From Holiday Bizarre to Sister Christmas

Send listings two weeks in advance to stage@seattleweekly.com.

Openings & Previews

365 Days/365 Plays Suzan-Lori Parks' yearlong theater project, a cycle of 365 short plays, offers one- to 10-minute performances from a great variety of performers in venues across the city. Week 5, through Sun. Dec. 17: theater simple at Cupcake Royale, 2052 N.W. Market St., 784-8647. 5:45 p.m. each day. Week 6, Dec. 18-24: Shawn Belyea, venues and times TBA. Free. www.365seattle.com.

Ain't Misbehavin' The acclaimed musical brings back the jumpin' jazz romance of Harlem at its peak. Dimitriou's Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave., www.jazzalley.com. $26.50. Opens Tues. Dec. 19. 7:30 p.m. Tues.-Thurs., 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Ends Sat. Dec. 23.

Greasy Demon Heat Balboa SEE THE WIRE, MONDAY. Villville, 1534 First Ave. S. Suggested donation $5-$15. 8 p.m. Mon. Dec. 18-Fri. Dec. 22.

Holiday Bizarre: A Jewish Christmas! This original comedy by David Bestock, Quinn Redman, Eli Rosenblatt, and Ben Rosenblatt "chronicles the trials of Goldberg, Frankenstein, and Murray, three representatives of the Wiseman Law Firm . . . hired by Joseph to sue the mysteriously illegitimate father of his son Jesus." Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W, www.tractortavern.com. $8. 8 p.m. Wed. Dec. 20 only.

The MeshugaNutcracker! Hanukkah in the legendary town of Chelm, set to Tchaikovsky's tunes. The Bagley Wright Theatre in Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle Center, 443-2222 or 877-900-9285, www.seattlerep.org. $36-$42. 7:30 p.m. Wed. Dec. 20-Thurs. Dec. 21 only.

Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka The book is a classic; the Gene Wilder version is a cultural touchstone; the Johnny Depp version had great visuals, a melting chocolate palace, Helena Bonham Carter, lackluster songs, and a drab script; what will the musical stage version hold? Your favorite Bricusse/Newley tunes, for one thing, plus some new ones. Kirkland Performance Center, 350 Kirkland Ave., 425-893-9900, www.kpcenter.org. $15-$20. 7:30 p.m. Fri. Dec. 15, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Sat. Dec. 16.

Sister's Christmas Catechism: The Mystery of The Magi's Gold A holiday spinoff of Late-Night Catechism. Kirkland Performance Center, 350 Kirkland Ave., 425-893-9900, www.kpcenter.org. $15-$28. 7:30 p.m. Wed. Dec. 20-Thurs. Dec. 21, 8 p.m. Fri. Dec. 22, 2 & 8 p.m. Sat. Dec. 23.

Tales from the Charred Underbelly of the Yule Log Straight out of Keillor country, playwright/NPR commentator Kevin Kling tells stories of Midwest Christmases. The Bagley Wright Theatre in Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle Center, 443-2222 or 877-900-9285, www.seattlerep.org. $10-$25. 7:30 p.m. Thurs. Dec. 14-Fri. Dec. 15 only.

Last Chance

All Shook UpThe touring production of this jukebox musical based on Presley tunes stars Susan Anton. Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St., 292-ARTS, www.ticketmaster.com. $22-$70. 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sat., 1 & 6:30 p.m. Sun. Ends Sun. Dec. 17.

Are We Scared? Out of the mouths of babes: a show based on the stories and imaginations of kids 3-5. Open Circle Theater, 429 Boren Ave. N., 382-4250, www.octheater.com. $6-$12 (kids 6 and under free). 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 3 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Ends Sat. Dec. 16.

Babar and Father Christmas The elephant king searches for Pere Noël in this tale performed by the Carter Family Marionettes. Northwest Puppet Center, 9123 15th Ave. N.E., 523-2579, www.nwpuppet.org. $8.50-$10.50. 7:30 p.m. Fri., 1 & 3 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Ends Sun. Dec. 17.

Broads of Broadway A salute to women in American musical theater. Renton Civic Theatre, 507 S. Third St., Renton, 425-226-5529, www.rentoncivictheatre.org. $15-$20. 7:30 p.m. Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Sun. Dec. 17.

Fuh-GeddabouditDinner theater with various audience-participation "survival" games that give comic instruction on life in the mafia, including how to perform a proper hit and how to survive FBI surveillance. Includes a four-course Italian dinner. Julia's on Broadway, 300 Broadway E. 800-838-3006, www.brownpapertickets.com; 860-1818, www.meetthebiscottis.com. $39.90. 6:30 p.m. Sun. Ends Sun. Dec. 17.

The Judy Garland Christmas Special SEE REVIEW. A reimagining of her 1963 TV series, with Andrew Tasakos as Judy and appearances by "16-year-old Liza, 12-year-old Lorna, and the little gay boy no one remembers." Open Circle Theater, 429 Boren Ave. N., 206-382-4250, www.octheater.com. $10. 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Ends Sat. Dec. 16.

Memory House As Barbra once sang, "Memories may be beautiful, and yet/What's too painful to remember, we simply choose to forget." In Kathleen Tolan's one-act play, Memory House, first presented at the Seattle Rep in 2003 as part of the Hedgebrook Women Playwright's Festival, a mother and her adoptive daughter play hide-and-seek with the past while preparing for the future. It's New Year's Eve, and daughter Katia (Sharia Pierce) must battle writer's block in order to finish her college application essay, due at midnight. But it's the Soviet Bloc that causes real stumbling. As a visualization aid, a memory house provides an imaginary architecture in which to store reminiscences. For Katia, whose pre-adoption recollections of Russia are about as sound as a house of cards, gaining a foothold proves challenging. Her mother Maggie (Jeanne Paulsen), since divorced from Katia's adoptive father, undertakes the baking of a pie, perhaps as a sweet counter to the vitriolic attack of teen spirit. It's a task paradoxically simple and fraught with peril—not unlike the relationship she has with her daughter—which, in the end, proves to be on solid ground. Seattle Repertory Theatre at the Leo K. Theatre, Seattle Center, 443-2222,www.seattlerep.org. $10-$40. 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Ends Sun. Dec. 17. SUZANNE BEAL