I Am My Own Wife

The Pulitzer- and Tony-winning I Am My Own Wife had a long and complicated road to Seattle. Originally scheduled for a slot at the Empty Space, playwright Doug Wright’s critically acclaimed work was left in limbo by the Space’s closure back in 2006. Then after a brief tussle over rights between the Seattle Rep and Arts West, the smaller company won; hence the belated Seattle premiere on Wednesday (it continues through June 1). So is the script worth all of the tussle? It depends on how compelling you find the true story it’s based on, that of a German homosexual who murdered his father during World War II, renamed himself “Charlotte,” and lived under both the Nazis and the Communists wearing women’s clothing and collecting antique furniture. (OK, aren’t you the least bit compelled?) The one-man show stars local actor Nick DeSantis in the large, but no doubt stylish, shoes of Charlotte. Arts West, 4711 California Ave. S.W., 983-0339, www.artswest.org. $10–$29. Opens May 14. 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., also 3 p.m. Sun., May 25 & June 1. Ends June 1. JOHN LONGENBAUGH

ArtsWest

$10-$29. Every week Sunday from Sun., May 25 until Sun., June 1, 3:00pmEvery week Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday from Wed., May 14 until Sun., June 1, 7:30pm

Cirque du Soleil

Extra Info

Marymoor Park $55-$210 Every week Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from Thu., April 24 until Sun., June 1, 8:00pmEvery week Friday, Saturday from Fri., April 25 until Sun., June 1, 4:00pmEvery week Friday, Saturday from Fri., April 25 until Sun., June 1, 8:00pmEvery week Sunday from Sun., April 27 until Sun., June 1, 1:00pmEvery week Sunday from Sun., April 27 until Sun., June 1, 5:00pm

Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil is bringing another big-top-on-LSD production to the Eastside (through May 25), this time telling the story of a clown in some kind of ethereal limbo watching his own theatrical funeral procession in Corteo. (Is a dead clown more or less terrifying for coulrophobiacs?) His buddies and ex-lovers pay their respects in acts both poignant and comedic acts—including a duo of “little people” who perform ballet on a vertical bar set on a pivoting platform’ a man with unnervingly good balance who climbs ladders that lean on nothing but air; and a clowness floating on six enormous helium balloons. As usual, Cirque du Soleil is the master of amassing acrobats who are really, really, ridiculously good at really, really ridiculously peculiar talents, such as whistling, teeterboarding, and rolling around in metal rings like revolving Vitruvian Men. It’s an incredible showcase of human discipline (and provocatively ornate costumes). I have never left a performance without feeling sensory overload. Marymoor Park, 6046 W. Lake Sammamish Parkway N.E., Redmond, 800-678-5440, www.cirquedusoleil.com. $55-$210. Opens April 24. 8 p.m. Tues.-Thurs, 4 & 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 1 & 5 p.m. Sun. Must end June 1. SARA NIEGOWSKI

Fathers and Sons

Unlike some of Michael Bradford’s contemporaries, whose attempts to address a variety of social issues leave the audience overwhelmed, Bradford’s Fathers and Sons is a tribute, albeit a depressing one, to the power of the theater. Though it’s billed as an exploration of what it means to be a man, the play also tackles love in a romantic but complex way and war in a straightforward yet gut-wrenching way. After Marcus Goodwater (Reginald Andre Jackson) inadvertently loses his son at the park, his wife Yvette (Tracey A. Leigh) rages off to her mother’s, insisting that Marcus kill everyone he sees until he finds her baby. His formerly non-communicative, drug-addicted father, Leon (William Hall Jr.), chooses this moment to fly in and reconcile their relationship, but he’s haunted in turn by the ghost of his own father, Bernard (Wilbur Penn). Leon is sure of his mistakes but unsure how to fix them, and Bernard seems sure he hasn’t made mistakes, though no one else would agree. While time shifts between the present, where Marcus deals with his father and searches for his son, and the past, where we see the budding romance of Marcus and Yvette, Fathers and Sons maintains nonstop, fluid motion. BRENT ARONOWITZ Mostly 8 p.m. Fri., 2 & 8 p.m. Sat., 2 & 7:30 p.m. Sun., 7:30 p.m. Tues.-Thurs.; double-check Web site for exact schedule. Ends May 25.

ACT Theatre

$10-$55. Every week Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from Tue., April 29 until Sun., May 25, 7:30pmEvery week Friday from Fri., April 25 until Sun., May 25, 8:00pmEvery week Saturday from Sat., April 26 until Sun., May 25, 8:00pmEvery week Sunday from Sun., April 27 until Sun., May 25, 7:30pm

Aida

Scooping the Seattle Opera's August production with the Elton John/Tim Rice version. Opens May 14. 8 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., also some Sat. matinees and Tues. & Sun. evenings; see Web site for complete schedule. Ends July 6.

Francis J Gaudette Theatre

$20-$55. Every week Sunday from Sun., May 18 until Sun., July 6, 2:00pmEvery week Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday from Wed., May 14 until Sun., July 6, 8:00pm

Defending the Caveman

Ben Tedder brings the longest-runing solo show in Broadway history back to Kirkland. [Read Longenbaugh's take on the show here.].

Kirkland Performance Center

$34-$36. Wed., May 14, 8:00pmThu., May 15, 8:00pmFri., May 16, 8:00pmSat., May 17, 5:00pmSat., May 17, 8:00pm

Over the River and Through the Woods

Nick gets a great job offer in Seattle, but his family wants him to stay in Joisey, in Joe DiPietro’s comedy. Previews May 14-15, opens May 16. 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sat. Ends June 14.

Taproot Theater

$10-$33. Every week Friday from Fri., May 16 until Sat., June 14, 8:00pmEvery week Saturday from Sat., May 17 until Sat., June 14, 8:00pmEvery week Wednesday, Thursday from Wed., May 14 until Sat., June 14, 7:30pmEvery week Saturday from Sat., May 17 until Sat., June 14, 2:00pm

Comedy Underground

The long-running humor hangout spotlights seasoned pros as well as up-and-comers. Tuesday at 8:30 is Non-Profit Comedy ($6-$12, www.nonprofitcomedy.com), benefiting a revolving list of causes and institutions. See Web site for times and shows.

Comedy Underground

$6-$15. Daily

The Diary of Anne Frank

A stage adaptation of the well-known Holocaust memoir. [See review here.] Generally 7:30 p.m. Tues.-Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri., 2 & 8 p.m. Sat., 2 & 7:30 p.m. Sun.; check Website for exact schedule. Ends May 17.

Intiman Theater

$10-$50. Every week Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday from Fri., March 21 until Sat., May 17

Laughs

Open mike Tues. at 8:30 p.m. ($6), stand-up and other comedy Thurs.-Sat. (usually $15). On May 8-10, David Crowe; May 15, Turuly Impossible Magic; May 16-17, Alonzo Bodden. See Web site for complete schedule.

Laughs Comedy Spot

Every week Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday

People’s Republic of Komedy

Alternative stand-up, sketches, and music, under various names, each Wednesday.

Chop Suey

$5. Every week Wednesday, 9:00pm

Teatro ZinZanni

Their new dinner-theater show is called "A Suitcase Named Desire." 6:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 5:30 p.m. Sun. Open run.

Teatro ZinZanni

$104-$155. Every week Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 6:30pmEvery week Sunday, 5:30pm

To Do List

Tuesday, May 13

Augusten Burroughs
Augusten Burroughs has become the rock star of the tell-all dysfunctional-f... More>>
Town Hall, Tue., May 13, 7:30pm

The Dirtbombs, Dan Sartain, Terrible Twos
Detroit's Dirtbombs are back with their first full-length in five years. Th... More>>
Neumo's, Tue., May 13, 8:00pm, $12 adv

Dorothy Rissman
Much to the chagrin of her Wallingford neighbors, Dorothy Rissman began dum... More>>
Fetherston Gallery, Daily from Mon., April 21 until Sat., May 24, 11:00am

87 more things to do today>>