Stage
The Mystery of Edwin Drood at Lakewood Playhouse is a deliciously funny romp through merrie olde England. Based on an unfinished novel by Charles Dickens, Drood is a musical comedy that asks the audience to vote on whodunit. What a fun and ingenious concept by Rupert Holmes, who wrote the
Arts
What better area of the country for photos about soldiers? The newest exhibition at the Washington State History Museum, opening June 20, is "The American Soldier," a comprehensive look at the best photographs from 150 years of Americans at war, beginning with the Civil War and continuing through the seemingly
Stage
Theater Artists Olympia brings a comedy by 17th century French writer Molière to the Midnight Sun, and it is as funny today as it must have been in Paris 48 years after the death of Shakespeare (whom I mention because lines from Shakespeare are quoted in Tartuffe, probably intended as
Arts
Lynn Di Nino comes up with more unique and often hilarious ideas than you can shake a stick at. Her latest - two shows in one - one curated by Di Nino and the other featuring her sculpture, is a delightful concept but more successful as an idea than in
Arts
I search my mind and my memory banks for clues as to the meanings of Nathan Orosco's installation, "Take It to the Bridge" and Sarah Casto's "We Part to Meet Again," but I can't imagine what must have been going through the artists' minds - what message, if any, they
Arts
It makes my heart happy to see that Laura Hanan has re-opened Brick & Mortar Gallery. The once funky little gallery on Pacific at 9th street is now elegant and welcoming and in business again after a hiatus of six years with a selection of Hanan's paintings plus porcelain wall
Stage
Watching Agamemnon at Dukesbay Theater opening night was a totally immersive theatrical experience. This is the way theater was in the beginning when many theatrical traditions still in common use were first invented, and it plays as well in 21st century Tacoma as it must have in Greece 2,400 years
Stage
Theater-goers accustomed to the intense drama of David Mamet plays such as Oleanna and Glengarry Glen Ross might be surprised at his A Life in the Theatre, a small play in which the less is said, the more is implied, a bittersweet comic drama that runs about an hour and
Arts
"Ahoy, A Maritime Exhibition" at B2 Gallery features paintings of ships and boats and people at work on the water by Mary Pacios, Susanna Rodriguez, James Cole and Austin Dwyer. In many ways, Dwyer dominates the show, due to his technical skill and the high drama of his work. But his
Arts
The featured art exhibition at Obsidian Café in Olympia is "Boycott! The Art of Economic Activism," a traveling poster exhibit of 58 posters highlighting diverse historical boycott movements from Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott that fired up the civil rights movement in the 1950s to today's Palestinian call
Arts
Eloquent Objects: Georgia O'Keeffe and Still-Life Art in New Mexico" is a major coup for Tacoma Art Museum. This major national touring exhibition featuring 22 of O'Keeffe's paintings and 42 paintings by her contemporaries who lived and worked in New Mexico for a while. Over a period of approximately 30
Arts
June is Pride month throughout the land. Except for Tacoma, where Pride blossoms a month later in July. Pride month means more than parades and festivals. It means businesses and community organizations celebrating and affirming all during the month. Rainbow flags and banners fly from downtown buildings long before the actual
Stage
For children bitten by the acting bug there are opportunities galore in the South Puget Sound region to learn and to perform with summer theater camps and classes. Starting with Olympia Family Theater in Olympia, a relative newcomer among area theaters that produces fantastic theater geared toward children and performed by
Stage
Don McClean said the day Buddy Holly died was "the day the music died," but Buddy's music will never die. I first saw BUDDY at the Tacoma Little Theatre in 2009 and then at the Capital Playhouse in 2012. And now it's going to rock the big stage at the
Stage
The wartime love story Time Stands Still by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Donald Margulies, is now playing at Harlequin Productions in Olympia. It is an intense and intimate portrait of a pair of lovers - Sarah Goodwin (Jenny Vaughn Hall) and James Dodd (Matt Shimkus) - whose passionate devotion and equally
Arts
Art Chantry is Tacoma's most famous graphic designer, known worldwide, or at least USA-wide, for his rock concert posters and album covers. He's done work for Nirvana and Hole, and his art has been shown in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Museum of Modern Art, Seattle Art Museum,
Stage
Centerstage's For All That is a phenomenal show. I left the theater wondering how I could possibly review it when it left me speechless. In many ways, this performance is the best thing I've seen on stage in years, and the marvel of it is that it was written by
Guides
It's getting ridiculous. Everything good nowadays is called sexy. However, it may not be so ridiculous to call the path around Olympia's Capitol Lake or the boardwalk at Percival Landing sexy, not if you consider watching walkers and runners of all shapes, sizes, ages and genders a sexy activity, especially
Arts
After a too-long hiatus, Salon Refu is back with a vengeance with "Strangely Familial," painted mixed-media constructions by Nathan Barnes. What a strange, exciting and beautiful show! The show consists mostly of "pop-surreal" portraits of the artist's close friends and family. (I put "pop surreal" in quotes because I've been told
Stage
The latest show at the gallery at The Evergreen State College is a two-person show with longtime and recently retired TESC art faculty members Susan Aurand and Lucia Harrison. Each has taught both art and science classes, and each brings meticulous observation of nature to their work. Stylistically they are