Highbrow Town— Readers' Picks

Best Mainstage Theater

THE PARAMOUNT

(911 Pine, 682-1414)

The Paramount opened in 1928. It was designed by architect Marcus B. Priteca to be a silent movie and vaudeville venue. Priteca had previously built the Pantages in Los Angeles, the Pantages in Tacoma, and the "exotic" Pantages in Fresno, Calif. (They call the Fresno one exotic because it has more elaborate ornamentation than any other building in all of, well, Fresno.) Pantages is the last name of Alexander Pantages, who was actually named Pericles Pantages but who changed his name to Alexander out of self-grandiosity and a fondness for the Great. You know all this. You know that Priteca also built the Admiral Twin Theater in West Seattle, and that the Paramount—per the definition of the word and definitiveness of the votes—is supreme in rank, power, and authority; and that they do good plays there, and that people like a good play. C.F.

Second place: ACT (700 Union, 292-7676)

Best Fringe Theater

THEATER SCHMEATER

(1500 Summit, 324-5801)

Let's go out on a limb here and assume it's this Capitol Hill company's late-night stuff that brought in the votes: The entertainment of its later hours packs audiences in and qualifies as true cash cow fringe programming, resulting in rabid fans and, we'd hope, a healthy box office at the same time. Between its reverently staged re-creations of old Twilight Zone episodes and the cultlike following of Money & Run—creator Wayne S. Rawley's irreverent and deliriously silly homage to bad series TV—Schmeater has figured out how to give the people what they want. And it doesn't hurt to have a beer at intermission, now, does it? S.W.

Second place: Unexpected Productions (1428 Post Alley, 587-2414)

Best Place to See Classical Music

BENAROYA HALL

(Third and Union, 215-4747)

And considering what it cost the taxpayers, it should be. Some of the concert halls designed by acoustician Cyril Harris have not worked out all that well, but Seattle lucked out with the Benaroya: The sound is fuzzy and unfocused right in the middle of the main floor where the ticket prices top out, but up in the first and second bal- conies the music comes through clear and sweet, though without the long, long reverb time that marks the world's great halls. Third balcony's not quite as pristine, but considering the price, seats are a bargain. Benaroya doesn't work as well for solo recitals and vocalists as it does for full orchestra, and careless amplification can really screw up the sound. But all in all. . . . R.D.

Second place: Olympic Music Festival (527-8839)

Best Art Gallery

ROQ LA RUE

(2224 Second, 374-8977)

Have you ever had your eyeballs spanked? Belltown's Roq la Rue gallery is one big, colorful ode to low-brow, outsider art and its strange wonderfulness, where kitsch and gaudiness reign supreme. Tiki? Comic book art? Creepiness? Yes. Glass art? Landscapes? Normalcy? Probably not. Past Roq la Rue shows have starred lots o' tattoo art, Americana, hip-hop, and Mexi-kitsch. We love it. Obviously, lots of you do too. And they're about to move, again! Into a bigger space just a few blocks away. K.M.

Second place: Greg Kucera Gallery (212 Third Ave. S., 624-0770)

Best Place to Go on First Thursday

SEATTLE ART MUSEUM

(100 University, 654-3100)

Free is a very popular word, which may explain why Weekly readers are so enamored of SAM on First Thursdays: You can go to a Pioneer Square gallery without charge anytime, but on First Thursday you're actually saving $7 by going to the museum. But besides that bit of excitement, it's also a way to see masses of art indoors, which likely appeals to wimpy Seattle art lovers worried about walking in the rain. The museum isn't only appealing on the first Thursday of the month; the popular Thursday After Hours program offers a selection of live music, plus a bar and some of the best people-watching around, every single Thursday of the month. A.V.B.

Second place: Pioneer Square

Best Museum

SEATTLE ART MUSEUM

(100 University, 654-3100)

How popular is the Seattle Art Museum? So popular that on one recent Monday—the day universally known to museumgoers as a day of rest, of closure—a steady stream of would-be museum visitors continued to attempt entry, an average of about one every other minute during a single hour of late afternoon monitoring. Some aspirants confidently, brusquely wrenched on the unyielding door; most stopped short, looked quizzically at the posted hours, then let their shoulders sink. "Geez, nothing's open," was a typical comment. But while some of our city's guests departed crestfallen, more than one couple took the occasion to embrace, and even engage in a full-on make-out session in the shadow of Hammering Man. Such is the power of this institution to inform, involve, and inspire, even when its doors are locked. M.D.F.

Second place: Frye Art Museum (704 Terry, 622-9250)

Best Place to See a Foreign Film

HARVARD EXIT

(807 E. Roy, 323-8986)

There are a few places I would not want to spend the night alone. The Harvard Exit is one of them. Its 1925 edifice and furniture are fine during the day, but at night, when it's dark and quiet, they would be terrifying. And that's just the furniture. A midnight brush with the Harvard Exit ghost, rumored to be the spirit of a beautiful 1920s society woman, would make me lose my lunch, if not my bowel control. That's why you'll never catch me using the obscurely located rest rooms after the last show of the night—no, not me. I'm not about to get locked inside that scary-ass theater by some employee who wants to lock up early, no, siree. K.M.