SGN May 24, 2019 - Part 2

Arts & Entertainment

“The

Official RuPaul’s Drag Race: Season 11 Tour” at Moore

Theatre June 3

“THE OFFICIAL RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE: SEASON 11 TOUR” THE MOORE THEATRE

June 3 @ 8pm

Hosted in Seattle by Season 10 Queen Asia O’Hara, Emmy-award winning production company World of Wonder and Voss Events present “The Official RuPaul’s

The

Drag Race: Season 11 Tour” on Monday, June 3 at The Moore Theatre (1932 2nd Avenue) doors at 7pm, show at 8pm.

Joining Asia O’Hara in Seattle will be “RPDG: Season 11” Queens: Yvie Oddly, Silky Nutmeg Ganache, Brooke Lynn Hytes, A’kiera Chanel Davenport, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, Honey Davenport, Ra’jah O’Hara and Soju.

see RPDR TOUR page 3

Greatest Showqueen!

A conversation with

Spencer

Day

Pop/jazz performer returns to Jazz Alley for back-to-back shows June 4 & 5

by Jerry Peerson SGN A&E Writer

SPENCER DAY

DIMITRIOU’S JAZZ ALLEY

June 4 & 5 @ 7:30pm

Billboard chart topper and modern-day jazz-pop pioneer, Spencer Day, will make a triumphant return to the Emerald City for back-to-back shows at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley (2033 6th Avenue) on Tuesday & Wednesday, see SPENCER DAY page 4

A new musical parody revue written and performed by Tom Orr 4 shows only! 4 Sundays in June Michael Feinstein with special guest Storm Large team up for “Shaken & Stirred”

THE GREATEST SHOW QUEEN!

THE UNICORN

Sundays 6/2, 6/9, 6/16 & 6/23 @ 6:00pm

After an absence of 22 years, Tom Orr – the creative mind behind the awardwinning musical parody revue Dirty Little Showtunes!, a long-running smash hit at Re-bar in 1997-98 – is back in Seattle with a new solo cabaret and a multitude of new perverted twists on classic showtunes.

Winner of 3 Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle awards (Best Musical, Best Lyrics & Best Actor), Orr brings his diabolical wordplay and a uniquely skewed worldview to the forefront with his latest work, a look back at his colorful past and a sneak peek at his bright future, with new material and selections from his prior solo shows: “I Feel A Thong Coming On!,” “A Crass Act!,”

see SHOWQUEEN page 7

by MK Scott SGN Contributing Writer

MICHAEL FEINSTEIN “SHAKEN & STIRRED” WITH SPECIAL GUEST

STORM LARGE MOUNT BAKER THEATRE (BELLINGHAM)

June 1 @ 8pm

Pull out your evening wear for a topnotch night when Bellingham’s Mount Baker Theatre (104 N. Commercial St., Bellingham) welcomes one of music’s major forces to their main stage! Michael Feinstein has built a dazzling career as a singer and pianist bringing the music of the Great American Songbook to the world.

RPDR TOUR

continued from cover

“This summer I’m hitting the road with the baddest Queens in the land ... the land of Season 11!” said Asia O’Hara. “All bets are

off and all rules are out the window as the Queens show you what they are REALLY made of! And of course, I’ll be safe behind the microphone.”

Tickets are $42-$120 (not including fees). Reserved Seating on Main Floor and in the First Balcony; General Admission Seating in Second Balcony. For more information and tickets, visit vossevents.com; www.stgpresents.org/moore/events; or phone 1-800982-2787.

Courtesy of Voss Events and STG

SPENCER

June 4 & 5. For more information and tickets visit https://www.jazzalley.com/www-home/ or phone 206-441-9729.

The performances will come hot on the heels of his latest release, Angel City, a captivating and melodious album entirely bankrolled by his generous and faithful fans. The album’s inception, immaculate production and successful release are testament to the lasting appeal and steadfast support the songster has earned since entering the music business over fifteen years ago.

After weathering a few career twists and turns, Spencer’s at the helm and producing some of his most compelling and personal work to date.

It would be difficult to define Spencer Day or his music with brevity; the singersongwriter is profoundly insightful, multifaceted, and possesses a timeless voice that continues to garner wide-ranging adoration. A stylistic chameleon crooner of sorts, Spencer has an uncanny ability to transition seamlessly from his intricately orchestrated jazz compositions, to more straightforward pop persuasions – with a Spencer twist.

Regardless of what his focus may be at any given time, it’s certain the 40-yearold San Diego-based musician pours his heart and soul into his work both on and off stage. Away from the music world, Day can be found working and sweating (literally) on behalf of numerous humanitarian causes, including Border Angels, a nonprofit that helps people stranded at the USMexican border.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Spencer about Angel City and a soon to be released Broadway-based album, his

affinity for Seattle, his return to Jazz Alley and his dedication to humanitarian work.

Jerry Peerson: Congratulations on your eclectic, earworm of an album, Angel City! The record was funded by fans via Indiegogo. Were you surprised by the outpouring of support fans showed during the funding campaign?

Spencer Day: Oh yeah, I was. My assistant was saying how “we should really go for this high amount” and I said well, that’s way too high of a number. But then I was watching, and in a relatively quick amount of time I was like, wow the numbers are really going up! We were able to do it [record the album] at Capitol Records and they brought out Frank Sinatra’s microphone – the whole bit –that was really special! I’m really grateful to have a super devoted audience, and I’m not just saying this; Seattle is probably one of the three cities in the country that I have the most devoted audience of people who really are open to seeing me try out a new project. But it was really cool, and it was very confidence building because I did everything; I was at the helm for production.

Jerry Peerson: You’ve built a really strong foundation of devoted supporters, especially in Seattle by the sounds of it, which is brilliant!

Spencer Day: Yeah! I don’t know if it’s that I’m a funny guy that likes to write depressing songs [laughs], or what it is with the weather, but honestly, I feel like the best audiences are in Seattle. They seem the most open to the original music part and are just really good listeners. That’s been my experience. Whereas in Southern California, they’re really fun and make a lot more noise. In Seattle, sometimes I think, God, I hope they’re liking it, and then at the end there’s this huge applause. In Southern California,

they’re really fun, but they’re also on their phones just yammering away!

Jerry Peerson: Maybe we’re just really good at that cold sideways glance, hinting others to get off their phones!

Spencer Day: Oh, I know all about the Seattle freeze [laughs]!

Jerry Peerson: One of my favorite artists, Rufus Wainwright, was one of the first songwriters I heard singing unambiguously to the object of his affection, i.e. a man. It’s still so refreshing and reassuring (and still very important) to hear these songs. You’ve also penned and crooned a number of gaythemed love songs over the years, and do so on Angel City’s “Training Wheel“ – a fun and funky, modern day Sir Duke-like track. Have you ever felt pressure to write lyrically ambiguous songs, and if so, what was the evolution to a truer and freer you like?

Spencer Day: Well, for sure. I was signed to a major label in a development deal in 2006 and it’s amazing the change that’s happened [since then]. I was kind of brought on to be the answer to Warner Brothers’ Michael Bublé … Rufus Wainwright and k.d. lang were huge inspirations for me.

There are some occasions where having a song that’s not pronoun specific can be a really great thing in as far as everyone finding themselves in it. It was really special when I was in San Francisco years ago singing that Gershwin song, “The Man I Love” and of course I wasn’t changing the pronoun. There was a mostly straight audience cuddling up and listening to it in a way that I remember being such a beautiful thing because no one was tripping on it.

I will say, one thing that I’ve seen – and I know you know why we’re having trouble unifying and thus winning elections, etc. – is at the same time, I sang a cover and put in up on YouTube ... and every asshole has an

opinion about what you’re doing.

The lyric in the song was “she” and I had quite a few gays guys say “it would have been nice if you had supported the community and had been honest,” and I was like, okay dudes, here’s six other videos of me singing without changing the pronouns! I feel that had I been singing a song that was like I love hot chicks [humorously sings] that would have been one thing! I didn’t write the song and ultimately that’s the beauty of the song, that you can fall into any character.

As a singer you want to simultaneously be honest with yourself, but you also want to fight to make something non-issue. I am always encouraging gay people, like a lot of progressive people, which of course I am. But I think there are times when some people confuse an ally with an enemy. Maybe because it’s easier to go up against me on YouTube than it is to go up against the patriarchy and centuries of systemic racism and homophobia.

My career has paid a pretty heavy price for being out because of my – dare I say –Midwestern appeal. When I first came out in The Advocate, I got a decent amount of hate mail from people who had loved my song but now made them sick to their stomach. So, I just feel I’ve earned the right to have it be a non-issue.

I’m hoping that people look at the long form of the causes I’ve been behind. I mean, I want to record a whole record of torch songs traditionally sung by women, whereas guys in the jazz world have really felt that they’re songs we [men] don’t touch.

Jerry Peerson: How has the music business changed (or not) since entering it? What advice might you offer your younger self?

Spencer Day: Oh, it’s a shit show [laughs]! I got in right at the end of the

Golden Age where you could still get a record deal and get a song on the radio.

The nature of what celebrity is has changed. In the old school, the fact that I had been on “The Late Late Show” with Craig Ferguson and had a song that was #1 on Billboard charts, all of that would have just certified that this person reached inside at least one pantheon. But now everyone truly is, as Andy Warhol would say, fame is every fifteen seconds.

For better or worse, the record labels used to be the curators of taste. They told you that this is the music worth listening to. I think there were a lot of amazing artists that you and I never heard about because they were not able to get through the gatekeepers. On the negative side, anyone and their mother can put up music.

And there are so many people who want to be famous for anything. As an artist who wants to have a point of view and express something, you’re going up against a guy naked with a unicorn hat, on a tricycle, singing something racist, and that will get 8 million views. And you’re like here’s a really beautiful song [laughs]! And they’re like “we don’t care.”

I just think the nature of celebrity and reality TV – I mean look who’s president –has just infiltrated the world of the arts in a very detrimental way. At the same time, the ability to be authentic … and certainly as a gay person, there’s never been a better time. I think the one piece of advice I would give myself would be to not care so much what other people thought. It would’ve been hard to give myself advice about the industry, except to continue to stay true. I think the future is that the majority of artists will have a niche following, and that in and of itself is not a bad thing.

Jerry Peerson: You prefer to recharge in nature, is there a particular place you like to recharge?

Spencer Day: Mexico is my recharge place. In Baja, I can go camp and be alone on this pristine beach. There’s so much life in the desert. There’s nothing there apart from a few villages, the stars, the sunsets...It’s rare to be on a beach where you can be the only person there for the entire day or even several days. It’s a pretty special thing.

Jerry Peerson: You’re scheduled to trek up to the Pacific Northwest for back-to-back shows at Seattle’s Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley June 4-5. What’s your stage set-up like for the shows?

Spencer Day: I’ll have a quartet with me this time. The last time I was [in the area] at the Edmonds Performing Arts Center and had the horn section, which is really fun, but I think for this one, the quartet seemed like a good way to have enough energy. I think it’ll give enough diversity of sound, but still allow it to be more intimate and that’s what I love about Jazz Alley; it feels big enough to really feel like an event for the audience, as well as for me, but it feels small enough that it really is like hosting a lovely cocktail party.

Jerry Peerson: Do you enjoy playing the Emerald City? Have you any fond – or infamous – memories of your times here?

Spencer Day: I would say the heat wave [in 2009] was definitely beautiful just because there was this amazing solidarity in everyone sweating [laughs]. There was something kind of sexy about it, because everyone was out huddling at the few bars on Capitol Hill where there was air conditioning. The San Juan Islands are really special, and I’m definitely going to stay for a couple of days after my shows because Seattle in the summer is just magic everywhere you go.

Jerry Peerson: You’ve played shows and worked in support of social justice, mental health, and charitable organizations. Are you working with any organizations currently?

Spencer Day: Day to day the one I’m most involved with is Border Angels, who work with people who are stranded at the border. We’re doing a water drop next month, because 10,000 people have died in the last 10 years or so trying to cross these incredibly brutal passes where it can easily be 115 degrees in the summer. Regardless of how people feel about who gets to stay and who doesn’t, I’d like to think everyone’s on the same page; no one wants to stumble across a dead family. Think about

what the stakes must be like for them to be in that situation.

Jerry Peerson: Angel City is a gorgeous album that takes the listener to differing emotional ports of call. There are many moments of curiosity and hope, and at its darkest times, cynical and world-weary. “California Yes” is a particularly poignant piece. You sing, “A California yes, is only a maybe at best.” Have you had any memorable responses to the sometimes cutting, but not inaccurate, lyrics?

Spencer Day: I guess in that sense of L.A. being everyone’s favorite fun-loving narcissist, and the town that would say this before anyone: the only thing worse than being talked bad about is not being talked about at all. In L.A. they love that song, because it’s so true [laughs]! I did have one person say, “Why do this if you hate L.A.?” And I said hey, you can’t write a record of something like that without loving it. In order to do something that’s satire or a bit cutting, you have to truly love your subject.

Jerry Peerson: Your forthcoming album, Broadway by Day, is a collection of

Broadway-based numbers and is scheduled for release this fall. You’ll preview some of the tunes at the Jazz Alley shows. What songs are you planning to play, and which one do you find the most interesting?

Spencer Day: What I like, is we’re doing very unexpected ones like, “A Chorus Line,” it’s not what you’d expect to do. What I love anytime I do a cover – whether it’s the Cardigans or whatever – I like people getting halfway through the song before they realize what it is. We’re doing, “I’d be Surprisingly Good for You,” from Evita, which I was determined to do as this really dark rhumba. That’s actually one of the favorite tracks we play.

Jerry Peerson: If your life – up to today – was made into a movie, how might you feel watching it? What does the sequel look like?

Spencer Day: [Laughing] Back and better than ever! Had it all, lost it, has it on his own terms again [said in a humorous narrator voice].

The flight I just took had turbulence at a level where a passenger got really ill, and the flight attendants were also looking

really nervous. There was a moment where you’re like, okay, this could be it. I’m not afraid of death, I’m afraid of the minutes leading up to it. But there was a moment where I realized, you know what? This has been really good. I was a clinically depressed kid and suicidal through my teen years – like a lot of us gay kids were. I have really gotten to do more than I could’ve ever hoped, and as much as I have regrets and can fret about the future; it’s [success has] surpassed whatever this awkward, unlovable teenager could’ve ever dreamed. The sequel will be interesting. It will be learning how to let go of things gracefully, because you have to learn how to lose things in life. You lose your looks, you lose your friends, you lose your health. The sequel will be learning to let go of things not meant for me and to continue to be more gracious and hopefully philanthropic. And to continue to take myself not too seriously – which in general I’m pretty good about because I’m ridiculous [laughs]!

FEINSTEIN/LARGE

continued from cover

Expect musical greatness from this powerhouse artist who has garnered five Grammy Award nominations; Emmy-nominated PBS TV specials; an acclaimed NPR series; and appearances at the White House, Buckingham Palace, Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, and the Sydney Opera House.

Then add Storm Large: musician, actor, playwright, author, and awe-inspiring songstress! Locally-loved for her appearances with MBT favorite Pink Martini, Large has been performing with symphonies all over the US for the past two years. She and Feinstein make a truly dynamic duo for this one-night engagement.

I was lucky enough to chat with and attend both of their separate shows in the past year, so it will be a treat to see them both perform at the same time next weekend. I had a chance to chat with Large by email this past week. I’m also including segments from my previous interviews with Michael Feinstein in February 2018 and with Storm Large in November 2017 in this article.

MK Scott: Storm, how did this collaboration with Michael come about?

Storm Large: Michael and I have been friends for years. I am a huge admirer of his work, his talent and his incredibly huge, generous heart. Conversations about working together went from “...wouldn’t it be so fun if...” to “Shaken And Stirred”. It’s such a joy to get to sing with and just hang with Michael and his whole crew/family, and it’s really fun for his fans and mine to experience the unique alchemy that happens when the most brilliant singer/champion of The Great American Songbook meets a spiffed up punk rock street urchin. A Pygmalion of sorts. a My Fair Crazy Lady

MK: What do you like most about working with Michael?

Large: Just getting to be around him, getting to watch him work is like a free education...with hugs and snacks!

SHOWQUEEN

continued from cover

“The Devil Wears Nada!,” “Aging Bull!” and “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To His Forearm!”

He has been called “The Lost Love Child of Al & Dorothy Parker,” is a former theatre critic for The Seattle Times, won kudos for his lyrics for Pimpin’! and

MK: What is your favorite song to perform together?

Large: I love “Stormy Weather/When the Sun Comes Out” but really, everything is fun. It all challenges me to really step up my game.

MK Scott: Michael, I read that you were mentored by the iconic Ira Gershwin. What did you learn most from Ira?

Michael Feinstein: I worked for six years for Ira Gershwin who was 80 years old at the time and wrote all the lyrics to these classic Gershwin songs that I grew up hearing in my home. And he taught me about the importance of telling a story when you sing a song, that each song is like a three-act play. They’re little slices of life. And they express emotions, heightened emotions, that we can’t always express personally. They say things that we aren’t able to say as eloquently. And it’s interesting because Liza Minnelli, who is a friend of mine, recently said “When I meet someone who knows a lot of songs I know that they had a lonely childhood,” because they embrace music. And that music became sort of their friend in their expression of so many things. And I thought that was a very canny observation.

MK: Because you are called the father or the keeper of the Great American Songbook. I loved watching the three-part series that you hosted on PBS years ago. What makes these songs so timeless?

Feinstein: I think that these songs are timeless because they express fundamental emotions that never change, the human condition, the wit, the humor, and the expression of romance, all of these things never change, you know, as the song “As Time Goes By” – it says “The fundamental things apply / As time goes by.”

You know, certain things do not change. And I think that regardless of where music goes, this music will always be strong and thriving because it speaks to the heart in a unique way that does not replace or supplant any other kind of music, it’s just another kind of music that people desire to hear. There’s something about the eloquence of Cole Porter writing: “I’d sacrifice anything come what might / For the sake of having you near / In spite of a warning voice that comes in the night / And repeats and repeats in my ear.”

You know, those sorts of expressions are so incredible and people appreciate the craft and the work that went into creating them. And also, these songs, they are adaptable. So they can be performed with a contemporary beat by a jazz combo, by a symphony orchestra, or a big band with percussion accompaniment. You know, the songs are changeable so they are performed in thousands of different ways. And that’s what keeps them alive. You know, they’re not staid and solid, they’re not stuck in one style, they evolve, as we do, the music evolves with us. And that’s a wonderful thing.

MK: With Tony Bennett still active and there’s the new generation with Josh Groban and Michael Buble keeping the genre going. What does the future hold for the Great American Songbook?

Feinstein: It will always survive. I don’t know about how popular the songs will be, I mean, as far as going mainstream, but that doesn’t matter. They’ll always be present and important to a segment of the population. And I helped start an organization called The Great American Songbook Foundation, and every year we have an annual high school song book academy where kids come from all 50 states and take a week long workshop learning how to interpret and perform these songs. So young people embrace them. And now there’s more, it’s more possible for young people to know this music than ever before because of technology. So I’m meet-

Who Killed Stephen Sondheim?, was “Best Cashier” in The Seattle Weekly Readers’ Poll and recently survived a major flood!

Pianist John Lehrack’s career as a professional musician spans three decades and includes time as a performer, educator, business owner and more. He has appeared as a featured performer with San Francisco City Summer Opera, Solano Symphony, San Francisco Cabaret Opera, Maui Symphony Chorus, Gay Men’s Chorus of

Honolulu, South Coast Chorale and many regional companies. He launched Dorothy’s Piano Bar in 2017.

Marie Ruzicka is an accomplished actress, director, choreographer, consultant, podcaster (Magickal Land of [Awe]some), author and solo performer: “Why Am I So Happy? An Introvert’s Journey to #LivinTheJOMOLife” opens soon.

UNICORN (1118 E Pike St) is a popular bar and restaurant hosting weekly drag

cabarets on Seattle’s Capitol Hill, with a second location opening soon in White Center in SW Seattle. Ticket to The Greatest Showqueen! are $20 general admission. For reservations, phone 415-374-5625 or www.DorothysPianoBar.com/tickets

Courtesy of Dorothy’s Piano Bar

ing – and there’s always lots of young kids, young people, I should say, in my audiences because they discover the music somewhere. And they’re interested in it because it appeals to them. So it will be around as long as good music is around.

MK: I always ask this. In this current political climate right now, what is your theory about what’s going on and how can we resolve that?

Large: I feel that things have been –information has been turned into entertainment. And the news cycle has to be histrionic and intense in order to maintain viewership. And it isn’t always necessarily propaganda, but it is, you know, I mean, there is definitely huge swaths of people trying to, you know, keep a certain demographic, giving them red meat, so to say, so to speak. But things have become like bumper sticker symbol. And it seems that no one has, that people are not encouraged to have, any kind of complexity and thought. They’re encouraged to pick a side and pick up a rock, and a stick and torches, and taunt and go after the side that is not theirs. And there’s no nuance, there’s no conversation, there’s no discourse. And I’m saying “there is no,” of course, there is, but not in the streets, and not what we are seeing. I mean, for example, they’re saying like ANTIFA is a terrorist element, but it’s anti-fascist. That means all of my grandparents were terrorists, but they were fighting Nazis. So things are turned into misnomers and lies; and things become catch phrases until they become part of your mitochondria, until they become part of this every day speech; that it doesn’t, that the words

don’t even make sense anymore, but they are words tattooed inside your tongue. And for whatever reason it makes everybody feel safe. So, at the end of the day, every human being wants to belong. Wants to know where they are in the world. Wants to be loved, wants to be accepted, wants to matter. Every life wants to matter. And – but at the same time there are forces that profit from fear, and profit from manipulating that desire and make it seem like that is being threatened. And, so like Ari [Shapiro] said in his show, these things go in cycles, and people become, and it’s not exclusive to America, it’s exclusive to humans. It’s exclusive to fucking humans. And I think that maybe some primate war-type shit, like this, but we are really good at getting freaked out and hurting a lot of people. And I think that’s where we are in history at this tipping point right now. We’re on the edge of some scary shit. And scary shit is already happening. It won’t burst and pop off a nuclear disaster, or you know, any kind of massive catastrophe like that. But it’s a tough time to be a human.

MK: Michael, you married your partner Terrance in 2008. As a gay and Jewish man, what are your thoughts on the current political climate?

Feinstein: Hmm, it’s a time where it’s very, very important, simply, to live the truth of who we are. I think that the most important thing that anyone can do is be true to themselves. Just as years and years ago, when George W. Bush was President, I was asked to perform at the White House on Valentine’s Day, and I turned it down, for personal reasons. And Terrance said,

“Well, I’ve never been to the White House, and I want to go to the White House.” And I thought, well, you know, the White House belongs to all of us as citizens, and I called President Bush’s social secretary and I said, okay, I’ll come and perform on Valentine’s Day if my partner and I are treated as a couple, we are photographed together, and that we are treated in the same way as you would treat any other couple. And they agreed. And so we went there and I feel that by going there with my partner, with my life partner, it might’ve changed the perception of some people in how they think of same sex couples. Because it was – that particular performance was a private event for the President. It was all of their friends, so they were almost all very conservative Republicans. And I felt very good being there with my partner, because that’s another way that bridges are built. And I try not to demonize people with whom I do not share the same point of view. If they are violating my freedom and my rights I can get pretty loud and will fight for my rights to the death. Yet the most important thing is how we behave moment to moment.

Tickets for “Michael Feinstein: Shaken & Stirred with Special Guest Storm Large” run from $45.50 to $99.50 and are available by phone at 360-734-6080, online at www. mountbakertheatre.com and in person at the Mount Baker Theatre ticket office, 104 N. Commercial St., Bellingham. Mount Baker Theatre also offers 50% off “student rush” tickets.

Emotionally astute Booksmart an intelligently absurd laugh riot

by Sara Michelle Fetters

SGN A&E Writer

BOOKSMART

Now playing

Booksmart is one of the best movies of 2019. Actress Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut, written by Katie Silberman (Isn’t It Romantic), Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins and Susanna Fogel (The Spy Who Dumped Me), is a near-perfect gem. It is a wide-eyed and open-hearted coming of age sojourn into a night of mayhem and debauchery that also just so happens to celebrate female friendship and youthful experimentation in a variety of imaginatively colorful ways. Wilde’s take on this material feels electrically alive as it transcends rote clichés and banal stereotypes. She has delivered a film that had me wanting me to rise to my feet and cheer throughout every second of its 102-minute running time, and by the time it ended I was head over heels in love with everything I had just watched.

It is the last day of school and the day before graduation. Best friends Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) will be spending their first summer apart in years, the former heading to Africa on a goodwill mission while the latter is going to spend all her time academically preparing for college in the fall. Thing is, neither of them has ever cut loose. Neither has ever done anything but overachieve scholastically. Most of all, other than Amy coming out to her parents (Lisa Kudrow, Will Forte)

as a lesbian two years ago, neither has done a single thing they could be grounded for doing or be embarrassed about the following morning.

Molly believes this needs to change. Tonight there will be a massive party at popular jock and senior class vice-president Nick’s (Mason Gooding) house, and he vaguely dared the two girls to come down from their high horse and attend. Molly feels it is their duty to show every single person in their graduating class that they can indeed let their hair down and have a little fun. Besides, Amy’s primary schoolgirl crush, iconoclastic skateboarder Ryan (Victoria Ruesga), is going to be there, making it the perfect opportunity for the two of them to potentially make one another’s acquaintance.

It’s not that original a premise (just ask male dominated comedies Superbad or American Pie). But that doesn’t make what happens any less magical. This is a smart, chaotically atypical night of wonders that never forgets to treat its two heroines with anything other than affection and respect. Even when they’re making mistakes the film refuses to belittle or make fun of them. Instead, their mutual growth happens with startling tenderness and magnetic authenticity. Even when there is genuine cause for them to be angrily upset with one another their conflict aches with heartfelt understanding, and because of this the pair’s story only becomes more truthfully profound as night turns into day and the time for their class’ graduation ceremony ticks closer to its start.

The ludicrousness of Amy and Molly’s adventure is readily apparent. The journey they go on just to get to Nick’s bash is like something out of Paul Brickman’s Risky Business, John Landis’ Into the Night or Martin Scorsese’s After Hours, only with a feminine twist that’s pleasantly delightful. There are a number of little eccentric touches sprinkled throughout that kept me captivated. I also loved how all the various facets of the script kept tying themselves together in so many radically different ways, Wilde juggling all of these assorted elements with such confidence it is almost as if this is the director’s fifth featurelength opus and not her first.

There are some great supporting turns, and not just the brief ones from some of the filmmaker’s high-profile comedy friends like Kudrow, Forte, Jason Sudeikis (as Amy and Molly’s Uber-driving former high school principal), Jessica Williams (as their youthful favorite teacher Miss Fine) and Michael Patrick O’Brien (as a pizza delivery driver who’s sage advice ends up becoming incredibly valuable). As good as they all are, Wilde gives center stage to the younger, more relatively unknown members of her cast, especially Skyler Gisondo, Diana Silvers, Austin Crute, Noah Galvin and Molly Gordon, each portraying fellow members of the senior class who have more going on in their lives than it is easy to initially assume. Best of all is Billie Lourd as the not-as-spaced-out-as-it-seems Gigi, the young actress channeling both her mother Carrie Fisher and grandmother Debbie

Reynolds with a scene-stealing turn that’s instantly iconic in its whimsically unbridled inspiration. She’s a peculiar siren of angelic nonsense, her preposterous ramblings about life’s surrealistic lessons not nearly as irrational or as silly as they sound, the actress having a way of lighting up the screen with ethereal luminescence every time she makes an appearance.

But this is a showcase for Dever and Feldstein, the pair delivering performances as terrific as any I’m likely to see this year. Each actress finds a way to channel their respective character’s emotions in a manner that is consistently startling, allowing Amy and Molly’s night of debauchery and mayhem to feel wholly original even when certain elements propelling the plot forward may have otherwise come across as contrived or ill-conceived. Dever has a number of scenes where she brought a level of humanistic maturity to Amy that blew me away, while Feldstein’s enthusiastic exuberance proved to be a cleverly constructed mask used to hide Molly’s deeprooted, and very well hidden, emotional insecurities. They work in marvelous tandem, their final scenes achieving an affecting depth I found downright spectacular. Dever and Feldstein make Booksmart an uproarious sensation deserving of all the acclaim certain to come its way, Wilde’s teenage comedy a laugh riot with its heart in the right place and whose feminine acumen is every bit as important to its success as its absurdist funny bone.

SIFF FILM SCREENING: “N. SCOTT MOMADAY: WORDS FROM A BEAR” AT SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY MAY 25

Join Seattle International Film Festival and The Seattle Public Library for a screening of Indigenous-made films and a postfilm discussion from noon to 3:30pm Saturday, May 25 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium.

N. Scott Momaday: Words From a Bear is a profile of Kiowa author Navarro Scott Momaday, 50 years after his Pulitzer Prize win, that focuses on both his place in American literature and his role in keeping Native American oral tradition alive.

The feature will be paired with the short film Gutk’odau (Yellow) by Adam Piron (Kiowa).

Following the screening will be a Q&A on the importance of shifting narrative from an Indigenous point of view through storytelling methodologies. The discussion will be moderated by Tazbah Chavez, and panelists will include: Jill Momaday, Paulette Jordan, Shirley Sneve and Chadwick Allen.

One additional SIFF film will be

screened at the Library on Saturday, June 8, from 2pm to 4:30pm: Engineering with Nature – An Ode to Water, Wood, and Stone

More information

Library events are free and everyone is welcome. Registration is suggested to reserve a seat, but not required. Parking is available in the Central Library garage for $8 on weekends.

The Library brings people, information and ideas together to enrich lives and build community. We support universal access to information and ideas, and form strong partnerships with community organizations to offer art that is accessible to all.

For more information and to reserve a seat, call 206-386-4636 or visit www.spl. org and Ask Us. For ADA accessibility, please contact: leap@spl.org.

Courtesy of the Seattle Public Library

BOOKS

Winner of memoir contest to read at Elliott Bay

Mother-Daughter Banquet by SGN contributing writer Alice Bloch has won the Minerva Rising Press Memoir Contest. On Sunday, June 2, 3pm, at Elliott Bay Book Company, Bloch will read from her newly published book, with discussion and book-signing to follow.

Bloch’s memoir explores the meaning of motherhood. After losing her mother at the age of nine, Bloch became a surrogate mother to her four younger siblings. In turn, a formidable triumvirate of grandmother, stepmother, and aunt stepped into the maternal role to support Bloch’s development as a woman and as a writer.

These women are rich characters. Laura, the flamboyant immigrant grandmother, longed for a life on the stage but settled for becoming an extremely dramatic

housewife. Norma, the docile mother, lived her short life in Laura’s shadow but managed two acts of rebellion: joining the Navy during World War II and then giving birth to an unseemly number of children. Jean, the gruff but insecure stepmother, worried incessantly about the opinions of others, worshipped Emily Post, and yearned for a life of more freedom than she was ever able to permit herself. Rosalind, the high-spirited aunt, went to Harlem in the 1930s to pursue a career as a jazz pianist and songwriter. She lived long and well, and eventually found a healthy balance of creativity, love, and work.

Diving deep into her specific memories of growing up as a Jewish lesbian in midtwentieth-century Ohio, Bloch reaches for universal truths about the mother-daughter

bond. Her memoir is the account of her life, the lives of the four mothers, and her relationship with each. In these vivid, honest stories, she untangles the knot of memory and finds the thread of love and reconciliation.

Bloch’s earlier publications include another memoir, Lifetime Guarantee, and a novel, The Law of Return. She has lived on Vashon Island since 2006 and coordinates the local Meals on Wheels program.

Elliott Bay Book Company writes: Discovering Vashon writer Alice Bloch’s groundbreaking books, Lifetime Guarantee (Persephone Press) and The Law of Return (Alyson), was a life altering experience for many lesbians in the 1980s, as stories by and about “people like us” were largely absent from bookstores and librar-

ies at the time. These books and their small feminist and gay publishers were part of a literary and political movement that continues today. She will celebrate the publication of a much-anticipated follow-up memoir, Mother Daughter Banquet (Minerva Rising).

“In this elegant and compelling memoir, Alice Bloch unravels a web of women’s secrets. … Block’s work speaks to anyone who has experienced an eerie outsider feeling from family. As a Jewish American lesbian writer, she captures the lure of longing within belonging, crafting a richly textured story full of unforgettable detail.” – Carol Guess

SEATTLE

BATHS

SEATTLE

BATHS

CLUB Z - (men)

1117 Pike near Boren - 622-9958 HOT HOUSE SPA & SAUNA - (women)

CLUB Z - (men)

SW corner of Pike & 11th

1117 Pike near Boren - (206) 622-9958

HOT HOUSE SPA & SAUNA - (women)

(stairs behind Wildrose) - 568-3240

SW corner of Pike & 11th

STEAM WORKS - (men)

1520 Summit - 388-4818

(stairs behind Wildrose) - (206) 568-3240

STEAM WORKS - (men)

1520 Summit Ave - (206) 388-4818

RESTAURANTS & BARS

88 KEYS - 315 2nd Ave. S. - 839-1300

RESTAURANTS & BARS

BALTIC ROOM - 1207 Pine St. - 625-4444

THE BOTTLENECK LOUNGE

2328 E. Madison St. - 323-1098

BALTIC ROOM - 1207 Pine St. - (206) 625-4444

C.C. ATTLE’S BAR & GRILLE

THE BOTTLENECK LOUNGE

1701 E. Olive Way - 726-0565

2328 E. Madison St. - (206) 323-1098

CAPITOL CIDER - 818 E Pike St. - (206) 397-3564

1533 13th Ave. - 323-1525

RETAIL SHOPS

DIESEL BAR - 1413 14th Ave. - 322-1080

GLO’S - 1621 E. Olive Way - 324-2577

HOT MAMA’S PIZZA - 700 E. Pine St. - 322-6444

BABELAND - 707 E. Pike St. - (206) 328-2914

JAZZ ALLEY - 2033 6th Ave. E. - 441-9729

CASTLE SUPERSTORE #17

1017 E. Pike St - (206) 204-0126

JULIA’S - 300 Broadway Ave. E. - 860-1818

DIEGO PELLICER - 2215 4th Ave. S - (206) 624-0070

KREMWERK - 1809 Minor Ave. #10 - 682-2935

DOGHOUSE LEATHERS

MADISON PUB - 1315 E. Madison - 325-6537

715 E. Pike St. - (206) 257-0231

NEIGHBOURS - 1509 Broadway - 324-5358

OUT WEST - 5401California Ave. SW

EMERSON SALON - 909 E. Pike St. - (206) 323-7437

FANTASY UNLIMITED

THE PINE BOX - 1600 Melrose Ave - 588-0375

POCO WINE ROOM

2027 Westlake Ave. - (206) 682-0167

1408 E. Pine St. - 322-9463

1510 1st Ave - (206) 624-1784

POKE BAR - 1542 12th Ave - 402-5178

HASHTAG - 3540 Stone Way N - (206) 946-8157

PONY - 1221 E. Madison St. - 324-2854

HERBAN LEGENDS - 55 Bell St - (206) 849-5596

HERB(N) ELEMENTS

PURR - 1518 11th Ave. - 325-3112

R PLACE - 619 E. Pine - 322-8828

11013 Lake City Way NE - (206) 535-8769

RE-BAR - 1114 Howell at Boren - 233-9873

LAUGHING BUDDHA TATTOO

ROOT TABLE 2213 NW Market St. - 420-3214

SEATTLE EAGLE - 314 E. Pike - 621-7591

1534 Broadway - (206) 329-8274

THE NEW YORK XCHANGE

THE CANTERBURY - 534 15th Ave. E. - 322-3130

C.C. ATTLE’S BAR & GRILLE

CHANGES IN WALLINGFORD

1701 E. Olive Way - (206) 726-0565

2103 N. 45th - 545-8363

THE CANTERBURY

SHORTY’S 2222 2nd Ave - 441-5449

STOUT -1530 11th Ave - 397-3825

225 Broadway E. - (206) 726-3300

ONYX LEATHER

THE CRESCENT - 1413 E. Olive Way - 720-8188

534 15th Ave. E - (206) 322-3130

THE CUFF COMPLEX

CHANGES IN WALLINGFORD

2103 N. 45th - (206) 545-8363

THE CRESCENT

1413 E. Olive Way - (206) 720-8188

THE CUFF COMPLEX

1533 13th Ave. - (206) 323-1525

DIESEL BAR - 1413 14th Ave. - (206) 322-1080

GLO’S - 1621 E. Olive Way - (206) 324-2577

HOT MAMA’S PIZZA

700 E. Pine St. - (206) 322-6444

JAZZ ALLEY - 2033 6th Ave. - (206) 441-9729

JULIA’S - 300 Broadway Ave. E - (206) 860-1818

KREMWERK - 1809 Minor Ave. #10 - (206) 682-2935

THE LUMBER YARD

9619 16th Ave. SW - (206) 695-2007

MADISON PUB - 1315 E. Madison - (206) 325-6537

NEIGHBOURS - 1509 Broadway - (206) 324-5358 OUT WEST

5401California Ave. SW - (206) 937-1540

THE PINE BOX - 1600 Melrose Ave - (206) 588-0375

POCO WINE ROOM

1408 E. Pine St. - (206) 322-9463

PONY - 1221 E. Madison St. - (206) 324-2854

QUEER BAR - 1518 11th Ave - (206) 687-7491

R PLACE - 619 E. Pine - (206) 322-8828

RE-BAR - 1114 Howell at Boren - (206) 233-9873

ROOT TABLE 2213 NW Market St. - (206) 420-3214

SEATTLE EAGLE - 314 E. Pike - (206) 621-7591

SHORTY’S 2222 2nd Ave - (206) 441-5449

STOUT -1530 11th Ave - (206) 397-3825

THE SWALLOW -9608 16th Ave SW - (206) 257-0217

UNICORN - 1118 E Pike - (206) 325-6492

UNION - 1318 E. Union St. - (206) 328-1318

WILDROSE - 1021 E Pike - (206) 324-9210

ZIPPY’S GIANT BURGERS

9614 14th Ave SW - (206) 763-1347

TOULOUSE PETIT

1605 12th Ave. #8 - (206) 328-1965

601 Queen Anne Ave N - 432-9069

OZ - 3831 Stone Way N - (206) 251-0630

UNICORN - 1118 E Pike - 325-6492

PACIFIC NORTHWEST SHOP

4411 Wallingford Ave. N. - (206) 535-6920

PANACHE - 225 Broadway E. - (206) 726-3300

PONDER - 2413 E Union - (206) 420-2180

RUCKUS - 1465 E Republican St - (206) 257-4805

TABOO ADULT VIDEO

9813 16th Ave SW - (206) 767-4855

TRUE LOVE ART GALLERY & TATTOO

1525 Summit Ave. - (206) 227-3572

UNDER U 4 MEN

709 Broadway Ave. E - (206) 324-6446

UNCLE IKE’S

2310 E Union St - 1-800-GET-DRUGS

501 15th Ave E - 1-800-GET-DRUGS 9822 15th Ave SW - 1-800-GET-DRUGS

WILD AT HEART

1111 NW Leary Way - (206) 782-5538

BELLINGHAM

LOVER'S

193 Telegraph Road - (360) 752-1862

RUMORS CABARET 1119 Railroad - (360) 671-1849

DES MOINES

ADULT AIRPORT VIDEO 2 21635 Pacific Hwy S - (206) 878-7780

EVERETT

ADULT AIRPORT VIDEO 11732 Airport Road - (425) 290-7555

LOVER’S - 112 SE Everett - (425) 353-3607

LOVER’S - 3402 Broadway - (425) 252-8754

KENT

WILDROSE - 1021 E. Pike - 324-9210

ZIPPY’S GIANT BURGERS

5633 Airport Way S - 466-5954

9614 14th Ave SW - 763-1347

LOVER’S - 25801 104th Ave. SE - (253) 852-1720

RETAIL

SHOPS

THE FANTASY SHOP 604 Central Ave. S - (253) 850-8428

CASTLE SUPERSTORE #17

NASHVILLE’S SPORTS BAR (Drag Shows) 114 - Railroad Ave. N - (253) 852-0909

1017 E. Pike St - 204-0126

DOGHOUSE LEATHERS

LA CONNER

1312 E. Pike St. - 257-0231

EMERSON SALON - 909 E. Pike St. - 323-7437

HASHTAG - 3540 Stone Way N - 946-8157

NEW YORK EXCHANGE

THE HERON INN & WATERGRASS DAY SPA 117 Maple Ave. - (877) 883-8899 info@theheron.com

225 Broadway E. - 726-3300

ONYX LEATHER - 1605 12th Ave. #8 - 328-1965

OZ - 3831 Stone Way N - 251-0630

OLYMPIA

PANACHE

225 Broadway E. - 726-3300

RUCKUS 1465 E Republican St. - 257-4805

DARBY’S CAFE

THE FANTASY SHOP 9630 16th Ave. SW - 762-3299

211 5th Ave. SE - (360) 357-6229

TABOO ADULT VIDEO 9813 16th Ave SW - 767-4855

LOVER’S 3959 Martin Way E, Suite D - (360) 456-7300

JAKES - 311 4th Ave. E - (360) 956-3247

TOYS IN BABELAND - 707 E. Pike St. - 328-2914

UNDER U 4 MEN

ORCAS ISLAND

709 Broadway Ave. E. - 324-6446

BROWN BEAR BAKING, LLC

29 N Beach Rd #1966, Eastsound - (360) 855-7456

UNCLE IKE’S 2310 E Union St - 1-800-GET-DRUGS 501 15th Ave E - 1-800-GET-DRUGS 9822 15th Ave SW - 1-800-GET-DRUGS

PORT ANGELES

MAPLE ROSE INN 112 Reservoir Rd - (800) 570-2007

BELLINGHAM

SPOKANE

ANDY’S - 1401 W. 1st Ave. - (509) 747-0304

THE BLIND BUCK

204 N. Division St. - (509) 343-9425

GLOBE BAR AND KITCHEN

DES MOINES

204 N. Division St. - (509) 443-4014

NYNE BAR AND BISTRO

232 W. Sprague Ave. - (509) 474-1621

EVERETT

LA CONNER

TACOMA

CASTLE SUPERSTORE 6015 Tacoma Mall Blvd. - (253) 471-0391

CLUB SILVERSTONE

739½ St.

OLYMPIA

PORT

SPOKANE

TACOMA

TRI-CITIES

TUKWILA

Meetings Events Activities

TO GET A CALENDAR LISTING: To have your meeting or event considered for the Community Calendar, please mail, fax, or drop off details to: SGN, Attn: Community Calendar, 1707 23rd Ave., Seattle, WA 98122. SGN phone: (206) 324-4297. E-mail: sgn2@sgn.org.

INCLUDE: Date, time, location, contact phone # for publication (if possible), brief description of event & sponsoring organization. DEADLINE: Tuesday 5pm. ACCESSIBILITY: Is your event accessible to LGBTQ people with visible or hidden disabilities? See Jean’s List webpage www.scn.org/activism/calendar/disabilities. html for Marla Nonken’s disabilities accommodations lists.

NOTE: 10-digit dialing has come to the Seattle area. The (206) area code must now be used to dial local calls. Location of meetings/events is in Seattle unless otherwise noted.

SATURDAY - May 25

12th Annual Emerald City Hoedown (5/23-5/27) emeraldcityhoedown.com

Seattle Frontrunners Fun Run. 9am. Greenlake (outside Evans Pool). Every Saturday. GLBT running & walking club sponsors weekly runs, monthly potlucks, track & field activity, annual Run With Pride. (206) 4488518. www.seattlefrontrunners.org.

Positively Living Coffee Social. 10am-12 noon. Cupcake Royale, 1111 E Pike St. Every Saturday. Casual social get-together for the HIV community. (206) 9571600. Sponsored by LIfelong.

New Beginnings (SLAA). 12-1pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave #100, Room 3. Meets daily. Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous is a 12-step/12-tradition-oriented fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope to overcome sex and love patterns of addiction. (206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org.

Oasis Youth Center in Tacoma - For Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Questioning Youth, Ages 14-25. 6pm-12 midnight. Call for location & details. Every Saturday. (253) 671-2838. www.oasisyouthcenter.org. Seattle Red Dress Party. 7pm (VIP), 7:30pm (general). 415 Westlake Ave. Benefits POCAAN and The AMP: AIDS Memorial Parkway. Features Jiggly Caliente, DJ Sammy Jo, Purple Crush, Gaysha Starr, and many others. Presented by Pridefest. Tickets: $95 VIP, $40 general. Info: www.pridefest.org.

“Embracing Pasifika in Us” – Seattle’s 3rd Annual U.T.O.P.I.A. Lu’au. Registration: 6pm; Lu’au: 7pm. Welcome Palace, 21031 International Blvd, SeaTac. Theme: “Embracing Pasifika in Us.” Lu’au buffet dinner, live entertainment, tropical beverages, traditional music, DJ dancing. Tickets: $65. Info: www.utopiaseattle.org. U.T.O.P.I.A. (United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance) is a social and community service organization serving the U.T.O.P.I.A. LGBTQ community.

SUNDAY - May 26

12th Annual Emerald City Hoedown (5/23-5/27) emeraldcityhoedown.com

Ravenna United Methodist Church. 8:30am “Seattle’s most dangerous Sunday school” - 9:45am Worship. 5751 33rd Ave NE. A reconciling congregation, fully inclusive and affirming of LGBTQ persons. (206) 525-7988. Center for Spiritual Living. 9am meditation; 9:30am & 11am services. The Mountaineers, 7701 Sand Point Way NE. Blessings & we hope to see you soon! (206) 527-8801 ext 203, www.cslseattle.org Seattle Unity Church. 9am & 11am Sunday Services. 200 8th Ave N. “Come join our Gay & Lesbian-friendly, spiritual family at Seattle Unity Church. Our mission is to bring love, miracles & spiritual awakening into everyday life!” (206) 622-8475; www.seattleunity.org.

Seattle Soto Zen. 9:15am Zazen Instruction, 9:30am Zazen. 101 Nickerson St, Lower Level. Follow the traditional forms of the Soto school of Zen in a spirit of warmth & inclusion. Anyone interested in meditation, whether new or experienced in Zen practice or other traditions, is welcome. (206) 323-1659, www.seattlesotozen.org

Gay Men’s Bowling in Everett 9:30am. Glacier Lanes, 9630 Evergreen Way, Everett. Every Sunday. Spectators welcome. Join us for lunch afterwards! Sponsored by the Snohomish County Gay Men’s Task Force. For info email John at johndmarsh@mac.com; www.gaysnohomish.org Tacoma First United Methodist Church. 9:30am Worship, 11am Adult Education. 423 Martin Luther King Way, Tacoma. This reconciling congregation welcomes with warm hands, warm hearts & open minds GLBT persons seeking a spiritual home. (253) 627-0129, www. fumctacoma.org

University Lutheran Church. 9:30am Worship, 10:30am Coffee Fellowship, 11am Adult Forum & Education Hour. 1604 NE 50th St. All are welcome. We choose love. (206) 525-7074. universitylutheranseattle.org Central Lutheran Church. 10am Worship. 1710 11th Ave (just north of E Pine St). An open & affirming church, which in Lutheran churches is called “Reconciled in Christ.” “We seek to share God’s love with all people regardless of race, age, gender or sexual orientation.” All are welcome. (206) 322-7500. East Shore Unitarian Church. 10am Sunday Service. 12700 SE 32nd St, Bellevue. An open & affirming congregation. (425) 747-3780.

Gethsemane Lutheran Church. 10am Worship. 911 Stewart St. A downtown faith community centered in justice. An open & affirming congregation. (206) 682-3620. Plymouth Church United Church of Christ. 10am

community calendar

Worship. 1217 6th Ave. Love your (LGBTQ) neighbor as yourself. (206) 622-4865, plymouthchurchseattle.org

Queen Anne United Methodist Church. 10am Worship. 1606 5th Ave W. (206) 282-4307.

Unity Church of Kent. 10am. 218 State Ave S, Kent. A welcoming congregation open to people of all races, religions, creeds & lifestyles. Join us any Sunday for an inspirational message, joyful fellowship & a fresh spiritual outlook. (253) 854-9747.

University Congregational United Church of Christ. 9am all ages education; 10am Worship. 4515 16th Ave NE. UCUCC is an open & affirming congregation. (206) 524-2322; www.universityucc.org.

Wallingford United Methodist Church. 10am Worship. 2115 N 42nd St. A progressive congregation. In 1984

Wallingford UMC became the 9th reconciling Methodist church in the U.S. (206) 547-6945 (office); (206) 2855077 (George).

All Pilgrims Christian Church. 10:30am Worship. 500 Broadway E. Come as you are. All are welcome. A congregation of the Disciples of Christ & the United Church of Christ. (206) 322-0487, www.allpilgrims.org

First Church - First United Methodist Church of Seattle. 10:30am. 180 Denny Way. (Enter on 2nd Ave N for worship.) Welcome to First Church, a progressive community advocating for the homeless and hungry, and creating a refuge of inclusive Christianity. First Church is a proud member of the Reconciling Ministries Network. (206) 622-7278; firstchurchseattle.org

Northminster Presbyterian Church. 10:30am Worship. 7706 25th Ave NW. A village church in the city open to all. (206) 783-3402. www.northminsterpres.org (Conveniently located a block from the Metro #40 bus route.)

St. Clement’s Episcopal Church. 10:30am Worship. 1501 32nd Ave S. Great music. Dynamic preaching. Holy communion. Encountering the transformative and unconditional love of God in Christ. Join us! www. stclementseattle.org

Seattle Sunday Bowling. 10:30am. West Seattle Bowl, 4505 39th Ave SW (at SW Oregon St). Open bowl every Sunday for the GLBT community & friends. You don’t have to worry about how you bowl! $6.50 + $3 shoe rental. (425) 785-4729.

Welcome Table Christian Church. 9:45am Meditation; 10:30am Worship; Labyrinth 2nd Sundays 1-4pm. 1322 S Bayview St. Where people of all genders and sexualities, and families of all shapes & sizes are welcome and celebrated. A welcoming and affirming community since 1987. welcometablecc.org

Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation. 10:30am. 7141 California Ave SW. (206) 935-0418, office@wsuu.org, www.wsuu.org Emerald City Metropolitan Community Church Seattle. 11am Worship. Chapel at University Temple United Methodist Church, 1415 NE 43rd St. MCC is a progressive Christ-centered faith community committed to providing a nurturing environment for individual & community growth thru Jesus Christ while celebrating unity in diversity. MCC is Seattle’s oldest Gay-friendly church. (206) 325-2421, www.mccseattle.org.

Meditation for GBT Men. 11am-1pm. Cal Anderson House, 400 Broadway. Suitable for beginning & experienced meditators. Sponsored by Dharma Buddies. Contact Forrest Rode, (206) 920-6117, or Doug Allison, doug.l.allison@gmail.com. Find us under “Dharma Buddies” on Meetup.com or at DharmaBuddies.org. (Women are invited to contact our sister meditation group at www. LotusSisters.org.)

St. Paul’s United Church of Christ. 11am Worship. 6512 12th Ave NW. An “open & affirming” congregation. “We celebrate our diversity in religious background, sexual orientation, race, age & abilities.” (206) 783-6733; www.stpauluccseattle.com.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. 11:15am (also 7:30am, 9am, 5pm). 15 W Roy St. We are an accepting, progressive, Anglo-Catholic parish, renewing its people for their Christian lives in today’s world through worship, spiritual formation, engagement in the arts, and acts of compassion. www.stpaulseattle.com

Just for Today (NA). 12-1:15pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave #100. Every Sunday. Drop-in 12-step Narcotics Anonymous group open to anyone in recovery. (206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org

New Beginnings (SLAA). 12-1pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave #100, Room 3. Meets daily. (See Saturday listing at noon for details.)

Paths to Recovery Al-Anon Family Group. 12-1:30pm. Seattle University Student Center, 901 12th Ave, Room 122. Every Sunday. LGBTQ supported. The Al-Anon Family Groups are a fellowship of relatives & friends of alcoholics who share their experience, strength & hope in order to solve their common problems. We believe alcoholism is a family illness & that changed attitudes can aid recovery. Greater Seattle AIS 24-hour number (206) 625-0000; www.seattle-al-anon.org

Pride Asia Fest 2019. 12 noon-6pm. Hing Hay Park, 423 Maynard Ave S. Eighth annual event hosted by Alexsa Manila, with keynote speaker EJ Agoot and music by DJ Moist Towelette with DJ Phenohype and DJ Basil.

Also featuring Northwest Kung Fu & Fitness plus many special guests. Free, all ages. Presented by Seattle Pride. www.prideasia.org

Orca Swim Team Workout. Sun: Afternoon; Mon/ Weds/Fri: Evenings; Tues/Thurs: Mornings. Seattle University, Redhawk Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. Pre-registration required. Orca Swim Team workouts are for both competitive & recreational swimmers. www. orcaswimteam.org

Rain City Soccer Club - Kickabout. Sunday afternoon usually at 3pm. Location varies. Join us for Seattle’s mostly-weekly mostly-LGBTQ pickup soccer game. We play an organized, 2-hour scrimmage on nice fieldturf surface. Sometimes there is a brief training/practice session before we play. Usually there is a “one-beer” after the scrimmage. To sign up visit www.raincitysoccer.org

Seattle Prime Timers Rap Group. 1:30pm. Generations Aging with Pride (GenPRIDE), 401 Broadway E #223 (above QFC in Broadway Market). Meets 4th Sunday each month in the Ian MacKintosh Room. This month’s topic: “What medical advice do you have to share?” Coffee and tea will be served. Info: www.seattleprimetimers.org

Shame to Grace (SAA). 6-7:30pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave #100. Every Sunday. Sex Addicts Anonymous is a fellowship of men & women who share their experience, strength & hope with each other so they may overcome their sexual addiction & help others recover from sexual addiction or dependency. Seattle SAA helpline (206) 237-8828, SAA International Service Organization 1-800-477-8191. (206) 322-2437. www. peerseattle.org

Pride League Bowling. 6:30pm. West Seattle Bowl, 4505 39th Ave SW. Every Sunday. Regular league bowling. Jeff, (206) 932-3731; leagues@wsbowl.com. Integrity/Puget Sound. 7pm Worship & Fellowship. St. Mark’s Cathedral, Thomson Chapel, 1245 10th Ave E. Integrity is an international ministry of Gay & Lesbian Episcopalians, their friends & families, dedicated to education, support & service within the Church & the GLBT community. (425) 226-2746.

Pacific Northwest Black Pride Memorial Day Party. 10pm-1:30am. The Underground, 124 S Washington St. Twerk contest for women and men: $150 1st place; $125 2nd place; $75 3rd place. Winner selected on most creative and dynamic dances. General admission by suggested donation; VIP admission $20 includes admission, VIP lounge, and two premium drinks. Music by DJ T-Bone. Must be 21+ with ID.

MONDAY - May 27

MEMORIAL DAY

NOTE Some regularly scheduled events listed here may not take place today. Please call or check online if unsure.

New Beginnings (SLAA). 12-1pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave #100, Room 3. Meets daily. (See Saturday listing at noon for details.)

SOBER On Meds. 1-2pm. Peer Seattle 1520 Bellevue Ave #100. Every Monday. 12-step group open to anyone in recovery & living on a medicine regimen. (206) 3222437; www.peerseattle.org

Strength Over Speed (SOS). 2-3:30pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave #100. Peer support for Gay and Bisexual men recovering from crystal meth addiction. www.strengthoverspeed.org. (206) 322-2437, www. peerseattle.org

Orca Swim Team Workout. Evening. Seattle University, Redhawk Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. (See Sunday afternoon listing.)

Meditation Class for LGBTQ Seniors. 6:30pm. GenPride Senior Center, 401 Broadway E, Suite 223. Free class every Monday for LGBTQ seniors, their caregivers and allies. Beginners welcome. www.gapseattle.org

Lotus Sisters South Seattle/Columbia City Meditation & Dharma Discussion. Gather at 6:45pm; sit at 7pm. Meets 4th Monday each month. Short presentation with discussion to follow. Oriented to LBTQ sisters. Email us or call (206) 550-5587 for details and location; www. LotusSisters.org. (Wheelchair accessible.)

PFLAG/South King County Monthly Meeting. 7pm. Unitarian Universalist Church, 25701 14th Pl S, Kent Meets 4th Monday each month. Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays is a national support organization for parents, spouses & families of GLBT persons, as well as those sexual minorities. PFLAG/Puget Sound: (206) 325-7724.

Trans Youth Group. 7-8:30pm. Lambert House, 1818 15th Ave. Every Monday. A chance for youth to talk with others about their experiences & concerns related to identifying as Transgender. www.lamberthouse.org

Destiny/Unity AA Meeting in Tacoma 7:30-8:30pm. Christ Episcopal Church, 310 N “K” St, Tacoma. Every Monday. LGBTQ-friendly AA meeting. (253) 474-8897. (Also meets Fridays.)

Washington Gender Alliance Support Group Meeting in Shoreline 7:30pm. Center for Human Services, 17018 15th Ave NE, Shoreline. Every Monday. www. washingtongenderalliance.com

TUESDAY - May 28

Orca Swim Team Workout. Morning. Seattle University, Redhawk Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. (See Sunday afternoon listing.)

New Beginnings (SLAA). 12-1pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave #100, Room 3. Meets daily. (See Saturday listing at noon for details.)

LGBTQ+ Group. 1:15-2:15pm. Orion Center, 1828 Yale Ave. Every Tuesday. A group for LGBTQ youth ages 13-24 & their allies. Sponsored by YouthCare. (206) 622-5555.

LGBTQ Questioning & Allied Youth Drop-in Group in Renton 6-8pm. Renton Area Youth Services (RAYS), 1025 S 3rd St, Renton. Every Tuesday. Confidential. Snacks provided. Bring friends or come alone - anyone 12-18 is welcome. Questions? Call Sarah Hardin, (425) 271-5600 ext 155, or email sarahh@rays.org

Strength Over Speed (SOS). 6-7:30pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100. Peer support for Gay and Bisexual men recovering from crystal meth addiction. www.strengthoverspeed.org. (206) 322-2437; www. peerseattle.org

ALISS - Aging Lesbians in South Seattle Evening Gathering. 6:30-8pm. Southeast Seattle Senior Center, 4655 S Holly St, Rainier Ave S & S Holly St., Social Hall. Meets 2nd & 4th Tuesday each month. This is a group primarily for Lesbians but all are welcome to attend. Facilitator: Fai Coffin; Cost: FREE. Metro route 7. Wheelchair accessible. Kate, (206) 722-0317; www.sessc.org. Diverse Harmony. 6:30-9pm. Seattle First Baptist Church, 1111 Harvard Ave. Every Tuesday. Diverse Harmony is the nation’s first Gay/Straight Alliance Youth Chorus. Youth ages 13-22 are welcome regardless of sexual orientation. www.diverseharmony.org LGBTQ MS Connection/National MS Society. 6:308pm. Swedish Conference Center, Cherry Hill Campus, James Tower, 550 17th Avenue, Room E, 1st Floor. Meets 2nd & 4th Tuesday each month. MS Connection is a support group with the goal of providing a safe environment for the LGBT community to express their experiences and the impact of MS on their lives and the lives of their loved ones, as well as provide support for one another. Contact Shelly at (206) 250-5002 or LGBTMSConnection@gmail.com.

No Man’s Land - For Female-Identified Youth, Ages 22 & Under. 7-8:30pm. Lambert House, 1818 15th Ave. Every Tuesday. Topics range from family issues to school happenings to like/lust/love relationships. All Queer females welcome. Come discuss how smart. strong Queer women live their lives. (206) 322-2515, www.lamberthouse.org

PFLAG/North Seattle Monthly Meeting. 7-9pm. Haller Lake United Methodist Church, 13055 1st Ave NE. Meets 4th Tuesday each month. (206) 325-7724 or northseattle@pflagseattle.org. PFLAG, a national organization founded in 1972, provides support, education and advocacy for families and friends of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer persons and is committed to moving LGBTQ equality forward.

Tuesday Night Sex Addicts Anonymous (GLBTQI). 7-8:30pm. All Pilgrims Christian Church, 500 Broadway E (enter at 509 10th Ave E; buzz in, Colonial room). Every Tuesday. SAA is a fellowship of men & women whose primary purpose is to stop addictive sexual behavior & help others recover from sexual addiction. Seattle SAA helpline (206) 237-8828. SAA International Service Organization 1-800-477-8191. Men’s Discussion Group. 7:30-9pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100. Every Tuesday. Peer group for Gay & Bi men. (206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org

Here & Now Gay & Lesbian AA Meeting in Tacoma 7:30pm. Christ Episcopal Church, 310 N “K” St, Tacoma. Every Tuesday.

Spiritual Empowerment. 7:30-9pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100. A vibrant drop-in workshop for those of any spiritual belief. (206) 322-2437; www. peerseattle.org

Washington Gender Alliance Open Support Meeting in Bellingham 7:30-9pm. St James Presbyterian Church, 910 14th St., Bellingham. Every Tuesday. (360) 445-2411; www.washingtongenderalliance.com. (See Wednesday listing at 7:30pm for details.)

Seattle Otters Water Polo Team. 8-9:30pm. Medgar Evers Pool, 500 23rd Ave E (at E Cherry St). Every Tuesday & Thursday. GLBT & GLBT-friendly co-ed water polo team is open to all who want to play. Beginners & experienced players welcome. Check our website for up to the minute details, or call the Otter Hotline (206) 414-8797. www.otterpolo.com.

Seattle Poetry Slam. Doors 8pm, Show 8:30pm. Rebar, 1114 Howell St. Every Tuesday. A spoken word poetry event that features a weekly open mic, feature poet, and slam (poetry competition). Come out and express yourself. LGBTQ- & QTPOC-friendly; all genders welcome. $5. 21+. seattlepoetryslam.org

WEDNESDAY - May 29

Mature Friends Walk Around Greenlake. 11am. Meet up at 10:50am with a group of older men gathered at the north end of the parking lot that is next to the boathouse along the southwest side of Greenlake. Every Wednesday. Walk around Greenlake followed by lunch at a local restaurant. www.maturefriends.org

New Beginnings (SLAA). 12-1pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100, Room 3. Meets daily. (See Saturday listing at noon for details.)

True Colors: Connecting LGBTQ Teens in Shoreline 4-5pm. Every Wednesday. Discussing your important issues, building a supportive community. For information, location & to REGISTER call Lindsay Bagley (206) 362-7282 x 8018 or email lbagley@chs-nw.org

Living Positively. 5-7pm. Lifelong, 1016 E Pike St., 3rd Fl. Every Wednesday. Social and support group for the HIV community with various topics for discussion and conversation. (206) 957-1600 or www.lifelong.org. Sponsored by Lifelong.

community calendar

Pride Foundation 2019 Scholarship Celebration. 5:30-7:30pm. McCaw Hall at Seattle Center, 321 Mercer St. Celebrate our amazing LGBTQ+ and allied student leaders as well as the volunteers and supporters who make the Pride Foundation’s scholarship program possible. RSVP and more info: https://pridefoundation.org.

GLOBE (GLBTQ Loving Ourselves, Becoming Empowered): A Support Group for GLBTQ+Youth (14-20) serving Snohomish County & surrounding communities. 6-8pm. Phone or email for location. Every Wednesday. Sponsored by PFLAG Everett. Brenda, (425) 263-2908. globeleaders@hotmail.com

Queer Seattle Book Club. 6pm. University Book Store Cafe, 4326 University Way NE. Every Wednesday. This month’s title: “Leading Men” by Christopher Castellani. https://faculty.washington.edu/swittet/SGLBookClub/ Lotus Sisters Meditation & Dharma DiscussionNorth. 6:15-8pm. Ravenna Bryant neighborhood. Every Wednesday. Call (206) 525-7295 for location. www. LotusSisters.org.

Seattle Frontrunners Fun Run. 6:30pm. Volunteer Park, 14th Ave E & E Prospect St. Every Wednesday. Meet at Black Sun sculpture across for museum. (See Saturday at 9am.)

Orca Swim Team Workout. Evening. Seattle University, Redhawk Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. (See Sunday afternoon listing.)

Ingersoll All-Trans Drop-In Support Group. 7-9pm. Seattle Counseling Services, 1216 Pine St, Suite 300. Every Wednesday. All Transgender, Gender Variant, Gender Queer, Gender Questioning, allies, family & friends are welcome. This is a drop in group to get & give support, social interaction & information for the whole Gender community. No fee, donations welcome. www. ingersollcenter.org

Mature Friends Weekly Bridge Group. 7pm. Wallingford Community Senior Center, lower level of Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnywide Ave N. Every Wednesday. All levels welcome. MF is a social organization for Gay men & women, 40 years & over. www. maturefriends.org

Washington Gender Alliance Open Support Meeting in Everett 7:30-9pm. Everett United Church of Christ, 2624 Rockefeller Ave, Everett. Every Wednesday. Trained peer facilitators lead a structured support meeting helping people deal with issues of gender identity & expression. All adults are welcomed, including those who are questioning, allies, or identify as FTM, MTF, Transgender, Queer, or Intersex, among others. (360) 445-2411; www.washingtongenderalliance.com.

THURSDAY - May 30

Orca Swim Team Workout. Morning. Seattle University, Redhawk Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. (See Sunday afternoon listing.)

BABES Women’s Support Group/Lunch Meeting. 12-2pm. Call for location. Every Thursday. The BABES Network is a peer led agency; a sisterhood of women facing HIV together. (206) 720-5566 or 888-292-1912; www.babesnetwork.org.

New Beginnings (SLAA). 12-1pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100, Room 3. Meets daily. (See Saturday listing at noon for details.)

Safe and Sober (AA). 12-1pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100. Open meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. (206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org

Oasis Youth Center in Tacoma - For Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Questioning Youth, Ages 14-25. 4-10pm. Call for location & details. Every Thursday. (253) 671-2838, www.oasisyouthcenter.org Everett-Snohomish County Friendship Dinner for persons living with HIV/AIDS, their friends, and for those who want to support them. 6pm. Trinity Lutheran Church, 2324 Lombard Ave, Everett. Meets last Thursday each month. For further information, please call 360-202-3978. Sponsored by AIDS Project Snohomish County (APSC) and Gay Men’s Task Force.

B-GLAD (Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Trans & Questioning Adolescent Drop-In Group). 6:30-8pm. Call for location. Every Thursday. Sponsored by Youth Eastside Services, which offers many programs for GLBT youth. (425) 747-4937.

Walk This Way: Womxn to Follow Right Now. 6:308pm (registration starts 6pm). The Riveter, 1517 12th Ave. Meet some of the most dynamic social justice leaders in the Seattle area for wine, appetizers and spirited conversation. Guests include Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Jessica Stern of OutRight Action International, Pride Foundation CEO Katie Carter, and Michele Storms of ACLU of Washington. Tickets $15 on EventBrite. Info: https://outrightinternational.org.

Boys Group - For Male-Identified Youth, Ages 1422. 7-8:30pm. Lambert House, 1818 15th Ave. Every Thursday. Youth take the opportunity to talk about issues that relate to their everyday lives, with the facilitation of a male volunteer. (206) 322-2515 ext 16. www. lamberthouse.org

21st Century Bowling. 7pm. West Seattle Bowl, 4505 39th Ave SW. Every Thursday. Regular league bowling. Jeff, (206) 932-3731; leagues@wsbowl.com. Buddhism & Recovery. 7:30-9pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100 Every Thursday. A meditation/ recovery group. (206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org

Gay Fathers Association of Seattle. 7:30-9pm. Group Health, 201 16th Ave E, Central Bldg, Lower Atrium. Every Thursday. Support meetings for Gay fathers &

Gay men who are currently or previously married. Safe, anonymous, non-judgmental environment of caring fathers & friends. You are not alone. For information, community events & “questioning” visit www.gfas.org or our message board at http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/ gayfathersseattle

Gay Male Sexuality & Relationships. 7:30-9pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100. Every Thursday. Ongoing support group open to Gay and Bisexual men. (206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org [NOTE: Please contact the facilitator prior to attending.]

Seattle Otters Water Polo Team. 8-9:30pm. Medgar Evers Pool, 500 23rd Ave E (at E Cherry St). Every Tuesday & Thursday. (See Tuesday listing at 8pm.)

FRIDAY - May 31

Ageless in Recovery (AA). 12-1pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100. Every Friday. A drop-in AA group for 55+. (206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org

New Beginnings (SLAA). 12-1pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100, Room 3. Meets daily. (See Saturday listing at noon for details.)

Road to Recovery (SLAA). 12-1:30pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100. Every Friday. Ongoing 12-step group for sex and love addicts. (206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org

Lake City Seniors LGBTQ2+Allies Peer Support Group. 1-2:30pm. Lake City Community Center, 12531 28th Ave NE. Meets last Friday most months. Please call to confirm. Small group of mostly 50+ come together to connect, share and learn from one another. For questions or more information, please contact Claudine Wallace, (206) 472-5471 or claudinew@soundgenerations.org.

Oasis Youth Center in Tacoma - For Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Questioning Youth, Ages 14-25. 4-10pm. Call for location & details. Every Friday. (253) 671-2838, www.oasisyouthcenter.org

Burien Pride Drag Queen Bingo. 5-10pm, Burien Town Square Park, 480 SW 152nd St, Burien. Info: www.burienpride.com. (Also see 6/1 listing for Burien Pride Festival.)

Out in Front 2019 Commencement. 5:30pm. Mt. Baker Community Club, 2811 Mt. Rainier Dr S. Celebrate this year’s graduating Out in Front student leaders with guest speakers including Monserrat Padilla of the Western Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network, Lee Callahan of JACK-FM, and Sister Glo Euro N’Wei of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Abbey of St. Joan. Tickets and info at www.outinfrontseattle.org or on their Facebook page.

LGBTQ & Allies 18+ Free Friday Night Drop-In Volleyball. 6-7:45pm. Miller Community Center, 330 19th Ave E. Every Friday. (206) 684-4753.

Orca Swim Team Workout. Evening. Seattle University, Redhawk Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. (See Sunday afternoon listing.)

Strength Over Speed (SOS). 6-7:30pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100. Peer support for Gay and Bisexual men recovering from crystal meth addiction. www.strengthoverspeed.org. (206) 322-2437; www. peerseattle.org

Game Night. 7pm-11pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100 Every Friday. Card games, board games and fellowship. (206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org

Lambert House Queer Movie Night. 7-9:30pm. Lambert House, 1818 15th Ave. Every Friday. Lambert House is a nationally-recognized activities & resource center for GLBT & questioning youth, ages 14-22. (206) 322-2515, www.lamberthouse.org

Rain Country Dance Night. 7-11pm, lessons at 7:15pm. The Cuff, 1533 13th Ave. An evening of country-western dancing for the LGBTQ community. FREE. www.raincountrydance.org.

Destiny/Unity AA Meeting in Tacoma 7:30-8:30pm. Christ Episcopal Church, 310 N “K” St, Tacoma. Every Friday. LGBTQ-friendly AA meeting. (253) 474-8897. (Also meets Mondays.)

LGBT Friday Night Al-Anon Family Group. 8-9pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100, Room 3. Every Friday. The Al-Anon Family Groups are a fellowship of relatives & friends of alcoholics who share their experience, strength & hope in order to solve their common problems. We believe alcoholism is a family illness & that changed attitudes can aid recovery. Greater Seattle AIS 24-hour number (206) 625-0000; www.seattle-al-anon. org; (206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org

SATURDAY - June 1

(See previous Saturday for ongoing activities.) Burien Pride Festival. 10am-10pm. Burien Town Square Park, 480 SW 152nd St, Burien. Third annual event featuring music, booths, food, and much more. Free admission. Info: www.burienpride.com. Snohomish County Pride. 11am-5pm. Willis Tucker Park, 6705 Puget Park Dr, Snohomish. The County’s third annual Pride festival, celebrating the richness of our community with art, entertainment, information, and food. Free and family-friendly. Visit www.facebook.com/ events/315150775851656 for info.

Choir of the Sound Spring Pops Concert: “Viva La Diva.” 3pm & 7pm. Shorecrest Performing Arts Center, 15343 25th Ave NE, Shoreline. Highlighting the songs of Etta, Dolly, Aretha, Barbra, Cher, Whitney, Gaga and other fabulous divas. Tickets $25 at the door ($10 for

children 12 and under) or visit www.brownpapertickets. com/event/3462187 for advance purchase discounts. Info: www.choirofthesound.org. (Also 6/2 at 3pm.)

SUNDAY - June 2

(See previous Sunday for ongoing activities.) 9th Annual South Park Queer Pride Picnic. 1-4pm. Duwamish Waterway Park, 7900 10th Ave S. Enjoy Drag Queen show, live music, dance. Free tamales for first 200 people. Bring your own picnic. Everyone welcome. Family friendly. Bring your own lawn chair or blanket to sit on. Sponsored by Entre Hermanos. www. entrehermanos.org.

Choir of the Sound Spring Pops Concert: “Viva La Diva.” 3pm. See 6/1 listing. GenPRIDE Midday Matinee. 3pm. GenPRIDE, 401 Broadway E, 2nd floor. Double feature to be announced. Popcorn and snacks provided. Free for LGBTQ seniors and their friends. Info: https://gapseattle.org. Knights of Mantra Monthly Meeting. 3pm. The Cuff, 1533 13th Ave. Meets 1st Sunday each month. K of M/ Jet Chapter is a fun-loving leather/Levi social & charitable organization that raises money for various causes & organizations. (206) 329-0886. www.facebook.com/ kofmjetchapter/ PFLAG/Whatcom County (Bellingham) Monthly Meeting. 5pm. Community Food Co-op Bakery, 405 E Holly St, Bellingham. Meets 1st Sunday each month. Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays is a national support organization for parents, spouses, & families of GLBT persons, as well as those minorities. www.whatcompflag.org; PFLAG/Puget Sound: (206) 325-7724. Seattle Jazz Vespers. 6-8pm. Seattle First Baptist Church, Seneca St & Harvard Ave. Meets 1st Sunday each month (October-June). The historic Gothic sanctuary of Seattle First Baptist Church is offered to the best jazz groups in the city to perform 100 minutes of their own popular music. FREE. For info (206) 325-6051, www.seattlefirstbaptist.org/sjv

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

Allyship - an organization of LGBTQ individuals fighting for economic and social justice. www.LGBTQAllyship. org, allyship@yahoo.com, (206) 279-8169. American Veterans for Equal Rights - www.aver.us Another Gay Social Club! - www.meetup.com/AnotherGay-Social-Club/ Bellingham/Whatcom County - www.theslowlane. com/guide.html

BiNet Seattle is a mixed gender, social group for Bisexuals, their partners & other Bi-friendly folks - www. binetseattle.org.

Bremerton/Kitsap County - www.outwestsound.org

Capitol Hill Alano Club - www.chacseattle.org

Cascade Rainbow Community Center (Mount Vernon) - (360) 840-8499 and on Facebook.

COLAGE unites people with LGBTQ parents and caregivers into a network of peers and supports them as they nurture and empower each other to be skilled, self-confident, and just leaders in our collective communities - www.colage.org

Central Washington University GALA Hotline: (509) 963-1994.

DIFFA/Northwest (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS). (206) 763-8885; www.diffanorthwest. org

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT: Crisis Clinic, (206) 461-3222 (24 hour line); King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KCSARC) - 24-hour crisis line for information, support, & medical & legal assistance: 1-888-99-VOICE; Northwest Networksupport & advocacy for Bisexual, Trans, Lesbian & Gay Survivors of Abuse & Dating Violence, (206) 568-7777 (voice), 517-9670 (tty), www.nwnetwork.org; Pierce County Domestic Violence Helpline: Teresa, (253) 798-4166; Seattle Counseling Service for Sexual Minorities - offers on-going support groups for men: 323-1768; Seattle Police Dept Domestic Violence Unit, (206) 684-0330; State Wide Domestic Violence Hot Line, 1-800-562-6025. In an emergency call 911 Report domestic violence and sexual assault. Equal Rights Washington - (206) 324-2570; www. equalrightswashington.org

Everett/Snohomish Cty - www.gaysnohomish.org Freely Speaking Toastmasters - www.freelyspeaking.org

Gay City promotes wellness in LGBTQ communities by providing health services, connecting people to resources, fostering arts, and building community. Gay City Health Project’s Wellness Center provides anonymous & confidential HIV/STD testing. 517 E Pike St. More info or to schedule an appointment, (206) 860-6969. www.gaycity.org

Gay & Lesbian National Hotline (GLNH): 1-888-THEGLNH (1-888-843-4564). Non-profit, peer-counseling, information & local resources telephone hotline for GLBT people across the country.

Generations Aging With Pride empowers elder LGBTQ adults to live with pride and dignity by promoting, connecting, and developing innovative programs and services that enhance belonging and support, eliminate discrimination, and honor the lives of older members of our community - (206) 393-3400; info@gapseattle.org; gapseattle.org

GLSEN/WA - Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network - (206) 330-2099; www.glsenwa.org

Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) - (206) 363-9188; www.thegsba.org

HIV/AIDS Program, Seattle/King County Dept of Public Health, provides confidential/anonymous information about & testing for HIV/AIDS. (206) 205-7837. For a comprehensive list of HIV/AIDS service organizations

see the GSBA Guide or visit www.thegsba.org or call Lifelong AIDS Alliance, (206) 328-8979. Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle & the Olympic & Rainier Empire - www.facebook.com/ISCSORE; www. imperialcourtofseattle.com

Lambert House - (206) 322-2515; www.lamberthouse. org

LGBT Library - 517 E Pike St. Open Mon-Fri 2-8pm; Sat 2-5pm. A wide range of fiction and non-fiction for the LGBT community and allies can be borrowed free of charge.

LGBT MS Connection - (425) 785-8593; lgbtmsconnections@comcast.net. Support group for LGBT persons with MS and their partners and their caregivers. Sponsored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Lifelong AIDS Alliance - (206) 328-8979, www.lifelongaids alliance.org

Lion’s Main Art Collective - www.lionsmain.org MEN: Gay City: (206) 860-6969, www.gaycity.org; Knights of Mantra: (206) 329-0886, www.jetchapterkofm.com; Mature Friends: Gay men & women 40 & over, www.maturefriends.org; Northwest Bears: www. nwbears.com; The Olympians: www.TheOlympians. net; POZSeattle: www.pozseattle.com; Q-Squared: www.qsquared.org; Rain City Jacks: www.raincityjacks. org; Seattle Gay Couples: www. seattlegaycouples.org; Seattle Men in Leather: www.seattlemeninleather. org; Seattle Prime Timers: Gay & Bi men 40 & over, www. seattle primetimers.org; Tacoma Older LGBT: www. tacomaolderlgbt.org. (See also listings under Bisexual, Parenthood, People of Color, Transgender.)

MUSIC: Diverse Harmony: www.diverseharmony. org; Rainbow City Band: 1-866-841-9139 ext 2126; rainbowcityband@onebox.com; www.rainbowcity band. com; Seattle Men’s Chorus and Seattle Women’s Chorus: (206) 388-1408, (206) 323-0750. www.seattlechoruses.org.

Northwest Lesbian & Gay History Museum Project - gayhistnw@aol.com

Northwest Rainbow Alliance for the Deaf - www. nwrad.org

Olympia/Thurston County - www.RainbowCenterOly. org

Out & Equal Workplace Advocates/Seattle Regional Affiliate supports the work of LGBT employees and the growing number of ERGs (Employee Resource Groups) making a difference within local companies, including Alaska Airlines, Amazon.com, Amgen, AT&T, Bank of America, Deloitte, Macy’s, Microsoft, Russell Investments, Safeco Insurance, Starbucks Coffee, Xerox. www.outandequal.org/affiliates/seattle Out & Proud Grays Harbor Coalition - http://outandproudgh.org

PARENTHOOD: Families Like Ours provides a gateway for LGBT families interested in adoption & provides a network of safe placement agencies, training, support & resources: (206) 441-7602, www.familieslikeours. org; Family Works offers support, information & activities for LGBT families: (206) 694-6727, www.familyworksseattle. org; Gay Fathers’ Association of Seattle offers support groups & social activities: www.gfas. org; Proud & Loud Families - Northwest, www.meetup.com/proudand-loud-families-northwest, plfnorthwest@aol.com; Queer Parent Networking Dinners: (206) 568-7777, qpnd@nwnetwork.org, www.nwnetwork.org; Rainbow Families of Puget Sound: www.rainbowfamiliesps.org PFLAG is the national organization for parents, families, allies, and LGBTQ people united for equality with chapters in Seattle, Bellevue/Eastside, the Puget Sound region and across Washington state. PFLAG Seattle: (206) 325-7724, info@pflagseattle.org, and www.pflagseattle.org; PFLAG Bellevue/Eastside: (425) 483-6642, info@bellevue-pflag.org, http://community. pflag.org/PFLAGBellevue; PFLAG Pacific Northwest: www.pnwpflag.org; PFLAG Washington State: www. pflagwsc.org.

Peer Seattle (formerly Seattle Area Support Groups) is a non-profit organization that builds community and cultivates powerful, healthy lives by providing emotional support and personal development services to those affected by HIV/AIDS, the Queer communities, and those who love them. Our work is done in a spirit of safety, trust, inclusiveness, and celebration of individual differences. (206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org PEOPLE OF COLOR: AARTH (African American Reach & Teach Health Ministry), (206) 850-2070, www.aarth.org; Asian/Pacific Islander Queer Network Program at API Chaya, (206) 467-9976; Center for MultiCultural Health, (206) 461-6910, www.multiculturalhealth.org; Entre Hermanos, GLBT Latinos/as, (206) 322-7700, www.entrehermanos.org; Ile LaiLai, (206) 781-3565, iya@ilelailai.org; Men of All Colors & Cultures Together (MACCT), (206) 923-8313, macctseattle@yahoo.com, www.macctsea.org; Northwest Two Spirit Society, https://www.facebook.com/ groups/nw2spiritsociety/, Nubian Pride Productions, nubianpride@gmail.com; People of Color Against AIDS Network (POCAAN) offers rapid HIV testing, M-F, 10am-5pm, (206) 322-7061, www.pocaan.org and on Facebook; QBASS - Queer Black Alliance of the South Sound, (253) 256-1846, weareqbass@gmail. com; Sistah 2 Sistah, LBT women of African descent, (206) 322-7061, (206) 255-8951; Somos Seattle, somosseattle.org; Trikone-Northwest, GLBT South Asians, (425) 985-4376, www.trikonenw.org; Two-Spirit Honor Project, 1-866-685-0164; U.T.O.P.I.A. Seattle, www.utopiaseattlewa.org; VietQ Greater Seattle, vietqorganization@gmail.com Pierce County AIDS Foundation - (253) 383-2565; www.piercecountyaids.org Pride Foundation - (206) 323-3318; www.pridefoundation. org Pride Lives - www.facebook.com/PrideLives/

Project NEON is a program of Seattle Counseling

community calendar

Service providing FREE information & services to Gay & Bi men to reduce health risks associated with methamphetamine use. (206) 323-1768. www.crystalneon.org

Public Health-Seattle & King County Online Comprehensive Health Information for Sexual Minorities: www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/personal/ glbt.aspx

Q Law: The GLBT Bar Association of WA - (206) 682-6711; www.q-law.org

Q Law GLBT Legal Clinic - (206) 235-7235.

Queer Geek! - queergeekseattle.org

Rainbow Center - Resource Center for Tacoma/Pierce County LGBTIQA community. Through education, advocacy and celebration, the Rainbow Center expands resources, and safe space for the LGBTQIA community. Sponsors Tacoma Pride Festival. (253) 383-2318, www. rainbowcntr.org

SEAMEC interviews, researches & rates candidates for public office on issues of concern to the LGBT community. www.voteseamec.org

Seattle Area Support Groups & Community Center (SASG) i- SEE LISTING for Peer Seattle.

Seattle Bisexual Women’s Network - BiSeattle.wixsite. com/SBWN and on Facebook.

Seattle Counseling Service for Sexual Minorities is a community mental health service for GLBT persons & their families providing comprehensive mental health services on a sliding scale. (206) 323-1768.

Seattle LGBTQ Commission - (206) 684-4503. www/ seattle.gov/lgbtq

Seattle Out & Proud - (206) 322-9561; www.seattlepride.org

Seattle PrideFest - www.seattlepridefest.org

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network - (202) 328-3244; www.sldn.org

Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, The Abbey of St. Joan - (206) 860-3666; www.theabbey.org

Snohomish Health District HIV/AIDS Program provides free confidential/anonymous HIV counseling & testing 9am-5pm Monday-Friday, until 7pm Tuesdays. (425) 339-5298.

South Sound Q Calendar - LGBTQ events in Tacoma, Olympia & Sound Puget Sound area; www.SouthSoundQCal.com

Spokane/Inland Northwest - www.outspokane.com; www.stonewallnews.net

SPORTS & RECREATION: Bent Car Guys: www. bentcarguys.org; Border Riders Motorcycle Club:

www.borderriders.com; Bottom Dwellers Scuba Club: www.bottomdwellers.org; Capitol Hill Cyclers: join their Facebook group or email capitolhillcycling@ groups.facebook.com or jordan.l.simonson@gmail.com; Cascade Flag Football: www.cascadeflagfootball.org; Cascade Flyers: www.cascadeflyers.org; Emerald City Mudhen Rugby: www.mudhenrugby.com; Emerald City Softball Association: www.emeraldcitysoftball. org, www.eteamz.com/womensecsa; Ethyl Forever Car Club: ethylforever@hotmail.com; Festival of the Babes: www.festivalofthebabes.com; Olympic Yacht Club: www.oycnw.org; OutVentures: outdoor education & recreation activities, www.outventures.org; Pacific Northwest Gay Rodeo Association: www.pacificnwgra.org; Puddletown Squares: www.puddletownsquares.org; Rain City Soccer: www.raincitysoccer.org; Rain Country Dance Association: a country-western dance organization catering to the LGBTQ community but open to all, www.raincountrydance.org; Sea Dawgs: LGBT ice hockey - SkateSeaDawgs@gmail.com and on Facebook; Seattle Frontrunners: www.seattlefrontrunners.org; Seattle Gay Basketball Association: www. seattlegaybasketballassociation.com; Seattle Orca Swim Team: www.orcaswimteam.org; Seattle Otters Water Polo: www.otterpolo.com; Seattle Quake Rugby: www.quakerugby.com; Seattle Tennis Alliance: www. seattletennisalliance.org; Seattle Unified Bowling Association (SUBA): magee98106@aol.com, www. teamseattle.org/bowling.htm, www.theprideleague. com, Century 21 League; Seattle Volleyball Club: www.seattlevolleyballclub.com; Ski Buddies: www. skibuddies.org; Team Seattle Gay Sports Network is an umbrella organization for a wide range of local GLBT sports activities, (206) 367-4064, www.teamseattle.org (see website for comprehensive list of sports clubs); Triangle Recreation Camp at Bender Creek: recreational camping for GLBT folks. Must be 21; ID required. trc@ camptrc.org, www.camptrc.org, 1122 E Pike St #1069, Seattle 98122-3934. Strength Over Speed - www.strengthoverspeed.org Tacoma/Pierce County - Rainbow Center, 2215 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, a resource center for the LGBTIQA community of Pierce County, (253) 383-2318, www. rainbowcntr.org

Three Dollar Bill Cinema - TWIST: Seattle Queer Film Festival; Translations: Seattle Transgender Film Festival; Outdoor Cinema at Cal Anderson Park. www. threedollarbillcinema.org

TRANSGENDER: Emerald City Social Club: (425) 827-9494; Gender Alliance of the South Sound: www.SouthSoundGender.com; Gender Diversity:

www.genderdiversity.org; Gender Justice League: www.genderjusticeleague.org; Gender Odyssey: www.genderodyssey.com; Hermanos Trans Latino & Foreign-Born Support Group: (206) 322-7700; Ingersoll Gender Center: (206) 329-6651, www. ingersollcenter.org; Lion’s Main Art Collective: www. lionsmain.org; The New BoyZ Club: www.olympiaftmgroup.webs.com; Olympia Trans Discussion Group: www.facebook.com/pages/Olympia-Trans-DiscussionGroup/262449878114; [trans] ACTION: Trans* & Gender Non-Conforming Sex Workers’ Support Group - a safe, peer-led space. mail@utopiaseattle.org; TRANSform Washington: transformwashington.com; Trans Resource & Referral Guide: kctransguide.org; Washington Gender Alliance: (360) 445-2411, www. washington genderalliance.com

WOMEN: Aging Ballard Lesbian Exchange (A.B.L.E.): We are Lesbians 60 years (generally) and up, living (mostly) in the north half of Seattle. The purpose of the group is to connect, socialize and support each other. ruthemilyvogel@gmail.com; Aging Lesbians in South Seattle (ALISS) - Lesbian Group at the Southeast Seattle Senior Center. This is a gathering primarily for Lesbians but all are welcome to attend. Kate, (206) 722-0317; www.sessc.org; BABES: support groups for HIV+ women. (206) 720-5566, 1-888-292-1912; Coming Out Women Support Group of Tacoma: www. comingoutwomen.org; Festival of the Babes: www. festivalofthebabes.com; Mature Friends: Gay men & women 40 & over, www.maturefriends.org; Puget Sound Old Lesbian Organizing for Change: http:// psoloc.org, (253) 777-3357; Older Lesbians Organizing for Change/WA State Chapter: gloria@oloc.org, mary@oloc.org, www.oloc.org; Pacific Northwest Lesbian Archives: www.pnwlesbianarchives.org; RainshadowWomen: RainshadowWomen@aol. com; Seattle Bisexual Women’s Network: BiSeattle. wixsite.com/SBWN; Seattle Girls of Leather: www. sgol.org; Tacoma Lesbian Concern (TLC): www.tacomalesbianconcern.org; Tacoma Older LGBT: www. tacomaolderlgbt.org; Women of West Seattle (WOWS): a fun, member-driven social group for Lesbians, http:// groups.yahoo.com/group/womenofwestseattle; YWCA Women’s Health Outreach: providing low or no-cost mammograms for income eligible 40+ LBTQ individuals. Follow us at http://lbtqhealth-ywca.blogspot.com, twitter.com/ingridWHO or email lbthealth@ywcaworks. org, (206) 461-4493. (See also listings under Bisexual, Parenthood, People of Color, Transgender.)

YOUTH: B-GLAD (Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Trans & Questioning Adolescent Drop-In Group): Youth Eastside Services offers many programs for GLBT youth, including B-GLAD, (425) 747-4937; Coyote Central: www.coyotecentral.org; Diverse Harmony: www.diverseharmony. org; GLSEN/Washington State (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network) & Washington State GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) Network: GLSEN works to create safe schools for LGBT students. WA GSA Network supports youth-led GSA’s to fight harassment & homophobia in Washington state schools. (206) 330-2099; www.glsenwa. org; www.wagsa.org. GLOBE (GLBTQ Loving Ourselves, Becoming Empowered): a support group & HIV/STD prevention program for GLBTQ youth, 14-20, in Everett, (425) 263-2908, www. globeyouth.org; It Gets Better Project: www.itgetsbetter.org; Lambert House: an activities & resource center for LGBT youth, 14-22, in Seattle, 1818 15th Ave @ E Denny Way; (206) 322-2515, www.lamberthouse.org; Lifelong HEYO (Health Education Youth Outreach): for LGBTQ youth, ages 16-24: (206) 957-1665; www. llaa.org/HEYO; www.MatthewsPlace.com ; The Mockingbird Society: (206) 323-KIDS (5437), www. mockingbirdsociety.org; Oasis Youth Center: for GLBTQ youth, ages 14-25, in Tacoma, (253) 671-2838, www.oasisyouthcenter.org; OKAY! LGBTQ+ Outreach for Kent Area Youth: (253) 859-0699 ext 3034. OKAY! is an open support group for youth ages 13-19 who identify as LGBTQ+. A program of Kent Youth & Family Services; OUT There Adventures: www.outthereadventures.org; Parents, Family & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG)/Puget Sound: (206) 325-7724, www. seattle-pflag.org; Peace for the Streets by Kids from the Streets (PSKS) Drop-In Center & Young Adult Shelter: 1609 19th Ave @ E Pine St., (206) 726-8500; www.psks.org; Pizza Klatch: weekly lunchtime support groups for LGBTQ youth in Thurston County, www. pizzaklatch.org; Prism: for LGBTQ youth, 14-21, in Puyallup - Cherise.Alexander@ multicare.org; www. facebook.com/PuyallupPrism; Proud Out Wonderful (POW!): for LGBTQ youth, 13-21, in South King County, (206) 326-9112, www.facebook.com/proudoutwonderful; Q Youth Resources: in Kitsap County - (360) 698-3335; www.kchaf.org; Renton Area Youth Services (RAYS): LGBTQ, questioning and allied youth drop-in group, ages 12-18 - Sarah Hardin, (425) 271-5600, ext 155; sarahh@rays.org; Roots Young Adult Shelter: 1415 NE 43rd St., (206) 632-1635; www.rootsinfo.org; Safe Schools Coalition: www.safeschoolscoalition.org; (206) 451-SAFE, (206) 451-7233 (non-emergency), 1-877-SAFE-SAFE (1-877-723-3723) (crisis line); Seattle Young People’s Project (Queer Youth Resource Board): (206) 860-9606, www.sypp.org; Street Youth Ministries (SYM): (206) 524-7301 ext 111; www. streetyouthministries.org; Teen Link: (206) 461-4922, 1-888-431-TEEN; The Trevor Project: 866-4-U-Trevor; www.thetrevorproject.org; True Colors - Connecting LGBTQ Teens: in Shoreline, (206) 362-7282 x 8018, lbagley@chs-nw.org; Vista Youth Center: for LGBTQ, questioning and allied youth, ages 14-21, in Kennewick, (509) 396-5198, www.vistayouthcenter.org; YouthCare/ Isis Program (Transitional Living Home for LGBTQ Young Adults, 18-22): (206) 522-8412; YouthCare/ Orion Center Young Adult Shelter: 1828 Yale Ave @ Stewart St. (206) 622-5555; Youth in Focus: (206) 723-1479; www.youthinfocus.org; Youth Suicide Prevention Program (OUTLoud-GLBTQ): (206) 297-5922, ext 116, 1-800-273-TALK, www.yspp.org

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Colorfully energetic Aladdin easy to sing along with

by Sara Michelle Fetters

SGN A&E Writer

ALADDIN

Now playing

Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin is more like Bill Condon’s 2017 Beauty and the Beast than it is Tim Burton’s reimagining of Dumbo released this past March in that it is a fullblown musical more than it is a straightforward reinterpretation of a beloved Disney classic. Thankfully, I liked this one a lot more than I did Condon’s film, Ritchie at least adding just enough that is different from the 1992 animated favorite to make seeing it at least somewhat worthwhile.

The animated film is still far, far superior, and that’s coming from someone who isn’t nearly as fond of that one as so many others continue to be. Yet that effort still tells its story in a brisk 90 minutes while it also overflows in heart, imagination, excitement and honest human emotion. Its script is rapturously economical, while the score and the cavalcade of songs written by composer Alan Menken and lyricists Tim Rice and the late Howard Ashman were more than deserving of the two Academy Awards that went their way. Finally, it is a spectacular vehicle for the unique, one-of-kind talents of Robin Williams, the imprint he put upon not just that motion picture but also upon popular culture with his performance as the wise-cracking, all-powerful Genie as bold and as timeless as they come.

Ritchie’s remake, however, co-written with John August (Big Fish), is over 30 minutes longer than its predecessor, and I honestly can’t tell you what more than 20 minutes of that additional narrative brings to the proceedings. But there are still quite a few virtues worth celebrating, not the least of which is the casting of Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine, Mena Massoud as the street rat Aladdin, Marwan Kenzari as the duplicitous vizier Jafar and Navid Negahban as the overprotective Sultan. Nasim Pedrad is also memorable as the film’s primary new character, Jasmine’s handmaiden Dalia, while Numan Acar has a strong moment near the end as the Sultan’s commander of the guard Hakim, and it is some-

thing of a shame he’s so massively underutilized for the remainder of the story.

Then there is Will Smith taking on the role of the Genie. Ritchie gives him a wide berth and the manic energy he showcases is unquestionably strong. He also has a lovely dramatic moment with Massoud as a lead-in to the climactic act that’s suitably heartrending, while the kid-friendly playfulness of the remainder of his performance is charming. But there’s equally something routine and uninspired by what Smith is doing as the magical character, and I never felt like he was challenging himself to do anything nearly as memorable as what Williams accomplished back in the early ’90s. His renditions of songs like “Friend Like Me” and “Prince Ali” leave a lot to be desired as well, the latter performance actually forcing me to slink into my theatre seat and cringe on more than one occasion.

I still enjoyed myself here far more than I anticipated. Ritchie mixes things up just enough that the majority of the set pieces don’t feel copied beat-for-beat like they did in Beauty and the Beast. I also really enjoyed most of the musical numbers, especially the rambunctious “One Jump Ahead” and the lovely as ever “A Whole New World.” Aladdin’s descent into the eerie Cave of Wonders is also excellent, Ritchie bringing just enough menace and mystery to the scene that it feels a bit fresher and

more original than it otherwise would have. The story hasn’t changed. In the small Arabian kingdom of Agrabah, thief Aladdin has inadvertently fallen in love with Princess Jasmine after she went into the city in disguise in order to experience life outside of the castle. With the promise of untold wealth he is convinced by the wicked Jafar to head into a mystical cave to retrieve a dusty old oil lamp. But Jafar betrays Aladdin and leaves him to die underground, accidentally allowing the boy to keep the prize he was so murderously obsessed with getting his hands on. As for the young man, not only do he and his monkey best friend Abu become chummy with a Magic Carpet, after rubbing the lamp he is stunned to learn he’s now Master to a 10,000-year-old Genie.

Things progress as expected from there as the Genie helps Aladdin masquerade as a dashing Prince in order to romance Jasmine, all the while Jafar, with the help of his talkative parrot Iago (voiced by Alan Tudyk), continues to scheme on how to get his hands on the lamp. Changes include the appearance of the Princess’ handmaiden Dalia who ends up catching the eye of the Genie when he is in human form. Also, while Jasmine was strong-willed and intelligent in the animated film Ritchie and August take things up a notch here, her biggest dream not to find a man to marry but to instead convince her

father to install her as his successor whether she ends up wed or not.

Kenzari is pretty great as Jafar, and I especially like that he refuses to overplay his hand and get overtly histrionic just for the sake of doing so. As for Massoud, he’s frustratingly something of a wet noodle, and while he can sing the songs pretty dang well emotionally he’s not that compelling. Not bad, just forgettable, but as he is arguably portraying the film’s main character (it is called Aladdin, after all) this is undeniably something of a fairly big problem. Thankfully Scott is nothing short of spectacular, her depiction of Princess Jasmine an absolute treat from start to finish, and while the new song “Speechless” written for the film by Menken, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul is hardly amazing, her two-part delivery of it most certainly is.

It’s a little weird that the majority of the principal cast speaks and sings with perfect Americanized English while everyone else sports a Middle Eastern accent. I also was a little annoyed that Jasmine, in spite of all her strength, acumen, tenacity and skill, still finds herself a helpless damsel in distress at key points of the narrative. The film alternates between looking like something that would be too cheap for the Disney Channel and a bona fide Oscar-winner for production design, costumes, makeup and visual effects, a mixed bag to say the least. As for Ritchie, at times it’s a little hard to see his hand in any of this while at others it’s plainly obvious the guy behind features like Snatch, Sherlock Holmes and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is most decidedly the one at the controls.

Am I being a little too wishy-washy about Disney’s latest attempt to transform one of their animated classics into a live-action spectacle for the 21st century? Maybe. That’s not for me to say. What I can state is that, while lacking in the same kind of ingenious magic that helped allow the original to stand the test of time, this new Aladdin still has a few winning tricks up its sleeve making it worthy of a look. I enjoyed watching it, this colorful Arabian fairy tale a musical remake I couldn’t help but sing along with throughout.