My…what an odd weekend of theater events and openings. We got some plays; we got some dance; we got some “arse”; we got some gay guys singing in their smartypants…Only in Seattle, folks!
Certified genius, Seattle native and all around dance god Mark Morris returns to Seattle with his dance troupe for their third collaboration with the Seattle Symphony this weekend at The Paramount with performances of Haydn’s Horn Concerto No. 2 in D major, A Lake; Bach’s Jesu, Meine Freud; and Vivaldi’s Gloria which will be conducted by Mark Morris himself. This is a must see event for fans of dance and classical music and tickets are still available for both the Friday and Saturday evening performances at 8pm and the 2pm matinee on Sunday. Check it out.
If you’re not in the mood for classical music/dance and more in the mood for gayer/peppier tunes sung by a bunch of cute gay guys with great voices, then a better option for you might be 100 Years of Captain Smartypants, a retrospective, 10th anniversary celebration featuring the greatest hits of the beloved ensemble group from the Seattle Men’s Chorus. You can check them out Friday at 8pm and Saturday at 9pm Downstairs at Town Hall, 8th & Seneca on First Hill. It’ll be a night of vintage and new material, video, costumes and choreography…and, men in tight, but ugly, purple and green pants…
One of Seattle’s newest theater companies is also one of our most interesting theater companies and ArtAttack’s last show, Neil LaBute’s Fat Pig, earned rave reviews and an extended run. Their latest provocatively titled production is Wiping My Mother’s Arse by Scottish playwright Iain Heggie which opens tonight, May 20 at their theater space at 1715 East Olive Way on Capitol Hill and it’s eagerly anticipated by Seattle theater lovers. This gay themed production about an infirm elderly woman, her estranged closet-case son and the new care-giver in her life who just happens to be the ex-lover of the closet-case son promises to be “a wickedly dark comedy full of surprises for the characters as well as the audience…” SGS is checking it out on Saturday; we’ll get a review up as quick as we can so you can judge for yourself. “Arse” runs through June 13 and if it’s as big a hit as “Fat Pig”, it might end up running through Pride weekend…
A different kind of gay play is the old chestnut, Charlie’s Aunt currently being revived by the folks at Taproot Theatre Company in their currently recovering from that damn arson fire at 204 North 85th Street in Greenwood. This family friendly cornfest about eager young men resorting to drag to get closer to some visiting young ladies has been a mainstay of high school and amateur theaters for about 850 years. You can check it out at Taproot until June 12.
I had a few reservations about West, their latest theater piece which I reviewed last month, but I still love the art/music/theater ensemble “Awesome” and I did love the music from West so I encourage you to check them out Sunday night, May 23 at the Fireside Room in the Sorrento Hotel, 900 Madison Street, for a chamber recital of music from the show with very special guests Nick Garrison and Sarah Rudinoff, (who are also incredibly awesome). Afterwards, there will be a discussion of the music with the musicians and Mark Baumgarten from City Arts magazine and Matthew Richter, the director of West. It sounds like arty fun to me, and I would love to go to this, but less arty fun will be calling me on Sunday night as I settle in for a night of Lost Finale watching…when the Smoke Monster calls, you must answer him…but the rest of you should check this out.
-Michael Strangeways
About the Author: Michael Strangeways
