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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 7, through Sun. Dec. 31: Josh Beerman. Week 8, Jan. 1-7: The Rebar Drama Club. Various venues and times; see www.365seattle.com. Free.
Winter Weekend slumber slaughterTeen slasher movies are the inspiration for this improvised show. Blood Squad at Odd Duck Theater, 1214 Tenth Ave., www.brownpapertickets.com. $10. Opens Dec. 29. 11 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Ends Sat. Jan. 13.
Last Chance
Black Nativity: A Gospel Song Play If the words "audience participation" don't send you running for cover, get yourself to Black Nativity now. Written by the late Langston Hughes and directed by Jacqueline Moscou, the show is divided into two distinct parts. The first is the Christmas story (Joseph and pregnant Mary can't find a place to stay in Bethlehem, etc.), told from Hughes' perspective and beautifully re-enacted by lithe dancers/persons of color. There's comedy thrown in, which makes for light yet extremely spiritual scenes. The choir's first-act songs include "Go Tell It on the Mountain," "This Little Light of Mine," "Joy to the World," and other gorgeously sung holiday favorites. You'll be enthralled. However, after the intermission, you'll probably be less blown away, unless you're a big fan of church: The stage turns into a worship area where the well-regarded Rev. Dr. Samuel B. McKinney (formerly of the Mount Zion Baptist Church of Seattle) holds court. Gospel songs are performed and cast members call upon you to sing, clap, dance, and stomp your feet if you want to. Yes, the singers and dancers onstage are extremely talented—especially Joseph (Bojohn Diciple)—but the second act is somehow a less grand performance. In the end, though, you'll walk away more gospel-music savvy and no doubt be inspired by the colorful outfits, the vitality of the characters, and, ultimately, the generous spirit of the Christmas season, regardless of your faith or ethnicity. (P.S. You won't find that at any mall.) Intiman Playhouse, 201 Mercer St., Seattle Center, 269-1900, www.intiman.org. $10-$42. 7:30 p.m. Wed. Dec. 27. Ends Dec. 27.MOLLY LORI
Bye Bye Birdie Teen idol Conrad Birdie (think Elvis-but-not-quite) is about to join the army, but not before he turns Sweet Apple, Ohio, upside down with a PR stunt in this favorite musical. Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah, 425-392-2202, www.villagetheatre.org. $25-$49. 8 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sat. & Sun. Ends Sun. Dec. 31.
The Dina Martina Christmas Show Like giving birth, or Burning Man, or giving birth at Burning Man, a Dina Martina show is an experience nearly impossible to describe to someone who hasn't lived it. In her quest to entertain, she'll pull out stops you didn't know an organ even had. Last year's show opened with a holiday-themed Pet Shop Boys cover ("North Pole Girls") and climaxed with a rectal cancer joke that left a roomful of people unable to breathe for laughing. Rejuvenated from triumphant East Coast gigs this past summer, she's ready to top herself with a new assault of song, dance, film (including clips from her movie career and home movies from her childhood), joyous fashion errors, even more bizarre gifts, and, as promised this year, memorable special guests. Re-bar, 1114 Howell St., 325-6500, www.ticketwindowonline.com. $20. 8 p.m. Wed. Dec. 27-Sat. Dec. 30. Ends Dec. 30.
It's A Wonderful Life Joe Landry's adaptation, billed as a "live radio play" (the setting is a '40s-era Seattle studio, not Bedford Falls), strips the visuals—and most of the magic—from the 1946 Frank Capra classic. Unfortunately, Taproot's well-intentioned production can't redeem such a flawed concept. Most of the film's sparkling dialogue seems to have been "adapted" verbatim, yet almost every scene feels anemic. Picture George and Mary Bailey's wedding night in the ramshackle old house, or Harry Bailey's disastrous fall through the ice—then imagine having to be told what's happening in those scenes by an obtrusive narrator rather than seeing it for yourself. Grant Goodeve captures some of Jimmy Stewart's aw-shucks magnetism, and his early speech at the Building and Loan packs some punch, but he's still hemmed in by the concept's limitations. His climactic run through Bedford Falls comes off as silly rather than wonderful, since the movie's backdrop, as much as Stewart, is what made that scene so satisfying. Lisa Peretti seems miscast as Mary; she exudes little of Donna Reed's sweetness and warmth, which makes rooting for the young couple awfully difficult. True fans of Life—and neophytes, too, for that matter—would be much better off just watching it on DVD. Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St., 781-9707, www.taproottheatre.org. $15-$30. 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri., 2 & 8 p.m. Sat. Ends Sat. Dec. 30.NEAL SCHINDLER
Continuing Runs
Late Nite CatechismMaripat Donovan's one-woman show explains everything you wanted to know about the Catholic faith, but were too scared you'd get rapped across the knuckles to ask. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St., 292-7676, www.acttheatre.org. $24.50-$29.50. 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Open run.
