SEPTEMBER

15 Jacob McMurray Linked to the ongoing EMP show, he’ll discuss his music history Taking Punk to the Masses: From Nowhere to Nevermind. University Book Store, bookstore.washington.edu

15–18 SuttonBeresCuller Three Cornish grads, operating under one name, show off their new performative installation in a social/bar setting. No two performances will be the same. On the Boards, ontheboards.org

15–18 Branford Marsalis The veteran sax player continues his famous family’s musical tradition, now leading a quartet behind his new album, Songs of Mirth and Melancholy. Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, jazzalley.com

16–Oct. 10 MilkMilk Lemonade Joshua Conkel’s agenda comedy concerns sissy boys and preteen bullying. Washington Ensemble Theatre, washingtonensemble.org

16–Oct. 15 Live! From the Last Night of My Life From local playwright Wayne Rawley, this dark comedy follows suicidal clerk Doug. The funny kind of suicide. Theater Schmeater, schmeater.org

18 Staff Benda Bilili From Congo, this Kinshasa band features young musicians who draw from African and Caribbean traditions. All also have polio. The concert begins the Global Rhythms series. Town Hall, townhallseattle.org

19 Michael Moore The Oscar-winning filmmaker (Bowling for Columbine) and outspoken liberal crusader relates his own early life in Here Comes Trouble. The Neptune Theatre, stgpresents.org

19 Michael Ian Black Is there any show on Comedy Central he hasn’t done? We doubt it. Neptune

20 Erin Morgenstern Young magicians compete–and possibly fall in love!–in her novel The Night Circus, said to be a likely autumn bestseller. Third Place Books, thirdplacebooks.com

20 Neal Stephenson His bizarrely spelled new novel Reamde [sic] chronicles how a wealthy tech entrepreneur becomes caught in his own online fantasy war game. Town Hall

21 Shawn Colvin Folksy folk will be happy to hear this Grammy-winning artist in an adult setting. Triple Door, tripledoor.com

21 Jay Feldman Why are liberals so afraid of the Tea Party? Why is the Tea Party so afraid of “Obamacare”? Hear from the author of Manufacturing Hysteria. Town Hall

21–25 The Festival of New Spanish Cinema More than a dozen titles are featured, plus one oldie, the 1976 shocker Who Can Kill a Child? SIFF Cinema at McCaw Hall, siff.net

21–Oct. 24 An Ideal Husband Oscar Wilde’s peerless 1895 comedy is still a hilarious indictment of social mores and marriage. Taproot Theatre, taproottheatre.org

PICK 22 Calvin Trillin Is “beloved” too strong a word to describe the veteran journalist and humorist for The New Yorker? No, it’s not. His latest is Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin: Forty Years of His Funny Stuff. Town Hall

22 B’shnorkestra Composer Samantha Boshnack gathers a dozen or so friends from Seattle’s avant-music circles to play her stuff. Rainier Valley Cultural Center, bshnorkestra.com

PICK 22–25 Dr. John The New Orleans keyboard legend is backed by The Lower 911. He took home a Grammy two years ago for City That Care Forgot. Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley

PICK 22–25 Seattle Symphony They’re playing Zappa? Frank Zappa? That Frank Zappa? This is not your parents’ SSO. Benaroya Hall, seattlesymphony.org

22–Oct. 20 Harold and the Purple Crayon Based on the books by Crockett Johnson, this stage adaptation includes puppets. Seattle Children’s Theatre, sct.org

23 Moneyball Brad Pitt attempts to make us care about overpaid baseball players. Based on Michael Lewis’ book. Theaters TBD

PICK 23–25 Fall Kick-Off & Big Bang! If nothing succeeds like excess, then this three-part season opener should hit the top of the charts. Velocity has practically every contemporary-dance artist in the area booked for the weekend. There’s a different program every night, with a double-sized cast on Saturday–not to mention the inaugural edition of their Big Bang! dance party after the performance. If you’re a longtime member of the local dance community, this is like a class reunion. If you’re new to town, it’s a crash course in Seattle dance. SANDRA KURTZ Velocity Dance Center, velocitydancecenter.org

23–25 Fremont Oktoberfest It’s not just about the beer . . . oh, who are we kidding? It’s totally about the beer, with dozens of brewers represented, games for kids, a 5K, brats and other German fare, lederhosen, and, well, lots and lots of beer. Various locations, fremontoktoberfest.com

23–25 Seattle Design Festival Norman Foster, Julius Schulman, and other iconic figures of architecture and design are profiled in this weekend fest at SIFF’s new home inside Seattle Center. SEE RELATED STORY. SIFF Film Center

23–29 Two-Lane Blacktop James Taylor and Warren Oates race across the country in Monte Hellman’s asphalt classic from 1971. Grand Illusion Cinema, grandillusioncinema.org

23–Oct. 2 All Wheeldon Four dances from esteemed choreographer Christopher Wheeldon include Carousel, Polyphonia, and others. McCaw Hall, pnb.org

23–Oct. 13 Mysteries of Lisbon Chilean director Raúl Ruiz just died, but here’s your chance to see his rather epic, four-and-a-quarter-hour final opus (screened in two parts, thank God). SIFF Film Center

24 Stephen Drury Playing landmarks of American piano music, including Ives’ transcendental (in the Emersonian sense) Concord Sonata. PONCHO Concert Hall, cornish.edu

24–Oct. 16 The Music Man Lyric Light Opera mounts Meredith Willson’s 1957 favorite. Kirkland Performance Center, kpcenter.org

24–Dec. 30 Carolee Schneemann: Within and Beyond the Premises Starting in the ’60s, she began exploring body taboos, gender roles, and sexuality across a wide variety of media. This retrospective, a traveling show, will include several panels and discussions. Henry Art Gallery, henryart.org

25 Octava Chamber Orchestra They include a new piece on every program–this time, an overture by Alan Belkin (alongside Bach and Brahms). Maple Park Church, Lynnwood, octavachamberorchestra.com

PICK 25–29 Free Anchors Aweigh The Neptune has been booking bands, comics, and other non-filmic entertainment since passing from Landmark to Seattle Theatre Group. But the latter is celebrating this official reopening with a series of free evenings. Our pick is Monday’s Comedy Cavalcade with the People’s Republic of Komedy, Luke Burbank, John Keister, and more. Neptune

25–Jan. 8 Carnaval! It’s a party inside! This exhibit explores the histories of all different types of celebrations, from New Orleans to Rio. Burke Museum, burkemuseum.org

26 Bon Iver Bearded cabin-dweller Justin Vernon gets more urban, but no less precious on the self-titled sophomore release he’s pitching.Paramount Theatre, stgpresents.org

26–Oct. 24 Freedom Riders This traveling show, well-suited to school groups, recounts a pivotal chapter of the Civil Rights era. Museum of History and Industry, seattlehistory.org

PICK 27 Simon Reynolds The visiting author discusses his Retromania: Pop Culture’s Addiction to Its Own Past with witty local radio host Luke Burbank. The Grotto at the Rendezvous, bookstore.washington.edu

27 Ingrid Betancourt Held hostage by Colombian rebels for six years in the jungle, she’s written a memoir, Even Silence Has an End. Seattle Central Library, spl.org

28 Bright Eyes The NYC indie outfit, mainly consisting of Conor Oberst, is touring behind The People’s Key. Moore Theatre, stgpresents.org

PICK 28–Oct. 2 Decibel Festival To name just a few prominent acts in this gathering of electronica artists and beyond: James Blake, Amon Tobin, and Moby. Yes, Moby. Various locations, dbfestival.com

PICK 28–Oct. 6 Local Sightings Film Festival NWFF’s annual showcase for regional filmmakers (sometimes extending up to Canada) begins with ex-local Calvin Reeder’s The Oregonian. Screened at Sundance, it follows a young woman from bucolic farm life to horror. Also note an outdoor mural project at Cal Anderson Park, conducted by the Seattle Experimental Animation Team. Northwest Film Forum, nwfilmforum.org

28–Nov. 20 rock, paper, scissors The gallery holds its sixth annual juried exhibit of local talent. Columbia City Gallery, columbiacitygallery.com

29 Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra Their tribute concert is “An Evening With Ol’ Blue Eyes: The Music of Frank Sinatra.” (Repeats at Kirkland Performance Center, Nov. 6.) Benaroya Hall, srjo.org

PICK 29 & Oct. 1 Seattle Symphony New guy Ludovic Morlot conducts Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring alongside something even more in-your-face, Varèse’s Amériques. Benaroya Hall

PICK 30–Oct. 16 Cinerama Film Festival Fifteen classic wide-screen movies are promised, both in the original three-projector Cinerama format and in 70mm. Titles will include West Side Story, Lawrence of Arabia, and Cleopatra. Cinerama, cinerama.com

30–Oct. 16 The Beast This dance about domestic violence is fittingly scheduled during National Domestic Awareness Month. Madrona Dance Studio, spectrumdance.org

30–Oct. 23 Humor Abuse Playwright Lorenzo Pisoni mines his own youth in a circus (yes, really) in his partly autobiographical new dramedy. Seattle Repertory Theatre, seattlerep.org

30–Oct. 30 Saving Aimee Yes, it’s that show by Kathie Lee Gifford, and don’t you start snickering already. Her subject, evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, was one of the most famous and controversial women of the ’20s, equal parts Palin and Steinem. 5th Avenue Theatre, 5thavenue.org

 

OCTOBER

PICK 1 Sherman Alexie Always a hoot at his readings, the city’s favorite literary son (and foremost Sonics elegist) reads new verse. Seattle Public Library, Ballard Branch, spl.org

1 Frank Ferrante He brings Groucho Marx back to life, sort of, in his one-man tribute show. (A companion film series runs Sept. 22–29.) Auburn Performing Arts Center, auburnwa.gov/arts

1 Music of Remembrance Chamber music from and about the Holocaust on this free series. Seattle Art Museum, musicof remembrance.org

1 Trimpin Seattle’s musical mad scientist is joined by editor Anne Focke; they’ll discuss their recent Trimpin: Contraptions for Art and Sound. Elliott Bay Book Co.

1 Seattle Baroque Orchestra Pomo composers today go on and on about how they’re bravely breaking style barriers, but even in 1700 they were deliberately synthesizing French and Italian influences. The SBO explores this repertory. Town Hall, earlymusicguild.org

1 Jerry Seinfeld Has retirement made him less funny? Should Larry David take all the credit? Should we hate him because he’s so rich? Go, and your questions will be answered. Paramount

1 Cyndia Sieden Up above the staff, where most sopranos’ ranges start to give out, Sieden’s just getting warmed up. She’ll sing a coloratura recital with pianist Judith Cohen. PONCHO Concert Hall, cornish.edu

1–2 Seattle Women’s Chorus A tribute to the divas (and Amazons) of country music, with guest Chely Wright. Benaroya Hall, seattlewomenschorus.org

1–2 Clarinettissimo The 11th annual celebration of—guess what instrument—with master classes and a recital. UW School of Music, osbornmusic.com

1–2, 8–9 The Esoterics Works about nature, human and otherwise, from this contemporary-music a cappella choir. Various locations, theesoterics.org

PICK 1–31 ArtsCrush This month-long festival spans all disciplines, including dozens of events at venues up and down Puget Sound. Among the Seattle highlights: Sight and Sound BREW, a poetry/viz mash-up at Gallery 110 (Oct. 8); a group reading from the Seattle7Writers at the Rainier Valley Cultural Center (Oct. 15); and Show and Tell, a collection of embarrassing childhood stories from comedian Emmett Montgomery and other locals, at Richard Hugo House (Oct. 20). Various locations, artscrush.org

2 A Not So Still Life Ballard glass Ginny Ruffner, profiled in this recent doc, is expected to attend this premium dinner-and-a-movie event, with grub from chef Don Curtiss. Volterra, siff.net.

2 Bit Pop Showcase The pasty-faced crowd of the Decibel Festival gets to enjoy another day of music with the likes of Dntel (half of the Postal Service), Erika Spring (of Au Revoir Simone), and others. Triple Door

2–??? Can’t Look Away: The Lure of Horror Film This new exhibit, with no set end date, explores the long history of horror movies, from the silent era (including Nosferatu) forward. In addition to clips (and screenings TBD), look for props from Alien, The Shining, and Night of the Living Dead. Roger Corman, John Landis, and Eli Roth helped select parts of the show. EMP, empmuseum.org

4 Carpe Diem String Quartet The quartet-in-residence at Ohio Wesleyan University begins the new UW World Series season with music from Mendelssohn to Piazzolla. SEE RELATED STORY. Meany Hall, uwworldseries.org

5 Dorianne Laux She reads new work featured in The Poet’s Companion. Presented by Seattle Arts & Lectures. Benaroya Hall, lectures.org

PICK 5 John Lithgow The veteran actor, a multi-award-winning staple of Broadway and Hollywood since the ’70s, talks about his new memoir, Drama, with radio host Marcie Sillman. University Temple United Methodist Church, bookstore.washington.edu

5 Adam Winkler His Gunfight concerns the long and contentious history of the Second Amendment and gun control. Town Hall

5–June 10 Gathering: John Miller and Friends Two dozen goblets and glass sculptures also reflect the work of Fritz Dreisbach, Einar and Jamex de la Torre, Paul Marioni, Karen Willenbrink-Johnsen, Davide Salvadore, and Martin Blank. Museum of Glass, museumofglass.org

6 First Thursday Get out and do that art-walk thing all around Pioneer Square and the Tashiro Kaplan Building. Various locations.

6–8 Pilobolus Somewhere between circus, dance, and acrobatics, they’ve been a Meany favorite since 1982. Meany Hall

6–9 Angélica Liddell She combines an original text, a blowtorch, and a paintball gun to honor the late British cellist Jacqueline du Pré. On the Boards

6–23 Nanda This four-man acrobat team does more than jump and flip—their show The Jacket tells the tale of the power-bestowing title garment. Broadway Performance Hall, nandatown.com

6–Nov. 12 Glenn Ligon This Brooklyn-based artist shows recent prints. Also on view: the group show “Mars Vs. Venus,” featuring work by Chuck Close, Lisa Yuskavage, Tom of Finland (!), and others depicting male and female images. Greg Kucera Gallery, gregkucera.com

7 The Ides of March George Clooney and Ryan Gosling in a political thriller. Clooney directs. Could he please run for president instead? Various theaters

7 & 9 Simple Measures More cello homage this weekend, with music for an octet of them. Various locations, simplemeasures.org

7–15 The Odd Couple Neil Simon’s dependably funny comedy actually has an undercurrent of sorrow, as mismatched roommates Felix and Oscar contemplate a life without wives. Presented by Bellevue Civic Theatre. Meydenbauer Center, bellevuecivic.org

7–16 Blue Man Group Those famously blue, bald guys have become a staple in Vegas, and several touring platoons now travel the globe. Paramount

7–30 Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead Balagan Theatre presents a very revisionist take on Peanuts, where Lucy and company are aged into teenagers including “a stoner, a homophobe, an arsonist, [and] a Goth performance artist.” Written by Bert V. Royal. ACT Theatre, balagantheatre.org

PICK 8 Seattle Weekly’s Reverb Local Music Festival More than 70 bands—including Grynch, School of Rock, and Khingz—will appear at the city’s largest all-local music festival, now in its fifth year. Downtown Ballard (seven venues), seattleweekly.com/reverb

8 Seattle Rock Orchestra Performs Stevie Wonder This tribute includes songs from his early “Little” era, plus hits from beyond. Moore

8 Music by Jarrad Powell New chamber works by the director of Cornish’s Gamelan Pacifica. Chapel Performance Space, waywardmusic.blogspot.com

8–9 Auburn Symphony Playing Johann Nepomuk Hummel’s greatest hit, his 1803 Trumpet Concerto. auburnsymphony.org

10 Alton Brown Your favorite TV chef from the Food Channel shares more culinary know-how from Good Eats 3: The Later Years. University Book Store

10 Dia de los Muertos Exhibition Installation Watch artists create a large sand painting and different groups install their thematic altars. Tacoma Art Museum, tacomaartmuseum.org

11 Khaled Hosseini Known for The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, he’ll be interviewed by fellow physician/writer Nassim Assefi. Presented by Seattle Arts & Lectures. Benaroya Hall, lectures.org

11 Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks The former Pavement frontman brings a band along in support of Real Emotional Trash. Neptune

11 Terry Pratchett The wildly popular English fantasy author continues his Discworld series with Snuff, in which Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch faces family discord and other problems. Town Hall

PICK 12 Art Spiegelman The Pulitzer-winning cartoonist (Maus) is interviewed by über-librarian Nancy Pearl. Venue pending, spl.org

12–June 17 Beauty Beyond Nature: The Glass Art of Paul Stankard In 50 pieces, he renders glass insects, flora, and even poetry. Museum of Glass

PICK 13–14 Nick Lowe The English pop connoisseur, with a catalog going back four decades, plays two solo acoustic sets. Triple Door

PICK 13–16 Chamber Dance Company Usually this UW-resident company digs far back into dance history for its repertory, but “Relationships” features a trio of works from the late 1980s and early 1990s that examine the emotional side of postmodern dance, and playfulness at a time when American culture was grappling with the excess of the Reagan years and the growing horror of the AIDS epidemic. SK Meany Hall, depts.washington.edu/dance

13–Jan. 18 Luminous: The Art of Asia Too big for SAAM, perhaps, this showcase of ceramics, sculptures, and paintings includes some 170 items from SAM’s permanent collection, with some artifacts more than 1,500 years old. Various tours and gallery talks will attend the show. Seattle Art Museum, seattleartmuseum.org

13 Stephen Greenblatt In Swerve: How the World Became Modern, the Harvard professor says the Renaissance started with the copying and translation of Lucretius’ poem On the Nature of Things. Town Hall

13 Jeffrey Sachs Where will all those new jobs, promised by Dems and Republicans alike, actually come from? The economist has some ideas in The Price of Civilization: Reawakening American Virtue and Prosperity. Town Hall

13–16 Seattle Symphony On this Seattle Pops concert, music from TV and movie science-fiction soundtracks. Benaroya Hall

13–19 Joann Verburg & Thuy-Van Vu Photographer Verburg shoots large nature scenes. Vu paints shattered houses and other urban remnants. G. Gibson Gallery, ggibsongallery.com

14 The Big Year Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson in a movie about bird-watching? Well, the book was OK . . .  Multiple theaters

14 Footloose This time around, Dennis Quaid plays the disapproving preacher determined to stop small-town kids from dancing. Please tell us there’s a Kevin Bacon cameo. Multiple theaters

14–20 Silent Souls This Russian film, directed by Aleksei Fedorchenko, sends a grieving widower on a funeral mission through the Volga region. SIFF Film Center

14–23 Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival Program information is still pending. Various locations, seattlequeerfilm.com

14–Nov. 5 Shadow Odyssey Scot Augustson’s new show adapts Homer, surrounding you on all sides with shadow puppets. Theater off Jackson, printersdevil.org

PICK 14–Nov. 16 Earshot Jazz Festival In its 23rd year, the fest features boldface names including Keith Jarrett, Brad Mehldau, The Bad Plus, and Avram Fefer–the latter a Bellevue-raised saxophonist who’s earned a national reputation in New York. (Also note a companion movie series at Northwest Film Forum, Oct. 28–Nov. 2.) Various locations, earshot.org

14–Spring 2012 From Fields to Family: Asian Pacific Americans and Food This exhibit includes recipes, cooking artifacts, family photos, oral histories from prominent chefs, and even a restaurant booth. Wing Luke Museum, wingluke.org

15 DJ Baba James James Whetzel shows off his mad skillz, including work with a West African palm-wine guitarist and remixes of Yann Tiersen and Bob Dylan. Town Hall

15 Thor Hanson The local naturalist tells you everything you need to know about Feathers. Elliott Bay Book Co.

15 Toronto Consort Music from the circle of Leonardo da Vinci, who himself was an enthusiastic musician. Town Hall, earlymusicguild.org

15 Metropolitan Opera Live in HD Another season of opera on the big screen opens with it-diva Anna Netrebko as Donizetti’s Anna Bolena (Anne Boleyn). See metopera.org for participating theaters.

PICK 15–29 Seattle Opera One warhorse I love seeing from SO every six or seven years, Bizet’s Carmen can still sock you in the gut. McCaw Hall, seattleopera.org

15–Jan. 22 Videowatercolors: Carel Balth Among His Contemporaries The veteran Danish artist is represented by a selection of work from four decades. In recent years, he’s tried to create parallel images of video pixels via watercolor painting. Henry Art Gallery

16 Maple Viewing Yes, as in the trees in all their leaf-changing glory. Additionally, open-air butoh dance performances by Joan Laage, Diana Garcia-Snyder, Kaoru Okumura, and Helen Thorsen are part of the autumnal celebration. Seattle Japanese Garden, seattlejapanesegarden.org

PICK 16 Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra Starting their third season with a move to Benaroya Recital Hall and music by Grieg and Prokofiev. SEE RELATED STORY. seattlemetropolitanchamberorchestra.org

16 Philharmonia Northwest Nathan Whittaker plays Shostakovich’s taut and trenchant Cello Concerto no. 1. St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, philharmonianw.org

16 Orchestra Seattle/Seattle Chamber Singers Playing Sibelius’ Second Symphony, the grandfather of every Viking-epic soundtrack ever written. First Free Methodist Church, osscs.org

PICK 17 Jeffrey Eugenides From the Pulitzer-winning novelist (Middlesex), his new The Marriage Plot combines semiotics, literary history, and more in an ’80s-set love triangle. We can’t wait. Seattle Central Library

PICK 17 Hilary Hahn Music by the three B’s, plus some brand-new commissioned pieces, from this brilliant violinist. Benaroya Hall

18 Till Fellner In his Seattle debut, the young Austrian plays Haydn, Kit Armstrong, Schumann, and Liszt as part of the President’s Piano series. Meany Hall

18 David Guterson The bestselling Bainbridge author of Snow Falling on Cedars tales about his newest work, Ed King, about an orphaned kid turned billionaire. So it’s like Bill Gates was raised by wolves? Eagle Harbor Book Co.

PICK 18 Seattle Symphony “Sonic Evolution” explores the legacy of Seattle music (Hendrix, Cobain, et al.) with guest band Hey Marseilles. Benaroya Hall

19 Mariinsky Orchestra Expect a typically incandescent performance of Tchaikovsky’s Sixth from conductor Valery Gergiev. Benaroya Hall

19 Lord of the Rings in Concert This song goes out to all you Hobbits out there; and I think you know who you are. KeyArena, keyarena.com

PICK 19 Duff McKagan SW‘s favorite columnist, the rocker aging gracefully into suburban family man and all-purpose sage, shares from his new memoir, It’s So Easy. University Book Store (and other events)

19–Nov. 12 Exit, Pursued by a Bear In Georgia’s northern hill country, a woman seeks revenge on her spiteful husband. A premiere from Lauren Gunderson, whose Emilie ArtsWest staged last year. ArtsWest, artswest.org

PICK 20 The Long Winters Another SW columnist, John Roderick, leads the long-running, rotating cast of who’s who in Seattle rock. The new album’s been in the works longer than Obama’s been in office. Hope he’ll bring out a few new ones here. Showbox at the Market, showboxonline.com

20 Heather McHugh The local poet reads, and she’s joined by others performing songs based on her verse. Her former students Kary Wayson, Kate Lebo, and Erika Wilder also join in the tribute. Town Hall

PICK 20–22 Uptown Reopening Shuttered last fall, LQA’s favorite—well, only—triplex reopens under new SIFF management with sing-along presentations of Purple Rain, Grease, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Plus other festivities. SEE RELATED STORY. SIFF Cinema at the Uptown

20–Nov. 13 A Midsummer Night’s Dream Sheila Daniels directs the summery comedy, perhaps a relief at this point in the autumn calendar. Center House Theatre, seattleshakespeare.org

20–Nov. 27 Robin Hood He robs from the rich and gives to the poor? Socialism! Seattle Children’s Theatre

PICK 21 Craig Sheppard Piano music by Liszt for his centennial, and there’s no one in Seattle I’d rather hear play it. Meany Hall, music.washington.edu

21 Margin Call Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, and Demi Moore (yes, really) destroy the economy in this thriller about the global financial meltdown. Theater TBD

21 Paranormal Activity 3 The calls are coming from inside the house! Or something like that. Regardless, you should definitely get out of the house. Multiple theaters

21–Nov. 12 The Revenger’s Tragedy Thomas Middleton’s Jacobean play gets extra-bloody for Halloween. Center House Theater, Seattle Center, greenstage. org

21–Nov. 20 Circle Mirror Transformation Well reviewed in New York last year, Annie Baker’s comedy follows the romantic and theatrical entanglements of a bunch of amateur thespians. Seattle Repertory Theatre

21–Nov. 20 Double Indemnity Billy Wilder’s classic film noir, co-written by Raymond Chandler, has been adapted into this brand-new drama, full of the same double-crosses and sexual intrigue. Seattle Repertory Theatre

22 Death Cab for Cutie Pull your tight jeans and flannel out—Death Cab’s on tour for its seventh studio album, Codes and Keys. With The Head and the Heart. KeyArena, stgpresents.org

22 Shelby Lynne If never quite Nashville’s Next Big Thing, she’s nonetheless remained at the tough-chick vanguard of country music. Triple Door

22 Pacific Musicworks Settings of the Biblical Song of Songs (from several centuries) from this probing early-music vocal/chamber ensemble. Daniels Hall, pacificmusicworks.org

22 Blackalicious The godfathers of socially conscious Northwest hip-hop haven’t lived up to the promise of mandatory classics like Blazing Arrow or Nia. But their live show is always a full-bodied, family affair. Showbox at the Market, showboxonline.com

22 So You Think It’s Dance? Not a prime-time TV show, it’s a behind-the-scenes show-and-tell with Seattle artists like Jessica Jobaris, Cherdonna & Lou, and others who push the boundary between performance and art. Also featuring the critique of SW‘s own Sandi Kurtz. Velocity Dance Center

22–Feb. 19 Painting Seattle: Kamekichi Tokita and Kenjiro Nomura Two central figures during Seattle’s 1930s art scene, both accomplished in realist landscapes and cityscapes, they were cruelly incarcerated (with their families) during World War II. Both are overdue for new recognition. Seattle Asian Art Museum

23 Poetry + Motion Local dancers respond to local writers’ words, a combination that puts iambs on point. Town Hall

23 Mark Bowden Author of Black Hawk Down, he now warns against cyber-terror in Worm: The Story of the First Digital World War. Town Hall

23 Seattle Philharmonic A suite from Bernard Herrmann’s music for Hitchcock’s Vertigo. Meany Hall, seattlephil.org

23 Portishead Beth Gibbons and company have reformed their trip-hop trio after a long hiatus. With Thought Forms. WaMu Theater, ticketmaster.com

PICK 23–29 Merce Cunningham Farewell A trio of events honors the inimitable Centralia-born choreographer (1919–2009) and his iconoclastic works. First, scholar and Cunningham biographer Roger Copeland speaks at the Henry. Second, Northwest Film Forum screens Ocean, which documents his 2008 performance in a giant granite quarry. Last, the Merce Cunningham Dance Company itself, close to the end of its final Legacy Tour, performs two different programs at the Paramount, drawn from more than 50 years of breaking all the rules. SK Various locations, merce.org

24 Michael Ondaatje Everyone adored the Canadian novelist’s The English Patient. His new novel, The Cat’s Table, concerns a stowaway boy from Sri Lanka, who meets his fellow passengers during a mysterious transoceanic journey in the ’50s. Seattle Central Library

24 Steven Pinker The Harvard scientist and popular science writer says you’re safer than you think in The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined. Town Hall

25 Roger Daltrey He’s performing Tommy, in its entirely. But without the other guy. KeyArena, keyarena.com

25–Feb. 19 Test Site: How to Make a One Minute Sculpture In the Henry’s lobby (no ticket required!), videos document Erwin Wurm’s One-Minute Sculptures, in which he and others contort their bodies and employ everyday objects to create 60-second artworks. Henry Art Gallery

26 Pomplamoose Indie kids, rejoice! The San Fran indie-jazz duo is back in the Emerald City. Triple Door

PICK 26 Stacy Schiff Seattle Arts & Lectures presents the Pulitzer-winning biographer of Cleopatra: A Life. Benaroya Hall, lectures.org

PICK 27 Bushwick Book Club They perform songs inspired by The Shining. SEE RELATED STORY. Columbia City Theater, bushwickbookclubseattle.com

PICK 28 Margaret Cho Charter one of those booze buses (the ones with the disco lights and bench seats), fill it with your girlfriends, then head down to Tacoma to see her. Pantages Theater, broadwaycenter.org

28 The Haves and the Have Nots Does having it all equal happiness? That’s the theme assigned for Charles Johnson (Middle Passage), Tara Hardy, and Megan Kelso to consider (with music by David Nixon). Richard Hugo House, hugohouse.org

28 Northwest Symphony For 25 seasons, Anthony Spain’s group has been an invaluable friend to local composers like (for this concert) Matthew James Briggs and Phillip Peterson. northwestsymphonyorchestra.org

28 The Rum Diary Johnny Depp continues his fascination with Hunter S. Thompson by starring as an alcoholic journalist in Puerto Rico during the early ’60s. Multiple theaters

28 Seattle Radio Theatre: Sleepy Hollow Redux Just in time for Halloween, radio performers enact Washington Irving’s classic horror story. Town Hall

28 UW Symphony Not so long ago, only the world’s top orchestras attempted Mahler’s epic, blazing symphonies. Now college, community, even youth orchestras tackle them regularly. Jonathan Pasternack conducts his Fifth. Meany Hall, music.washington.edu

28–29 Seattle Symphony Conductor/violinist Andrew Manze combines baroque and modern (Webern, Stravinsky), with a wine-tasting beforehand. Benaroya Hall

28–31 This is Halloween! Channeling Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, the Can Can Castaways and others put on a Halloween spectacular with live music, cabaret, burlesque, and more. Triple Door

28–Nov. 19 The Rocky Horror Show No theater company mixes camp and chills like Open Circle; this cult musical’s a perfect fit. Re-bar, octheater.com

28–Nov. 21 The Mormon Bird Play Written and directed by Roger Benington, Bird Play has a half-dozen little girls, actually played by men, rebel against the LDS. Somebody call Mitt Romney! Washington Ensemble Theatre

29 Justin Torres From New York, he reads from We the Animals, his debut novel about family and growing up. Elliott Bay Book Co.

29–Oct. 23 The Cryptogram David Mamet’s 1995 thriller looks back to a fateful father/son camping trip in the late ’50s. Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, seattlepublictheater.org

PICK 29–Feb. 12 George Nelson Thanks to Mad Men, everyone’s in love with midcentury modernist design and fashion. Nelson (1908–1986) was part of the whole Charles Eames/Jim Flora postwar scene, serving as design director for Herman Miller. More than 200 examples of his work in architecture and product design will include clocks, models, furniture, and photos. Bellevue Arts Museum, bellevuearts.org

29–Feb. 19 Folk Treasures of Mexico This traveling show comes courtesy of the San Antonio Museum of Art—closer to the border, in other words. Tacoma Art Museum

30 The Comic Criminal Anita Montgomery directs ACT company members in classic comic short stories by Boccaccio, Thurber, and others. Town Hall

30–Nov. 13 Nordic Fashion Biennial See the latest styles and trends from the Scandinavian lands. Nordic Heritage Museum, nordicmuseum.org

 

NOVEMBER

1 Langdon Cook The local food blogger and author (Fat of the Land: Adventures of a 21st-Century Forager) leads a writers’ workshop called “How to Tell the Truth Like a Bald-Faced Liar.” 826 Seattle, 826seattle.org

2 Dava Sobel The acclaimed science writer considers how Earth got put in its place in A More Perfect Heaven. Town Hall

PICK 2 Richard Thompson Folkie turned guitar wizard, he’s been artfully bending strings and singing sad songs since the late ’60s. His banter between the songs is usually wry and modest. Neptune

4 The Bangles The ’80s are back, baby! And so too are at least three members of the hit pop group. Showbox at the Market

4 Adam Gopnik The New Yorker staff writer assesses the foibles of foodie culture in The Table Comes First. Presented by Elliott Bay Book Co. Town Hall

4 Lake Union Civic Orchestra Yet another Mahler Fifth. See what I mean? Meany Hall, luco.org

4 The Skin I Live In Pedro Almodóvar’s latest stars Antonio Banderas as a plastic surgeon who gets a little too involved with his female patients. Theater TBD

PICK 4 Joan Rivers Yes, she’s still worth the drive. And even a limo. Pantages Theater, Tacoma

4 The Symphony Guild Film composer Mateo Messina’s annual benefit concert for Children’s Hospital. Benaroya Hall, thesymphonyguild.org

PICK 4–5 Kathy Griffin Her sharp, catty wit is just waiting to claw all those higher on the Hollywood food chain than she, meaning everyone on TMZ.com. Paramount

PICK 4–13 Love Stories Along with more predictable work (excerpts from Swan Lake and Roméo et Juliette), PNB features two new acquisitions of significance. Jerome Robbins’ febrile version of Afternoon of a Faun shifts the action of Vaslav Nijinsky’s original from a forest glade to a ballet studio and transforms the nymph and faun into a pair of narcissistic dancers. Its self-absorbed eroticism is as disturbing as it is beautiful. George Balanchine’s Divertimento from Le Baiser de la Fée is primarily a group work in his signature neoclassic style, but the male solo is a tour de force of subtle clarity, an essay in virtuosity without hyperbole. SK McCaw Hall

4 & 19 Seattle Opera Young Artists Performing Massenet’s Werther, based on the Goethe brokenhearted-artist novel that supposedly drove susceptible young men to sympathetic suicide. Various venues, seattleopera.org

PICK 4–March 18 Material and Document: Experiments in Photography During the 1970s From the Henry’s deep photography archives, see avant-garde works by Thomas Barrow, Daryl Curran, Jan Groover, Robert Heinecken, Ed Ruscha, and Jerry McMillan. Henry Art Gallery

5 The Lemonheads Break out your favorite ’90s concert T-shirts! Evan Dando has somehow survived to the present day, and his band will perform It’s a Shame About Ray in its entirety. (Because Purple Rain was taken.) Triple Door

6 Thalia Symphony Dvorak’s “New World” Symphony, likely the greatest piece ever inspired by a vacation in Iowa. Town Hall, thaliasymphony.org

6 Paul Taub A CD-release recital from this contemporary-music flutist. PONCHO Concert Hall, cornish.edu

PICK 7 John Hodgman Our favorite dweeby pedant on The Daily Show, he shares from That Is All, about the end of history. Town Hall

7 Chris Matthews Seattle Arts & Lectures presents the voluble TV host, guaranteed to have positions aplenty regarding the Tea Party, Obama, and FOX News. The text at hand is Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero. Meany Hall, lectures.org

8 Cuarteto Casals Juan Arriaga, 1806–1826, might have become Spain’s greatest composer ever had he not died 10 days before he would’ve turned 20. Hear one of his three string quartets, and see what you think. Meany Hall

8 J. Edgar Leonardo DiCaprio plays the closeted gay cross-dressing FBI director who blackmailed presidents and spied on law-abiding citizens. Clint Eastwood directs. Interesting. Multiple theaters

8–9 Rickie Lee Jones Something of a living legend, she’s long moved beyond pop into jazz realms—a return, she says, to her roots. Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley

9–Jan. 9 Annie Get Your Gun There’s no business like show business! And if you don’t believe us, ask Irving Berlin. Village Theatre, villagetheatre.org

10 Tess Gallagher Down from the Olympic Peninsula, she reads from her latest poetry collection, Midnight Lantern. Co-presented by Elliott Bay Book Co. Town Hall

10–12 Cornish Opera Theater For all their centuries of success and adulation as opera singers, women have been pushed aside as opera composers. But Francesca Caccini wrote The Liberation of Ruggiero From the Island of Alcina in 1625, before anyone told her she couldn’t. PONCHO Concert Hall, cornish.edu

10–April 1 Sopheap Pich: Compound The young Cambodian-American artist creates a miniature city out of rattan, bamboo, and other traditional Asian materials. Henry Art Gallery

11 Northwest Sinfonietta Those old rivals, Salieri and Mozart, meet again on this program—though the deck’s stacked, setting a puffball by the former against the latter’s rich and spacious Sinfonia Concertante. Benaroya Recital Hall, nwsinfonietta.org

11–17 The Drifting States of Denis Côté The French-Canadian director will attend this five-film retrospective. Northwest Film Forum

11–Dec. 11 Sylvia R. Hamilton Wright directs this proven marital comedy by A.R. Gurney. The title character, a dog, becomes the third point in a domestic love triangle. Seattle Repertory Theatre

12 Bassekou Kouyate He blends West African and American traditions with a band, Ngoni Ba, that employs the ngoni, an ancestor of the banjo. Meany Hall

12–13 Seattle Slack Key Festival Hawaiian musicians and those from beyond the islands include Cyril Pahinui, Jeff Peterson, and Kunia Pahinui-Galdeira. Town Hall, seattleslackkeyfestival.com

PICK 14 Bob Mould The legendary ’80s punk-rock icon (Hüsker Dü) has been through some life changes, ahem. He’s gay now, and he’s OK with that today, though there was a rough period of abuse during the interim decades. He’ll sing songs tonight and read passages from his new autobiography, See a Little Light. Triple Door

15 Dennis Lehane If you haven’t read his best-selling crime novels, you’ve probably seen the movies: Shutter Island, Gone, Baby, Gone, and Mystic River. Presented by Seattle Arts & Lectures. Benaroya Hall, lectures.org

15 Nikolai Lugansky The rising Russian pianist plays Chopin and Liszt. Meany Hall

17 Sam Brower Learn more about the curious, All-American religion that produced two Republican hopefuls for the presidency this year. He’s the author of Prophet’s Prey: My Seven-Year Investigation into Warren Jeffs and the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints. University Temple United Methodist Church, bookstore.washington.edu

PICK 17 Feist The honey-voiced siren’s range—musically and vocally—has few contemporary competitors. Moore

17 Joshua Mohr The San Francisco writer’s new novel, Damascus, is set in that city during the fraught run-up to the Iraq War, which his many characters debate. He’s interviewed by local novelist Jonathan Evison, whose West of Here takes an historically sprawling look at history on the Olympic Peninsula. University Book Store

17–19 LINES Alonzo King’s contemporary ballet company makes its fourth appearance as part of the UW World Series. Meany Hall

17–19 Seattle Symphony Oliver Knussen conducts his own Violin Concerto and other modern British works. Benaroya Hall

17–20 Newyorkland Presented by Temporary Distortion, this assemblage of film, performance, and visual art is inspired by the gritty cop movies of the 1970s—including, we hope, The French Connection. On the Boards

17–Dec. 24 Katy Stone & Lesley Dill Stone shows new collages and paintings. Dill creates small works on paper, interlaced with other media. Greg Kucera Gallery

17–Jan. 15 A Year With Frog and Toad Hop along with the optimistic Frog and the conservative Toad in their year-long adventure. Seattle Children’s Theatre.

18 While You Were Sleeping Sherman Alexie, Nicole Hardy, and Kevin Sampsell debut new writing set to the “sleeping” theme, as is the new music by Rachel Flotard (of Visqueen). Richard Hugo House

18 Seattle Symphony Herbie Hancock solos in Rhapsody in Blue. Benaroya Hall

18–23 You Are All Captains In Tangiers, a visiting filmmaker’s project goes awry when his subjects, children, begin to take charge of the project. Northwest Film Forum

18–Dec. 17 Reckless From 1983, Craig Lucas’ bittersweet Christmas family travesty may resonate with your own domestic squabbles over Yuletide. Theater Schmeater

18–Dec. 30 Beasley’s Christmas Party Based on a story by Booth Tarkington, this holiday tale sees a politician’s career in peril when Beasley’s rivals learn about his kindness to an eccentric orphan. Imagine that—using orphans for partisan political purposes! (Thank goodness it could never happen today.) Taproot Theatre

19 Shiro Kashiba Known to some as the “godfather of Seattle’s sushi scene,” he’ll read from his memoir Shiro: Wit, Wisdom and Recipes from a Sushi Pioneer. Wing Luke Museum

19 The Posies One of the biggest Seattle bands of the early ’90s, though too melodic to be grunge, they reformed to record last year’s Blood/Candy. Neptune

PICK 19–Jan. 29 Paradise Local photographer Isaac Layman gets his first big museum show. He creates huge, hyper-detailed portraits of domestic objects, suddenly made strange by their enormity and specificity. Frye Art Museum, fryemuseum.org

PICK 20 tUnE-yArDs One of today’s most innovative performers, Merrill Garbus yelps, slaps, mixes, and loops to her own winning end. Neptune

20 Seattle Youth Symphony Sibelius and Tchaikovsky from this always-impressive group. Benaroya Hall, syso.org

23 The Descendents More George Clooney, this time directed by Alexander Payne as a father in midlife crisis mode. Multiple theaters

23–Jan. 15 Good Things . . . Small Packages This group show features mixed-media artists, ceramists, and jewelers. Columbia City Gallery

PICK 25 Marc Maron Tortured, irascible, underappreciated, bitter, belated podcaster—you can call this alt-comedy survivor a lot of things. He’s had and squandered big chances, then fought back to relevance anew. But over 20 years of stand-up, talk shows, radio, and now the Internet (listen to WTF With Mark Maron), he’s been one of the most consistently smart, funny voices to emerge from the ’90s post- Seinfeld era. Neptune

25–Dec. 24 A Christmas Carol Bah, humbug! The granddaddy of all holiday shows is back again, with alternating Scrooges. ACT Theatre

PICK 25–Dec. 27 Nutcracker Cue the annual chorus of “Mommy, I want ballet lessons!” This is PNB’s biggest show of the year, and it supports the company’s artier offerings. McCaw Hall

25–Dec. 31 Cinderella Now on every little girl’s holiday wish list: glass slippers and a puffy princess gown. Parents will appreciate the music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hammerstein. 5th Avenue Theatre

25–Jan. 9 Michael Kenna In his best black-and-white compositions—dunes, trees, docks, bridges—the globe-trotting photographer focuses on the abutment between the built and the natural. We see things more clearly in these margins, where human hands have left their first traces–or scars, if you insist. G. Gibson Gallery

26–Dec. 22 Seattle Men’s Chorus Swinging the carols in “Cool Yule.” Benaroya Hall, seattlemenschorus.org

27 Joshua Roman Playing Bach’s six cello suites at 4 & 7:30 p.m. (with a dinner break). Town Hall

28 Lawrence Weschler His Uncanny Valley: Adventures in the Narrative collects journalism and non-fiction from the past 15 years. Elliott Bay Book Co.

PICK 29 Jane Birkin Wait, that Jane Birkin? From-the-’60s Jane Birkin? The widowed wife of Serge Gainsbourg (with whom she sang “Je t’aime moi non plus”), mother of actress Charlotte Gainsbourg? The very same. And she’s returned to music, and touring, with a new band. (A new dramatization of her late husband’s life will open here Oct. 7.) Neptune

29–Dec. 23 Owen Meany’s Christmas Pageant John Irving’s comic novel brought to life. Center House Theatre, Seattle Center, book-it.org

30 Tom Brokaw Seattle Arts & Lectures presents the distinguished former NBC anchor and author, who’ll be interviewed by The Seattle Times‘ David Boardman. Benaroya Hall, lectures.org

30–Dec. 24 Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and Then Some) Three actors mash them all up (or so they say), including It’s a Wonderful Life. ArtsWest

 

DECEMBER

PICK 1–4 Mark Morris Dance Group After several years performing big dances to big orchestral music, MMDG’s more-or-less annual visit will instead focus on his equally musical small works. New to local audiences are Festival Dance, made for the company’s 30th anniversary last year to a score by Johann Nepomuk Hummel, and Violet Cavern, with live jazz by The Bad Plus. The contrast between the two composers reflects Morris’ ongoing fascination with all parts of the culture, where dance is the bridge that connects all things. SK Moore

PICK 1–4 A Crack in Everything Zoe Scofield had been having a pretty good year already, premiering her new collaboration with visual artist Juniper Shuey at the prestigious Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. Then she got the phone call from the Princess Grace Foundation—she’s one of two Seattle choreographers to receive a fellowship from the foundation this year. (Our Olivier Wevers is the other. Score!) Crack is about revenge, the Oresteia, and the Code of Hammurabi, a work that examines the animal underpinnings of even the most classical of structures. SK On the Boards

2 & 4 Amahl and the Night Visitors Menotti’s small-scale operatic take on the Nativity, from the UW Voice Division. Meany Studio Theater, music.washington.edu

3 Puer natus est: Tudor Music for Christmas and Advent Stile Antico, a British vocal ensemble, offers a holiday performance centered on Thomas Tallis’ centuries-old work. St. James Cathedral, earlymusicguild.org

3–24 Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol Dickens’ ghost gets to tell his side of the famous story. Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse

8 Ted Vigil Ted who? Oh, the John Denver tribute guy! Who looks and sings just like him. Laugh if you want, but the non-disco, non-rock ’70s were, in their own way, pretty awesomely mellow—like a sunset in the Rockies with a full moon and a unicorn, too. (Or are we thinking of another song entirely?) Triple Door

8–24 The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Now its 10th year, Barbara Robinson’s romp has an unruly family run amok during the holidays. Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse

9 An Inspirational Christmas With Elvis The title says it all in Danny Vernon’s one-man tribute show, sure to include “Blue Christmas.” Auburn Performing Arts Center

9–18 Taj Mahal Trio Take a break from overplayed holiday muzak to celebrate more than four decades of blues, roots, and reggae. Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley

10 Chava Alberstein Just in time for the holidays! The Israeli singer performs a mix of songs in Hebrew, Yiddish, and English. Meany Hall

10 & 17 Seattle Pro Musica Carols, folk tunes, and more in “Celtic Christmas.” Bastyr University Chapel & Town Hall, seattlepromusica.org

PICK 13–22 Wisemen Not for the kids, not for the pious, this musical holiday spoof has three Jewish lawyers attempt to find and sue the father of Jesus. En route, “they must battle an evil Santa Claus, the Pope, and the Easter Bunny in their quest for the truth.” Did we mention the Klezmer and hip-hop score? We’ve already bought our tickets. ACT Theatre

14 Tori Amos A breakout indie rock star of the ’90s, she’s in a more settled, orchestral mood with Night of Hunters. Paramount

16 The Iron Lady Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher? Buy your tickets now. Multiple theaters

18 Holiday Stories “Short Stories Live” has ACT thespians performing some very unconventional holiday stories. Town Hall

PICK 23–29 It’s a Wonderful Life Exact dates may change, but the GI will reprise Frank Capra’s Christmas classic for the 41st year in a row. (Unless some miserly banker should first foreclose on the plucky cinema.) Grand Illusion Cinema

31 Brandi Carlile Ring in the new year with one of the city’s hardest-working—and successful—singer/songwriters, who’s only too happy to play a hometown show home every chance she gets. Neptune