May 17, Wednesday
SAL Presents: The Moth The Moth has become a pre-eminent name in storytelling, and Seattle Arts and Lectures brings some of the best storytellers to town. Regular Moth host Dan Kennedy presents musician Andy Fischer-Price, veteran and state department employee Laurence Kerr, artist Jessica Lee Williamson, and Seattle’s own Ijeoma Oluo, who is quickly achieving national prominence. Benaroya Hall, 200 University St., 215-4747, lectures.org. $35. All ages. 7:30 p.m. PAUL CONSTANT
The Magic Flute Seattle Opera is promoting, hard, Zandra Rhodes’ costumes for its production of Mozart’s fairy tale, and they do indeed pop, but everything is alight with brilliant color and scented with Masonic esotericism in this crowd-pleaser. The Queen of the Night’s showstopper arias, as sung by Christina Poulitsi, thrill where and as they should, and Lauren Snouffer brings a suggestion of Verdian passion and throb to heroine Pamina. Just as colorful is the orchestra; conductor Julia Jones seems to like to keep the winds, brass, and timpani high in the mix for extra splash. McCaw Hall, Seattle Center, 389-7676, seattleopera.org. $25–$292. 7:30 p.m.; also 7:30 p.m. Fri.–Sat. & 2 p.m. Sun. Ends May 21. GAVIN BORCHERT
May 18, Thursday
Everfair Exhibit Opening Sci-fi novelist Nisi Shawl’s Everfair was one of the best books to be published by a Seattle author last year. Tonight, it inspires a whole new generation of Seattle art. Push/Pull gallery presents new work by Seattle artists inspired by Shawl’s steampunk alternate history of the Congo. Shawl will be in attendance. Push/Pull, 5484 Shilshole Ave. N.W., 789-1710, pushpullseattle.weebly.com. Free. All ages. 6 p.m. PC
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith From Nine Inch Nails to Aphex Twin, the Buchla modular synth’s sawtooth oscillators revolutionized electronic music. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith is one of the Buchla’s undisputed maestros these days, and she channels her experiences with natural sounds—from, for example, Orcas Island, where she spent her formative years—into the machine’s digital interface. If you’ve ever wondered what hiking Mt. Constitution would sound like as a musique concrète étude, consider your prayers answered. With Raica, Raj, Jake Muir. Kremwerk, 1809 Minor Ave., kremwerk.com, 682-2935. $14–$18. 21 and over. 8 p.m. GREGORY SCRUGGS
Illegal Sunshine This is an evening with multiple identities. Jessie Marion Smith & Kyle Walker Akins (aka Marion Walker) have pulled together friends and colleagues for the premiere of their new music video “Patience, Atlas,” in which stop-motion animation makes a delicate act out of destruction. Smith joins fellow dancers Jim Kent of Whim W’him and the elusive Ellie Sandstrom (aka Dead Bird Movement) for some dance action, while performance artist Corrie Befort and composer Jason E. Anderson (aka LIMITS) open the show. Pseudonyms are not required, but they might be helpful. Jewel Box Theater (at the Rendezvous), 2320 Second Ave., marionwalker.org. $10–$20. 8 p.m. Thurs. May 18. SANDRA KURTZ
Clock That Construct If our things tell a story about us, then the wild collection of materials that Jody Kuehner’s larger-than-life character Cherdonna Shinatra has created/accumulated has quite a saga to relate. In “Clock That Mug or Dusted,” the first episode of her three-part project “one great, bright, brittle alltogetherness,” Cherdonna used Velocity Dance Center as an interactive art studio, painting a life-sized rag doll with peanut butter-smeared hands and collecting a pile of detritus seemingly as random as her own stream-of-consciousness commentary. For this middle chapter, the Henry is hosting this collection in a series of gallery performances, on the way to the final event at On the Boards this autumn. Henry Art Gallery, UW campus, 543-2280, henryart.org. Free with gallery admission. 7 p.m.; also 1 p.m. Fri., May 19–Sun., May 21. SK
Evan Flory-Barnes The vision of this bassist and composer is vast and wide. It even encompasses a 35-piece orchestra that he’ll lead at the hallowed Neptune. That the musician’s orchestral masterpiece, Acknowledgement of a Celebration, will be performed tonight in the U District is significant—it’s the neighborhood where much of the show’s music was composed through bouts of laughter and occasions of tears. The Neptune, 1303 N.E. 45th St., stgpresents.org. $18.50. All ages. 8 p.m. JACOB UITTI
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo The Trocks have been turning a funhouse mirror on classical ballet for more than 40 years, to the delight of their audiences, but beyond the gender-swapping they are masters of the light satiric touch, stretching ballet’s conventions just enough to tease. They can distill what it is to be a ballerina, and reveal the art form’s fundamental elements as all great drag artists do, with integrity and love. Meany Hall, UW campus, 543-4880, meanycenter.org. $55–$60. 8 p.m. Thurs., May 18–Sat., May 20. SK
May 19, Friday
Hardly Art 10th Anniversary Sub Pop’s sister label has grown considerably in the decade it’s been around, putting on some of Seattle’s most celebrated punk and rock bands, like Chastity Belt, Dude York, and Tacocat. To celebrate its birthday, the label is hosting a big two-day party, which begins on Thursday but stretches to tonight with sets from Shannon & the Clams, Ian Sweet, Jenn Champion, and Dick Stusso. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., chop suey.com. $18. 21 and over. 8 p.m. Kelton Sears
May 20, Saturday
Mancini/Nufer Vancouver poet Donato Mancini is reading twice in Seattle to celebrate his new book, Same Diff. He’ll be joined by irrepressible Seattle poet Doug Nufer, who will soon be releasing a new poetry collection of his own, The Me Theme. Why not spend your afternoon with two very fine Cascadian poets? Open Books, 2414 N. 45th St., 633-0811, openpoetrybooks.com. Free. All ages. 2 p.m. PC
W. Kamau Bell Whether he’s serving as the ACLU’s Ambassador for Racial Justice, interviewing white supremacist Richard Spencer, or talking with his mom about her sex life, Bell is hilarious and sharp and refreshingly full of #realtalk about race, politics, and culture. A self-described sociopolitical comedian, Bell has made a name for himself on television (most recently on the CNN docu-series United Shades of America), on the radio, and now in print. Expect incisive social commentary and belly laughs. The Neptune, 1303 N.E. 45th St., 682-1414, stgpresents.org. $23.50–$51.50. All ages. 8 p.m. SARA BERNARD
This Saxophone Kills Fascists A classic banger with a decent group of fool bringing the yuckyucks. Last time Milk Peanut showed up, giant papier-maché boobs shat whipped cream, and that’s just the special guest. Plus there’s that #pizzagate guy, Olympia’s Arrington de Dionyso. The noise scene in Seattle is like the moss growing on the north side of the Amazon balls. Hose it down all you want. IT NEVER GOES AWAY. With Blessed Blood, Greg Kelley, Wilson Shook, Dave Abramson, Finger, DJ Collapsing, Milk Peanut. Cafe Racer, 5828 Roosevelt Way N.E., bit.ly/2qBu0Id. $5 donation. 8 p.m. MEAGAN ANGUS
May 21, Sunday
Apollo 8 Reading Apollo 8: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon is about a horrendous year in American history (almost exactly 50 years ago now) when we decided to send human beings to the goddamned moon. Maybe the problem with this horrendous year in American history is we’re not shooting enough people into space. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave., 624-6600, elliottbaybook.com. Free. All ages. 3 p.m. PC
May 22, Monday
SCALE Reading In these Trumpy times, it’s important to give scientists your attention. Tonight, according to press materials, a theoretical physicist named Geoffrey West “explores the hidden laws that govern the life cycle of everything from plants and animals to our cities in his new book.” Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave., 624-6600, elliottbaybook.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. PC
May 23, Tuesday
The Jesus and Mary Chain Gone are the days when The Jesus and Mary Chain would make entire songs out of blistering feedback. But the band’s still got a bit of its punk ethos on its new record, Damage and Joy, with the vets still sneering about sex and rock. On “Simian Split,” lead singer Jim Reid even says he’s the one who shot Kurt Cobain, and Courtney put him up to it. We knew it! Showbox SoDo, 1700 First Ave. S., showbox presents.com. $35. 8 p.m. DANIEL PERSON
