SUNDAY, OCT. 6 2013 >>>
1. Mural art doesn't seem like the kind of discipline that should be broken into seasons, like fashion or the performing arts - not least because so many murals, with their all-together-now imagery and perennial visibility, seem lodged in a permanent Sesame Street-like past. But the weather in the South Sound puts a damper on outdoor art. Mural artist Chelsea O'Sullivan, she of the Tacoma Murals Project, is taking her talents indoors, showing a batch of her new artwork from 6-8 p.m. at The Swiss. Get small with O'Sullivan.
2. Beer! Lederhosen! Beer! Bratwurst! Beer! Yodeling! Beer! Seahawks! Beer! Austrian Amazon! Beer! Oktoberfest Northwest has all of these fine things, but, most importantly, it has beer. The gates open at 9:45 a.m. so you can watch the Seahawks game in the Sports Haus. Other event highlights happening at the Washington State Fair & Event Center include German bands and entertainers, authentic German cuisine, the German Corner gift section, the Miss Oktoberfest Northwest Swing Girl and the running of the wiener dogs. And don't forget to wash all that German food down with ... well, you know, beer!
3. We love Tacoma's Annual St. Nicholas Greek Festival. We love the group dancing, the fine food; hell, we even love yelling "Opa!" for no apparent reason. But let's be real. For us, the entire festival is just a complicated set dressing for a baklava-delivery system. Oh, we'll hang out and listen to them ramble on about Socrates, the Olympics and "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," but we'll be picking the flaky crumbs from our shirts and stuffing them into our hungry taste-holes while we do it. We'll dance beginning at 1 p.m. and eat the food - lamb, pork souvlaki, salata, loukomades, dolmades, tyropitakia - not just because we like it, but in an attempt to bring the honey content in our blood down low enough so we can scarf down another slab of triangular goodness. In its 52nd year, the Greek Festival at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church - 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. - will donate a portion of proceeds to the Fish Food Bank.
4. Harlequin's Henry V production revives the set and concept of a '98 run, for which director Scot Whitney pared Shakespeare's cast down to six men and two women. The actors play actors, who spill out of a roadside pageant wagon. (Like Henry himself, the pageant wagon approach was centuries dead when the Bard penned this history, but never mind.) Jason Marr plays Hank; it's a solid portrayal, especially in an underplayed St. Crispin's Day speech. The acting's quite strong throughout, in fact, offering treats like Maggie Lofquist's bilingual princess and Casey Brown as a dauphin who thinks he's a rock star. I tended to conflate Henry's soldiers, who hail from all over the present-day UK, and I'm not sure their accents are any less confused. Happily, though, the battle scenes are excitingly choreographed, and we're able to follow the story from beginning to end. Bruce Whitney's sound design works wonders here, along with his Princess Bride-style synthetic score, by clarifying transitions and adding depth and volume to onstage combat. Henry V hits the stage at 2 p.m. Read Christian Carvajal's full review of Henry V in the Music and Culture section.
5. With its birth in the grunge years in an alleyway at Pike Place Market, Seattle Theatresports combines quick wit with a theatrical and comedic flair. Teams of improvisers create scenes based entirely on audience suggestions and are scored by a panel of judges. The Seattle icon pays at visit to the Tacoma Comedy Club at 8 p.m.
LINK: Sunday, Oct. 6 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area
