Stage

Openings & Events

Balagan’s New Works Summer Series Readings of new shows—this week, the musical Island Song. (Manhattan is the island in question.) Balagan Theatre, 1117 E. Pike St., 800-838-3006, balagantheatre.org. Donation. 8 p.m. Mon., Aug. 19.

Break-Up Songs Unexpected Productions takes your tales of romantic trauma and turns them into theater. Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, 800-838-3006, unexpectedproductions.org. $12–$15. Opens Aug. 16. 8:30 p.m. Fri.–Sat. Ends Sept. 21.

Burlesco DiVino: Wine in Rome Lily Verlaine and Jasper McCann salute The Eternal City in ancient times and the swingin’ ‘60s. The Triple Door, 216 Union St., 838-4333, thetripledoor.net. $30–$38. 8 p.m. Wed., Aug. 21; 7 & 10 p.m. Thurs., Aug. 22; 7 & 10:30 p.m. Fri., Aug. 23–Sat., Aug. 24.

Icicle Creek Theater Festival Readings of new work: Cory Finley’s The Private Sector on Tues., Sarah Saltwick’s A Perfect Robot on Wed. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St., 292-7676, acttheatre.org. $12 ($20 for both). 
7 p.m. Tues., Aug. 20–Wed., Aug. 21.

Keys to Fame A new musical created by students in the LHPAI Summer Academy., Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, 104 17th Ave. S., 684-4758, langstoninstitute.org. $4–$12. 11 a.m. Thurs., Aug. 15; 7 p.m. Fri., Aug. 16; 
2 & 7 p.m. Sat., Aug. 17–Sun., Aug. 18.

Sister Act All singing! All dancing! All nuns! It’s the Whoopi Goldberg vehicle musicalized. The Paramount, 911 Pine St., 877-STG-4TIX, stgpresents.org. $25–$85. 
7:30 p.m. Tues., Aug. 20–Thurs., Aug. 22; 8 p.m. Fri., Aug. 23; 2 & 8 p.m. Sat., Aug. 24; 1 & 6:30 p.m. Sun., Aug. 25.

Waiting for Godot Arts on the Waterfront takes on Beckett in the shadow of the Great Wheel. Waterfront Park, 1300 Alaskan Way, artsonthewaterfront@gmail.com. Donation. Opens Aug. 16. 7:30 p.m. Fri.–Sun. Ends Sept. 1.

CURRENT RUNS

Beauty of the Father In Nilo Cruz’s play, the ghost of Spanish playwright Federico Garcia Lorca converses with the living. Presented by Latino Theatre Projects in English. Burien Little Theater, S.W. 146th St. and Fourth Ave. S.W., Des Moines, 242-5180, latinotheatreprojects.org. $17–$20. 8 p.m. Fri.–Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Aug. 25.

Camp Death Blood Squad sends up the summer-camp-slasher genre. Balagan Theatre, 1117 E. Pike St., 800-838-3006, balagantheatre.org. $10. 11 p.m. Sat. Ends Aug. 17.

Das Barbec

U Scott Warrender and Jim Luigs’ translation of Wagner’s Ring to Texas, billed as “1/4 of the epic for 1/40th the price!” West of Lenin, 203 N. 36th St., 800-838-3006, westoflenin.com. $20. 7:30 p.m. Wed., Aug. 14.

Game Show Jeffrey Finn & Bob Walton’s dark look at the genre—and you can win actual prizes! Theater Schmeater, 1500 Summit Ave., 324-5801, schmeater.org. $18–$23. 8 p.m. Fri.–Sat. Ends Aug. 17.

GreenStage

A Midsummer Night’s Dream and King Lear, plus Twelfth Night and The Merry Wives of Windsor in scaled-down productions, in various outdoor venues, all free. Runs Thurs.–Sun. through Aug. 18; see greenstage.org for complete date and venue info.

Guys and Dolls Frank Loesser’s classic musical pits a gambler against a missionary. Presented by Twelfth Night Productions. West Seattle High School Theater, 3000 California Ave. S.W., 800-838-3006, brownpapertickets.com. $16–$19. 7:30 p.m. Fri.–Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Aug. 18.

The Half Brothers Brand Old-Time Variety Show Annex’s “late-night pairing of neo-bluegrass and corporate sponsorship” sends up both folky entertainment and consumer culture. Annex Theatre, 1100 E. Pike St., 728- 0933, annextheatre.org. $5–$10. 11 p.m. Fri.–Sat. plus 8 p.m. Mon., Aug. 19. Ends Aug. 30.

Illyria What’s best about Illyria (by some distance) is Pete Mills’ book, a nimble distillation of Shakespeare’s dreamy love-triangle farce Twelfth Night. The cast, directed by Karen Lund, provides a bit of this magic too: Mark Tyler Miller as Orsino brings out the romance in his adorably clueless narcissism, and Daniel Stoltenberg adds some pathos to the put-upon Malvolio, deftly played midway between Sheldon Cooper and Niles Crane. What almost never does is Mills’ lite-pop score. GAVIN BORCHERT Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St., 781-9707, taproottheatre.org. $20–$40. 7:30 p.m. Wed.–Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri., 2 & 8 p.m. Sat. EXTENDED through Aug. 17.

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Lysistrata Setting Aristophanes’ salacious tale—about a coalition of Athenian and Spartan women who unite in a sex strike against their warrior husbands to end the Peloponnesian War—as a play within a play performed at a U.S. camp in Afghanistan, makes more urgent the heroines’ crusade to kill the war. This topical Lysistrata, directed by Sheila Daniels, is a forcible reminder of bloody wars still being fought on the other side of the globe. When warfare breaks the suspension of disbelief, it really breaks it. MARGARET FRIEDMAN Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center, 726-5190. $20–$50. See intiman.org for exact schedule. Ends Sept. 12.

Precious Little Madeleine George’s “carefully drawn story of one woman’s experiences: her work, her passions, her desire to be a parent, and her coming to terms with life’s inadequacies.” Annex Theatre, 1100 E. Pike St., 728-0933, annextheatre.org. $5–$20 (Thurs. pay what you can). 8 p.m. Thurs.–Sat. Ends Aug. 31.

Shrek the Musical The big green guy sings. Youth Theatre Northwest, 8805 S.E. 40th St., Mercer Island, 232-4145 x109, youththeatre.org. $13–$15. 2 p.m. Wed.–Thurs. & Sat.–Sun.; 7 p.m. Fri.–Sat.; plus 2 p.m. Tues., Aug. 20. Ends Aug. 24.

Stu for Silverton This new musical, part of Intiman’s summer season, tells the absolutely true story of a small Oregon town and its transgender mayor. Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center, 726-5190. $20–$50. See intiman.org for schedule. Ends Sept. 15.

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Trouble in Mind Alice Childress’ 1955 Obie winner catalogs the charades and compromises (i.e., sellings-out) demanded of “negro” stage professionals trying to make it on Broadway. Wiletta Mayer (Tracy Michelle Hughes) arrives for her first day of Broadway rehearsal, where she and other black cast members are confounded by the destructively narrow vision of producer/director Al Manners (Tim Gouran). In a play about a lynching, he wants Southern dialect and old stereotypes; his performers are uncomfortable, but they also want the job. Intiman’s splendid rendering marries beautiful acting to the powerful architecture of a laser-sharp script that ricochets between hope and heartache. MARGARET FRIEDMAN Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center, 726-5190. $20–$50. See intiman.org for schedule. Ends Sept. 15.

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We Won’t Pay! We Won’t Pay! Dario Fo’s 1974 farce about life in an exploitive, inflationary economy is an intelligently ridiculous examination of whether looting is justified under a corrupt regime—timely in our era of unprecedented income inequality. Director Jane Nichols deftly articulates the quick beats that can be so easily muddled in farce. MARGARET FRIEDMAN Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center, 726-5190. $20–$50. See 
intiman.org for schedule. Ends Sept. 14.

The Wild Party Andrew Lippa’s Roaring 20s-set musical. Center House Theatre, Seattle Center, 800-838-3006, soundtheatrecompany.org. $15–$25. 7:30 p.m. Thurs.–Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Aug. 25.

You Can’t Take It With You Seattle Public Theater’s Youth Ensemble revives those wacky Sycamores. Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, 7312 W. Green Lake Ave. N., 524-1300, seattlepublictheater.org. Donation. 7 p.m. Fri.–Sat., also 2 p.m. Sat., Aug. 17. Ends Aug. 17.

Classical, Etc.

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Composer Spotlight Amy Denio discusses her work, including her participation in the Immersion Composition Society. Jack Straw Studios, 4261 Roosevelt Way N.E., jackstraw.org. Free. 7:30 p.m. Wed., Aug. 14.

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Seattle Opera SEE REVIEW, PAGE 22.

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Jherek Bischoff This Seattle avant-musician’s burst into national prominence recently (praise in The New Yorker, collaborations with the Kronos Quartet). With local friends, he’ll play music from his recent album Composed. Bainbridge Performing Arts, 200 Madison Ave. N., Bainbridge Island, 842-8569, bainbridgeperformingarts.org. $20. 7:30 p.m. Fri., Aug. 16.

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Olympic Music Festival This weekend,

all-Schubert for violin and piano. Olympic Music Festival, Center Road, Quilcene, 360-732-4800, olympicmusic
festival.org. $18–$33. 2 p.m. Sat., Aug. 17–Sun., Aug. 18.