Books & Talks

Fri, Feb 2
An Evening with Terese Mailhot, Tommy Orange, and Swil Kanin
Celebrated Seattle-area writer Sherman Alexie’s interview series this month features celebrated Eastern Washington writer Jess Walter in the host role. Two Native authors discuss their forthcoming books, Terese Mailhot’s memoir Heart Berries and Tommy Orange’s debut novel There There. They are joined by violinist Swil Kanin for a live performance.  Benaroya Hall, $35

Classical & More

Feb 1–3
Rachmaninov Symphony No. 3
Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Third Symphony is the sort of composition that can lull audiences into a trance before blowing their hair back with the radiant melodies of the composer’s native Russia. Esteemed Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang also takes the stage to perform Edward Elgar’s famously challenging and emotional Violin Concerto. Benaroya Hall, $22–$125

Dance

Feb 2–11
Swan Lake
Pacific Northwest Ballet starts off 2018 with, not just a classic, but perhaps the most famous classical ballet of all time: Swan Lake. The lyrical dancing, the iconic Odette-Odile role, Tchaikovsky’s romantic compositions—to many these make up the quintessential example of the art form. Former PNB artistic director Kent Stowell’s choreography celebrates everything that makes Swan Lake so exemplary. McCaw Hall, $44–$194

Theater

Thru Mar 3
Camping with Henry and Tom
Taproot Theatre Company’s season opens with the story of when Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and president Warren G. Harding—all titans in turn-of-the-century America— took a camping trip together in 1921 to escape civilization and argue about politics and leadership. Taproot Theatre, $15–$50

Feb 2–25
Mamma Mia!
What’s not to love about this smash hit musical? Sophie wants to walk down the aisle with her dad. But her mother doesn’t know who the father is exactly. So Sophie invites mom’s three former lovers to their Greek island home, naturally. Hijinks ensue, all set to the sunny music of Abba. 5th Avenue Theatre, $29–$176

Feb 2–Mar 18
Ibsen in Chicago
This world premiere from David Grimm features a play within a play: A group of Scandinavian immigrants in late-nineteenth century Chicago unite to put on a play written by famous Scandinavian playwright Henrik Ibsen. Only this ragtag group doesn’t know much about theater in America, or much about America itself for that matter. Seattle Repertory Theatre, Various Prices

Visual Art

Feb 1–Mar 29
Humaira Abid: My Shame
Humaira Abid’s uncanny wood-carved sculptures and provocative threedimensional objects arrest the eyes with powerful simplicity. But it’s what she says with her artwork, strikingly clear as the art itself, that feels the most urgent. In her new exhibition My Shame, Abid puts taboo on display, specifically the social restraints of women in both her native Pakistan and home in the United States. ArtXchange, Free

Thru Apr 15
Tavares Strachan: Sometimes, Always, Never
New York–based conceptual artist Tavares Strachan draws from marginalized experiences within our larger cultural narratives. In his first Seattle exhibition, Always, Sometimes, Never, Strachan uses neon, sculpture, collage, and pools of water to explore themes of invisibility and obfuscated truth. Frye Art Museum, Free