Princesses

On paper, it’s either a sweet sure thing or a crass attempt to get parents of Disney/Hilary Duff/Lindsay Lohan-crazed adolescents digging even deeper into their already besieged pockets. Or both. Whatever—The 5th Avenue clearly hopes to duplicate the success of its Seattle-hosted Hairspray with this Broadway-bound musical-within-a-musical about a bunch of private-school teens forced to participate in an adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s children’s classic The Little Princess. The creative team behind it certainly has the proper credentials: David Zippel won a Tony for his clever City of Angels lyrics and pop composer Matthew Wilder made his mark with Mulan. If The 5th can pull this one off, we’ll just forget last season’s Yankee Doodle Dandy and call it even, okay? The 5th Ave., 1308 Fifth Ave., 206-292-ARTS or www.5thavenuetheatre.org. $18-$70. Previews begin Tues. Aug. 9. Opens Wed. Aug. 17. 7:30 p.m. Tues.-Wed.; 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat.; 7 p.m. Sun.; 2 p.m. matinee Sat.; 1:30 p.m. matinee Sun. Ends Sun. Aug. 28. STEVE WIECKING

Off the Cuff

Normally you might get the chance to see one or two of these dancers on a program, but the Seattle Festival of Alternative Dance and Improvisation has collected a critical mass of highly inventive movement artists for a pair of shows and a panel discussion. Yes, the weather should be hot, but the programming is hotter, with artists like Nita Little and Deborah Hay on Friday, and Jennifer Monson and Stephanie Skura on Saturday. If you prefer your dancers sitting down, come to the talk on Thursday. Panel discussion: Velocity MainSpace Theater, 915 E. Pine St., second floor, 206-325-8773. $5. 7 p.m. Thurs. August 4. Performances: Freehold Theater, 915 E. Pine. St., second floor, 206-686-7323. $12. 7:30 p.m. Fri. Aug. 5; 9 p.m. Sat. Aug. 6. SANDRA KURTZ