The Top Things to See or Do in Seattle: May 2016

Image: Robin Harper
Concerts
Beyoncé
Is there a more deified figure in American culture than Beyoncé? Sure, she took a little Fox News–based backlash for evoking Black Panther imagery during her Super Bowl performance, but have you ever dared to speak an unkind word about her in most social circles? If so, how are you still alive? Queen Bey shows off her “hot sauce in my bag swag” when she takes the stage on her latest arena tour.
May 18 CenturyLink Field, beyonce.com
Theater
Romeo and Juliet

“I dreamt a dream tonight.”
“And so did I.”
“Well, what was yours?”
“That dreamers often lie.”
—Romeo and Mercutio, Romeo and Juliet
What happens when a director matches literature’s famous star-crossed lovers with dark fantasy comic book inspiration from Neil Gaiman’s Sandman? Set in the present, this version of Shakespeare’s classic Romeo and Juliet sees the characters ushered into an otherworldly realm where dreams and death intersect.
May 4–22 Cornish Playhouse, seattleshakespeare.org
The Sporting Life
Seattle Storm Home Opener

While the team hardly matches the Mariners for local sports futility, it has been four seasons since the WNBA’s Seattle Storm finished the season with a winning record. But a youth revolution looks to change the fortunes of ageless wonder Sue Bird and co. See 2015 Rookie of the Year Jewell Loyd and this year’s overall No. 1 pick (almost assuredly UConn center Breanna Stewart) in action when the Storm tip off the season’s home slate against the WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx.
May 22 KeyArena, storm.wnba.com
Comedy
Comedy Bang! Bang! Live

Courtesy STG
Absurdity reigns supreme in the podcast/TV universe of Comedy Bang! Bang! Scott Aukerman (pictured) hosts the weekly program where his interviews always quickly get derailed by drop-in visits from a revolving cast of characters who take things down paths of pure improvised madness. The show heads to the Moore to tape a podcast featuring all-star character creators Paul F. Tompkins (Dame Sir Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, Cake Boss, Gary Marshall) and Lauren Lapkus (Traci Rearden, Scott’s nephew Todd, Ho Ho the Elf).
May 25 Moore Theatre, stgpresents.org
Visual Art
Jesse Link, American Majestic

Image: Jesse Link
There’s a chance you’ve encountered artist Jesse Link’s creatures out in the urban wild: perhaps along Second Avenue construction walls or on the facade of Shack Coffee. Link specializes in wood-panel acrylic paintings of animals that mix street art and vivid colors to make viewers wish each critter had its own adventurous backstory. He shows off his wares in American Majestic.
May 5–28 Artifact Gallery, artifact-gallery.com
Want more?
Check our events calendar for a comprehensive look at what’s happening in and around Seattle.