Entertainment
It was Showtime, folks. The Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s were the most glamorous organization in the history of American sports, from the immensely talented lineups led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Earvin "Magic" Johnson that produced five NBA titles to the Hollywood stars in the stands (Hello, Jack!) to the
Stage
Christmas might be over, but Harlequin Productions continues celebrating the season until New Year's Eve. For this year's holiday show, Harlequin dove deep into their archives to re-stage their first holiday show, The 1940s Radio Hour. First performed in 1993, this is the one that inspired the theater's Stardust series,
Stage
I know it's the oldest cliché in the book, but Olympia's fall theater scene has something for everyone, from mystery to comedy to children's fare to musicals, and various mixtures of all that. Harlequin Productions' season runs later than other theaters, meaning as the fall season opens everywhere else, they are
Stage
Olympia's a town that adores musicians, and it's played parent, host and/or teacher to more than its fair share of name-brand performers. Beat Happening, Beck, Bikini Kill, Kurt Cobain, Kimya Dawson, The Fleetwoods, Courtney Love, Krist Novoselic, Sleater-Kinney -- all have deep connections to Washington's capital city. It's also the
Stage
It should come as no surprise to anyone that Weekly Volcano readers have voted Harlequin Productions best theater group. Founded and run by Scot and Linda Whitney, Harlequin has been offering South Sound audiences the best in local theater since it began on a small scale with shows in the
Stage
Harlequin Productions' The Stardust Christmas Fandango is the 22nd show in the series of locally written and produced holiday musicals that has been thrilling audiences for decades. Harlequin co-founder Linda Whitney calls it a Christmas card to Olympia. The series started in 1994, and Harlequin has done a different variation on
Stage
It takes a special kind of year to make us nostalgic for 2016. So how do we bid 2017 a proper adieu, given it's impossible to set a trash fire on fire? On calendar milestones like these, it's vital to cut loose and greet the future with optimism and, face
Stage
We gather to belt "Auld Lang Syne" each New Year's Eve, most of us with only the sketchiest sense of what it means. Robbie Burns' poem, set to the tune of a traditional favorite, extols the comforting value of "old long since," meaning "days gone by," the nostalgia we share
Stage
With lots of schmaltz and lots of good cheer, live theater in the South Sound is gearing up for holiday shows.Lakewood Playhouse. The most touching, feel-good holiday show of all time is coming to Lakewood Playhouse this season. You've seen it in countless reruns on TV and probably shed a
News Front
In the Pacific Northwest, there are 15 half-marathons in the month of September alone. Jeff Bauknecht, who co-directs the Race for a Soldier Half Marathon and 5K happening for its sixth year Sept. 25, 2016 at 8 a.m., suggests, "Race for a Soldier is different, and has been different from
Stage
Scot and Linda Whitney have worked wonders with their professional theater company Harlequin Productions, producing top-flight theater consistently since 1991 with many of the best actors from Seattle to Olympia. Olympia and Tacoma-based actors have told me that Harlequin is the best company in the area to work for, which
Stage
December is upon us, and that means a smorgasbord of Christmas stories at area theaters, but not so much the tried and true holiday sentimentality that's usually trotted out. There are some twists on the usual holiday fare this year, including a holiday whodunit and the traditional A Christmas Carol
Viva South Sound
New Year's Eve in Olympia is typically spent at a bar or restaurant - if not at a party at someone's house. But this year, there's a new place to be for the big moment: onstage at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts. At the center's first New Year's Eve
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
Looking ahead to local companies' fall theater offerings, it'd take an NSA supercomputer to find anything resembling a trend. Thank the gods! All too often, theater troupes play it safe from September to December, packing 'em in for inoffensive comedies and heartwarming holiday shows, thus stocking their coffers for colder
Travel
If this is your first trip to Olympia, welcome! I feel an affinity, as I've only lived here since 2007. It took months to wrap my head around the flagrantly liberal banter in Orca Books, introverted hints of "the Seattle freeze" in local taverns, and the mind-expanding pleasures of real
Guides
I'm pleased to see Mr. Doyle breaking out as your choice for Olympia's Best Actor this year, as he's accumulated one of the most consistently solid resumés in town. I nominated him for Best Actor myself for his work in Harlequin Productions' Stardust Serenade (2011). You may remember that show
Stage
We're not awful people, we swear! It bums us out to deflate the work of theatrical colleagues and friends. That's why I was delighted to add the "Carvies," a roster of exceptional work in Olympia, to my review schedule in 2010 and in every December since. Now I've encouraged Joann
We Recommend
Sated? Maybe it's time to dig out from under the spent wrapping paper, tinsel and turkey bones to spend a few moments in reflection. In the meantime, here's Christian Doyle doing Frank Sinatra and a beat poet. Here's Amy Shephard in a clown suit and roller