Met Picks: The Top Things to See and Do in August
Image: Courtesy Alan Klein/wxxi.org
SPECIAL EVENT
They Blinded Me with Science
WNYC’s Radiolab program is a quirky crossbreed of This American Life and Bill Nye the Science Guy, with hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich dissecting one-word megatopics—time, race, sperm—with a mix of physics, philosophy, music, and comedy. It also makes for a lively stage show at the Paramount. The public radio gents will examine the meaning of sight with a little help from comedian Demetri Martin, rocker Thao Nguyen, and modern dance troupe Pilobolus. Aug 24 & 25, Paramount Theatre, stgpresents.org
Image: Shutterstock
SOCIAL DATEBOOK
How to Be a Grownup
DO...
Don a top hat and tails for the Victorian Day Croquet Tournament, a fundraiser for the Volunteer Park Conservatory as it celebrates its 100th anniversary. Aug 12, Volunteer Park, brownpapertickets.com
DO...
Take a date to Puccini’s opulent Turandot, care of Seattle Opera. No woman looks demanding compared to the opera’s cold-as-the--other-side-of-the-pillow princess. Aug 4–18, McCaw Hall, seattleopera.org
DONT...
Dress like a zombie and chase your friends through the woods, screaming, “Run for Your Lives!” Aug 4, Onalaska, runforyourlives.com
BOOKS & TALKS
—Excerpt from Where’d You Go, Bernadette, by Maria Semple. The former Arrested Development writer recently moved here from Los Angeles and turned to fiction to process her culture shock. Her new novel is an addictive black comedy about family dysfunction with characters as wild and misanthropic as they are real. Maria Semple, Aug 14, Elliott Bay Book Company. Aug 23, Eagle Harbor Book Company, Bainbridge Island, mariasemple.com
Image: Michelle Bates
THEATRE
Anything Goes
Over 48 hours, 50 artists will write, direct, perform, score, or design 14 original plays—and not one of them knows their task until the night before. Long-running 14/48: The World’s Quickest Theater Festival goes kamikaze this month. Aug 10 & 11, Erickson Theatre Off Broadway, 1448fest.com
FILM FAMILY
Harry Potter Trivia
What kind of wood is Voldemort’s wand made out of?
A. Hawthorn
B. Ash
C. Yew
D. Blackthorn
Refresh your Potter memory when Seattle Center screens all eight films, from Sorcerer’s Stone to Deathly Hallows: Part II, during a free movie marathon at Mural Amphitheatre. Aug 4–26, Seattle Center, seattlecenter.com/moviesatthemural
Image: Courtesy Slideluck Potshow
ART PARTY
12
Number of years since Seattle photographer Casey Kelbaugh launched the first Slideluck Potshow—a potluck dinner in his backyard with a slideshow highlighting work by regional artists. It’s grown into a global nonprofit, but the idea remains distinctly homegrown. Aug 18, Voda Studios, slideluckpotshow.com/seattle
