Seattle Pockets
Arts Events
Fela! comes to Seattle May 28th – June 2nd + 20% off code + free after-show dance parties!
My Pandora channel has a new station : Fela! This “provocative hybrid of dance, theatre and music exploring the extravagant world of real-life Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti” comes to The Paramount Theatre in Seattle May 28th – June 2nd. Tickets are available now - use code Music20 to get 20% off tickets!
This music makes me want to get up and DANCE! I can’t wait to see the show which has such an electric soundtrack. There’s no better way, in my mind, to learn about music history than to watch the story unfold onstage! Check out the video below to get a feel of the sound.
The Paramount knows the crowds will be energized by this production and they’re working with two venues to host dance nights after a few of the performances. Barboza’s dance night will be after the performance on May 29th, while Lo-Fi’s dance night will be after the June 1st performance. If you show a ticket to Fela, you’ll get in free ($5 cover for those without ticket stubs – open to the public).
Check out the video trailer:
Quest Fantasy Exhibit opens at EMP tomorrow with cool event!
EMP Musuem’s Quest Fantasty Exhibit opens with a very cool event tomorrow night!
Among the many wonders you’ll experience:
» The Conquerors’ Scavenger Quest
» An archery competition
» A sword fighting presentation by Knights of Veritas
» Photo ops: Snap a picture of yourself atop the Iron Throne from HBO’s Game of Thrones
» A special appearance by the Carter Family Marionettes
» Gameplay with Card Kingdom
» Learn-to-play demos, artist signings, and R&D spellslinging with Magic: The Gathering featuring Mark Rosewater, Aaron Forsythe, Matt Cavotta, and Jeremy Jarvis
» Thirst quenchers in the form of mead or cider (21+ only) along with EMP’s particular brand of butter beer
» Spotlight talks with key figures in fantasy
Spotlight Talk Schedule:
7:30pm - Terry Brooks, New York Times bestselling author
8:15pm - Karen Falk, historian and head archivist for The Jim Henson Company
9:15pm - Mark Ordesky, executive producer of the Academy Award-winning The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
Tickets here. Hope to see you there!
More details on the Exhibition itself:
From The Hobbit, The Wizard of Oz and The Princess Bride to Harry Potter and Snow White and the Huntsman, Fantasy: Worlds of Myth and Magic invites audiences on a fantastical journey to unearth the inspiration behind this genre’s most magnificent creations.
Revel in hands-on installations that include world building and mapmaking, and legendary pop culture artifacts. See iconic costumes from TV and the silver screen including The Wizard of Oz, Xena: Warrior Princess, Labyrinth, and The Princess Bride; pet a dragon designed by Seattle Opera; sit atop the Iron Throne from HBO’s Game of Thrones; and view original hand-edited manuscript pages from J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
I’ll be sure to come back and share a review of the exhibition after I see it. Now, what to wear to the party tomorrow?! I wonder if there’s a fantasy character with an easy to put together costume (or one with brunette hair and some cool face paint)? Geeky Hostess, any suggestions? 
Note – EMP’s exhibit “The Art of Video Games” closes May 12th – so now is the perfect time to see both exhibitions! I hear the Video Game show is pretty awesome and can’t wait to take Brandon!
Flashdance The Musical comes to The Paramount
Flashdance The Musical comes to The Paramount Theatre in downtown Seattle this week! Click the image to find out how you can save up to 25% on tickets!
“Next Fall” plays ArtsWest through April 6th
For this review, Seattle Pockets welcomes Guest Blogger, Russell Hathaway.
A Republican senator who has long opposed marriage equality recently changed his stance on the subject very publicly after his son came out. The story behind the 2010 Tony-nominated play, Next Fall, running through April 6th at ArtsWest, could also have changed had Luke (played by David Elwyn Traylor) been so open with Butch and Arlene (John Wray and Patricia Haines-Ainsworth), his conservative Southern parents. Instead, when the play opens, the sounds of screeching tires, shattering glass and crunching steel, suggest a very different process of change and a much more challenging outcome. Now Luke’s partner of four years, Adam (Christopher Zinovitch) must deal with Adam’s parents with the help of friends Holly (Kate Witt) and Brandon (Daniel Stoltenber). All the characters, from their various perspectives, struggle to be understood, accepted and respected, making for a sometimes anxious, sometimes funny, but consistently smart and thoughtful journey. And a tissue may be needed every now and then.
The characters are lovingly portrayed and sympathetic. Even the antagonist parents are relate-able and worthy of a good ol’ Southern ‘Bless your hearts’. The production is well-staged in the intimate West Seattle ARTSWEST theater space. And the story is well-written (Geoffrey Nauffts) and directed (Cindy Bradder), to be thoughtful and moving, even if it’s familiar.
Marriage equality may change a story like this as it relates to legal matters and civil rights, but the balance and struggle in relationships for understanding and honesty, love and respect, will continue to be relevant. This is true for all everyone, whether we’re Adam, Butch, Arlene, Holly, Brandon or Luke. Make an afternoon or an evening of it in West Seattle’s Alaska Junction and cap it off with Next Fall at ArtsWest. You’ll be glad you did!
Comedy! Varieté! Moisture Festival returns now – April 14th
I love Moisture Festival. It’s one part ridiculous, one part inspiring, one part old-timey, one part campy, one part wow-factor and all SORTS of fun!
Celebrating their 10th year, Moisture Festival brings comedy, varietè, vaudeville and burlesque performances to Seattle. But it’s only here through April 14th, so get your tickets now. Chances are, once you see a Moisture Festival show, you’ll want to go back again before the fest is over!
From their website: “Comedy/Varietè is an intriguing assortment of entertainment. It is highly skilled performance mixed with many bizarre talents, often humorous, with no limit to the imagination. Presented as a variety show, each act or artist performs his or her routine within a 3-15 minute time slot while being accompanied by a live show band. Aerialists, jugglers, comedians, dancers, rope acts, bubble acts, clowns, acrobats, can can girls, strong women, strong men, tap dancers, drill teams, musical numbers, the weird and the wonderful- all keeping the tradition of Comedy/Varietè/Vaudeville alive.”
Events will take place at Hale’s Palladium in Fremont, Broadway Performance Hall on Capitol Hill and a movie screening at SIFF on Queen Anne.
Full details and tickets, here.
Brandon and I are going to enjoy a date night tonight at the Late Night Varietè performance tonight at Hale’s Palladium – can’t wait to see what tonight’s performers have in store for us!
Check out my 2012 review of Moisture Festival, here.
Kamikaze Fireflies at Moisture Festival at Hale’s.
Don’t miss “These Streets” – Seattle original rock history show
Attention All Mortals - the Nordic Gods Are Upon Us!
Dinner at Wotan's opens tonight! We have been squee-ing all day in between feverish preparation. This show is co-directed by our fearless founder Norm Langill and Swedish triple threat Tobias Larsson (Return To Paradise, 2012; co-choreographed Bonsoir Liliane! with Tommy Tune, 2011), who will also choreograph and star in this production. Get ready for an electric mix of fresh performances, like Swedish superstar…
Second Venice is Sinking Masquerade Ball giveaway
Venice is Sinking: A Venetian Masked Carnivale Ball is coming up soon – February 9th in Seattle! Here’s another chance for Seattle Pockets to enter to win a ticket to this lavish affair that started in 2008 and has sold out every year.
Performances will include Circus Troupe Performers (aerialists, fire performers, contortionists, jugglers, stilt walkers and acrobats), burlesque dancers, electric violinist and a World Music DJ. Performers announced include Fuchsia Foxxx, Tamara the Trapeze Lady, Felurs d’Egypte, FRACTAL (DJ Sorbello and musician Brian Fischer), Jenn Q, Geoffrey Castle and more.
To enter to win a ticket, comment on this blog post why you want to go to this event, then be sure to visit the rafflecopter entry form to get entry points into the giveaway. Winner will be announced on Monday morning.
2K+ FREE tickets to The Music Man at The 5th Avenue Theatre
See The Music Man at Seattle’s The 5th Avenue Theatre for FREE – just stand in line on Saturday, January 26th (limit 4 per household, while supplies last) for February 10th performance! Details, here.
SIFF’s Women in Cinema Festival Jan 23 – 27 – Giveaway
Women in Cinema returns to Seattle International Film Festival Jan 23 – 27, featuring significant new works by women filmmakers. WIC celebrates the exceptional contributions of women in the world of cinema, and represents a convergence of excellence in filmmaking, with international shorts, features, and documentaries from around the world. I’m thinking about moving around some plans to make it to see a couple of these films. Miranda July’s film Me You and Everyone We Know was part of this festival in previous years and is one of my favorite films of all time. I imagine these films are going to be awesome and inspiring!
Seattle Art Museum is hosting a giveaway on their Facebook page for tickets, here.
