5 Things To Do Today: Mom and Sinatra, CycloFemme, "The Five Changes," Comics Eating Brownies and more ...

By Volcano Staff on May 11, 2014

SUNDAY, MAY 11 2014 >>>

1. It all starts with those peepers, of course, sometimes flirty, sometimes intense, but always aware, of the cameras, of the crowds, of the cool. Ol' Blue Eyes, a singin' joe with the world on a ring-a-ding string. Sinatra made his way, like a figure out of a 19th century novel, from the rough Italian neighborhoods of Depression-era Hoboken to the heights of musical popularity in wartime New York, crashed and then recreated himself in 1950s and '60s Hollywood and Las Vegas. It's those Vegas shows Joey Jewell will recreate with Jim Kerl's Swingin' 60's Orchestra at 6:30 p.m. in Jazzbones. Well, maybe not an exact replica of those times. Jazzbones' hat-check girls shouldn't need to be on alert.

2. CycloFemme is a global women's cycling day created to honor the past and the emancipation of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers, for the freedom to choose and the chance to wear pants. To celebrate the present, Tacoma's VeloFemmes invites women to join them for a ride around Tacoma, beginning at noon at The Spar in Old Town Tacoma.

3. We promise you, no animals were harmed in Olympia Little Theatre's production of playwright Lauren Gunderson's Exit, Pursued by a Bear. The prey in this story is Kyle Carter, a short-tempered redneck who may or may not have beaten his wife, Nan. On a quest for revenge and emancipation, she recruits the help of a stripper/wannabe actor named Sweetheart (stage name "Peaches," which isn't much better) and Simon, her gay best friend, who arrives in a cheerleader's uniform. Nan's plan is to stage a reenactment of key moments with Kyle, then douse him in honey and open the door wide to Ursus americanus floridanus, a 300-pound Florida black bear. Read Christian Carvajal's full review of Exit, Pursued By A Bear in the Music & Culture section, then catch the show at 1:55 p.m.

4. The Five Changes (Wu Xing) are the five material elements of the traditional Chinese Daoist world, and the transformations that turn each into the other through natural processes over time.  At 3 p.m., "The Five Changes" will be performed by the Pacific Lutheran University Percussion and Wind Ensemble in Lagerquist Concert Hall.

5. Jubal Flagg hosts Comics Eating Brownies at 8 p.m. in the Tacoma Comedy Club. Five comics will perform, then eat a brownie, and perform again.

LINK: Sunday, May 11 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area