Culture Fiend

Met Picks: Jay-Z and Kanye West, Tony Bennett, Midnight in Paris

The top 10 things to see or do this weekend.

Posted by: Seattle Met staff on Dec 15, 2011 at 02:00PM 0 Comments

Before Amy Winehouse passed on July 23, she recorded “Body and Soul” with Tony Bennett.

CONCERT “Retirement” isn’t in Tony Bennett’s vocabulary. At 85, he became the oldest living artist to crack the Billboard 100 with his duet with Amy Winehouse, which was reportedly her final recording. Hear him croon at the Paramount. Dec 17.

Jay-Z and Kanye West, two of hip-hop’s biggest egos, have joined forces as new supergroup the Throne. Imagine the sheer tonnage of bling at the Tacoma Dome this weekend. Dec 16.

FILM Straight from the Criterion Collection vault: Enjoy new 35mm prints of Michelangelo Antonioni’s exquisite first color film, Red Desert (1964), and Luchino Visconti’s slow-cooking drama The Leopard (1963), starring Burt Lancaster as an aging Italian prince, during SIFF’s Masters of Italian Cinema Double Feature. Dec 16–22.

Just in time for Woody Allen’s jazz night at the Paramount: His uber-popular Midnight in Paris has been rereleased at SIFF (Dec 16–22) and Varsity Theatre. Don’t miss it.

THEATER Find out what sugarplum fairies do on their days off in the Triple Door’s Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker It’s a blur of skin, ballet, and swing—with Waxie Moon as the Rat King—in this racy rendition of the wintertime show. Thru Dec 24.

During irreverent storytelling session Short Stories Live! A Rogue Christmas at Town Hall, ACT thespians play well-intentioned hoodlums in Damon Runyon’s “Dancing Dan’s Christmas” and expose Santa’s false identity in John Mortimer’s “Rumpole and Father Christmas.” Dec 18.

The lovable schmendriks behind Tractor Tavern’s annual Holiday Bizarre: A Jewish Christmas! have turned their unholy Christmas parody into a fully formed musical this year. Now at ACT, Wisemen follows three lawyers—Goldberg, Frankenstein, and Murray—hired to represent Joseph in a paternity trial over Mary’s pregnancy. Thru Dec 22.

CLASSICAL & MORE The chorus sings “Hallelujah!” under the baton of Columbus Symphony director Jean-Marie Zeitouni for the annual performance of Handel’s Messiah at Benaroya Hall. Dec 16–18.

Several members of the defunct Bellevue Philharmonic have joined the newly formed Candlelight Concerts Orchestra, which makes its debut this weekend with holiday concerts in Mercer Island and Bellevue. Dec 15 & 17.

VISUAL ART In the new multimedia exhibit Time, Wasted at Nepo House, Shaun Scott’s documentary Waste of Time attacks American consumerism over the decades, using vintage ads and lingering shots of our recession-plagued, postindustrial country (backed by Seattle music). The film screens in conjunction with a photography exhibit by Virginia Wilcox that also captures a desolate American landscape. Dec 17.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Met Picks, Weekend

Guns N’ Roses: A Lamentation

We had the LA rockers on repeat for about a decade—but we can’t bring ourselves to see them in concert this Friday.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Dec 15, 2011 at 11:00AM 0 Comments

It just ain’t the same anymore.

I’m not afraid to say that Guns N’ Roses helped me make friends. I had just started a study abroad program in Melbourne, Australia, and was living in a dorm full of locals who weren’t as enamored with my accent as I was with theirs. It’s not like I had moved to Tokyo, but yeah, there was a little culture shock. Start with the guy on my hallway who actually used all the Aussie slang printed on coffee mugs in tourist shops: “chockablock,” “good on ya,” “fair dinkum.” They slathered tar on their toast and called it Vegemite. They hated peanut butter.

The only common ground I found in the beginning was “beer”…until I heard Slash’s guitar solo to “Sweet Child o’ Mine” through my next-door neighbor’s walls. I knew that solo. I loved that solo. Not back when they first debuted Appetite for Destruction— I was only six, and Slash wasn’t the greatest role model —but through high school and college, when I played GNR on repeat for the better part of a decade. It was “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Paradise City” before every soccer game, and “November Rain” when I was mad at my mom for not letting me wear man-sized flannel shirts to school. And when I daydreamed about fronting a rock band, I always started my set with a cover of “Sweet Child o’ Mine.” If Axl could hit those falsetto notes, imagine what a girl could do!

It seemed my Aussie wallmate had the same daydream. Aaron, a skinny redhead who disappeared behind his electric guitar, had been perfecting the Slash solo in his dorm room—with the door open—for the better part of an hour. I got up the nerve to peek in, offered some kind of lame compliment, and then got to chatting about how amazing it would be to see GNR live. The rest, they say, is ace.

Fast forward to today. A week after Guns N’ Roses entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (beating out Northwest favorites Heart, no less), a ghostly shade of the band is slated to play KeyArena this Friday. And it’s killing me. It’s as close as I’ll ever get to seeing them live, but this is imitation GNR. A cover band. Axl Rose, now with cornrows, and his backing seven. Sure, Duff McKagan’s new band Loaded will open, and I hear the concerts are three-hour epics, but when it comes to the international language of Slash’s guitar solo, I’d rather hear the original.

Guns N’ Roses plays KeyArena Dec 16 at 8.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Concert, KeyArena

Curator Robin Held to Leave the Frye

She’s going to head up nonprofit Reel Grrls.

Posted by: Allison Williams on Dec 14, 2011 at 06:00PM 0 Comments

Photo: Ryan McVay

Robin Held shows off a dark, dripping ensemble.

As reported by Jen Graves at The Stranger, the Frye Museum of Art’s chief curator, Robin Held, is leaving to head up youth nonprofit Reel Grrls. She leaves in February after six years at the First Hill institution, and director Jo-Anne Birnie Danzker hasn’t announced a replacement.

When we asked Robin Held to describe her personal style last year, she called it, “dripping, dragging, dark.” But her tenure at the Frye was more than simply dark—she added to the museum’s collection of 19th-century paintings by commissioning art that was both multidisciplinary and daring.

In March, she spoke to Seattle Met about the Degenerate Art Ensemble, a local performance art group that she brought to the Frye. The troupe takes its name from a German art exhibit the Nazis disapproved of; and DAE shows the same kind of fearlessness in its multimedia work: dance, music, video, and sculpture, including a ninja battle skirt. Held encouraged experimentation, and her influence at the Frye will be missed.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Visual Art, frye art museum

A Great Reason to Rewatch Elf

Add some syrup to your pasta at Central Cinema.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Dec 14, 2011 at 04:00PM 0 Comments

Catch your favorite holiday films on the big screen all week:

Will Ferrell takes on Manhattan in green tights and Zooey Deschanel saves the day with a round of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” in the Elf screening at Central Cinema. The best part about watching it here, though, is that you can order a full meal (plus beer or wine) and they might, just might, have some syrup to add to your pasta. Dec 16–23.

Central Cinema will also host a TV Dinner: Holiday Specials screening of A Charlie Brown Christmas, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the original cartoon, not that Jim Carrey schlock), and Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special. Dec 19.

Join George Bailey in a rousing “Merry Christmas, Movie House!” during Grand Illusion Cinema’s annual screening of It’s a Wonderful Life. Thru Dec 29.

Nosh Pit reports that High 5 Pie on Capitol Hill is serving up movie nights on Monday evenings from 7 to 10. Recently, they had It’s a Wonderful Life with a side of caramel pecan.

And don’t miss Three Dollar Bill Cinema’s holiday tradition: a screening of Auntie Mame on December 15. Because nothing says “Happy Holidays” like caviar, cocktails, and a glittering Rosalind Russell.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Holiday Events, Film

Introducing the Eastside’s Newest Orchestra

Members of the defunct Bellevue Philharmonic have found a new outlet.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Dec 14, 2011 at 12:30PM 1 Comments

The Bellevue Philharmonic played its final concert in July, bowing to financial strain after 43 years of concerts—but flutes will trill again this weekend under a different baton. The Seattle Times reported yesterday that several members of the Phil have joined the newly formed Candlelight Concerts Orchestra, which makes its debut December 15 with a holiday concert on Mercer Island. Western Washington orchestra director Arthur Shaw will conduct a program of seasonal Vivaldi, Haydn, and Corelli selections at Emmanuel Episcopal Church on Thursday night, followed by a concert at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Bellevue on Saturday. The Times has the details.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Bellevue, Mercer Island, Eastside, Classical and More

A Little Tennis, Anyone?

The husband-and-wife pop duo plays the Crocodile tonight.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Dec 14, 2011 at 11:30AM 0 Comments

After months spent sailing the Eastern seaboard, husband-and-wife duo Tennis turned out Cape Dory in January, a debut album of nostalgic ’60s pop gems that reflected all that sunshine and fresh air. It was a slice of summer in the middle of the winter.

But Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore seem to have found their sea legs with brand-new single “Origins,” off their forthcoming album Young and Old (due out Feb 2012). It’s more grounded, with a hint of soul (bolstered by synthesizers and a horn section). It bodes well for tonight’s concert at the Crocodile; tickets are ludicrously cheap ($12) and still available at thecrocodile.com.

Origins by tennisinc

Tennis plays the Crocodile Dec 14 at 8pm.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Concert, The Crocodile

Holiday Gifting, Part Three: Six Ways to Volunteer

How and where you can give your time this season.

Posted by: Allie Oosta on Dec 13, 2011 at 09:00AM 0 Comments

Want to volunteer but can’t wrap a gift to save your life? YouTube will help.

’Tis the season for giving back—but where? Consult this list for Seattle-based nonprofits, charities, shelters, and more, that could benefit from your time this year.

If you’re good at talking on the phone…
Make Sure Seattle Residents Have Heat for the Holidays This volunteer opportunity involves four hours of calling citizens who are just a few steps away from receiving City of Seattle benefits, like help with their utilities and heat, but haven’t completed their applications. Help them finish the process; start by registering at the United Way of King County website. Dec 15 from 3 to 7. 18 and up, or 15 and up with an adult.

If you’re proud of your gift-wrapping skills…
Wrap Presents at the Northgate Mall All proceeds from this event benefit the Family Emergency Services fund, a program that helps families of children with cancer with food, utilities, and transportation. No gift-wrapping experience necessary (although, hey, try your best). Shifts from 9:30–7:30, thru Dec 24.

If you’re a whiz at packing a car…
Repack Food for Shelters and Food Banks Food Lifeline receives bulk food donations that need to be repackaged and labeled before they’re sent to over 300 shelters and food banks in Western Washington. To help, all you need are some solid, closed-toe shoes and a warm coat. Shoreline. Dec 27 from 6 to 8.

If you’re strong…
Retrieve and Organize Holiday Donations The YWCA of King County and Snohomish County will receive lots of donations this month for local families living in poverty. They need volunteers to carry 10–25 lb. packages throughout the day, organize them, and be a cheerful “ambassador” to people dropping off donations. Dec 15 & 16. Wear comfortable, close-toed shoes.

If you like to cook…
Cook for the Homeless FareStart delivers food to shelters and homeless programs across Seattle. Volunteer to chop or peel vegetables, and prepare meals like lasagna. Jan 8, 10:30–2:30.

If you’re crafty…
Be a Greeting Card Maker The Meals on Wheels folks need homemade thank you’s and get well cards for their amazing volunteers. Mail to Senior Services, Inc. Attnetion Leslie Smith 2895 Shorefair Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27105

Visit these websites for more volunteer opportunities:
Share Our Strength: Seattle Soup Kitchens
Volunteer in King County: Food Bank Volunteers Wanted
United Way of King County: Adopt-a-Family or Donate

Add a Comment »

Tags: Holiday Gift Guide 2011

Highlights from ‘An Evening with Gary Oldman’

Acting royalty comes to Seattle for a preview screening of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Dec 12, 2011 at 04:00PM 0 Comments

Gary Oldman stars as M16 agent George Smiley in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

Sunday night. SIFF Cinema at the Uptown was packed, sweaty, filled with puffy jackets and buttered popcorn and giddy adults waiting to see acting royalty Gary Oldman. Even Dale Chihuly was there, back row center. If Twilight fans are Twihards, we were…what, Oldhards? Old Men? Or maybe just fans of John le Carre, whose 1974 British spy novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is the basis of Oldman’s new film. It’s been called the greatest spy story ever told, a steely Cold War thriller about double-agents that makes Fleming’s Bond series look like chick lit. And at its center is George Smiley, a senior M16 agent tasked with finding the mole within British intelligence whose feeding intel to the Russians.

Actor Alec Guinness has been synonymous with Smiley ever since his turn in the BBC miniseries—it’s the kind of performance people call “definitive,” which is a lovely thing to hear when you’re another actor slated to play Smiley. It took Oldman a month to agree to the part in Tomas Alfredson’s feature-length adaptation. “The ghost of Guinness has loomed very large,” Oldman told the audience at SIFF. “I was really quite terrified, because of the inevitable comparisons… But then I said, Pull yourself together, Gary.”

After all, this is Gary Oldman. The chameleon. The man who’s played heroin-addled Sex Pistol Sid Vicious and a pimp in True Romance; mentored Harry Potter as Sirius Black; manned the bat signal as Commissioner Gordon in The Dark Knight. “People say I always play these big, extravagant characters, but they haven’t seen the whole career,” Oldman said. Then again… “When I’m wound up and let go, I can be very big,” he added with a smile.

But 53-year-old Oldman is nearly unrecognizable as Smiley. The natural charm is shoved down deep, hiding behind Smiley’s enormous 1970s square-frame glasses. He’s the definition of taciturn, seeming to communicate by blinking, and while the film is so subtle it’s maddening (who is Karla? What’s this “circus” they keep talking about?), Oldman’s silent stare speaks volumes. Seems Oldman got so close to director Alfredson, they didn’t need to talk, either. “By the end, we didn’t even need language,” he joked. “We communicated telepathically.”

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy opens in various Landmark Theatres on Dec 25.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Film, SIFF, Celebrity Interview

Holiday Gifting, Part Two: Our Favorite Seattle Albums

Plus: recently released books for under the tree.

Posted by: Seattle Met staff on Dec 12, 2011 at 12:00PM 0 Comments

It’s a CD! Remember these?

Given the difficulty of wrapping an MP3 and sticking it under the tree, consider giving an actual book or CD this holiday season. We’ve rounded up the latest and greatest options:

MUSIC
Blue Scholars, Cinemetropolis Seattle’s hip-hop veterans raised the bar with their third and latest full-length album, a package of socially conscious rhymes, soulful beats, and short films inspired by the raps; it’s “a visual soundtrack.” Available at bluescholars.bandcamp.com

Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues Can’t go wrong with a Grammy-nominated Folk Album of the Year. Blues is one of their richest collections to date—folk rock that’s acid-washed in psychedelic pop, with plenty of soaring vocal harmonies reminiscent of the Foxes of 2008. Lead singer Robin Pecknold broods with the best of them. Available at subpop.com

Pickwick, Myths: Vol 1–3 Get in on the ground floor of Seattle’s soul revival. The local sextet boasts a lead singer, Galen Disston, who sounds like he came straight from Motown—but they only have three EPs to date. Package them up for the music lover in the family who thinks he’s heard everything. Available at pickwick.bandcamp.com

Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs, Alone in This Together Star Anna (her given name) was discovered busking outside an Ellensburg cafe at age 16, and the guitarist now counts Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready and Guns N’ Roses’s Duff McKagan as fans and collaborators. She lends aching vocals to alt-country that has the grit and passion of hard-driving rock and roll. Available at staranna.com

Various Artists, Live at KEXP, Volume 7 The Live at KEXP collection is the equivalent of a professional mix tape, and we look forward to it every year. Station DJs pick their favorite live, in-studio performances by local indie bands and national acts for a disc as diverse as your music tastes; this year’s album includes tracks by the Head and the Heart, Florence and the Machine, Jonsi, Sharon van Etten, and Wild Flag. Available at kexp.org/cd

BOOKS
Hemingway’s Boat: Everything He Loved in Life, and Lost: 1934–1961 by Paul Hendrickson (September 2011). For the avid readers and writers in your life, this biography is full of rich detail about the real hardships that plagued Hemingway’s life. $15–$30, available on amazon.com and at Elliott Bay Book Co

Historical Atlas of Washington and Oregon by Derek Hayes (October 2011). Curious about your city and surrounding land? This would make a good gift for map lovers or, you know, someone with a lot of coffee tables. $25–$40, available on amazon.com and at Queen Anne Books

The Future Remembered: The 1962 Seattle World’s Fair and Its Legacy by Paula Becker and Alan J. Stein (October 2011). Take a trip back in time with this incredibly well-researched history of the fair, teeming with photos and Bubbleator anecdotes. $40, available at thenextfifty.org

Home Made by Yvette van Boven (September 2011). In a city filled with farm-to-table recipe lovers and eager at-home chefs, there’s at least one person on your list in need of a good cookbook. Van Boven does it all from scratch with step-by-step photos and a dash of irreverence. $25–$40, available on amazon.com

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach (September 2011). Nobody tell Dad, but this is already wrapped and waiting for him. Harbach’s debut novel is ostensibly about baseball, luring all the sports fans, but the gripping saga of the star shortstop landed the book on the New York Times Ten Best Books of 2011 list. $15–$25, available on amazon.com

With contributions by Allie Oosta, Laura Dannen, and Lisa Han.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Holiday Gift Guide 2011

Bushwick Book Club Seattle Sets Hunter S. Thompson to Music

An unusual book club creates songs of fear and loathing for the concert hall.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Dec 09, 2011 at 10:25AM 0 Comments

Illustration: Carty Sewill

Originally published December 2011. "There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge,” Hunter S. Thompson warns in the opening pages of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, as he freewheels across the Nevada desert in a red Chevy convertible with a trunk full of drugs and booze. (“Two bags of grass, 75 pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half full of cocaine…”)

But what would Thompson’s mescaline-fueled misadventures sound like if they were a symphony? It’s the latest challenge set by Seattle’s Bushwick Book Club, a rotating cast of singer-songwriters that performs original music inspired by a monthly reading assignment. Bushwick launched in October 2010 with a Slaughterhouse-Five session at the Can Can cabaret (and about 50 friends in the audience). Since then, they’ve tackled S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity, Frank Miller’s graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns, even Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States. Tonight, they’ll hold their biggest show yet, as the 60-piece Seattle Rock Orchestra joins them for a little Fear and Loathing at Town Hall.

Read more about the Bushwick Book Club in our December feature.

The Bushwick Book Club Seattle and Seattle Rock Orchestra Present: Original Music Inspired by Hunter S. Thompson’s ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’, Dec 9 at 8pm at Town Hall. Tickets are $13–$15.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Concert, Seattle Rock Orchestra, Town Hall, Books & Talks

Met Picks: Florence and the Machine, An Evening with Gary Oldman, CookieFest

The top 10 things to see or do this weekend.

Posted by: Seattle Met staff on Dec 08, 2011 at 02:00PM 0 Comments

Wild child Florence Welch fronts Florence and the Machine at WaMu Theater tonight.

CONCERT Touring behind a brand-new album, Ceremonials, British rockl band Florence and the Machine gives us hope that “The Dog Days” are really, truly over. The Head and the Heart and Mat Kearney open at WaMu Theater. Dec 8.

Alt-country mixed with soul? That’s Pickwick, a local sextet whose lead singer, Galen Disston, sounds like he came straight from Motown. They share the bill at the Neptune with rising Americana act Campfire OK. Dec 8.

The Bushwick Book Club Seattle and the 60-piece Seattle Rock Orchestra team up at Town Hall for a concert of original music inspired by Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Read on for more on this unusual book club. Dec 9.

FILM Revisit Peter Bogdanovich’s desolate Texas town and high school drama in a new 35mm print of two-time Oscar winner The Last Picture Show. It screens at NW Film Forum. Dec 9–11.

Lots of good stuff at SIFF Cinema at the Uptown this weekend. Families may want to check out the annual Willy Wonka in Smell-O-Vision event (Dec 9–11). SIFF turns the classic Gene Wilder Wonka into a multisensory experience, complete with candy-filled goodie bags. And on Sunday, actor/chameleon Gary Oldman —whose recent credits include Sirius Black in the Harry Potter series and Commissioner Gordon in Dark Knight—is in house for a showing of his new thriller Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, followed by a Q&A. (Note: This event is sold out.)

SPECIAL EVENT Count ’em: 10,000 cookies for sale—shortbread, chocolate chip, gingerbread men—all made with love by two dozen of the city’s top bakeries and culinary schools for CookieFest. Proceeds support the Seattle Milk Fund. Dec 10, 9am.

DANCE At Velocity’s Next Fest NW: Theft and Devotion, emerging regional artists and genre benders showcase the latest in modern dance, including video installations by KT Niehoff, Amy O/tinyrage, and ballerina-turned-burlesque star Lily Verlaine. Dec 8–12.

VISUAL ART Chicago-based artist Theaster Gates comes to SAM with an installation of cultural ephemera built around a collection of 4,000 salvaged vinyl records from the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s. A DJ will sample from the exhibit on the first Thursday and Sunday of the month. Dec 9–July 1, 2012

HOLIDAY FARE Holiday Pops conductor Marvin Hamlisch, known for his extensive movie composing and EGOT award haul, leads the Seattle Symphony in holiday standards: "It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “Let it Snow,” “O Holy Night,” and more. Dec 8–11.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Met Picks, Weekend

Give the Gift of Coldplay

Tickets are the perfect size for a stocking—or for your pocket (we won’t tell!).

Posted by: Allie Oosta on Dec 08, 2011 at 11:00AM 0 Comments

Dive into images of coral, whales, and harp seals at National Geographic Live: Ocean Soul on January 30 and 31.

In our first installment of the Culture Fiend holiday gift guide, we rounded up 10 ticket ideas that should cover everyone on your gift list.

For fans of stadium rock concerts…
How’s this for a heads-up: We just got word this morning that Coldplay is coming to KeyArena on April 25 to show off its new album Mylo Xyloto; tickets go on sale December 17 at 10am ticketmaster.com.

For the sassy friend…
Hear humorist and best-selling author David Sedaris read from his diary (among other things) at Benaroya Hall. Tickets are $38–$47. Apr 29.

Portlandia visits Seattle on December 28 for an onstage SNL-styled night of sketch comedy, live music, and a sneak peak of the TV show’s new season. Tickets are $20–$30.

For the coworker dancing in her seat with her headphones on…
Fitz and the Tantrums, a steamy six-piece LA soul band, plays Showbox at the Market next month. Tickets are $20–$25. Jan 20 & 21.

For the animal lovers…
National Geographic Live: Ocean Soul Spend an evening oohing and aahing over Nat Geo photographer’s Brian Skerry’s close-ups of Antarctic whales, North Atlantic harp seals, and Pacific coral, gathered from his 10,000 hours spent underwater. Tickets are $12–$35. Jan 30 & 31.

For the cinephiles and celebrity stalkers…
A full-series pass to the Seattle International Film Festival, slated for May 19–June 12, would be a helluva stocking stuffer. Tickets are $500 to $2,850, but smaller packages are also available at siff.net. Early bird ticket prices are available now thru Jan 17.

Woody Allen and his New Orleans Jazz Band play the Paramount Theatre on December 26. Plus, we get the day off, so celebrate Boxing Day with a little neurotic clarinet. Tickets are $46–$86.

During The Matrix Live: Film in Concert, the Seattle Symphony will play the score to the first film live as Neo enters the matrix on the big screen behind the orchestra. Costumes are encouraged. Tickets are $17–$90. June 28 & 29.

For your mother…
Seattle is the only American stop for Gauguin and Polynesia, a traveling collection of the painter’s Tahitian masterpieces. Schedule a time to see the exhibit at Seattle Art Museum; passes are $9–$15. Feb 9–Apr 29.

For the little ones in your life…
Arnold Lobel’s beloved book series A Year with Frog and Toad was adapted as a Broadway musical in 2003, and now Seattle Children’s Theatre is putting its touch on it. Tickets are $25–$36. Thru Jan 15.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Holiday Gift Guide 2011