Toasty Theatre Picks: After the Freeze, Thaw Out with These

R. Barron picks a bounty of stage treats, ranging from rock musicals to comedy to dance to old, OLD plays to brand new plays to check out these last two weeks of this never ending February….

Brand new musical in progress THE PASSAGE at Village Theatre.

Now-2/24 (Wednesday-Sunday)

The Passage @ Village First Stage Theatre (Issaquah)  

This smart, grown-up new musical centers on kids, life transitions, & slaying monsters, presented from their perspectives.  It’s a sweet script that sent a lot of people to tears, with plenty of laughs too. This is a developmental production, where things can (& will) change at every show — but it’s fun to see things a bit rough & in-flux.  Some of my favorite Village shows have been First Stage & developmental performances. There are some real standouts among this particular cast, too.  

7:30 pm Wed. & Thur.; 8 pm Fri. & Sat.; 2 & 7 pm Sun.  

Tickets $30 ($15 industry rush/phone).  Info & schedule here.  

Now-2/24 (Tuesday-Sunday)

Rock of Ages @ 5th Avenue Theatre (Downtown)

This big, goofy musical features lots of big talent, a big glitzy stage, & big-hair rock songs.  Don’t expect much plot, but it’s a lot of fun, and cool to see Starship singer Mickey Thomas in an acting role, alongside some of Seattle’s greatest talent.  Read Michael Strangeways’ review here.  

7:30 pm Tue. thru Thur.; 8 pm Fri. & Sat.; 7 pm Sun.; 1:30 pm matinees Thur. (2/21) & Sun. (2/24); 2 pm matinee Sat. (2/23)

Tickets up to $175; various discounts available, including for industry, and downtown workers & residents.  Info & schedule here.  

Now-2/24 (Wednesday-Sunday)

Alien/Angel @ Cafe Nordo (Pioneer Square)  

Four savory & sweet pies are the culinary centerpiece of a solo performance by Devin Bannon as Klaus Nomi, a queer German singer, along with a two-person band and backup dancers.  Known as the weirdo’s weirdo, starving artist Klaus was famous for trading his homemade pastries in exchange for studio time and rehearsal space to create music that became inspiration for artists like David Bowie and Joey Arias.  Now, on his comeback tour from outer space, Klaus tells the tale of his brush with fame as a singer in New York in the ‘80s, and his all-too-young death as one of the first celebrity victims of the AIDS epidemic.

7:30 pm Thur. thru Sat.; 6 pm Sun.  

Tickets $79.  Info & tickets here.

Now-3/2 (Thursday-Saturday)

The Devil & Sarah Blackwater @ Annex Theatre (Capitol Hill)

A new musical from Annex, featuring a queer love story.  Singer-songwriter Sarah Blackwater’s tour is rudely interrupted when the Devil comes calling about a debt: The eternal soul of her partner, Sam. With love as her only compass, Sarah goes through hell and back, to discover what’s really worth holding onto.

7:30 pm; added shows 2 pm Sun. (2/17 only) & 7:30 pm Mon. (2/18 only)

Tickets $20 (sliding scale discounts available).  Info & tickets here.  

Now-3/3 (Wednesday-Sunday)

Arsenic & Old Lace @ Taproot Theatre (Greenwood)

Nothing quite warms the heart like a show about serial killers — and competitive ones at that. OK, I’m no Bundy enthusiast and I avoid that whole murder genre, but this one’s a comedy — really.  Unsurprisingly, I found the quips ripping theatre critics particularly good, but the whole wonky family is warm and funny. Taproot does a nice job of it, with great casting and a gorgeous set.

7:30 pm Wed. & Thur.; 8 pm Fri. & Sat.; 2 pm matinees Sat., Wed. (2/27 only), & Sun. (3/3 only).  

Tickets up to $50. Info & schedule here.  

Now-3/3 (Thursday-Sunday)

The Clean House – As If Theatre @ Kenmore Community Club (Kenmore)

A brand-new theatre company, and one of few serving the north end, As If takes on this funny play by Sarah Ruhl, about strong women supporting each other around a cheating husband.  Deadpan delivery from Amy Gentry is a stand-out.

7:30 pm Thur. thru Sat.; 5 pm Sun.; industry night 7:30 Mon. (2/18 only)

Tickets $25.  Info & tickets here.

Now-4/28 (Tuesday-Sunday)

Ditch – Cherdonna Shinatra & DONNA @ Frye Art Museum (First Hill)

Cherdonna Shinatra and her new dance troupe, DONNA, tackle femininity & people-pleasing in this daily colorful performance art/dance/clowning piece.  

11:30 am Tue. & Fri.; 2 pm Wed., Sat., Sun.; 5 pm Thur.

Free admission; arrive early.  Info & schedule here.

Now-Ever (Wednesdays)

Joketellers Union Comedy Showcase @ Clock-Out Lounge (Beacon Hill)

Warm up with comedy, welcoming personalities, booze, and the very finest pizza in town (says me & also Seattle Magazine).  The comedy quality varies based on the invited guest performers, but there’s always something good. Emmett Montgomery & Bret Hamil host.  (Read more on Montgomery here.)   

8:30 pm

Tickets $7 at the door.  Info here.

2/20-2/23 (Wednesday-Saturday)

It’s Only Kickball, Stupid – Fantastic.Z @ 18th & Union (Central District)  

Part playground dramedy and part class reunion, this 2014 work by Brooklyn playwright Caroline Prugh looks at early same-sex crushes and growing up.   

7:30 pm

Tickets $20.  Info & tickets here.  

2/22 (Friday)

The Panel Jumper: LIVE @ West of Lenin (Fremont)

The Panel Jumper is a celebration of comics and nerd culture, which centers geekdom in a format that’s fun for non-geeks alike.  This episode’s industry guest is Kelly Froh, an Ignatz Award-nominated cartoonist, co-founder and Executive Director of Short Run Comix & Arts Festival.  Plus singer/songwriter and multi-media artist Brittany Allyson; a short play by Matt Smith; a live recording of the Perfect Bound Podcast; dance by Kendra Hayes; nerdtastic boylesque from DNyall; and the premiere screening of the latest episode of The Panel Jumper web series.  

8 pm

Tickets $15.  Info & tickets here.

2/22-2/24 (Friday-Sunday)

Tint Dance Festival @ Erickson Theatre (Capitol Hill)

An annual dance festival celebrating dancers and choreographers of color.  This year’s artists are Jenny Boissiere, Alicia Mullikin, PRICEarts, Ayako Shapiro, Ron Smith, Laura Ann Smyth, Warren Woo.  The mission of festival is to provide dance performance opportunities where choreographers and dancers of color are represented and celebrated on stage and artists of color have space to tell their stories with bodies that are representative of the truths they are sharing.

8 pm Fri. & Sat., 7 pm Sun.

Tickets $25.  Info & tickets here.

 

Lakewood Playhouse takes up the challenge of staging Tony Kushner’s epic 2 part AIDS drama, ANGELS IN AMERICA.

2/22-3/17 (Wednesday-Sunday)

Angels in America I & II @ Lakewood Playhouse (Pierce County)

Lakewood Playhouse takes on both parts of Tony Kushner’s epic, playing in repertory, on the AIDS epidemic.  Part I, set in 1980’s New York City, follows a gay man abandoned by his lover when he contracts the AIDS virus, and a closeted Mormon lawyer whose marriage to his pill-popping wife stalls. In Part II, the plague of AIDS worsens, relationships fall apart as new, and unexpected friendships, take form.

Part I: 7 pm Wed., Fri., Sat., 2 pm Sun.; Part II: 7 pm Thur. & Sun.

Tickets $26; pay-what-you-can performances every Wed. (Part I) & Thur. (Part II).  Info here; schedule & tickets here.  

2/23 (Saturday)

B-Sides – Fantastic.Z @ 18th & Union (Central District)  

Accompanying its main production, Fantastic.Z also presents staged readings of five short LGBTQ plays.  

4 pm

No advance tickets; $10 donation suggested at door.  Info here.