THEATER

Jan 8–Jan 31 
Disgraced
Rule of thumb: If a play is set at a celebratory dinner, things are about to get horrific. Ayad Akhtar’s 2013 Pulitzer Prize–winning drama Disgraced finds corporate lawyer Amir Kapoor and his wife hosting another couple for a meal, but the gathering soon spirals into a tense, visceral, and confrontational conversation, as Kapoor expresses issues with his Muslim heritage. Seattle Repertory Theatre, $17–$70

Jan 8–16
14/48: The World's Quickest Theater Festival
If brevity is the soul of wit, then the crammed creation time of 14/48 should lead to some extremely witty theater. The World's Quickest Theater Festival brings together teams of playwrights, directors, actors, designers, and musicians come together to make 14 separate plays in a mere 48 hours. ACT Theatre, $20

FAMILY

Jan 7–Feb 28
Where the Wild Things Are
After Pacific Northwest Ballet moved on from Maurice Sendak’s wild vision of Nutcracker last year, it’s natural for Seattle audiences to crave a stage Sendak fix. Seattle Children’s Theatre steps up to fill the void with its production of the writer and illustrator’s most beloved work, Where the Wild Things Are. Seattle Children's Theatre, $27–$42

THE SPORTING LIFE

Sun, Jan 10
NFC Wild Card: Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings
The Seahawks start their playoff quest to be the first NFC team to make three straight Super Bowls with a showdown in frigid Minneapolis (projected high on Sunday is 1 degree Fahrenheit). With the league’s top rated QB and top ranked scoring defense, the Seahawks should have enough talent beat the Vikings on the road (where they won 38–7 in December), but opposing running back Adrian Peterson is always tough to tackle and anything can happen in the playoffs. Televised on NBC

CLASSICAL & MORE

Thur & Sat, Jan 7 & 9
Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2
Under the direction of conductor Vassily Sinaisky, Uzbekistani pianist Behzod Abduraimov joins the Seattle Symphony to show off his nimble fingers while playing the masterwork that is Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Tchaikovsky's Suite No. 3 in G major and Rimsky-Korsakov's Overture to The Tsar's Bride round out the evening's programming. Benaroya Hall, $41–$96

CONCERTS

Sat, Jan 9
Good Co: Big Time Business Release Show
Seattle’s Good Co puts a modern spin on the Roaring Twenties with its electro swing sound. The group hosts a retro-infused bash at Neumos to celebrate the release of its third album, Big Time Business. Neumos, $12

VISUAL ART

Thru Jan 10
Genius: 21 Century: Seattle
There are visual art exhibits with a finely honed thematic focus, and then there’s Genius: 21 Century Seattle. The group show brings together Stranger Genius Award-winning local artists, writers, musicians, dancers, and filmmakers for a free-form look at our city’s artistic climate and social issues through new commissions, multidisciplinary performances, readings, public forums, and more. If you've yet to experience Genius, make a trip to First Hill for its final weekend. Frye Art Museum, Free

Jan 9–Feb 27
The Black and White Photo Show
Curator Norman Lundn explores the importance of tone in Prographica Gallery's The Black and White Photo Show. The group exhibit brings together a wide variety of colorless photos that showcase how stunning simple contrast can appear no matter what the photographic subject: snowy owls, swinging fairgoers, stunning landscapes, and more. Prographica Gallery, Free

BOOKS & TALKS

Sat, Jan 9
Jim Woodring: Frank in the 3rd Dimension Book Launch
The wonderfully surreal world of cartoonists Jim Woodring’s Frank enters a new realm with Frank in the 3rd Dimension. Woodring created 150 layers per drawing and teamed up with Charles Barnard to make each image 3D with the help of specially designed 3D glasses. While early visitors to Frye Art Museum’s Genius exhibit got a taste of the visual spectacle, the book officially launches at Fantagraphics Bookstore as part of Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack. Fantagraphics Bookstore and Gallery, Free

FILM

Opens Jan 7
The Revenant
The Revenant is a work of art, but not really in a traditional filmmaking sense. It seems like it belongs in an dark art gallery, not a cineplex. Director Alejandro Iñárritu and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki create a visual masterpiece that demands to be seen on the big screen, that makes the actual plot—a visceral story of a 1820s fur trapper battling the wintry western elements to seek revenge—feel mundane by comparison. Leonardo DiCaprio shines in the lead role, but unless the Academy really values grunting and crawling, this probably won’t be his long-awaited Oscar win (Tom Hardy’s actually better in the film). Also, spoiler alert: despite reports, there is no bear rape. Various theaters, $10–$13