1 "So a Magician, a Blonde, and a Donkey Walk into a Bar . . . " That's the theme being embraced by local poets Nicole Hardy, Marjorie Manwaring, and Sally Ashton. Richard Hugo House, hugohouse.org.
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John Hurt: “Oh, bloody hell! Not again!”
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1–4 Seattle Symphony Mahler's voraciously grand Symphony No. 5, a Gerard Schwarz specialty. Benaroya Hall, seattlesymphony.org.
1–4 The Shipment Young Jean Lee's disquieting show about stereotypes and race. On the Boards, ontheboards.org.
1–Nov. 14 Tim Roda Trained at the UW (though no longer a local), the photographer has made his own family portraits into eerie tableaux in past shows. Greg Kucera Gallery, gregkucera.com.
2–6 Alien Ridley Scott dusts off his sci-fi gem from 1979, which actually had its world premiere at SIFF that year. (Can you believe it?) Get ready for that toothy worm to spring out of John Hurt's chest again, and for Sigourney Weaver to hunt the damn thing down. SIFF Cinema, siff.net.
2 Capitalism: A Love Story Hot on the heels of the financial meltdown, Michael Moore returns to terrorize security guards in the lobbies of New York investment banks. Area theaters.
2 Craig Ferguson The charming Scottish talk-show host is also a published writer and produced screenwriter. Tonight he'll pour his brogue into memoir, reading from American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot. Town Hall, townhallseattle.org.
2–25 Tryst A psychological thriller set in Edwardian England. Bathhouse Theater, seattlepublictheater.org.
2–Nov. 15 Abe Lincoln in Illinois Robert E. Sherwood's 1939 play, covering 20 years of American history, won the Pulitzer Prize. Sheila Daniels directs the sprawling work, which continues Intiman's "American Cycle." Intiman Theatre, intiman.org.
3–Jan. 3 The Old, Weird America The Frye explores "Folk Themes in Contemporary Art" and outsider artists in general, taking a cue from writer Greil Marcus' book. (He will, coincidentally, appear at Seattle Central Library Oct. 29 with his New Literary History of America.) Frye Art Museum, fryemuseum.org.
3–7 Local Sightings Film Festival And by "local" we also mean Vancouver, B.C., Portland, and points beyond Puget Sound, as Northwest directors from all corners screen new work. Northwest Film Forum, nwfilmforum.org.
3–Dec. 31, 2010 Vortexhibition Polyphonica This rotating group show promises to "experiment with a fluid structure" from objects among the Henry's permanent collection. Artists EV Day and Takashi Murakami are among those featured. Henry Art Gallery, henryart.org.
4 Orchestra Seattle/Seattle Chamber Singers Beethoven's Ninth, the piece that drove A Clockwork Orange's Alex mad. Beware the Ludovico Technique! First Free Methodist Church, osscs.org.
5 Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Bach, Beethoven, Kernis, and Stravinsky from this fabulous conductorless ensemble. Benaroya Hall, seattlesymphony.org.
5 Ralph Nader He killed the Corvair. He lobbied for seatbelts and saved many lives. And he helped spoil Al Gore's chances in 2000. His new book, sarcastically titled, is Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us! Elliott Bay Book Co., elliottbaybook.com.
6 Sherman Alexie Recent winner of a National Book Award, he reads from his new story collection, War Dances. Town Hall, townhallseattle.org.
6 Langdon Cook His blog about food foraging, "Fat of the Land," was named the city's Best Food Blog by Jonathan Kauffman in our Best of Seattle® issue this year. His new book has the same name but, Cook promises, offers "99% new material." (He'll be at the Bellevue U Bookstore on the 20th.) University Book Store, bookstore.washington.edu.
7 Margaret Atwood The incredibly prolific Canadian, so fond of dystopian futures, returns with The Year of the Flood, set after an environmental catastrophe. (See: Gore, Al.) Town Hall, townhallseattle.org.
7 Annie Proulx Known for The Shipping News and Brokeback Mountain, among others. Benaroya Hall, lectures.org.
8 Richard Dawkins He of The God Delusion now attacks the anti-evolution camp in The Greatest Show on Earth. UW Campus, bookstore.washington.edu.
8 James Ellroy Blood's a Rover is the latest crime fiction from the famously hyperkinetic neo-noir novelist, guaranteed to talk a mile a minute. Town Hall, townhallseattle.org.
8–10 Paul Taylor Dance Company Even after 50-plus years as a choreographer, he can still pull the rug out from under audiences. Meany Theater, meany.org.
8–31 Zastrozzi: The Master of Discipline Gothic mayhem, by way of Shelley, in this 1970s play. Balagan Theatre, balagantheatre.org.
9 Nick Hornby Mr. High Fidelity comes to town with his latest, Juliet, Naked, about life and love among music fans. Sure to be a movie. Central Library, spl.org.
9 A Serious Man The Coen brothers look back to their Jewish roots in suburban Minneapolis, where families and sexual mores are falling to pieces in 1967. Area theaters.
9–25 Spectrum Dance Theater Donald Byrd has remade Spectrum in the six years since hearrived, and this fall the company performs a series of retrospectives. Madrona Dance Studio, spectrumdance.org.
9–Nov. 8 Rock 'n' Roll How Lou Reed and company inspired those trapped behind the Iron Curtain, in Tom Stoppard's prize-winner. Kurt Beattie directs. A Contemporary Theatre, acttheatre.org.
10 The Met: Live in HD Another season of opera-at-the-movies opens with the fiery Karita Mattila as Puccini's Tosca. Pacific Place and other area theaters, metopera.org.
10–12 Alfred Hitchcock Retrospective Pegged to Seattle Rep's production of The 39 Steps, this weekend mini-fest features gems like Vertigo, North by Northwest, and Rear Window. And, yes, The 39 Steps. SIFF Cinema, siff.net.
