Presented in partnership with Seattle Public Library, SAMâs Legendary Children is one of Seattle's best cultural events. The night is free (although you should RSVP because it sells out) and features great performances, DJs, and art from Seattleâs QTPOC communities. The upcoming Legendary Children will be programmed around SAM's buzzy new exhibition, Jeffrey Gibson: Like a Hammer, which will be open and free during the event. CHASE BURNS
A Queen Within: Adorned Archetypes Opening Party
The fashion exhibition A Queen Within: Adorned Archetypes will open with a bang, featuring two wonderful local acts: the musician Grace Love (Mike Nipper: "Love, both with the True Loves and solo, has excited casual listeners and dance floors across the globe, a bumping testimony to Seattle soul") and the storytelling series She Is Fierce. Plus, the Make Fashion community will show off new designs integrating tech and clothing, the marching band Filthy FemCorps will perform, and DJs will reign over the consoles.
FRIDAY-SATURDAY
VISUAL ARTAnna Macrae and David Traylor: Garden For Daisy
Increasingly recognized Northwest artist Anna Macrae builds landscapes through frenetic, colorful lines, "awkward marks," and blotches of color. David Traylor is a visual artist and landscape architect who's enamored with chaos and patterns.
Artist talk Saturday
The BIG One: PhinneyWood Art Walk
It's the mega-version of the regular romp through the charming neighborhoods of Phinney Ridge and Greenwood! In addition to art, there will be concerts and tasty refreshments. Bring the fam.
FRIDAY-SUNDAY
PERFORMANCEDevi
Anti-colonialism! Classical Indian dancing with occasional modern twists! Swords! This ambitious piece employs "eight Indian dance forms and 45 performers" to tell the story of Prafulya, a destitute teen who grows up to fight British colonial rule. Director Moumita Bhattacharya adapted the story from Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's classic Bengali novel Devi Chaudhurani. Pratidhwani's ChitrangadaâThe Warrior Princess scooped up a Gregory Award for costumes two years ago, so you can expect to be dazzled by rich textiles as you root for Prafulya to beat the British. RICH SMITH
The Diary of Anne Frank
For years, Anne Frank and some relatives and friends lived on the third floor of a building in Amsterdam, in an annex behind a bookcase. They were hiding out from the Nazis. On the ground floor of the building was a jam factory. The Diary of Anne Frank, which won a Tony Award for best play and a Pulitzer Prize for drama, is adapted from Frank's diaries, and it is given fresh relevance by the worldwide re-ascendance of fascism. This coproduction with Indiana Repertory Theatre features several Seattle actors and is intended for anyone over the age of 9. CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE
SATURDAY
COMEDYGargoyle
Two mega-talented improv comedians, Graham Downing and Samantha Demboski, perform a kind of fully improvised noise comedy DJ set with the aid of "cannibalized audio narratives" and soundscapes plus a pair of microphones. It sounds extremely weird, inventive, and, knowing them, probably hilarious.
Miscast
Funny and spontaneous performers are paired with actors following a script to reshape scenes from real movies and series that the improvisers aren't familiar with in this series directed by John Carroll. May's edition is rom-com-themed and entitled "Love Is in the Air." It features Felicia Barnes, Annie Barry, Trevor Brown, James Cashman, Matt Hatfield, Mia Iseman, Amanda Jensen, Hannah Monson, Zak Nelson, Austin Olson, Leah Stoller, and Yolanda Suarez.
Scarecrow Academy 1959: The Greatest Year in Film History
The video rental library Scarecrow's new series contends that 1959 was the best year in film history ever. It saw "a high point of Hollywood studio filmmaking, the rise of new independent cinema, the great flowering of international movies, and the beginning of the French New Wave." Film critic Robert Horton will delve into Roger Corman's horror A Bucket of Blood at this final installment.
Shelf Life
Paul Bartels's black comedy is about three warped adults raised in a bomb shelter, where their parents hid with them after the Kennedy assassination. After the screening, beloved Art Zone host Nancy Guppy will facilitate a Q&A with co-writers O-Lan Jones, Andrea Stein, and Jim Turner.
Mixed Bag: A Comedy and Music Show
The variety show led by poet Jeanine Walker and musician Steve Mauer will get actors Mandy Canales, Amelia Peacock, and Chris Walker as well as Seattle writers onstage for some music, comedy, and fun.
Savage Love Live
You can catch up with a world of sexual misadventures and The Stranger's own Dan Savage's perspicacious, compassionate, and sometimes catty responses in the Savage Lovecast podcast every week. But! For an extra-special raunchy gab session, join Savage for a live talk about strangers' lurid boudoir doings (as the kids call it). With comedian Corina Lucas and musical guest Rachel Lark!
Valtesse
For those with a yen for high-end kink, the performers of Valtesse will revel in opulent "couture burlesque, aerial, whips, chains, dance, and doms." Wear black, red, and/or fetish gear to fit in, and stay on after the show for a party by the fireplace.
Michael Collier and Matthew Nienow
Michael Collier has been publishing poetry for three decades, including in The Clasp and Other Poems, The Ledge (a National Book Critics Circle finalist), and Dark Wild Realm. Matthew Nienow is a Port Townsender who's been published in many prestigious poetry journals and received many fellowships.
Georgetown Art Attack
Once a month, the art scene of the tiny airport hamlet of Georgetown ATTACKS all passersby. In more literal terms, it's the day of art openings and street wonderment. If the westerly locations are too far, there's a free Art Ride! Check out our critics' picks for this month here.Â
SUNDAY
EVERYWHEREMother's Day
Take the opportunity to celebrate all the moms in your life and the moms around the world. You'll find all the ways to celebrate in Seattle on our complete Mother's Day calendar, including Unexpected Productions' Mother's Day Improv Show, brunch at Bastille, the Pike Place Market Flower Festival, and Kirkland's Mother's Day Half Marathon and 5K. VISUAL ART
Ryna Frankel: There's No Place Like Home
Coziness-focused artist Ryna Frankel delves into ideas of home as both an abstract and concrete concept.Â
Closing Sunday
