WEDNESDAY 5/8 Classical: From Russia, With Love It’s an idea so

Published 5:17 pm Thursday, May 2, 2013

WEDNESDAY 5/8

Classical: From Russia, With Love

It’s an idea so ripe with juicy possibilities for composers that you wonder why no one had thought of it earlier: In 1874, Modest Mussorgsky wrote a suite of vignettes for solo piano, inspired by a gallery show of paintings by his friend Viktor Hartmann, and called it Pictures at an Exhibition. Not only the artworks but the gallery-going experience itself was translated into sound: Among the paintings, Mussorgsky interspersed brief chorales in a leisurely, strolling pace, titled “Promenade.” Much more than twee album-leaves, the suite has rarely been equaled for its imaginative verve and memorable tunefulness. It also places serious demands on a pianist’s finger dexterity and command of color and sonority—especially in the sumptuous finale, “The Great Gate of Kiev,” inspired by Hartmann’s sketches for that civic amenity and ending with great fistfuls of thrillingly clanging chords. Challenge enough for any recital, you’d think, pianist Jon Kimura Parker is pairing it on tonight’s program with his own transcription of Stravinsky’s shatteringly complex evocation of ancient barbarism, The Rite of Spring. Meany Hall, UW campus, 543-4880, uwworldseries.org. $20–$44. 7:30 p.m.

GAVIN BORCHERT

THURSDAY 5/9

Stage: Criminal Arts

Andy Warhol gets credit for everyone’s claim to 15 minutes of fame, but Chicago Tribune reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins had a much earlier and prescient take on America’s celebrity obsession. Transfixed as two vampy murderesses had their way with the courts and media, she turned their tale into a 1926 Broadway play. And wow, what mileage her satirical musings would get in the ensuing years. Her Chicago, best known in the 1975 Bob Fosse/Kander and Ebb musical adaptation, has also been turned into several films, including the Oscar-winning 2002 movie starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renee Zellweger. But the 1996 Broadway revival of the Fosse version is still playing, thanks, ironically, to the canny use of celebrity stunt casting—it’s not only the longest-running revival in Broadway history, but the third-longest running Broadway musical ever. That revival is slick, streamlined fun for the masses, but director Steve Tomkins would like this local staging to bring back the edgy flash that the Broadway production lacks. “There’s no sense of period, of where it’s taking place,” he says. “We want to get some of the feeling of the era and the town. We want something very Art Deco, something classy but trashy underneath.” He’s got the cast, too, led by Taryn Darr as Roxie Hart. Back in 2003, she was the showstopper selling “tits and ass” in the 5th Avenue’s production of A Chorus Line. Give her another 15 minutes of fame, and she’ll get away with murder. (Through June 29; then moves to Everett Performing Arts Center, July 5–28.) Village Theatre, 303 Front St. (Issaquah), 425-392-2202, villagetheatre.org. $24–$63. 8 p.m.

STEVE WIECKING

FRIDAY 5/10

Film: What Did He Say?

Who is Keyser Soze? It’s not as though you’ll really know after seeing The Usual Suspects, Bryan Singer’s devious and damnably clever 1995 breakthrough. Ostensibly about five crooks brought together by happenstance for a job bigger than any of them can imagine, the film came out during a deluge of Tarantino copycats, but this one staked out its own territory. Sure, it has a ruthless rogues’ gallery of colorful thugs (Gabriel Byrne, Stephen Baldwin, Kevin Pollak, and an almost incomprehensible Benicio Del Toro), and it revels in witty dialogue duels—most notably the police interrogation of sniveling Kevin Spacey. But if Tarantino’s playful narrative juggling deconstructed the crime film, screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie tore up the rules and started from scratch. He and Singer put a modern twist on the old-fashioned heist film; it’s as much about storytelling as about a heist. Spacey won an Oscar, as did McQuarrie’s screenplay, and they both play the audience in ways not obvious on a first or even a second viewing. The Usual Suspects captivates you so completely with words alone that the fiction takes on a life of its own. (Rated R. Runs through Tues.) Central Cinema, 1411 21st Ave., 686-6684, central-cinema.com. $6–$8. Call for showtimes.

SEAN AXMAKER

Dance: Spring Awakening

True to its title, Full Tilt pulls out all the stops every year, matching local dancers and independent choreographers in a program that’s full of new. This year’s lineup includes work by Alice Gosti and Markeith Wiley, who have both been extra-busy this year. Gosti is back from an Italian tour and is gearing up for a program-length evening (later this spring), so this is the chance to see her midstream. Wiley has been cropping up on stages all over town with his visceral take on contemporary movement styles. They’re joined by Kristin Hapke, Jamie Karlovich, and Kaitlin McCarthy—a full program performed at full velocity. Velocity Dance Center, 1621 12th Ave., 351-3238, evokeproductions.org. $15–$18. 7 & 9 p.m. (Repeats Sat.)

SANDRA KURTZ

SATURDAY 5/11

Comedy: World Traveler

Already famous worldwide, touring from London to Dubai, Canadian comic Russell Peters is finally stepping into the spotlight he deserves in the U.S. However, to get past American comedy-club gatekeepers, Peters has had to call in favors just to set foot in them. If you can believe it, the 2,000-seat Paramount is a small venue on his current Notorious tour, which has included stops in New Zealand and Indonesia. With his rapid-fire improv, Peters draws on his hybrid heritage (he was born in Toronto to an Indian immigrant father and Anglo mother), one reason his act plays so well internationally. He comfortably mocks diversity slogans and ethnic stereotypes of every stripe. Once bullied on the playground, he has no problem dealing with hecklers on any stage around the world. The Paramount, 911 Pine St., 877-784-4849, stgpresents.org. $46–$61. 8 p.m.

DANA SITAR

MONDAY 5/13

Food/Books: Words and Music (and Food)

Every guru has a saying, and Michael Pollan is unlikely to ever improve upon his “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” But the nation’s leading advocate for wholesome eating has lately expounded upon his prescription in Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation (Penguin, $27.95), a four-act assessment of food preparation that suggests that eating a sensible amount of raw plants is for the chimps. Cooking, he argues, is what makes us human, by connecting its practitioners with natural narratives—just how did that translucent goop become a plate of scrambled eggs?—and forcing its partakers to gather around tables and talk. “Cooking has the power to transform more than plants and animals,” he writes. “It transforms us, too.” Pollan will recount his romp through various cooking techniques tonight. For those craving more, on Thurs., May 16, the Bushwick Book Club will perform songs based on Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma and The Botany of Desire at The Croc. Benaroya Hall, 200 University St., 215-4747, benaroyahall.org. $24–$125. 8 p.m.

Hanna Raskin