WEDNESDAY 3/3
Paul Kolnik
Marroquin is guilty of something in Chicago.
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Stage: Criminally Entertaining
When director Bob Fosse's Chicago debuted in 1975, the idea of a snappy tunefest equating murder with show business seemed cold-hearted. By the time of the musical's 1996 revival, however, the murderous equation was business as usual: The production didn't even require the gaudy vaudevillian designs once used to make the point. The spare staging became Broadway's longest-running musical revival (and later an Oscar-winning movie). This touring production toplines John O'Hurley, aka the Seinfeld guy who hoofed a little on Dancing With the Stars. He's the defense lawyer for tarty Roxie Hart (Bianca Marroquin), a would-be star who turns offing her husband into boffo publicity. Her eventual partner-in-crime, Velma Kelly, is played by diva dynamo Brenda Braxton—not a household name, but a pro's pro whose résumé includes the original Dreamgirls. (She also holds the record for having played Velma longer than any other actress on Broadway.) Watch her slink through choreographer Ann Reinking's award-winning tribute to the Fosse style, all rolling shoulders, sinuous arms, and come-hither hips. And all that jazz. (Through Sun.) Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St., 682-1414, stgpresents.com. $20–$60. 7:30 p.m. STEVE WIECKING
THURSDAY 3/4
Fashion: High on Heels
Beth Levine is arguably the most important woman in fashion you've never heard of. The late New York shoe designer (1914–2006) popularized stilettos and boots while working for the footwear label of her husband, Herbert Levine, from the late '40s to early '70s. Those sweet white go-go boots Nancy Sinatra rocked in "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"? A Levine creation. The first exhibit of her work in the United States, "Beth Levine: First Lady of Shoes" (through June 6) features more than 100 designs, ranging from classic to questionable to, er, experimental. It's the latter that make the show. These are styles that even Lady GaGa would pause before donning—pumps attached to pantyhose, flip-flops with AstroTurf insoles, stilettos that can be worn only if glued directly to the feet. (You can also thank Levine for the clear plastic heels that strippers favor.) It's fashion over function at its finest. As Levine herself once explained, her niche was creating shoes that "nobody needed, but everybody wanted." Indeed. Bellevue Arts Museum, 510 Bellevue Way N.E., 425-519-0770, bellevuearts.org. $10. 11 a.m.–5 p.m. ERIKA HOBART
FRIDAY 3/5
Film/Design: Design Within Reach
You care about fonts. Poor signage annoys you. A bad map is enough to ruin your entire day. That's why you're the intended audience for the screenings, panels, and presentations of ByDesign, which celebrates names like Saul Bass (designer of the Vertigo credits) and Pablo Ferro (the Dr. Strangelove lettering). You already know who they are, of course, but have you heard of Danny Yount? A former Seattle resident, he did the cool credit sequences that begin Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes. Tonight he'll appear to demonstrate and discuss his work, featured in too many other TV shows and movies to list, followed by an opening-night party. Among other highlights of the fest (through Thurs., March 11), a program featuring Charles and Ray Eames will include House of Science, an educational six-panel projector work commissioned for our own 1962 World's Fair (Sun. and Tues.). And you can also lust after their famous furniture, showcased in short films, even if you can't afford it. Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave., 267-5380, nwfilmforum.org. $6–$9. 7 p.m. BRIAN MILLER
SATURDAY 3/6
Classical: Simple Gifts
Composer Samuel Barber's strengths were affectingly reticent lyricism and an equally unassuming craftsmanship, which have made his Violin Concerto, the orchestral song Knoxville: Summer of 1915, and his greatest hit, the Adagio for string orchestra, beloved repertory standards. (For all their aching pathos, those upwardly curling lines in the Adagio are based on note patterns of Apollonian simplicity: 123 234 345 456...) But thanks to 20th-century music's vicious style wars, those were gifts many of his more "progressive" colleagues were unable or unwilling to appreciate. Possibly in response, Barber occasionally, ill-advisedly, raised his voice—resulting in some turgid orchestral and stage works. Naturally it'll be his better side that The Esoterics celebrate this weekend and next in concerts marking his 100th birthday (March 9, actually). Under Eric Banks, this expert a cappella choir sings his complete choral works, including the Agnus Dei Barber arranged from his ever-popular Adagio. (Also Thurs., March 11 and Sun., March 14; see Web site for venues.) St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 8398 N.E. 12th St. (Medina), 935-7779, theesoterics.org. $15–$20. 8 p.m. GAVIN BORCHERT
SUNDAY 3/7
Visual Arts: 100 Years on 4 Walls
Laminated menus, like in a point-to-eat sushi joint, are necessary to cope with the 19th-century buffet that is "Tête-à-tête." The show amounts to a rotation of 150 paintings from the Frye's permanent collection, closely packed onto four walls, which is emphatically TMI: too much information. So my advice is to grab the menu (one page per wall), narrow down your selection, and visit several times this year (considering the free admission). Give yourself an assignment, like trying the squid. Thus, for example, Hermann Corrodi (1844–1905) is a Swiss-born painter of no great reputation, but he has an eye for romantic landscapes and peasant scenes. His large, horizontal view of Venice dates to 1900, when recently unified Italy became a sightseeing destination—for the well-heeled—in the Baedeker guide. Instead of today's cruise ships disgorging tourists, diagonal red sails at sunset welcome a fisherman's humble family; a gondolier and the Piazza San Marco are more familiar sights, but rendered before they were clichéd. Nearby, Corrodi's coastal view of Corsica is oriented vertically, framed through a cleft ravine. An old tower or lighthouse stands on the shore, and a few white sails fleck the distant horizon. But this is a barren, sun-scoured, uncultured island—a place of leaving, not arrival. (Through Jan. 2.) Frye Art Museum, 704 Terry Ave., 622-9250, fryemuseum.org. Free. Noon–5 p.m. BRIAN MILLER
