Food & Drink
5 Shows I’m (Hopefully) Seeing This Week, and I Think You Should Too
‘Reparations’ at Sound Theatre Company, the first Joketeller’s Union of 2020 and more
By Gemma Wilson January 7, 2020
As a longtime arts writer, I get a lot of questions of the “what show should I go see?” variety. Because that is my very favorite question to answer, we’re launching a new weekly column, highlighting a handful of exciting shows that I’d gladly recommend to my nearest and dearest. Had I more hours in a day and/or more than one human body, I would see everything, but alas, I am but one woman, and like all Seattleites, my scheduling tendencies trend aspirational. So let’s get started: Here are five shows I’d love to see in the next seven days—hopefully you’ll love some of them too.
Joketeller’s Union
On Wednesday, let’s celebrate 2020 at the first Joketeller’s Union of the year. You never know exactly what you’re going to get at this weekly show at Clock-Out Lounge, curated with care and hosted with love by local comedy delights Brett Hamil and Emmett Montgomery—but you know that the performers will be excellent and varied, and the Breezy Town pizza will be delicious. You’ll laugh, you’ll think, and you might even cry if Hamil’s tender-hearted comedy alter ego Burl Dirkman has his way. 1/8, Clock-Out Lounge
Reparations
Sound Theatre Company produces some of the most interesting plays in town, and this week STC opens its world premiere production of Darren Canady’s Reparations, directed by Jay O’Leary. The plot apparently centers on a new technology, one that helps people relive history by harnessing the power of their blood, which could mean a major payday for our main character Rory. I’m curious to see how that plays out, but I’m just as interested in what O’Leary, Sound’s associate artistic director and an exciting young director, does with it. 1/8–2/2, Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute
Perpetual Vessels
If you’ve been following Alice Gosti’s career for any length of time, you know that this eternally curious choreographer seems to be forever experimenting, testing new forms, ideas and cross-genre collaborations. This week she’s premiering a site-specific dance film she made with filmmaker June Zandona and her own Malacarne Dance Company during a residency on a 100-year-old steamboat up in Anacortes. Also with a live performance! 1/11, Northwest Film Forum
Bushwick Book Club Seattle: Educated
Like millions of other readers, I was knocked off my feet by Tara Westover’s 2018 memoir Educated, which follows Westover from her off-the-grid Mormon upbringing in Idaho through her terms at Harvard and Cambridge. At Bushwick Book Club Seattle, local musicians interpret the book’s themes and stories through original songs and Educated should offer this month’s lineup a lot to work with. 1/11, Hugo House
Bon Appétit: The Julia Child Show
I’m hoping to get to the semi-regular show Bon Appétit: The Julia Child Show at the Rendevzous soon for the following reasons: One: Fabulous local actor Anne Allgood plays Julia Child in Bon Appétit, an operetta in which she makes a cake on stage. Two: The Rendezvous is a storied, sultry Seattle treasure, and I love seeing shows there. Three: There will be cake for all, prepared by Dolcetta Artisan Sweets using Child’s recipe. 1/12, Jewelbox Theatre at the Rendezvous
Contact deputy editor Gemma Wilson at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter at @gemmaswilson.