Stage
I don't know how she does it. Susan Christian, owner of Salon Refu, keeps discovering artists of note. Or maybe they find her. The latest is Jean Nagia, an artist completely new to me. He painted the bright, geometric abstract mural on the side of Salon Refu, and he's working
Stage
Two years ago, my wife and I followed multiple suggestions to see playwright Robert Schenkkan's All the Way at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. They were right; that script's a masterpiece. OSF's production featured actor Jack Willis, riveting as President Lyndon Baines Johnson, plus charismatic Kenajuan Bentley as his sometime partner in
Critics' Picks
[ELECTRO-ROCK] + FRI, DEC. 12 Charlatan is surging, post-punk inspired electro-rock. As a solo project of Omar Rashan, Charlatan combines programmed beats, synthesizers and fuzzed-out guitars into a sound that's reminiscent of Joy Division. All cleanliness and precision is smeared with layers of noise, and the persistent drum machine gets drenched
Concert Alert
We list major concerts going on sale this weekend, as well as national touring acts performing in the Puget Sound this week. SECRET TICKET CODE TM = Ticketmaster, 253.627.TIXS, www.ticketmaster.com TWEB = Ticketweb, 866.468.7623, www.ticketweb.com >>> ON SALE NOW Adam Devine Seattle. March 4 8 pm. $31 (Neptune Theatre, Tickets.com) Mat Kearney Parachute, Judah & The
Food Matters
HOTEL MURANO NYE It's time to make your New Year's Eve plans. Consider the BITE restaurant in the Hotel Murano (1320 Broadway Plaza, Tacoma). Dinner will include a holiday menu featuring winter panzanella salad, fries and gravy served with sautéed mushrooms and gorgonzola, wild mushroom ravioli, prime rib and more. Bonus:
Listings
BLUES Dawson's Bar and Grill Tacoma - South. Billy Shew Band Open Jam Session. 8 pm. NC. COMEDY/GAMES Tacoma Comedy Club Tacoma - Downtown. Comedian Tommy Johnagin. 8 pm. $15. The Ram Restaurant and Brewery Tacoma. Geeks Who Drink pub quiz. 8:30 pm. NC. Narrows Brewing Company Tacoma
Listings
ACOUSTIC/FOLK/CELTIC Urban Grace Church Tacoma - Downtown. Magical Strings 36th Annual Celtic Yuletide Concert. 7:30 pm. $12-$28 in advance, $3 more at the door. B Sharp Coffee House Tacoma - Downtown. Ty Elwin. All Ages. 8 pm. $3. COMEDY/GAMES Tacoma Comedy Club Tacoma - Downtown. Comedian Tommy Johnagin. 8
Listings
ACOUSTIC/FOLK/CELTIC Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Bryan Bowers. All Ages. 8 pm. $10-$15. Rialto Theater Tacoma - Downtown. The Christmas Revels. All Ages. 2 pm & 7:30 pm. BLUES B Sharp Coffee House Tacoma - Downtown. Little Bill & The Blue Notes. All Ages. 8
Listings
ACOUSTIC/FOLK/CELTIC Charlie's Restaurant Puyallup. Acoustic Jam Night. 6-9 pm. NC. Rialto Theater Tacoma - Downtown. The Christmas Revels. All Ages. 1 pm & 5:30 pm. $12-$32. BLUES Dave's of Milton Milton. Blues Jam, hosted by Doug McGrew. 7:30 pm. NC. Dawson's Bar and Grill Tacoma - South. Blues
Listings
ACOUSTIC/FOLK/CELTIC Steilacoom Pub and Grill Steilacoom. Monday Music, featuring Kurt Lindsay. 7 pm. Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Uke-Olympians. All Ages. 7 pm. NC. BLUES Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Blues Monday with Black Rose. 7 pm. NC. The Swiss Tacoma -
Listings
ACOUSTIC/FOLK/CELTIC Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Acoustic open mic hosted by Leanne Trevalyan. 8 pm. NC. Tugboat Annies Olympia - Westside. Open Mic Night. 9 pm. NC. Rialto Theater Tacoma - Downtown. The Christmas Revels. All Ages. 7:30 pm. $12-$32. COMEDY/GAMES Westgate Bar and Grill Tacoma - Northend.
Listings
ACOUSTIC/FOLK/CELTIC Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. St. Practice Day. 5 pm. Rialto Theater Tacoma - Downtown. The Christmas Revels. All Ages. 7:30 pm. $12-$32. Ted Brown Music Company Tacoma - South. Uke 'An Jam. All Ages. 6:30-8 pm. NC. Tugboat Annies Olympia - Westside. Wed
Stage
If you haven't seen Kellë McLaughlin's art, which I had not until this week, you really should. Her "Bestial Mirrors" at Fulcrum Gallery is a skillfully presented mythology or bestiary of imaginative and fierce imagery. In bold wood block prints and even bolder ceramic sculptures, McLaughlin creates hybrid creatures with
Stage
In my Stardust review, I cited a line from Ratatouille: "The new needs friends." That line, delivered by "Anton Ego," means the best thing a critic can do is focus attention on quality work that doesn't come with a built-in audience. Often, as in The Head! That Wouldn't Die!, it's
Stage
"What's wrong with the same old thing? "I think that question answers itself." - actual dialogue from The Stardust Christmas Commotion Indeed it does. Coincidentally, my wife and I had just caught the end of Ratatouille on TV. The bloodthirsty critic voiced by Peter O'Toole in that film, Anton Ego, says of
Stage
I recently celebrated my five-year anniversary as a theater critic. As befit this occasion, I noshed on humble pie, sour grapes and cold crow with a snifter of rattlesnake venom. I've already reviewed three different takes on Charles Dickens's beloved 1843 classic, A Christmas Carol. Is there anyone older than
Arts
For Andrew Rivers, poking fun at himself just comes naturally. "I have a lot of female friends," the Seattle comedian jokes in an appearance on Fox TV's Laughs. "Because they put me there." Rivers is headlining Stand Up for a Cure, a benefit for research into childhood cancer, at the Capitol Theater
Arts
Winter solstice is big news around these parts. Olympia Family Theater is halfway through its run of How the Slug Stole Solstice, a charming little musical about a gastropod who's scared of the dark. Now Puget Sound Revels and the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts present their 22nd annual
Stage
My sister and I once found ourselves pulling into Winslow after 11 p.m. We were shaky from hunger, and the only place open was Denny's. The menu and décor were inviting enough, but I'd rather eat airline food than Denny's. My sister's will prevailed nonetheless. When the food arrived it
Critics' Picks
[INDUSTRIAL GOTH] + SAT, DEC. 6 As much as an album cover featuring a black-and-white photo of a nude woman chained up and wearing a black mask and leather gloves might seem like something out of This is Spinal Tap, it's actually the cover of The Killing Scene by Animal Bodies.