February has been a strong month for music you wouldn’t normally hear on the radio this month, and this weekend continues the trend with a pair of events that are off the beaten aural path. First up, the Seattle Chamber Players, at On the Boards with their Ice Breaker VII: Open Source. As the subtitle suggests, this evening is what happens when you combine musical elements with the latest technological advances; add in OtB’s enviable acoustics and prepare for a bracing evening.
Also all weekend long, the Seattle Women in Jazz Festival is taking residence all over Columbia City. We’ve already previewed this event elsewhere on the site, so instead we’ll highlight a couple of evenings aimed at those looking to dance: Thursday night’s Latin Jazz Night promises dance music from Brazil and Cuba, while Saturday’s Swing Dance Night is pretty self explanatory.
THEATER
After a couple of weekends filled with our city’s smaller companies putting out quality fare, here come Seattle larger companies with a pair of promising productions.
First up is Book-it Repertory’s latest adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus, a story that has come back into vogue in recent months. What’s notable here is that this production was adapted and directed by David Quicksall, whose last effort for Book-it, Moby Dick, was considered to be quintessential by many.
Next, there’s Seattle Repertory’s collaboration with the Arizona Theater Company, David Ives’ Venus in Fur, which possesses a fairly titillating synopsis. That the Rep is advertising something this potentially adult, with attendant disclaimers, is promising by itself, but now the question is “how far are they willing to go to deliver it?” We have our hopes, but we’ve seen prior big house productions chicken out before.
For those seeking smaller thrills there’s New Century’s reading of Dan LeFranc’s The Big Meal at Solo in Lower Queen Anne. Here’s a chance to catch some great Seattle talent (eight actors) bring to life a large number of characters (26 advertised) using nothing but their skills. (Monday only.)
DANCE
Of course, the big ticket item this weekend is the Mark Morris Dance Group’s residency the Paramount, which is always a welcome event.
But just as anticipated is the debut of The YC’s Super Eagle at Capitol Hill’s Velocity Dance Center. Company founder Kate Wallich has emerged as one of Seattle’s promising young choreographers, and her work continues to grow in excellence the more experience she gets under her belt. Everything we’ve heard about this production tells us that it’s more of a collaborative effort from the company, and that development is very promising indeed.
COMEDY
Pocket Theater’s ongoing roll out at the West of Lenin continues this week with performances by Carskee, locally renown improv group; a new sketch show from Ubiquitous They; and in Friday night, the latest installment of 7 Minutes in Heaven, an evening of long form improv. The setup here is that the audience meets each individual player during a quick speed dating intro, and then chooses for themselves which player to follow for that night. This show is fairly popular in town, if you’re looking for a comedic Valentine this year, here’s your choice.
OTHER
The truth is, however, that the weekend belongs to the less traditional fare this Valentine’s Day weekend. You want an evening of poesy? Try the event entitled Be My Post-Valentine? at Columbua City’s Lottie’s Lounge this Sunday.
Alternately, if you’re simply looking for an evening of storyrtelling where the proceeds go to support a local artist in need, try Jennifer Jasper’s Family Affair inside Belltown’s Rendezvous.
Those options aside, we here at This Week can’t think of a more delightful way to celebrate the weekend than with some smirky adult fun, which is why we close out the week with some burlesque!
If you like your burlesque assured and polished, try getting into the Atomic Bombshell’s J’Adore! at the Triple Door. Great venue, and wonderful performers.
Over at the Can Can, in the Farmer’s Market, you can catch Briq House’s event Heartbreak Hotel, where a company of women of color intend to tear your heart out.
Finally, there’s the Puppet Burlesque Society’s Playtime Time at Rebar. We’re pretty fond of the scenario here: burlesque meets Children’s Television Workshop. We don’t know why, but this tickles us to no end.
Have an event you’d like to have included in the Star calendar? Send an email to events@seattlestar.net
