Seattle-Area Performance & Art
On stage now in the South Sound are two humor-laced shows with dark, almost mystical, elements. Harlequin Productions’ ‘Fun Home’ runs through 10/29; Dukesbay Productions’ ‘Java Tacoma’ closes 10/30.
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‘Sesame Street’-style characters meet grown-up situations in the throwback, puppet-filled Broadway hit ‘Avenue Q’. Renton Civic Theatre’s vibrant staging runs through 10/8.
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Here’s a look at October shows around Tacoma and Olympia — including why it was picked and what about the production might surprise you, straight from the source.
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Two plays on now in the South Sound explore death, life, and teenagehood. ‘This Flat Earth’ runs through 9/17 at Harlequin in Olympia; and ‘The Oregon Trail’ plays through 9/11 at Centerstage in Federal Way.
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Harlequin’s latest brings great music, chemistry between actors, and transformations with a feeling that anything’s possible. Hedwig and the Angry
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Having trouble choosing what to see among the rush of shows this weekend? Here are my takeaways from five of them to help you decide.
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In ‘Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill’, one evening’s concert captures the downward spiral of an American musical icon. Alexandria J. Henderson’s performance puts the singer’s highs and lows on display; it’s just as beautiful to watch as it is heartbreaking. ‘Lady Day’ runs through November 27 in downtown Olympia.
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‘Until the Flood’, Dael Orlandersmith’s interview-based solo show about the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, gets a multi-actor staging at Harlequin Productions in Olympia. It runs through December 4.
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‘Steel Magnolias’ at Taproot Theatre (thru 2/29) and Tacoma Musical Playhouse’s ‘Beehive’ (thru 2/16) center strong female characters, from an ’80s small-town salon to world-class stages of the ’60s.
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The classic farce goes behind the scenes of what might be the worst show ever. Harlequin’s production of it is slapstick that’s as smart, and funny, as it gets. ‘Noises Off’ runs in Olympia through February 8.
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Two versions of ‘A Christmas Carol’ — one new and one classic — seek to highlight the social-justice message at the heart of the original. ‘Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol’ plays at Harlequin in Olympia through 12/31; and ‘A Christmas Carol’ plays at ACT Theatre in Seattle through 12/28.
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Midway through its 40th season, Burien Actors Theatre received an unpleasant surprise: the city was shuttering its building and, in a matter of weeks, its tenants would have to move on. The theatre is asking its fans to step in.
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Sixteen actors take stage in Harlequin Productions’ very strong production of the lush classic comedy. It plays in Olympia through October 26.
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In a two-night stop on the acclaimed musical’s 20th anniversary tour, Tacoma gets a special treat as former Pacific Lutheran University student plays a leading role. It runs through September 25.
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The awards recognize the breadth and quality of theatrical performance in the Tacoma area. ‘Angels in America: Parts 1 & 2’, from Lakewood Playhouse, is a big winner this year.
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In a bold-but-faithful interpretation of the classic musical, Harlequin’s vision puts the tale in a new light. Even from Seattle to Olympia, it’s worth the trip. It runs through July 27.
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Jono Vaughan’s ‘Project 42’ calls out the shortened life expectancy of transgender people, through visual and performative memorials to trans people who were murdered. She talks about the work — which uses handcrafted dresses, complex prints, and dance — on April 4 at Tacoma Art Museum.
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A fashion show at the Tacoma Art Museum, produced by Fashion District NW, brought inventive & artistic looks to the runway in a free-flowing environment. The next show, Couture & Cars, is July 20.
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The compelling play, at Tacoma’s Dukesbay Theater through March 17, grapples intensely with issues of faith and logic, worldliness and spirituality, and guilt and innocence. None of them are cut and dry.
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