Randee St. Nicholas
Peter Cincotti
Related Content
More About
TUESDAY
JAZZ
PETER CINCOTTI "The kid is terrific!" raves Regis Philbin. Rex Reed loves him, too. No question, Cincotti's got strong appeal to old-school showbiz Manhattanites, especially those whose musical taste harkens back to the LaGuardia administration. Just 20 years old, Cincotti became the new darling of the cabaret circuit when he debuted at the Algonquin Hotel's famed Oak Room last year with his repertoire of standards and Erroll Garner-esque stylings. Since then, the Columbia University sophomore and Harry Connick Jr. prot駩 has been all over the media, embraced in the way that only very good-looking people who are very good at doing something very familiar can be. He has a graceful, honeyed delivery and a peppy way with the piano that is certainly beyond his years, indeed well beyond his generation, though in the other direction. It's absolutely first-rate execution of absolutely unoriginal music and a delectatious way to discover the joys of the Great American Songbook. 8 p.m. Tues., Aug. 26. $20-$24.50. Dimitriou's Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave., 206-441-9729. Performs through Sun., Aug. 31. MARK D. FEFER
THURSDAY
STAGE
ALEGŔ
Friends and relations swear you'll love Cirque du Soleil's wildly hyped, aggressively marketed, always-in-Renton extravaganza. You, however, picture it full of European clowns, an Enya soundtrack, and precious, mimelike entertainment in which people prance about like colorfully plumed birds and such. And you know what? You're right. But, dammit, you do have to see it: The stagecraft is stunning, and the acrobats (like the aerialists pictured here) perform the type of exhilarating, eye-popping, physical wonders you thought only possible through high-tech Hollywood effects. Once may be enough, but once is absolutely necessary. Opens 8 p.m. Thurs., Aug. 21. $31.50-$65. Under the white Grand Chapiteau next to the Renton Boeing plant, www.cirquedusoleil.com or 1-800-678-5440 for tickets and info. Ends Sun., Sept. 14. STEVE WIECKING
FRIDAY-SATURDAY
STAGE
NEUTRINO PROJECT
Hit-or-Miss Entertainment Gimmick No. 1,342: "A herd of actors, camera crews, and technicians will shoot, score, edit, and project a live improvised movie before your very eyes . . . bridging the synaptic gap between film and theater." Local troupe Wing-It Productions (with a hand from 911 Media Arts) tries this shtick on for size following successful attempts by other comedy companies in Chicago and N.Y.C. The PR admits it's a "technical nightmare" but also cheekily swears that it's "destined to be great." We've got one jaded eyebrow raised over this "synaptic gap" business, but if they're willing to try, so are we. 8 p.m. Fri., Aug. 22-Sat., Aug. 23. $10. Historic University Theater, 5510 University Way N.E., www.wingitproductions.org. STEVE WIECKING
SATURDAY
MUSIC
LOLLAPALOOZA
When Metallica headlined what was to be the final crumbling installment of Empire Lollapalooza in 1996, co-founder Perry Farrell (pictured) declared nadir. The original alt-rock/ alt-culture touring summer fest had devoured its own noble, progressive ideals and shat them all over its audience. Flash forward to this summer. After an aggro circuit coup by Ozzfest, Warped Tour, and even Metallica's Summer Sanitarium, Farrell has rejuvenated and retooled Lollapalooza and now boasts the high-minded aesthetes of . . . Incubus! And . . . Audioslave. N-metal hippies and former radical leftists who sing about, um, road trips. Fight the power, Perry! You bring the henna tattoos; I'll bring the marshmallows. 12:30 p.m. Sat., Aug 23. $53.50-$69.50. White River Amphitheatre, 40601 Auburn Enumclaw Road, Auburn, 206-628-0888. ANDREW BONAZELLI
WEDNESDAY
MUSIC
MOONRAKER
Moonraker is proof positive that all those thousands of dollars spent on tuition can pay off. With former students at Berklee College of Music and Boston University, this band has an uncanny knowledge of the fundamentals; they've clearly been hitting the books. If you had to classify their music, you'd call it organic techno-funk- jazz-fusion-hip-hop; it's certainly not that hippie jam crap. They've spent the last few years playing legendary Boston house parties, and livening up New England clubs, usually with guest performances by up-and-coming jazz musicians and vocalists; who knows who'll sit in here on their first North American tour. Also on the bill are Seattle duos Two Loons for Tea and the Fading Collection. 9 p.m. Wed., Aug. 27. $7. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 206-789-4250. NOAM REUVENI
info@seattleweekly.com
