Culture Fiend

Met Picks: Gauguin at SAM, An Evening with Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert

The top 10 things to see or do this weekend.

Posted by: Seattle Met staff on Feb 09, 2012 at 02:00PM 0 Comments

The art of video games See Ken Taya’s Elly Robo at the Wing.

SPECIAL EVENT

Feb 11
An Evening with Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert
These celebrity chefs and unlikely friends will dish about the restaurant industry in their one-night stand at the Paramount. It’s being billed as “good versus evil,” but how do they really stack up? Read our Chef Showdown to find out. Paramount Theatre, $55–$200.

THEATER

Thru Mar 4
I Am My Own Wife
Playwright Doug Wright (Quills, Grey Gardens) tells the true story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a transvestite in East Germany who proudly cross-dresses during Nazi and Communist occupation. Who better to play Charlotte—plus 30 other characters—than Seattle’s own Hedwig, Nick Garrison. Seattle Rep, $12–$59.

Oklahoma!
Those familiar Rodgers and Hammerstein tunes are still intact (“O-k-l-a-h-o-m-a!”), but in this updated production of the 1940s musical, Jud Fry will be played by a black actor (Kyle Scatliffe), and Spectrum Dance’s Donald Byrd has infused the dance numbers with a bit of grit. 5th Avenue Theatre, $29–$139.

CLASSICAL & MORE

Feb 10 & 12
Unstrung Hero
Clarinettist Sean Osborn, who debuted at 17 at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, joins the ensemble for Brahms’s brooding Clarinet Quintet and his own Beatles-inspired composition for clarinet and strings. Fri at Q Cafe, Sun at Mt Baker Community Center, free–$30.

DANCE

Feb 11 & 12
Chop Shop: Bodies of Work
Eleven of the Northwest’s modern dance masters—including Spectrum’s Donald Byrd and founding Mark Morris Dance Group member Penny Hutchinson—head to the Eastside for this fifth-annual festival of dance performances, master classes, and lectures. Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, $20–$25.

FAMILY

Feb 10–June 17
Asian American Arcade
Hit the pause button and examine the creativity of video games; this new exhibit showcases paintings and 2D imagery by seven local artists, and an installation inside a play station, naturally. Wing Luke Museum, $9–$13, opening reception Feb 9 is free.

FILM

Opens Feb 10
Oscar-Nominated Short Films
Starting this Friday, Varsity Theatre screens this year’s Oscar-nominated short films for a limited time. Get a leg up on your office Oscar pool with our handy guide. Live-action and animated shorts are separated into two feature-length events. $7–$10.

Bonus! Oscar-nominated dance documentary Pina opens at Seattle Cinerama on February 10.

PARTY

Feb 11
Girl Walk // All Day Premiere and Dance Party
Mashup king Greg Gillis, aka Girl Talk, now has a feature-length music video set to his album All Day. It makes its local debut at Neumos this weekend—dance party included. $12 advance, $15 at the door.

BENEFIT

Feb 12
Beer and Chocolate for Charity
What better than chocolate and beer to sooth a lonely heart on Valentine’s weekend? Georgetown Brewing Company promises live bluegrass music, Macrina baked goods, Theo Chocolate, and the debut of Lisa’s “The Sun Is Trying to Kill Me” Chocolate Stout, brewed with 15 pounds of cocoa. Makes a mean beer float. Proceeds support Autism Speaks. $50.

VISUAL ART

Feb 9–Apr 29
Gauguin and Polynesia: An Elusive Paradise
Despite the lushness of his Tahitian paintings, Paul Gauguin never found that idyllic paradise he sought in 19th-century Polynesia. Examine nearly 60 of the master’s works—and 60 by Polynesian artists—at Seattle Art Museum. (It’s the traveling exhibit’s only U.S. stop.) $18–$23.

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Tags: Met Picks, Weekend

Met Picks: Bond and Beyond, Belgianfest, Sasquatch! Launch Party

The top 10 things to see or do this weekend.

Posted by: Seattle Met staff on Feb 02, 2012 at 12:00PM 0 Comments

“I am a banana!” See more of Don Hertzfeldt’s Rejected cartoons at SIFF Cinema at the Uptown.

FILM

Feb 2
An Evening with Don Hertzfeldt
Go inside the mind of the Oscar-nominated animator whose stick-figure cartoon shorts are the stuff of cult legend, particularly the Rejected series (“I am a banana!”). He’s in house for a Q&A following the Seattle premiere of his new animated film It’s Such a Beautiful Day. SIFF Cinema at the Uptown, $10–$15.

Opens Feb 3
Coriolanus
Free of Lord Voldemort makeup (but still terrifying), Ralph Fiennes makes his directorial debut in this update of the Shakespearean tragedy. SIFF Cinema at the Uptown, $5–$10.

EAT & DRINK

Feb 4
Belgianfest
Dubbels. Tripels. Lambics and saisons. There are over 70 regional beers to sample at this weekend’s Belgianfest, and tickets are going fast. Bell Harbor International Conference Center, $30.

CONCERTS

Feb 2
Sasquatch! Launch Party 2012
The rumors have been flying: Lana Del Rey and Girl Talk to headline Friday night? The Shins on Saturday? The official lineup of the 2012 summer music fest at the Gorge is finally revealed tonight. Podcaster Luke Burbank hosts the kickoff party, featuring performances by Junip (with Jose Gonzalez), the Physics, and Matthew Caws of Nada Surf. Neptune Theatre, $16.

Feb 3
Gimme Shelter
We’ve seen Billy Joel Huels of swing band the Dusty 45s set his trumpet on fire. Imagine what he’ll do in a benefit to end homelessness. The Maldives, the Young Evils, Lazy Susan, and more play this fundraiser for homeless adults center DESC. Showbox at the Market, $15.

VISUAL ART

Feb 2–Mar 17
Guy Tillim: Second Nature
The South African photographer captured both the natural beauty and poverty of contemporary Polynesia during his 2010 catamaran trip from New Zealand. He shows the dual sides of paradise at the same time Seattle Art Museum features Gauguin’s lush Polynesian paintings, on display starting February 9. James Harris Gallery, free. First Thursday reception Feb 2, 6–8.

DANCE

Feb 2–4
Shen Wei Dance Arts
Shen Wei is known for choreographing the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, but his smaller-scale company performances are equally thrilling. In Limited States his dancers in flesh-toned bodysuits slink and intertwine, like tangled statues come to life; the fluid motion is punctuated by Daniel Burke’s minimalist soundscape. UW World Series, Meany Hall, $39–$42.

Feb 3–12
Don Quixote
The matador soars when Pacific Northwest Ballet premieres a new version of this classical ballet, updated by star Russian-born choreographer Alexei Ratmansky. Actor Tom Skerritt steps in as the tragicomic Don. McCaw Hall, $28–$168.

CLASSICAL & MORE

Feb 2–5
Bond and Beyond: Celebrating 50 Years of 007
For all the talk of Bond women, cars, and gadgets, it’s that theme song that’s truly iconic. Seattle Symphony samples from 50 years of Bond soundtracks. Benaroya Hall, $17–$89.

Seattle Chamber Music Society: 2012 Winter Festival
Grammy-winning violinist and SCMS artistic director James Ehnes leads the charge in this annual weekend of chamber music, performing nearly a dozen pieces by Brahms, Beethoven, and Bartók. And that’s just the Bs. Benaroya Hall, $10–$45.

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Tags: Met Picks, Weekend

Met Picks: Hungry Planet, Erin Jorgensen and Steve Fisk, Children’s Film Festival

The top 10 things to see or do this weekend.

Posted by: Seattle Met staff on Jan 27, 2012 at 10:15AM 0 Comments

New exhibit Hungry Planet opens January 28 at the Burke Museum.

VISUAL ART

Jan 28–June 10
Hungry Planet: What the World Eats
The traveling exhibit (based on the book by Peter Menzel and Faith D’Alusio) compares the eating habits of 10 families around the world. See what a week’s worth of groceries looks like in Germany, China, the U.S., and Chad, and explore cultural differences in sustainability and consumption. The January 27 preview (6–8pm) includes a bluegrass band, refreshments, and a food drive for Northwest tribal communities. Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, $8–$10.

Thru May 20
Tacoma Art Museum’s 10th Northwest Biennial
Thirty up-and-coming Northwest artists show new projects: an assortment of painting, photography, prints, sculpture, video, and installation art. Several projects have a social conscience—Harrell Fletcher collaborates with landscape artists and environmentalists—while others call for interaction (look out for the pants exchange). Tacoma Art Museum, $8–$10.

FAMILY

Thru Feb 5
Northwest Film Forum’s Children’s Film Festival
Now in its seventh year, Northwest Film Forum’s Children’s Film Festival boasts more than 100 films from almost 30 countries, dance parties with Caspar Babypants, a Claymation workshop, and the don’t-miss-it-unless-you-hate-happiness pancake breakfast on January 28. The pancake breakfast is at Central Lutheran Church; all screenings are at Northwest Film Forum.

CONCERTS

Thru Jan 28
Erin Jorgensen and Steve Fisk: Redemption
Fisk, a legendary producer of Nirvana and Soundgarden, mixes Jorgensen’s marimba melodies, hushed vocals, and ambient noise as a concept album that navigates loneliness. On the Boards, $20.

CLASSICAL

Jan 27
Seattle Modern Orchestra: Layers of Time
Now in its sophomore season, the modern chamber music ensemble performs pieces from the 1980s that were “coexistent layers of music”: Piece no. 2 for Small Orchestra by Conlon Nancarrow, Steve Reich’s Eight Lines, and Gérard Grisey’s Talea. Cornish College of the Arts. Update: This event is sold out.

THEATER

Jan 27–Feb 11
White Hot
This psychodrama by playwright Tommy Smith is a far cry from the silly fun Smith and producer Mark Siano have as members of sketch troupe the Habit. Instead, tragedy unfolds onstage as a young couple’s marriage crumbles, thanks to Shakespearean-sized helpings of madness and betrayal. West of Lenin, $9–$18.

FILM

Jan 27–Feb 2
How the Fire Fell
Edward P. Davee won the 2011 Local Sightings Film Festival with his black-and-white feature about the rise and fall of the Brides of Christ, a turn-of-the-century cult in Oregon. It enjoys an encore screening this week. Northwest Film Forum, $6–$9.

Ongoing
Seattle Met’s Oscar Nominees Movie Marathon
Now that the Oscar nominees are in, we’ve mapped out a weekend-long film binge at cinemas around town. Time to catch up.

LAST CHANCE…

…to see Seattle Shakespeare’s Coriolanus at Center House Theatre (closing Jan 29) and Seattle Opera’s Attila at McCaw Hall (closing Jan 28).

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Tags: Met Picks, Weekend

Met Picks: Fitz and the Tantrums, BAMignite: Mad Men and Martini Party

The top 10 things to see or do this weekend.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Jan 19, 2012 at 12:15PM 0 Comments

Things are about to get funky. Fitz and the Tantrums play the Showbox this weekend.

Weather pending, these are your best bets for the weekend:

CONCERT

Jan 20 & 21
Fitz and the Tantrums
Ever since the release of their debut album Pickin’ Up the Pieces (2010), front man Michael Fitzpatrick and his LA soul band have had a touring schedule that would exhaust James Brown. There isn’t enough of their dance-friendly funk to go around. Showbox at the Market, $25.

THEATER

Jan 19–22
Rabih Mroué: Looking for a Missing Employee, and The Pixelated Revolution
Lebanese performance artist Rabih Mroué has an eye for political theater, using monologues and video to probe his country’s troubled past. He gives audiences a glimpse of his latest work in progress, The Pixelated Revolution, a monologue about the role of mobile-phone photography in the Syrian revolution, and showcases 2003’s Looking for a Missing Employee, a series of videos investigating the disappearance of a low-level member of the Ministry of Finance in Beirut. On the Boards, Jan 19–21 (Employee), Jan 22 (Revolution), $25. UPDATED 3PM. The Jan 19 performance has been postponed until Jan 21, 4pm. Call 206-217-9888 to switch your tickets.

Jan 20–Feb 4
A Short-Term Solution to a Long-Term Problem
Stranger associate editor and consummate funny man David Schmader examines his life post-9/11—including new love, a scary diagnosis, and marrying a Mormon man in California—in his new solo show on Capitol Hill. Richard Hugo House, $15–$20.

DANCE

Jan 20–29
Seattle Dance Project and Inverse Opera Present Project 5: Brahms Afoot
For its fifth season, modern dance company SDP teamed up with Inverse, a new collective of classically trained vocalists, to create a lyrical dance set to Brahms’s Liebeslieder Waltzes. Founding Mark Morris company member Penny Hutchinson is slated to choreograph. ACT Theatre, $20–$25.

Jan 20–22
The Bridge Project
Four emerging choreographers enjoy a three-week incubation period at Velocity—working with its artist in residence and using the center’s rehearsal space to create all-new dances in just three weeks. Witness the finished product this weekend. Velocity Dance Center, $12–$18.

Whim W’Him: Cast the First Rock in Twenty Twelve
Olivier Wevers’ modern dance company performs two new comedies— La langue de l’amour and Flower Festival with an all-male pas de deux—and and the premiere of tragic thrown, invoking a stoning with sets by local sculptor Steve Jensen. Intiman Playhouse, $25.

SPECIAL EVENT

Jan 21–28
Lunar New Year 2012: Year of the Dragon
Celebrate the Year of the Dragon during the Wing Luke Museum and the ID’s annual Lunar New Year festival. The fun starts this Saturday with a lion dance, and culminates in the second annual food walk—20 restaurants offering $2 menu items—and the third annual children’s parade and costume contest. International District, free–$5.

ART PARTY

Jan 20
BAMignite: Mad Men and Martini Party
Bellevue Arts Museum—now showing a retrospective of industrial design guru George Nelson’s bubble lamps and marshmallow sofas—hosts a late-night Mad Men–themed party with lounge music, blackjack, and martinis. Attire is WWDDW: What Would Don Draper Wear? Bellevue Arts Museum, $10.

CLASSICAL & MORE

Jan 22
David Garrett
The young German violinist indulges his Nirvana impulse (he already has Kurt Cobain locks) on his Rock Symphonies II tour, performing hits by Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, and Beethoven’s rhythmically rockin’ Fifth. Paramount Theatre, $37–$62.

EAT & DRINK

Jan 22
Free Rigatoni Day at Tavolàta
Read it and eat: Ethan Stowell will celebrate the fifth anniversary of Tavolàta by handing out gratis bowls of rigatoni with spicy Italian sausage. Tavolàta, dine-in service required.

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Tags: Met Picks, Weekend

Met Picks: Allen Stone and Seattle Rock Orchestra, The Callers, David Lynch Retrospective

The top 10 things to see or do this weekend.

Posted by: Seattle Met staff on Jan 12, 2012 at 04:30PM 0 Comments

Photo courtesy WET.

The Callers: yet another reason to get out of the house.

THEATER

Thru Jan 15
West Side Story
Here come the Jets: The Broadway revival of West Side Story snaps, kicks, and Krupkes its way into Seattle, now with 10 percent of the songs and dialogue in Spanish. Paramount Theatre, $25–$80.

Jan 13–Feb 6
The Callers
WET playwrights Ali el-Gasseir and Ella Dorband examine the voices on the other end of a psychic hotline or phone sex chat in this world premiere, directed by Intiman’s new artistic director Andrew Russell. It’s a world of dial tones and busy signals (what, no call waiting?), with over 150 phones covering the walls in the black box theater. Washington Ensemble Theatre, $10–$25.

Jan 13–Feb 5
How to Write a New Book for the Bible
Bill Cain, who penned the 2009 Shakespearean drama Equivocation, borrows from his own life for his latest play. When the Jesuit priest goes home to care for his dying mother, he copes by writing the story of his family in Biblical style. Seattle Repertory Theatre, $12–$64.

CONCERTS

Jan 12
Craig Robinson and the Nasty Delicious
Fans of NBC’s The Office know Robinson, aka warehouse manager Darryl, plays a mean keyboard. When he’s not taping, the former elementary school music teacher tours with his jazz-funk group the Nasty Delicious. Paramount Theatre, $29.

Jan 14 & 15
Allen Stone and Seattle Rock Orchestra
Chewelah, Washington native Stone bears more of a resemblance to Napoleon Dynamite than Raphael Saadiq, but you won’t find a finer new soul act in town. He’s backed here by members of the 50-piece orchestra. Neptune Theatre, both shows have sold out.

CLASSICAL & MORE

Jan 14–28
Seattle Opera’s Attila
He can sing, he can sack countries. John Relyea stars as the King of the Huns in Seattle Opera’s debut performance of Verdi’s Attila. McCaw Hall, from $25.

FILM

Jan 13–19
In Dreams: The Films of David Lynch
SIFF Cinema samples from the oeuvre of director David Lynch for two weeks of twisted flicks, including Blue Velvet, The Elephant Man, Mulholland Dr., Dune, and a Twin Peaks screening. SIFF Cinema at the Uptown, $5–$10.

VISUAL ART

Thru Jan 22
Videowatercolors: Carel Balth Among His Contemporaries
Just a little over a week left to see Videowatercolors (video stills printed on watercolor paper or canvas) by Dutch artist Carel Balth. Examine his new media approach to landscape imagery in relation to more traditional photography and painting by contemporaries Gerhard Richter, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and Luisa Lambri (also on display). Henry Art Gallery, admission $6–$10.

EAT & DRINK

Jan 14
Chef’s Tour of the Market
Starting now, and continuing for the next month, a different Seattle chef will host a weekly tour of Pike Place Market. Simon Zatyrka of Cutters Bayhouse hosts the first tour. All tours are limited to 14 participants, and end with a cooking demo and light meal at kitchen showroom SieMatic Seattle. The next tour is led by Franz Junga of Il Fornaio. Pike Place Market, $75.

PUBLIC HOLIDAY

Jan 17
30th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Rally and March
Before Occupy Wall Street, we celebrated equality and economic justice for all on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Recapture the spirit of MLK with a march from Garfield High, through the Central District, and to the Federal Building. Free.

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Tags: Paramount Theatre, Met Picks, Weekend, Neptune Theatre, McCaw Hall

Met Picks: Coriolanus, Doctor Atomic Symphony, 14/48: World’s Quickest Theater Festival

The top 10 things to see or do this weekend.

Posted by: Seattle Met staff on Jan 05, 2012 at 03:00PM 0 Comments

THEATER As Ralph Fiennes releases his silver-screen update of Shakespearean tragedy Coriolanus, Seattle Shakes tackles the story of the Roman soldier who, after being elected to the Senate, faces even greater treachery in the Forum than on the battlefield. Thru Jan 29.

14/48: The World’s Quickest Theater Festival finds more than 50 local artists writing, designing, rehearsing, and performing 14 original 10-minute plays within 48 hours, all with an overarching theme chosen at random. Phew. Chaos, hilarity, and genius ensue. Jan 6–14.

CLASSICAL & MORE Seattle Symphony plays a 75-minute, no-intermission “Rush Hour” concert featuring selections from John Adams’s 2007 Doctor Atomic opera dramatizing the Manhattan Project. Enjoy preshow happy hour drinks and small plates starting at 5:30. Jan 6.

FILM When the Stone Roses pulled out of their headlining slot at the ‘95 Glastonbury Festival, Pulp filled in at the last minute—in front of 80,000 people—and played the show of their lives. Documentary The Beat Is the Law: Fanfare for the Common People illuminates Pulp’s rise to the top of the Britpop world. Jan 6–8.

Grab a booth, maybe some mac n’ cheese, a little (lot) of wine, and watch Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure at Central Cinema. Thru Jan 10.

PLAN AHEAD The National Theatre of London beams a live production of Collaborators —a new play by the screenwriter of Trainspotting—to SIFF Cinema at the Uptown on Monday. Jan 9 & 15.

FAMILY Seattle Children’s Theatre refreshes the 2003 Broadway musical A Year with Frog and Toad based on Arnold Lobel’s beloved book series. Amphibious BFFs fly kites, ride sleds, and celebrate Christmas to a jaunty score. Thru Jan 15.

BOOKS & TALKS Nerd alert: The MLA Convention, aka the Comic-Con of Academia, comes to town this weekend with seminars on literature, Nirvana, Pinter plays—and yes, even comics. Jan 5–8.

VISUAL ART Platform Gallery hosts Suzanne Opton’s Soldier/Many Wars, a collection of photo portraits of soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan that are as sad as they are startling. Jan 5–Feb 11.

And take a trip back in time at Photo Center NW, where five contemporary artists show photo portraits of modern-day skaters, surfers, cowboys, art critics and soldiers, all created using 19th-century photo technology. It’s Surface: Contemporary Wet Plate Collodion Portraiture. Jan 5–Feb 15.

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Tags: Met Picks, Weekend

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.

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Tags: Met Picks, Weekend

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.

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Tags: Met Picks, Weekend

Met Picks: Blind Pilot, Mark Morris Dance Group, Great Figgy Pudding Street Corner Caroling Competition

The top 10 things to see or do this weekend.

Posted by: Seattle Met staff on Dec 01, 2011 at 05:00PM 0 Comments

Photo courtesy Christopher Duggan / On the Boards.

Zoe | Juniper’s A Crack in Everything

DANCE Mark Morris Dance Group is back in town with the Seattle premiere of Festival Dance and a reprisal of 2004’s Violet Cavern, with live music by improv jazz trio the Bad Plus. Dec 1–3.

Choreographer Zoe Scofield and artist Juniper Shuey apply a surrealist lens to the space between cause and effect—inspired loosely by the stillness in the chaos of a car crash—in art-dance performance A Crack in Everything at On the Boards. Dec 1–4.

FILM FEST Get your fix of snow stunts and jaw-dropping alpine shots at Banff Mountain Film Festival, with screenings in Seattle, Olympia, Tacoma, and Port Townsend. Thru Dec 10.

THE MET: LIVE IN HD In a live performance of Handel’s Rodelinda beamed in to movie theaters from the Met, Renée Fleming reprises her 2004 title role of a queen who endures usurpers with a string of soaring arias. Dec 3 at 9:30am.

CONCERT Portland-based indie band Blind Pilot are craftsmen in the tradition of fellow Pacific NWers Death Cab for Cutie, playing mellow indie pop with enough chamber instruments (violin, accordion, standup bass) to fit a small orchestra. Neptune Theatre, Dec 2.

Bearded local trio the Cave Singers offers a woodsy blend of folk rock tinged with fiddle jigs and Civil War dirges. They tour behind 2011’s No Witch. Neumos, Dec 2.

HOLIDAY OUTING Wassailing gets serious in the annual (friendly) Great Figgy Pudding Street Corner Caroling Competition, as 40-plus caroling teams compete for bragging rights outside Westlake Center. All proceeds support the Pike Market Senior Center and the Downtown Food Bank. Dec 2.

BOOKS & TALKS Stationed near Geneva, Switzerland, the Large Hadron Collider is the world’s biggest particle accelerator, built to recreate the conditions of the Big Bang. Oxford physicist Frank Close will explain the atom smasher’s 40-year history of high political drama at Town Hall. Dec 2.

THEATER Local variety-show maven and devilish emcee Kevin Joyce throws on his white dinner jacket for a revival of his ’90s cult hit A Pale and Lovely Place. As the “Charmer,” he croons “with the gusto of a speed-addicted Bing Crosby” (wrote The Stranger) about the rules of unhealthy living. Thru Dec 11.

SPECIAL EVENT Created with a Parisian flea market in mind, Century Ballroom’s flea market boasts a wide range of independent vendors offering locally designed goods, vintage clothing, housewares, and baubles. Perfect for that growing holiday gift list. Dec 3.

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Tags: Met Picks, Weekend

Met Picks: Feist, Isaac Layman: Paradise, Herbie Hancock

The top 10 things to see or do this weekend.

Posted by: Seattle Met staff on Nov 17, 2011 at 03:30PM 0 Comments

Feist shows off her new album Metals at the Moore.

CONCERT Following the success of Feist’s blockbuster 2007 solo album The Reminder—with its ubiquitous iPod commercial single “1234”—the Canadian singer-songwriter was burnt out in a big way. She took a few years of radio silence, and last month, released Metals, a raw, plainspoken ode to solitude that’s warmer musically than the title suggests. Hear Feist tonight at the Moore. Nov 17.

Bellingham-born power pop stars the Posies return from an exhaustive world tour to headline an all-local showcase at the Neptune. Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs and Curtains for You join. Nov 19.

Funky, fleet-fingered pianist Herbie Hancock is perfectly suited for Gershwin’s jazz score Rhapsody in Blue at Benaroya this Friday. Seattle Symphony joins. Nov 18.

VISUAL ART For his first museum exhibit, award-winning Seattle photographer Isaac Layman examines our desire to escape the ordinary with carefully constructed images of mundane household objects. His pile of soggy tissues seems to glisten like a slice of an imperfect paradise. Nov 19–Jan 22.

Seattle artist Katy Stone describes her work as “Rorschach tests of natural phenomena.” A painted Glade of Mylar flowers cascades down a wall, while twisted steel in bold oranges and reds clings to surfaces like flattened tumbleweeds. She shows new work at Greg Kucera Gallery. Nov 17–Dec 24.

BOOKS & TALKS Did your dad ever tell you nothing good happens after midnight? Hear new musings on the theme “While You Were Sleeping” by Sherman Alexie; Portland author and publisher Kevin Sampsell; Nicole Hardy, author of Fallen: Memoirs of a Latter-Day Virgin; and Rachel Flotard of rock band Visqueen during the Hugo House Literary Series. Nov 18.

BENEFIT SHOW Rainn Wilson comes home for a music-and-comedy benefit show at the Paramount, and brings along funny friends from Hollywood (Mindy Kaling, Anna Faris) and the Seattle music scene to keep him company. All proceeds support the Mona Foundation. Nov 19.

THEATER Four NYC cops suffer the slings and arrows (or handguns) of the city streets in gritty film-theater piece Newyorkland by New York ensemble Temporary Distortion. They’re at On the Boards all weekend. Nov 17–20.

DANCE Alonzo King Lines Ballet company performs Scheherazade, a rapturous 40-minute interpretation of 1,001 Nights with a score by tabla master Zakir Hussain, at Meany Hall. Nov 17–19.

BOOK RELEASE PARTY Writing center 826 Seattle—launched by best-selling author Dave Eggers—celebrates a national award and the release of its second anthology What to Read in the Rain with readings by Eggers, David Lasky, and student authors. Nov 20.

Bonus! SPONSORED EVENT Join Seattle Met in an evening with ski movie mogul Warren Miller at Benaroya, as SIFF presents him the Golden Space Needle Award. The event includes an on-stage interview with Warren, hosted by Seattle’s Neal Thompson, and a screening of one of Warren’s favorite films, The Gods Must Be Crazy. Nov 20.

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Tags: Met Picks, Weekend

Met Picks: Wild Flag, TedX Rainier, Minus the Bear

The top 10 things to see or do this weekend.

Posted by: Seattle Met staff on Nov 10, 2011 at 03:00PM 1 Comments

Wild Flag takes its name literally.

CONCERTS Pint-size Brooklyn powerhouse Sharon Jones has the swagger of James Brown, and her explosive eight-piece band the Dap-Kings sets the standard for unapologetically retro soul. Time to dance your face off at Showbox at the Market. Nov 10.

Wild Flag, a perfect storm of punk femmes fronted by Sleater-Kinney’s (and Portlandia’s) Carrie Brownstein, plays Neumos. Nov 11.

Seattle prog rockers Minus the Bear wrap their 10-year-anniversary tour with a performance of their debut album Highly Refined Pirates (in its entirety) at Showbox at the Market. Nov 11.

It may sound like the blues, but Sub Pop’s newest guitar hero plays the music of his native Mali, using a 1,000-year-old ancestor of the banjo called the ngoni. Catch Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba at Meany Hall. Nov 12.

CLASSICAL Seattle Symphony plays Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Sibelius’s Second Symphony as part of its Masterworks series; the orchestra is joined by Seattle Symphony Chorale for Poulenc’s Gloria. Nov 10–13.

SPECIAL EVENT Back for its second year, all-day TED event TedX Rainier brings in over 25 speakers, everyone from travel guru Rick Steves to aviator Erik Lindbergh (grandson of Charles), to give the presentation of their lives in 18 minutes or less. It’s invite only, but you can submit a request online. Nov 12.

BOOKS & TALKS New small press festival Short Run launches this Saturday at Vera Project; the all-day event showcases the best in locally made books, literary magazines, zines, comics, and graphic novels, with an after-party at Fantagraphics Books. Nov 12.

VISUAL ART The former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) building has been remodeled as Inscape, a new art enclave that houses over 100 artists and their studios. Wander the corridors and check out the latest local projects this Saturday during the all-day open house. Nov 12, 11–7.

FAMILY It’s now a rite of passage for indie bands like the Shins to guest star on the Nick Jr. show alongside the dancing monsters of Yo Gabba Gabba. The live show’s no different: Expect to beat box with ’80s rapper Biz Markie and do the Razzle Dazzle Dancey Dance with Leslie Hall at the Paramount. Nov 12 & 13.

THEATER Now in previews: Seattle Rep reprises Sylvia, a fan favorite about a newly adopted pooch (played here by Linda K. Morris) that comes between a married couple. Be forewarned: November 13 is “bring your dog to the theater” night, with 100 pooches expected to attend. Tickets are still available for the human-only balcony seats. Nov 11–Dec 11.

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Tags: Met Picks, Weekend, Weekend Events

Met Picks: Public Speaking, Joan Rivers v. Kathy Griffin, Muppet Mayhem

The top 10 things to see or do this weekend.

Posted by: Seattle Met staff on Nov 03, 2011 at 04:00PM 0 Comments

“The opposite of talking isn’t listening. The opposite of talking is waiting.” ― Fran Lebowitz

FILM Northwest Film Forum screens the Fran Lebowitz talkie, Public Speaking. In this made-for-HBO documentary, director Martin Scorsese captures quote-machine Lebowitz in her element: curled up in a booth in NYC’s Waverly Inn, cracking wise on everything from Twitter to her car (“It’s such a subtle shade of pearl gray, straight men think it’s white”). Nov 4–10.

SIFF Cinema at the Uptown features the best of Jim Henson all month during Muppets, Music and Magic: Jim Henson’s Legacy. Nov 5–22.

CONCERT Nostalgia alert: Evan Dando, the only remaining member of alt-rock act the Lemonheads, leads a new crew in a performance of the band’s 1992 breakout album (It’s a Shame About Ray) at the Triple Door. Nov 5.

Sinatra lives on in Kirkland this weekend. Danny Quintero, a 22-year-old rising star whose smooth baritone sounds just like Frankie Boy’s, joins James Caddell and the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra for An Evening with Ol’ Blue Eyes: The Music of Frank Sinatra. Nov 6.

DANCE Pacific Northwest Ballet revives some of the greatest duets in classical ballet—the balcony scene from Romeo et Juliette, the Black Swan pas de deux from Swan Lake—for Love Stories. Nov 4–13.

COMEDY The monthlong Seattle International Comedy Competition kicks off this week, as 32 stand-ups try to outfunny each other in clubs across Western Washington. Last comic standing will be crowned champ after Thanksgiving. Thru Nov 27.

Joan Rivers and Kathy Griffin have competing acts in the Seattle area this weekend. Why didn’t anyone think of a double bill?! You’ll have to pick your poison: Kathy plays the Paramount Friday and Saturday, and Joan’s in Tacoma on Friday. Nov 4 & 5.

Seattle’s Emmett Montgomery keeps things weird (and awesome) during his monthly comedy-variety show at Annex Theatre. Puppets, robots, and cartoon monsters are often involved. Check back on Culture Fiend tomorrow for our interview of the man behind the mustache. Nov 6.

VISUAL ART This First Thursday, check out the latest art happenings in the Tashiro Kaplan building in Pioneer Square, home to more than 50 artist studios and galleries. Nov 3.

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Tags: Met Picks, Weekend