Seattle Gay News
Issue 43, Volume 43, October 23, 2015
Arts & Entertainment
Madonna in concert defies expectations every time
Seattle Immersive Theatre’s
Listening Glass – keep this company on your radar!
Scene from Listening Glass – Photo by Fedora el Morro
Madonna on her “Rebel Heart” Tour – Photo by Kevin Mazur / Getty Images
by Jessica Price SGN A&E Writer MADONNA “REBEL HEART” TOUR PORTLAND MODA CENTER October 17
There are few things, I can say without hesitation, that get better with age – happily, Madonna tours are one of these. Yes, they’re all beautiful and unique snowflakes; yes, the album of the moment may or not be your personal favorite, but none of this matters in the end. Madonna defies expecsee madonna page 5
by Miryam Gordon SGN A&E Writer LISTENING GLASS SEATTLE IMMERSIVE THEATRE (AT A WAREHOUSE: ` 2724 6TH AVE. S.) Through November 29 Seattle Immersive Theatre has taken immersion to a whole new level for its first two offerings. Their production, DUMP
SITE, was created inside a warehouse, which they filled with walls of cardboard boxes to create rooms, and where the audience was treated to a mystery unfolding in front of them. The actors interacted as if unobserved and related to each other the way any of us might with people we know well. A brother and sister argued, though it took some time to allow their argument to see listening glass page 7
DANCE UNPLUGGED Pearl Fishers – Visually COMMERCIAL WITH TODAY’S HOTTEST DANCE STARS stunning, but caught in Shaping Sound making a bad bromance their Seattle debut
Seattle Opera presents The Pearl Fishers – Photo by Elise Bakketun
by Alice Bloch SGN Contributing Writer SEATTLE OPERA PEARL FISHERS SECOND CAST MARION OLIVER MCCAW HALL October 18 (also 10/30)
To distract the audience from one of the most ridiculous plots in opera (and that’s saying a lot), a successful production of Georges Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers requires several elements: gorgeous, opulent sets and costumes; an inventive choreographer and a company of skilled dancers; a fine orchestra and chorus led by a first-class consee pearl fishers page 8
Shaping Sound – Courtesy of Seattle Theatre Group
SHAPING SOUND PARAMOUNT THEATRE October 29 BREAK THE FLOOR PRODUCTIONS and Seattle Theatre Group are pleased to announce that North Ameri-
ca’s hottest new dance show – SHAPING SOUND – will perform one night only at The Paramount Theatre, Thursday, October 29 at 7:30 p.m. Experience the exhilarating collaboration of North America’s newest dance visionaries as they mash-up see shaping sound page 9
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Celebrating 41 Years!
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Celebrating 41 Years!
madonna
a “Last Supper” reenactment complete tations every time because she is, bar none, with a Christ-like figthe ultimate pop music show-woman. Love ure parting Madonher, hate her – she reigns supreme in the na’s upturned legs? pantheon of ladies who sing/dance/star in But, as in all the greatest touring spectacles staged to- Madonna tours, it’s day. It’s only fitting, since she pretty much not solely about the created the niche. She’s also still the very shocking images. best at it. There’s a journey inPlaying to a full house at Portland’s volved. Following a Moda Center last Saturday, the lady who healthy dose of transessentially has nothing left to prove did gression there’s everjust that. At 57, Madonna is now on the present themes of road with “Rebel Heart,” her tenth tour redemption and love (eight of which I’ve attended, thanks to a in Madonna’s repersupportive-if-not-slightly-bemused mother toire. “Devil Pray” that took me to “The Virgin Tour” in 1985.) brought forgiveness, Throughout my many years as a Madonna segueing into infan there have been highs and lows, albums nocent infatuation I’ve either loved or felt at odds with, mis- with “Body Shop” steps in men she’s dated (or married), ca- (also the first mareer moves that as her superfan she could jor costume change just do better if she’d only call me…but one of the night as Maarea where she has never, ever disappointed donna and dancers is live performance. reappeared in a retAs expected, Madonna delivered two ro-modern ‘50s/’80s solid hours of nearly nonstop music, dance, greaser look). Astride Madonna on her “Rebel Heart” Tour – and visuals that would take multiple view- a pile of tires, Madonna Photo by Kevin Mazur / Getty Images ings to fully absorb at a pace that would delivered the first major probably kill lesser entertainers. Leading surprise of the night: “True Blue” played The pacing and tone of the show was with “Iconic,” footage of Mike Tyson’s sur- on ukulele. (The 1986 video also featured more upbeat and light-hearted than 2012’s vival-themed spoken word intro appeared cars and a ‘50s feel some may recall – but “MDNA” tour. The final segment unfolded on the backdrop, mixed with scenes of Ma- most probably won’t). Falling “Deeper into an art deco, 1920s sensory explosion. donna as a battered Marilyn Monroe-styled and Deeper,” love ultimately turned into “Music” presented Madonna as a sultry blond, complete with white stole and se- “Heartbreak City” and another blast from jazz club diva, picking up speed into a full quined gown – a nod to the objectification/ the past, “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore,” cast dance party. Hair pulled back, silverdestruction of celebrities as well as to her delivered from the heart-shaped catwalk fringed skirt shining in the stage lights, own performance of “Sooner Or Later” at stage on a spiral staircase. Pushing her lov- Madonna shimmied with male dancers in top hats and ladies in Josephine Baker-inspired, barely-there dresses. The party continued with “Candy Shop” and another remix, “Material Girl.” Amidst all this opulence the dancers threw a veil over Madonna’s head, handed her a bouquet, and off she went down the catwalk to find someone to marry. Choosing a lucky “sucker” from the audience, Madonna asked who in the crowd wanted to get married and happened to set her sights on former Seattle Gay News writers Jason Miller and Richard Kennedy to catch her bouquet and make out with gusto on the jumbotron screens. In a surprisingly intimate pause, Madonna pursed her lips just slightly and alludMadonna on her “Rebel Heart” Tour – Photo by Kevin Mazur / Getty Images ed to her previous heartbreaks. the Oscars in 1991. Medieval cross-wield- er off the stairs, off came Madonna’s coat “I’ve been married twice...you might have ing warriors appeared on stage, and on the and the next segment of the evening began heard about it,” she deadpanned. “It’s lonebackdrop Madonna’s image rallied an army – the independent, “girls just wanna have ly at the top,” she said. “But it’s not very of rebels. Predictably, the masses at Moda fun” phase. Madonna threw down her best crowded.” Confessing that despite it all, Center were mesmerized as the Queen was club moves, prancing and skipping upstage she still believes in love, Madonna broke lowered to the stage from a golden, cage- to a fantastic, modernized version of “Like out her ukulele again for Edith Piaf’s “La like structure. A Virgin.” “SEX” came next (naturally), Vie En Rose.” Only wistful for a moment Horses kicked, warriors fought, capes complete with Erotica-era video clips. though, “Unapologetic Bitch” was next. A swirled, and the night was off to a tremenReappearing for “Living for Love,” the handsome man was chosen from the audidous start. Blending in to “Bitch I’m Ma- next portion of the set revisited the mata- ence to climb on stage and dance with Madonna,” a gang of female dancers brandish- dor imagery of the video and previous live donna down the catwalk, receiving a few ing Asian-inspired fans flanked the star, performances (although her cloak was re- spankings along the way. His prize? A bakicking ass and taking names, as they say. moved with noticeably more care). “La Isla nana, courtesy of Madonna to “eat… or do Continuing this pillage and plunder vibe, Bonita,” “Dress You Up,” and “Secret” whatever.” Pulling out all the stops for the flames ignited and “Burning Up” followed. were reimagined with Latino and South final song, “Holiday,” the full cast popped After a good fight any sensible ex-Catholic American influences. corks and danced as if Moda Center was girl needs a little release, and in keeping Next up, dancers strapped themselves the world’s largest international New Year’s with her relentless and always amusing sac- to impossibly flexible poles that pitched Eve Party. And then she was gone, slipping rilegious vibes, dancers in latex bras and forward and backward in the air, dipping onto a tiny swing (obscured by scantily ruffled white panties pole-danced on cruci- down almost to audience level and back clad dancers waving an American flag) and fixes for “Holy Water” and “Vogue.” It was again as “Illuminati” began. The result magically lifting up, up and away – until hard not to laugh at the sheer audacity of was a mesmerizing circus-like feat of ath- the next time. Madonna standing (in stilettos) on a sexy leticism. The dancers, as in every Madonna stripper-nun, twirling around and around tour, looked as though they were having the on a pole. Have I mentioned there was also time of their lives. continued from cover
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A GIFT OF MUSIC: MORE THAN 50 FREE EVENTS FROM THE UW SCHOOL OF MUSIC The University of Washington School of Music has long been a source of affordable performances of great music from across genres. But UW Music has even more to offer music lovers in the Puget Sound region: In 2015-16, the School of Music has done away with the cost of admission to more than 50 concerts and music-related events at the School’s Brechemin Auditorium and the Walker-Ames Room of Kane Hall. This development is made possible thanks to the generosity of School of Music friend Mina B. Person, a member of the Brechemin family that has for many years made so much possible for students at the school. Mina’s gift, added to support from the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office, allows us to throw open the doors to our in-house concert hall this season and offer our audiences a wealth of great music free of all admission charges. Included in this bounty of musical riches are two top-notch series produced by piano professor Robin McCabe: “Beethoven Back-to-Back” (Nov. 13-15), a three-performance exploration of the complete piano and violin sonatas of Beethoven, performed by McCabe and violinist Maria Larionoff; and “Schubertiade,” a quarterly performance showcasing works by the great composer Franz Schubert, performed by some of our most talented School of Music students. Both series include pre-concert lectures by music scholars from the UW and elsewhere. Other performances of note include a faculty recital by Michael Partington, guitar (April 24), a performance by The American String Project Chamber Players (March 18), and concerts featuring Ethnomusicology Visiting Artists Lalo Izquierdo (Dec. 8) and Phyllis Byrdwell (March 8). The annual Littlefield Organ Series, presented at the Walker-Ames Room of Kane Hall, is also included in the School’s list of free concert offerings in 2015-16. Starting with the very popular Halloween Organ Concert on Oct. 30, the series continues on Jan. 10 with a performance by organist Robert Bates from the University of Houston and concludes on April 17 with a performance by Arizona State University organist Kimberly Marshall. Our students, too, take their moments in the spotlight, with quarterly concerts by our jazz studies students, voice majors, and others, including instrumental performance students competing on three evenings (Nov. 17, 20, and 23) for opportunities to solo with the UW Symphony. Finally, we present two performances by our 2015-16 Scholarship Chamber Group, the Daana String Quartet (Dec. 2 and May 15). For the latest event and program details, visit our events calendar at www.music. washington.edu/calendar. FALL QUARTER EVENTS Oct. 23 (Fri) @ 7:30 pm The Intimate Fauré Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Oct. 25 (Sun) @ 1:30 pm Wind Ensemble Chamber Winds Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Oct. 30 (Fri) @ 7:30 pm Littlefield Organ Series: Halloween Organ Concert Walker-Ames Room Kane Hall – FREE Nov. 9 (Mon) @ 7:30 pm Recital: Lydia Artymiw, piano Brechemin Auditorium – FREE
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Nov. 10 (Tue) @ 5 pm Master Class: Lydia Artymiw, piano Brechemin Auditorium – FREE
Nov. 12 (Thu) @ 7:30 pm Brechemin Piano Series Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Nov. 13 (Fri) Beethoven: Back to Back Pre-Concert Lecture: Melinda Bargreen @ 7 pm Concert @ 7:30 pm Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Nov. 14 (Sat) Beethoven: Back to Back Pre-Concert Lecture: Lisa Bergman @ 4 pm Concert @ 4:30 pm Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Nov. 15 (Sun) Beethoven: Back to Back Pre-Concert Lecture: Sean MacLean KING FM radio host @ 4pm Concert @ 4:30 pm Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Nov. 17 (Tue) @ 7 pm Concerto Competition: Strings Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Nov. 18 (Wed) @ 7:30 pm Jazz Innovations 1 Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Nov. 19 (Thu) @ 7:30 pm Jazz Innovations 2 Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Nov. 20 (Fri) @ 7 pm Concerto Competition: Keyboard Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Nov. 23 (Mon) @ 7 pm Concerto Competition: Brass, Woodwind & Percussion Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Dec. 2 (Wed) @ 7:30 pm Student Chamber Concert: Daana Quartet Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Dec. 3 (Thu) @ 7:30 pm Brechemin Piano Series Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Dec. 6 (Sun) Schubertiade Pre-Concert Lecture: George Bozarth @ 4 pm Concert @ 4:30 pm Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Dec. 8 (Tue) @ 7:30 pm Ethnomusicology Visiting Artist Event: Lalo Izquierdo and Students Afro-Peruvian Zapateo Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Dec. 12 (Sat) @ 2 pm Barry Lieberman and Friends: Master Class: Maximilian Dimoff Brechamin Auditorium – FREE Dec. 13 (Sun) @ 2 pm Barry Lieberman and Friends:
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Recital: Maximilian Dimoff Brechemin Auditorium – FREE
Apr. 11 (Mon) @ 7:30 pm Clarinet Night Brechemin Auditorium – FREE
WINTER QUARTER EVENTS
Apr. 12 (Tues) @ 7:30 pm Recital: Mark Leonard Anderson, piano Brechemin Auditorium – FREE
Jan. 5 (Tue) @ 7:30 pm Recital: David Brooks, piano Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Jan. 6 (Wed) @ 4:30 pm Masterclass: David Brooks, piano Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Jan 10 (Sun) @ 3 pm Littlefield Organ Series: Robert Bates Walker-Ames Room Kane Hall – FREE Feb. 10 (Wed) @ 7:30 pm Master Class: Glenn Dicterow, violin Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Feb. 11 (Thu) @ 7:30 pm Brechemin Piano Series Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Feb. 17 (Wed) @ 7:30 pm Jazz Innovations 1 Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Feb. 18 (Thu) @ 7:30 pm Jazz Innovations 2 Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Feb. 19 (Fri) @ 7:30 pm Guitar Ensemble Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Feb. 23 (Tues) @ 7:30 pm Baroque Ensemble UW music students perform music of the Baroque era. Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Feb. 29 (Mon) @ 7:30 pm Voice Division Recital Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Mar. 5 (Sat) @ 1:30 pm Symphonic Band Chamber Concert Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Mar. 6 (Sun) Schubertiade Pre-Concert Lecture: Stephen Rumph @ 4 pm Concert @ 4:30 pm Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Mar 8 (Tue) @ 7:30 pm Ethnomusicology Visiting Artist Concert: Phyllis Byrdwell and Students Gospel piano and song Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Mar. 10 (Thu) @ 7:30 pm Brechemin Piano Series Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Mar. 18 (Fri) @ 7:30 pm Barry Lieberman and Friends: American String Project Chamber Players Brechemin Auditorium – FREE SPRING QUARTER EVENTS Apr. 7 (Thu) @ 7:30 pm Brechemin Piano Series Brechemin Auditorium – FREE
Apr. 13 (Wed) @ 4:30 pm Master Class: Mark Leonard Anderson, piano Brechamin Auditorium – FREE Apr. 17 (Sun) @ 3 pm Littlefield Organ Series: Kimberly Marshall Walker-Ames Room Kane Hall – FREE Apr. 24 (Sun) @ 7:30 pm Faculty Recital: Michael Partington, guitar Brechemin Auditorium – FREE May 1 (Sun) Schubertiade Pre-Concert Lecture: Heidi Tilghman @ 4 pm Concert @ 4:30 pm Brechemin Auditorium – FREE May 5 (Thu) @ 7:30 pm Brechemin Piano Series Brechemin Auditorium – FREE May 15 (Sun) @ 4:30 pm Student Chamber Concert: Daana Quartet Brechemin Auditorium – FREE May 16 (Mon) @ 7:30 pm Voice Division Recital Brechemin Auditorium – FREE May 18 (Wed) @ 7:30 pm Jazz Innovations 1 Student jazz ensembles pay homage to the icons of jazz and break new ground with original progressive jazz compositions. Brechemin Auditorium – FREE May 19 (Thu) @ 7:30 pm Jazz Innovations 2 Student jazz ensembles pay homage to the icons of jazz and break new ground with original progressive jazz compositions. Brechemin Auditorium – FREE May 21 (Sat) @ 2 pm Barry Lieberman and Friends: Masterclass: Jordan Anderson, double bass Brechemin Auditorium – FREE May 22 (Sun) @ 2 pm Barry Lieberman and Friends: Recital: Jordan Anderson, double bass Brechemin Auditorium – FREE May 26 (Thu) @ 7:30 pm Brechemin Piano Series UW music students perform works for piano Brechemin Auditorium – FREE May 27 (Fri) @ 7:30 pm Guitar Ensemble Students of Michael Partington perform music written or arranged for guitar Brechemin Auditorium – FREE Courtesy of the UW School of Music
Celebrating 41 Years!
The 5th Ave’s new Waterfall breaks the surface by Eric Andrews-Katz SGN A&E Writer WATERFALL THE 5TH AVENUE THEATRE Through October 25 The 5th Avenue Theatre continues to work above and beyond by taking risks on new musicals. So far they have produced 17 original productions, with nine of them going to Broadway, two of which have gone on to win the prestigious Tony Award for Best Musical. The latest original production is Waterfall, based on the Thai musical entitled Behind the Painting, which is based on a novel (also entitled Behind the Painting) by Siburapha. This musical incarnation is a throwback to the musicals of yesteryear summoning similarities (sometimes too many) of Rodgers & Hammerstein. The storyline is very simple – and a bit predictable if not cliché. From the very opening scene, the rest of the storyline is easy to pick up on and even easier to follow. A Thai man named Noppon (Bie Sukrit) is living with his wife and getting ready to move home. His wife finds an old (badly done) painting of a waterfall and asks about the meaning. Noppon explains it was a gift from a “friend” and the flashback story is recalled. In the early 1930s, Noppon is working for the Siamese government and quickly gets assigned to Japan with the Siamese Ambassador. It is there that Noppon meets Katherine (Laura Griffith) the Ambassador’s much younger wife. After Noppon walks Katherine home the two of them fall in love. It is at a scenic waterfall that the two consummate their love and inspires Katherine to create the painting. When the Ambassador is called back to Siam due to the aggression of the upcoming war with Japan, Noppon is left behind to work with the embassy. Five years later, and after Katheine’s husband’s death, Noppon is called back to Siam (now called Thailand) where Katherine watches him being welcomed back by his family and fiancée. The two leads of this musical do excellent jobs. It is hard not to fall in love with Katherine when played so beautifully by Laura Griffith. Ms. Griffith’s voice is pure and strong, easily reaching the back of the house and emoting each song with wonderful interpretation. She shows the audience
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reveal the subject area of disagreement. A stranger was introduced. The brother and sister revealed more information. The audience could walk around the set and were asked to be aware that an actor might need them to move out of the way! Masks were provided so that observers became stylized birds. It was meticulously planned. Listening Glass, now presenting in the same warehouse, and almost totally sold out (even after adding more dates) is another meticulously produced environment. This time, it’s a small county police office, with a fingerprint room, a break room with real donuts and coffee, detective office space and an interrogation room. The glass the audiences listen to is the two-way mirror of the interrogation room, where the
Noppon (Bie Sukrit) and Katherine (Laura Griffith) in Waterfall, a new musical at The 5th Avenue Theare – Photo by Tracy Martin
her character’s conflict of being married to an older man and falling in love with a younger one and lets us, the audience, become endeared with her. Noppon played by Thai superstar Bie Sukrit is excellent. The naiveté of his character comes out by the exuberance Noppon shows for getting hired at the embassy. His voice is soothing and beautiful, easy to understand, and flies through the audience without trouble. He knows how to use the lyrics showing emotion and projecting with the song. The members of the ensemble all do
good jobs with their supporting roles. Kumiko, played by Lisa Helmi Johanson, is an American born Japanese woman who embraces the American lifestyle at her dance club in Japan. Her song “The United States of Japan” is feisty and she delivers it with comic timing and strong voice. The song is easily compared to the Flower Drum Song classic (Rodgers & Hammerstein) “Grant Avenue” for its Asian dichotomy embracing American mannerisms and behaviors. J. Elaine Marcos plays Nuan, the hand servant to Katherine, and it is her character
that shows the conflict between traditional and modern roles and behaviors as the country transforms from Siam to Thailand. Without doubt it is the lavish set of the running waterfall that dominates the show. It is beautiful to watch and instantly transforms the stage to a lush, scene in a hidden grotto. The audience easily escapes, along with the lovers, into this secret beautiful heaven. The credit here goes to Sasavat Busayabandh as Scenic Designer. The vision expressed here is truly amazing and breathtaking to watch. Even the sliding panels of the other sets are done beautifully with great detail that all helps to add to the magic of theater. The collaborative team members behind Waterfall are not strangers to the Broadway musical, and it is here that questions arise. Richard Maltby, Jr., who also penned the musicals Baby, Big and Closer than Ever, writes the book and lyrics. His work for the lyrics on Miss Saigon is brilliant and stimulating, but the lyrics for Waterfall definitely fall short. The songs are very reminiscent of Oscar Hammerstein’s work in the way there are no controversial lyrics, no foul language, nothing that could be interpreted as thought provoking, and, Hammerstein’s work notwithstanding, nothing that really stays with the listener. David Shire who also worked on Baby, Big and Closer than Ever with Richard Maltby Jr. writes the music. The melodies of the show are beautiful and at times, haunting. It is the blending of Asian tones with American influences that give the songs in this show the extra boost. The book and lyrics of Waterfall need work. But that is one of the exciting things about producing an original show – there’s always room for improvements. The storyline is homage (whether meant to or not) to a mashing up of Flower Drum Song and The King and I, except Rodgers and Hammerstein did it better. Having not read the book, I cannot compare the script to the original source, but if the stage adaptation from the novel is an accurate one, I’m guessing it would be very predictable and clichéd reading. For more information, visit https:// www.5thavenue.org/
Noppon (Bie Sukrit) and Katherine (Laura Griffith) in Waterfall, a new musical at The 5th Avenue Theare – Photo by Tracy Martin
audience is invited to hear a suspect being grilled by a detective. Each of the (maximum 17) audience participants are presumed to be part of a group desiring to volunteer for or work at the police department. They are issued visitor badges as they are asked to sign in. Wandering around the small offices, one may read about the case at hand: a young man is found dead in a boggy area and the department is investigating his murder. A list of suspects is on the wall, with some names crossed off, presumably because they’ve been cleared. A young man (Randall Scott Carpenter) nervously sits in the waiting room and is taken into the interrogation room. Audience members are instructed to enter a viewing space surrounding the room and don listening devices to hear what goes on in the room. The genius in this is that what
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goes on inside the room is not the only audio track you hear. However, in order to allow for surprise, I’ll leave out what exactly that is. We do learn that the young man is an armed services vet with plenty of issues, struggling to maintain a normal life after deploying to Afghanistan. The detective (Gary Taylor) asks questions to elicit information, casually at first and then more insistently as the interrogation goes on. Does he end up getting a real confession or not? The situation is described as “conceived and written by Jerome Virnich.” It is a unique script. It succeeds in drawing audiences in and making them complicit in the interrogation, even as it raises questions about police work. Directed by Beau M.K. Prichard, with scenic design by Paul Thomas, the work is a smart, engaging way of producing a unique theatrical event.
You may not get to see this particular show (tickets are going like hotcakes), but it’s wise to keep this company on your radar. They are doing something different and they’re executing it with care and precision! Their next endeavor, though, sounds completely different: a production of Romeo and Juliet! Probably not like any Shakespeare experience you’ve ever had, though…
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For more information go to http://www. seattleimmersivetheatre.org/. Discuss your opinions with sgncritic@ gmail.com or go to www.facebook.com/SeattleTheaterWriters. More articles can be found at miryamstheatermusings.blogspot. com.
Bizet’s Pearl Fishers again? by Rod Parke SGN A&E Writer SEATTLE OPERA PEARL FISHERS OPENING NIGHT CAST MARION OLIVER MCCAW HALL October 17 (also 10/21, 24, 28 & 31) Seattle Opera has made an admirable effort (it’s third in 30 years) to make a pretty boring opera, Bizet’s youthful Pearl Fishers, entertaining. When the plot is ridiculous and the music is only sporadically interesting, it’s up to the staging to save the evening. Colorful, playful, and appropriate sets by Zandra Rhodes helped keep things lively and fun in Saturday’s opening night show. Alice Bloch, in her review of Sunday’s “second cast” matinee performance in this week’s SGN, has detailed these and other visual elements, and I completely agree with her. I also share her view that the conducting by Emmanuel Joel-Hornak was uninspired, lacked nuance and failed to keep stage and pit together. One knows from years of excellence that it wasn’t the fault of the Seattle Opera Chorus that coordination with the orchestra was often poor. The problems plagued both performances. For these two performances, different singers shared the three main roles. By far the best music is given to the tenor and the baritone, and the primary focus of the opera from the very beginning is the bromance between them. Indeed, the most thrilling melody is that of their duet, in
Maureen McKay makes her Seattle Opera mainstage debut as Leïla in The Pearl Fishers – Photo by Elise Bakketun
which they profess their commitment to each other. In her review, Bloch saw right through the aggressively heterosexual, even homophobic, direction of Andrew Sinclair. Compare this staging of that duet, with the two men on opposite sides of the stage, to the lovely portrayal by Ben Heppner and Greer Grimsley of the intense bond between Tristan and Kurwenal in Seattle Opera’s Tristan und Isolde as directed by Francesca Zambello. Neither bond need be homoerotic, but Zambello showed that you don’t need to sterilize them either! As if to beef up the baritone’s manifest manliness, Sinclair even tosses in a gratuitous attempt-
ed rape of the soprano. Saturday’s tenor, Canadian John Tessier, as Nadir, had the ideal voice for this French light-tenor role. He can float beautiful soft high notes and caress the lovely lines Bizet gave him to sing. But, perhaps because of the seemingly unsubtle conducting, Tessier did not appear at his best. He seemed to force his voice a bit to be heard over the orchestra. Likewise, soprano Maureen McKay, as Léïla, seemed awkward vocally and in her movement in exotic costumes. Although she did warm up as the show went on, her vibrato lent an unpleasant edge to her voice.
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ductor; and a superb light tenor to play Nadir, the character with the most challenging music to sing. If the soprano and baritone playing Léïla and Zurga – both of whom love Nadir – can sing and act well, that’s a bonus. The “second cast” performance I attended certainly offered the bonus. In her Seattle Opera debut, soprano Elizabeth Zharoff unfurled a shimmering, expressive vocal line, including the best trills I’ve heard in a long time. She also moved with uncommon grace and wrapped a sari onstage like nobody’s business. Baritone Keith Phares showed off a strong voice and a commanding physical presence, as well as acting chops that almost made Zurga’s frequent, drastic changes of mood believable. Anthony Kalil has a fine tenor voice, but it’s not a light voice, and he seemed miscast as Nadir. Apart from a few intonation problems early in the opera, which I attributed to opening-performance jitters, he sang well. Baritone Joo Won Kang was impressive in the smaller role of Nourabad, which is normally sung by a bass or bass-baritone. But the real star of this production is set and costume designer Zandra Rhodes, whose zany, colorful fabrics created a magical atmosphere of sensuality and playfulness. The lighting designed by Ron Vodicka completed the visual beauty of the production and enhanced the dance sequences (splendidly choreographed by
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Elizabeth Zharoff makes her Seattle Opera debut as Leïla and Anthony Kalil makes his Seattle Opera debut as Nadir – Photo by Elise Bakketun
John Malashock). Two scenes in Act I were particularly stunning visually: the processional entrance of the veiled priestess Léïla, borne on a litter; and the preparation of her bed chamber – flower petals and pillows everywhere – by her attendants. Both of these scenes featured sets and costumes of brilliant orange and pink; the effect was pure enchantment. Less enchanting was the conducting of Emmanuel Joel-Hornak, which failed to keep the orchestra and chorus in sync. And less enchanting still were some decisions of the stage director, Andrew Sinclair. One of the charms of this opera is its depiction of the love between the tenor and baritone characters. In his essay for the printed pro-
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gram (“Bizet’s Now-Beloved Bromance”), Seattle Opera dramaturg Jonathan Dean writes, “This opera is about the two men and their relationship.” Unfortunately, Sinclair doesn’t seem to see it that way, instead favoring an aggressively heterosexual interpretation. The Act I tenor-baritone duet, “Au fond du temple saint,” is by far the most famous music in the opera. Although the two men begin by singing of their love for the same woman, they then declare their love and loyalty to each other: “Que rien ne nous sépare!” (“Let nothing separate us!”) The melodic and harmonic beauty of this duet makes it a favorite of opera fans everywhere, and the duet’s unmistakable homo-
And then there’s the amazing baritone of another Canadian, Brett Polegato, as Zurga. His powerful voice comes at you like a buzz saw...almost frightening in its volume and intensity. While not especially beautiful, his sound is expressive. I was also impressed by how, during the duet with John Tessier, he graciously tamed his inclination to sing at top volume, so that the tenor line was never lost. Making his Seattle debut in the smaller role of Nourabad, a priest, New Zealander Jonathan Lemalu was frustrating. His voice appears big, warm, and impressive, but his projection of that splendor is faulty, with missing notes for no apparent reason. What we got was choppy sound, with nothing approaching a legato line. I want better from him. Jonathan Dean, in his fine article in the program notes, makes the point that this long-neglected opera is now becoming more popular in part because its focus on the bromance is only recently more comfortable to modern audiences than in earlier, more homophobic eras. I would certainly agree, but for me this early effort by Bizet fails on too many fronts to be worth seeing more than once. The music, composed 12 years before Carmen, has only sporadic charm (unlike his brilliant student Symphony in C, written when he was 17!). The plot, even with “orientalism” tossed in, is too poorly managed to sustain interest. Reviewer Rod Parke can be reached at rmp62@columbia.edu. eroticism makes it a particular favorite of Gay men. (The equivalent for women is the soprano-mezzo “flower duet” in Léo Delibes’ Lakmé, used as the theme music of Patricia Rozema’s Lesbian movie I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing.) In Sinclair’s staging, the two men greet each other with hostility, not friendship. In the English caption for this production, Zurga describes Nadir as “my former friend,” as though there has been a rift between them. (A correct translation of the French text “l’ami de ma jeunesse” would be “the friend of my youth,” an expression of affection, not estrangement.) Then Zurga refuses to shake Nadir’s proffered hand, and most of the duet takes place with the two men at opposite ends of the stage. The music tells us that they love each other, but the director tells us that they don’t. Not only does Sinclair downplay the male bond at the core of this opera, he transforms Zurga from a conflicted, unhappy character into a rapist, without any justification in the text. I watched with horror as Zurga tore off Léïla’s sari, threw her to the ground, and assaulted her, while she sang words of love for Nadir and gave no indication that she was aware of what was being done to her – because in the libretto, no violence is done to her in this scene. The Pearl Fishers has a poorly written libretto going against it at best, but nothing in that libretto is as ridiculous as Sinclair’s reinterpretation of it.
Celebrating 41 Years!
shaping sound continued from cover
music genres and dance styles in an explosive dance theater experience perfect for all ages. The dance company Shaping Sound was established in Los Angeles in 2012 with a focus on contemporary dance and choreographic artistry. Under the Artistic Direction of Travis Wall, and co-created with Nick Lazzarini, Teddy Forance and Kyle Robinson, the company is an evocative collaboration by diverse artists who describe themselves as “visual musicians,” i.e., their dance gives shape and form to sound. The four dancers broke into public awareness in a big way with the debut of the reality television series “All The Right Moves” on the Oxygen channel. The popular series followed these lifelong friends and roommates in their quest to launch their own dance company – the company that is now the enormously successful Shaping Sound. Shaping Sound’s movement style provides its audience access to, and a greater understanding of, contemporary dance through a unique fusion of jazz, modern and hip-hop choreography. With a dynamic mix of energy, emotion and athleticism, the ensemble brings tremendous musicality of movement to each performance. Lauded by the commercial dance world and immensely popular with audiences of all ages, the company members have been showcased on all of America’s popular primetime dance, awards, entertainment and music shows including: “So You Think You Can Dance,” “Dancing With The Stars,” “Glee,” “American Idol,” “The Voice” and “The 2013 Prime Time Emmy Awards” to name a few. They have toured internationally with an impressive array of the world’s top recording artists, and with award-winning dance companies. Respected by both critics of dance and by the entertainment industry in general, Shaping Sound has quickly built an important critical resume and an impressively large fan base. BroadwayWorld.com described the show as: “Electrifying and stunning … Aficionados of contemporary dance should do everything in their power to attend SHAPING SOUND.” And The Advocate said: “Once in a generation there is a group of artists who change the trajectory of a genre.” After a Dallas-area performance, TheatreJones.com stated: “The choreography creates a visual effect that is mesmerizing.” The combined resumes of the founding members show an impressive foray into the top echelon of the American entertainment industry: TRAVIS WALL was the runner-up in Season Two of the Fox reality show, “So You Think You Can Dance,” and went on to become a resident choreographer and now holds the pivotal role of “Mentor” to the Team Stage dancers in the show’s 12th season. His work has been nominated for five consecutive Emmy© Awards for “Outstanding Choreography.” He choreo-
Shaping Sound – Courtesy of Seattle Theatre Group
graphed Carrie Underwood’s music video “Something In The Water” which received the 2015 CMT Award for “Best Music Video.” The video was danced by the Shaping Sound company. Travis assisted with the choreography of the “The 82nd Academy Awards,” and with Drake for “The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards” and has worked with Florence and the Machine, Chelsea Handler, Eminem, and Rihanna. Travis also choreographed the contemporary numbers for the feature film, Step Up Revolution. Currently, he teaches on tour with NUVO Dance Convention.
NICK LAZZARINI is the season one winner of the Fox reality show “So You Think You Can Dance” and he has been featured in countless publications, including three covers of Dance Spirit Magazine. He was nominated for an Emmy with Shaping Sound for their performance on “Dancing With The Stars” in 2012. He has performed on “The Emmy Awards,” “The Oscars,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “American Music Awards,” “The MTV Video Music Awards,” and multiple other television appearances. He has been featured in musical numbers with several recording artists including Carrie Underwood, Adele, Kelly Clarkson, and Florence and the Machine. Currently he teaches on tour for JUMP Dance Convention. TEDDY FORANCE is a fourth generation dancer with his family’s dance studio, the Hackworth School of Performing Arts in Massachusetts. He turned professional by the age of 17 travelling throughout Greece as a dancer for the international pop star Anna Vissi. He has partnered with
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many esteemed choreographers including Mia Michaels – where he assisted the “Celine Dion Taking Chances” tour and performed as a lead dancer in Cirque du Soleil’s Delirium. He is well-known for his work in seasons two and three of the Fox television reality show “So You Think You Can Dance” for which he received an honorary Emmy© Award nomination. He is a featured performer on “Dancing with the Stars” and works as a choreographer for Julianne Hough and Kenny Wormald. He has performed with an array of award-winning artists including Lady Gaga performing on “American Idol,” Usher at “The American Music Awards,” Florence and the Machine at “The MTV Video Music Awards” and choreographed for Kelly Clarkson on “The American Music Awards.” He recently performed on “The 2013 Emmy Awards.” Currently, he teaches internationally for JUMP Dance Convention.
KYLE ROBINSON began dancing when he was eleven years old and quickly mastered all movements and forms of the art. By the age of eighteen, he was awarded the “Gold Award in Modern Dance” from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA). It was during this time that he met legendary dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov who has served as Kyle’s mentor since. He trained at the Julliard School, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Throughout college he worked as a freelance dancer with Aszure & Artists and the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company. He played “Diesel” in the recent, highly reviewed first national tour of West Side Story. Kyle recently performed on “The 2013 Emmy Awards,” “X Factor” and this past season in “Glee.”
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BREAK THE FLOOR PRODUCTIONS and Seattle Theatre Group are pleased to bring SHAPING SOUND to Seattle for one show only at The Paramount Theatre, Thursday, October 29 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $31.25 (not including fees) and are available now online at Tickets. com, 24-hour ticket kiosks located outside the Paramount, Moore, and Neptune Theatre, Sonic Boom Records in Ballard, in person at the Paramount box office, or may also be purchased by phone at 1-877-STG4TIX. For more information, visit STGPresents.org and www.SHAPINGSOUNDCO. COM. SHAPING SOUND is produced by BREAK THE FLOOR PRODUCTIONS, LLC, Executive Producer Gil Stroming and Producer Nikole Vallins, and is considered one of the world’s preeminent dance entertainment companies today. In addition to touring theatrical productions, they produce dance conventions in 75 cities throughout the year, which encompass dance workshops, dance competitions, photo and video production, corporate events and apparel. With a broad range of business prospects and a reach of over 250,000 dancers annually, BREAK THE FLOOR PRODUCTIONS is largely responsible for the transformation of dance entertainment. Courtesy of Seattle Theatre Group
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Edmonds Center for the Arts presents The Rocky Horror Picture Show Edmonds Center for the Arts will celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show on Friday, October 30. The pre-show starts at 9 p.m. and the film begins at 10 p.m. The evening will kick off with pre-show entertainment, including a Rocky Horror costume contest led by a live cast. The cast will then show audience members how to use their free party pack during the film and suggest some appropriate heckles and accompanying actions for full audience participation. Pull up your fishnets, starch your gold shorts, and get ready to become a creature of the night at the strangest, sexiest film of all ages! Give yourself over to absolute pleasure when the mother of all cult classics hits ECA’s big screen with The Admiral Theater’s live cast! Please note that this film is rated R. Under the age of 17 requires the accompaniment of a parent or adult guardian. Tickets are $20, $15 and $5. Tickets can be purchased online at www.ec4arts.
org, by calling 425-275-9595, or visit us in person at the ECA Box Office located at 410 Fourth Avenue North. ECA is a proud member of TeenTix, and offers $5 tickets to teens at the ECA Box Office on the day of the performance, pending availability. To become a TeenTix member, register at www.teentix.org. Edmonds Center for the Arts (ECA), is a non-profit performing arts facility located in scenic downtown Edmonds, Washington. Located in the historic original Edmonds High School building, ECA was remodeled and opened in October 2006 to be a cultural resource for the Puget Sound region through performing arts presentations, community partnerships and education outreach programs. Courtesy of Edmonds Center for the Arts
Grand Rapids Ballet was pure delight! by Sharon Cumberland SGN A&E Writer GRAND RAPIDS BALLET “MOVEMEDIA” CORNISH PLAYHOUSE AT SEATTLE CENTER October 10 Everyone who was at Cornish Playhouse for Grand Rapids Ballet’s “MOVEMEDIA” was in for a treat – four treats, in fact, since one dance was as delightful and interesting as the other. The program was performed by a troupe of young dancers whose precision, energy, and humor was an ever-increasing pleasure throughout the evening. I think I should have known that the Grand Rapids Ballet was coming to Seattle, but I had never heard of the group before. I didn’t learn about it until I attended a lecture at Pacific Northwest Ballet at which PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal interviewed former PNB principal dancer Patricia Barker who was in town to help him stage the revival of Balanchine’s “Prodigal Son.” She had danced the role of the Siren at PNB and Peter Boal had danced the role of the Son at the New York City Ballet, so they were able to re-stage Balanchine’s iconic work on a new generation of dancers. If you were lucky enough to see the recent PNB program, “See the Music,” you know how successfully they did their work. Well, it turns out that Patricia Barker’s life after retiring from PNB is being the Artistic Director of the Grand Rapids Ballet, a job she’s had since 2010. By all accounts she’s doing a fabulous job in bringing new life and professionalism to that company by commissioning new works for them and directing their ballet school. They performed two programs at the Cornish Playhouse (formerly Intiman): “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (2014) choreographed by another PNB alum, Olivier Wevers, and “MOVEMEDIA,” a collection of four new and in-
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novative dances that show off the sharp, expressive skills of Grand Rapids Ballet’s young troupe. I’m very sad not to have seen “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” – especially since I admire the work of Olivier Wevers and remember Patricia Barker so well in one of her signature roles as Titania in Balanchine’s version of that great Shakespearean ballet. But I really got a sense of the flexibility and range of the Grand Rapids Ballet as they performed in “MOVEMEDIA,” a varied and challenging program of uniform excellence. Though my explorations on You Tube show that the Grand Rapids Ballet perform many classical and new ballets, as their company title indicates, this particular program was an exploration in modern dance. “Slight” (2015) – Choreography by Penny Saunders I last saw a work by this choreographer in Whim W’Him’s program “Threefold,” which included her “Soir Bleu,” a work based upon an Edward Hopper painting. This new work, commissioned for Grand Rapids Ballet, is considerably more abstract but equally expert in moving dancers across the stage in complex patterns. The program notes tell us that “Slight” is an exploration of light and shadow – a clear element in the creation of effects. But I was more interested in Saunders clever use of forces, as they moved on and off the stage in surprising developments to dramatic string music. My favorite sequence was when a bar of lights dropped down from the fly to about three feet from the floor. Four couples then sat down in the dark with only their arms in the light, performing a very clear, very witty line dance with their hands, fingers, and elbows. At one point the girls rolled over onto the boys so that the configurations merged into four-armed conversations. As I sit in dark auditoriums writing in
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my notebook, I sometimes can’t read my own blind scrawls, but on this dance my writing is clear: in big block letters – I LOVE IT! “Beethoven Excerpt” (2015) – Choreography by Mario Radakovsky I also loved this “orchestra” of twentyone dancers in swallowtail coats sitting in orchestral sections, acting out the opening section of Beethoven’s familiar 5th Symphony. While some of the gestures were the same ones that you and I would make to indicate a violin, a clarinet, or a drum, the dance gestures not only imitated instruments, but demonstrated dynamics and tempo with dancers leaping onto their chairs, leaning back in their chairs and throwing their feet into the air, and even brandishing their chairs above their heads. To see a fugal passage flow across the stage with groups of dancers performing the same musical gestures like a tidal wave is to see the music embodied in a third dimension. This brilliant dance is not only funny, frantic, and dramatic – it is a moving exploration of Beethoven’s passionate music. “The Envelope” (1984) – Choreography by David Parsons In this clever, somewhat Kafkaesque dance, an envelope – presumably containing an unwanted message – is passed hand-to-hand by a group of odd characters the program identifies as spies, Ditz, First Death and King – but they all look like members of a modernist version of the Ministry of Silly Walks. They pass the letter around in a kaleidoscopic array of patterns to the comical strains of Rossini and to the peals of laughter coming from the audience, until the letter is finally flung off stage – only to be flung back again by an unseen, godlike hand that keeps these busy cogs turning in their bureaucratic wheel ad infinitum. It was a humorous commentary on the twentieth century that we in the
digital age can laugh at, forgetting for the moment that we are in service to the many electronic devices the envelope represents. “Written & Forgotten” (2014) – Choreography by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa This work was commissioned for the Grand Rapids Ballet who perform it with the commitment of dancers who have had an internationally famous choreographer build an original work on their bodies. On a white stage androgynous dancers enter with red balloons balanced on different parts of their anatomies in a circus-like evocation of childhood. The dreamy sequences range from a slow-moving dancer creeping across stage in an inverted V with a balloon attached to her rear that appears to be holding her up, to a racy boy in red undies who leads the finale to Leonard Cohen’s “Dance me to the end of love” (though Cohen is not credited in the program). “Written & Forgotten” is a joyful and exuberant reminder of the spontaneity of youth we’ve forgotten – represented by a conservatively dressed central figure who is confused and somewhat alarmed by the gang of dancers in red undies who jiggle, jump, and cavort with balloons, red clown noses, and uninhibited relish in one another. Like him, we finally embrace the jolly passion of the racy boy who moves his gorgeous rear end in multitudinous directions while forming a beating heart with his fingers over his chest. We want to throw him kisses, or jump up and dance ourselves. The Grand Rapids Ballet’s delightful embodiment of Ochoa’s choreography somehow convinces us that we, too, have red undies on underneath. Many thanks to Patricia Barker and the Grand Rapids Ballet for bringing their terrific troupe to Seattle. Come back soon and often!
Celebrating 41 Years!
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Guillermo del Toro’s Peak a romantically gothic ghost story by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer CRIMSON PEAK Now playing It is 1901, a new century is still in its infancy and Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) is eager to make her mark on the world. Coming from a working class background, her loving father Carter (Jim Beaver) a self-made man who molded his New York reputation, and his fortune, through hard work and an unstoppable resolve, the young woman is looking to be a writer on the same level as Mary Shelley, crafting dark, dangerous stories of the macabre she just knows readers will thrill to. Into her life comes mysterious Englishman Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston). He and his sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain) have come to America looking for financial backers to fund a miraculous invention they believe will revolutionize the mining industry. There is something about this tall, wellmannered foreigner that catches Edith’s eye, so much so she finds herself falling for him, much to the consternation of the protective Carter. Yet, when tragedy strikes, she finds it easy to fall into his comforting arms, the pair getting married and eventually heading back across the ocean to the Sharpe’s ancestral home, the secluded countryside mansion Allerdale Hall. There are ghosts lurking everywhere in director Guillermo del Toro’s latest spinetingling horror opus Crimson Peak, but much like similar supernatural winners Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone, the real dangers coming to assault the protagonists here are of a much more human nature. Allerdale Hall is by all accounts a house that literally drips blood, the thick, gelatinous red clay on which the mansion was built seeping through every nook, cranny and crevices. It gives things a sinister, unsettling atmosphere that only becomes more disquieting when bruised, battered and deformed apparitions make themselves known to a confused, yet still curious, Edith, the reasons for their arrival the central mystery around which all events inside del Toro and co-writer Matthew Robbins’ (Dragonslayer, Mimic) malevolent screenplay revolve. Those expecting some down and dirty tale of ghosts out for revenge have another thing coming, del Toro’s name-dropping of Frankenstein author Shelley early on speaking volumes. This movie owes more to Alfred Hitchcock’s take on Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca or Francis Ford Coppola’s unabashedly sexual envisioning of Bram Stoker’s Dracula than it does Paranormal Activity or The Grudge, the whole thing a rapturously elegant old school gothic opus that emphasizes the sensual above everything else. The pace is measured,
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Mia Wasikowska as Edith Cushing in Crimson Peak – youtube.com
relationships between the three leads are emphasized, and the house itself becomes a character maliciously helping to orchestrate the action; and while the conclusion is suitably violent, it’s never so much so it overshadows the emotions fueling the carnage. At the same time, said central mystery is very easy to solve, and while watching the pieces being put together is an uncomforting hoot those with even a moderately keen eye know where all this is heading within the first few minutes. Additionally, as dashing heroes go, Charlie Hunnam, playing Edith’s former suitor and erstwhile protector, Dr. Alan McMichael, leaves a great deal to be desired. He’s got nothing to play, del Toro and Robbins writing him the movie’s only completely invisible character (and this includes the ghosts themselves), his love-struck surgeon cum amateur investigative detective a one-dimensional cypher who isn’t faintly interesting. Thankfully, the rest of Crimson Peak is aces. Thomas E. Sanders’ (Saving Private Ryan) production design is a triumph, the rotting beauty of Allerdale Hall speaking for itself. Same goes for Kate Hawley’s (Edge of Tomorrow) magnificent costumes, each piece of clothing having a lived-in carnality that’s uncomfortably intimate, helping the actors disappear into their respective characters more than just their performances alone would allow. As for veteran Dan Laustsen’s (Brotherhood of the Wolf) camerawork, it’s divine, each image having
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a hypnotically eerie elegance suiting the proceedings perfectly. Then there are the performances of Wasikowska, Chastain and Hiddleston. All three are terrific, each digging deep, giving themselves over wholly to del Toro’s psychologically unhinged turn-of-the-century gothic world. Wasikowska is a wonderful heroine, a strong-willed presence who, in spite of her fear, continues to search for the truth knowing doing so might be the only way to ensure survival while also potentially allowing the restless souls stumbling through Allerdale Hall some semblance of peace. Chastain is equally stunning, devouring her lines with a cadaverous relish that’s almost reptilian in its seductive viciousness. As for Hiddleston, for those who only know him as the Marvel villain Loki, they will be gob smacked by his cryptic, heartbreakingly complex majesty. You can feel the ghosts of Laurence Olivier and Gary Oldman influencing his performance, as well as elements of his aloof, set adrift rock star vampire from Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive, but then the actor takes things in such an internalized, self-aware direction the overall impact is staggering. He is a romantic victim to the nth degree, understanding his failures and shortcomings yet remaining terrified to do anything about them. Thus, when the time comes, when life and death must be decided, Hiddleston makes this moment of truth stunning to behold, a heartfelt moment of clar-
ity and purpose the consequences of which stuck a dagger through my heart while also bringing a couple of tears to my eyes at the same time. It’s no secret that del Toro’s affinity for horror and its romantically gothic undertones are immense. Elements of this are obvious throughout Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (as well as both Hellboy adventures), while his two bona fide masterpieces The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth dwell in this seductively chilling realm with a quietly unnerving majesty unique in and of themselves. Even more traditional, Hollywood-friendly efforts like Mimic, Blade II and Pacific Rim have their moments where they drip into this morbid terrain, making each of them more emotionally intriguing because of this than they maybe had any right to be. While there are issues, most of them are so minor, and the pleasures the film unleashes are so massive, Crimson Peak is still a shimmering example of gothic romantic horror at its best. With top-notch performances from Wasikowska, Chastain and Hiddleston, featuring stellar technical efforts from the entire production team, del Toro has crafted a magnetic spellbinder that does the genre proud. It’s one of the acclaimed director’s better efforts and, more than that, it’s also one of the year’s most memorably fascinating thrillers.
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Compelling Victoria a visceral one-take powerhouse by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer VICTORIA Now playing Victoria (Laia Costa) is ready to call it a night. Out at a Berlin nightclub, dancing herself into happy oblivion, she’s on her way home to get some sleep before having to open a neighborhood café in a handful of hours when she runs into charming local Sonne (Frederick Lau) and his rambunctious cadre of friends. Giving into temptation, she follows him to an apartment complex rooftop for a couple of beers, learning more about Fuss (Max Mauff), Blinker (Burak Yigit) and the fresh out of prison Boxer (Franz Rogowski) in the process. But it is Sonne who she shares an instant connection with, the young expat from Madrid starting to believe there’s a spark of intense mutual feeling developing between the two of them. Things take an unexpected turn when an old debt on Boxer’s part comes abruptly due. The man responsible for protecting him while he was behind bars wants to be paid for his troubles, and he’s got a little job he’s sure the ex-con and his friends would
be perfect for. No real planning required, this little early morning jaunt inside an outof-the-way bank vault will be easy money, only taking a bit of pluck, moxie and courage on the group’s part to see the job done. Victoria is a 138-minute, one-take wonder that is far more than its (admittedly sensational) cinematic trick. The film is a descent down a perilous rabbit hole, a dank and dangerous noir excursion that dexterously begins as anything but. Director and co-writer Sebastian Schipper sets up a fun, almost friendly scenario, Sonne and Victoria hitting it off nicely, making a believably intoxicating connection that’s as universal as it is passionate. There’s a great moment between the two of them involving a piano that’s divine, the aura of early romantic entanglement so palpable it permeates throughout the entire theatre. Schipper and his fellow writers set up a morning of youthful abandon, allowing a sense of the impossible being suddenly possible that anyone who has spent a night exploring seemingly forbidden activities in their late teens or early twenties should be able to relate to no questions asked. Of course, engaging in things that are not al-
lowed, or at the very least frowned upon, can have unintended consequences that can last for the rest of one’s life, and if the activities engaged in take an even more perilous turn, they might just end it. One bad decision, even if made with the most heartfelt and innocent of intentions, can change everything, and what starts out as a moonlit fairy tale can become a sundrenched morning nightmare at the flip of a switch. None of this should work. Why does Victoria allow herself to get swept up in Boxer’s dilemma? What is it about his friendship with Sonne that forces all the guys to follow him into danger? Why do they act like idiots the moment things look like they’re about to take a somewhat astonishing turn towards success? But, what’s interesting is just how organically everything happens over the course of this two-plus hours, the way Schipper slipped me right into his heroine’s shoes to the point her choices shockingly ended up becoming my own positively astonishing. Costa is remarkable, delivering a performance of sublime elasticity that gloriously encompasses everything Victoria is going through. She rides a startling emo-
tional rollercoaster filled with highs, lows and numerous in-betweens. The chemistry she develops with Lau happens with subtle ease, the way she transitions between moments so authentic it gives the proceedings a documentary-like verisimilitude it never could have achieved without her. Costa is mesmerizing, first second to last, the final sight of her dealing as best she can with the aftermath of all she’s experienced a punch to the gut like no other this year. The movie is a trick, of that there is no doubt, Schipper’s storytelling precision coupled with cinematographer Sturla Brandth Grøvlen’s detailed handheld camerawork beyond impressive. But if it were only this trick, only a visual device utilized to get curious cinemagoers inside the theatre, then the movie would be good, maybe a bit better than that, but not extraordinary, and that is exactly what Victoria is. The script is so tight, so intimately wound, that each turn of the screw becomes increasingly relatable no matter how outlandish or extreme things ultimately become. This is something amazing, watching it a visceral mindbender that runs the full gamut of the human experience.
Effectively sparse Spies an engaging Cold War thriller by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer BRIDGE OF SPIES Now playing With the Cold War raging, the FBI has arrested Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) as a Russian spy. Wanting to show the world that American justice is equal for everyone no matter what the crime, the Justice Department, with the assistance of his fatherly boss Thomas Waters, Jr. (Alan Alda), urges esteemed Brooklyn lawyer James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks) to defend the accused to the best of his abilities. While his wife Mary (Amy Ryan) would rather he’d decline, the patriotic jurist sees it as his duty to take on the case, realizing that by doing so he’ll likely become the second most hated man in the country, the first being the client he’s now agreed to represent. Understanding just how great a service he has done for his country, after the trial has come to an end and the appeals process has been exhausted, the State Department has a new task for Donovan, one they are certain he is the most suitable candidate to take on. There has been an international incident in Russia, a CIA plane crashing to earth, its pilot Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell) being held as a spy. The government would like the lawyer to go to East Berlin and negotiate for his release, not as his country’s representative but as a lawyer still trying to speak for his client even after the battle has ostensibly been lost. They want Donovan to trade Rudolf Abel for Francis Gary Powers, and they want him to do it before the Air Force pilot gives into interrogation and reveals secrets the CIA would rather stay unspoken. Inspired by real events, Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies is a handsomely mounted, remarkably entertaining procedural that’s as compelling as it is informa-
tive. While not quite soaring to the same, instantly classic heights as the filmmaker’s last historical endeavor, Lincoln, this is without a doubt one of the storied director’s best films in over a decade, at least since the double-whammy of Minority Report and Catch Me If You Can, probably since his criminally underrated A.I.: Artificial Intelligence. It is an invigorating, old school drama made with the same care and attention to detail Stanley Kramer brought to films like Judgment at Nuremburg, Inherit the Wind and The Defiant Ones, showing a measured touch that in many ways is extraordinary. Not that the film isn’t without its idiosyncratic quirks. Working from a script by Matt Charman (Suite Française) and, most notably, brothers Joel and Ethan Coen (True Grit, Raising Arizona), there is an absurdist, slyly comedic thread dangling throughout, one that energizes scenes and moments in oftentimes startling ways. The conversations between Donovan and Abel are particularly captivating, the level of understanding that grows between the two men ingeniously coupled with a knowing acid-laced comprehension that the incidents they are involved in have little to do with law and order and almost everything to do with political gamesmanships between competing nations. Hanks is in stoic, all-American everyman mode, channeling his inner Gregory Peck or Henry Fonda in order to bring Donovan to life. Yet the performance is still sensational, filled with little beats and moments that help shade the whip-smart lawyer in ways that amaze. Whether he’s going one-on-one with Rylance or verbally dueling with The Lives of Others star Sebastian Koch (as an East German lawyer determined to get a deal for his country that would put them on par with the U.S. and Russia) over the life of another captured American, collegiate graduate stu-
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Mark Rylance and Tom Hanks in Bridge of Spies – Walt Disney Studios / huffingtonpost.com
dent Frederic Pryor (Will Rogers), the twotime Academy Award-winner is at his best, crafting a portrait of resilience, creativity and intelligence that’s fascinating. It is Rylance, however, who steals things. The veteran character actor, known for a variety of roles in projects as varied as “Wolf Hall,” Anonymous, The Other Boleyn Girl and Angels and Insects, gives one of the year’s best performances, exuding a quiet, knowing awareness that ends up befitting Abel magnificently. He dominates every moment he’s a part of even if he doesn’t utter a line, the way he sits on the corner of a bed smoking a crumpled up cigarette speaking volumes. His observations as to what is happening and why offer up a form of clarity that does not exist until he puts words to them, Rylance finding a way to give his cagey, world-weary spy a knowing electricity that allows for his presence to be felt even if he’s justifiably sidelined for the majority of the film’s second half. Unsurprisingly, on the technical front the movie is aces across the board. Veteran Spielberg contributors cinematographers Janusz Kaminsk (Schindler’s List) and editor Michael Kahn (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) are each at the top of their respective games, while new collaborators
costume designer Kasia Walicka-Maimone (Moonrise Kingdom) and production designer Adam Stockhausen (The Grand Budapest Hotel) do a spectacular job helping the director give this Cold War world life. Only composer Thomas Newman (Side Effects) comes up short, his music never achieving liftoff, the music instead sounding as if he’s attempting his best John Williams imitation instead of allowing his own Oscar-winning instincts to lead him in a personal, and likely more effective, direction. There are a handful of other, relatively minor annoyances, not the least of which is the way the script hangs Ryan’s loving wife out to dry with precious little to do other than pine for the safety of her husband, but in the end these do not matter nearly as much as they could have in lesser hands. Spielberg is in fine form with Bridge of Spies, his handling of the material confidently self-assured and magnetic. A stunning procedural, this is an intimate, engagingly personal thriller that held me spellbound first moment to last, building to a suitably tense climax upon the film’s titular location that’s as appropriate as it is divine.
October 23, 2015
Seattle Gay News 19
P.L. Travers: A spoonful of speculation by Gary M. Kramer Special to the SGN P.L. Travers, author of Mary Poppins, was born Helen Lyndon Goff on August 9, 1899, in the city of Maryborough, in Queensland, Australia (not in England, as many assume). She moved to England in 1924 and used the name P.L. Travers, an abbreviation of her pseudonym, Pamela Lyndon Travers, which she used in her days as a dancer and Shakespearean actor on the Australian stage. Reportedly, her wealthy relatives did not approve of Travers performing, so, being independent-minded, she moved to England where she forged a career as a writer. The name P.L. Travers appealed to Goff because it sounded more masculine – or at least gender-nonspecific. Travers was the name of her father, an alcoholic banker whose career declined almost as quickly as he did. (He died of tuberculosis at age 43.) His daughter was seven years old when he passed. The author, who first published poems as a teen in Australia, was fond of myths and fantasies. This may be why she was so good at acting and writing. She constructed her own rather mysterious persona so that no one really knows her truth. Her famous literary heroine, based on an aunt of Travers’, was a magical nanny who helped her charges through difficult situations with sensible, even tough advice. Travers, who was very no-nonsense herself, was also fascinated with eastern philosophy and theosophy, Sufism and Hinduism. In England, Travers lived with Madge Burnand, the daughter of the editor of Punch. The women shared a flat in London and later rented a cottage together in Sussex. Much speculation has been made about whether they were lovers. Actor Emma Thompson played Travers in the 2013 film Saving Mr. Banks, which depicted Travers’ battle with Walt Disney to make Mary Poppins. The actress was quoted in an article on the film in The Advocate about Travers’ relationship with Burnand. She stated, “I don’t know whether they were lovers or not, but she did live with Madge for a long, long time, and she certainly had very complex, passionate relationships with both women and men. She was an explorer of her own condition, and very possibly her own sexuality.” It was while living with Burnand that Travers published Mary Poppins, the work that would give the author her greatest fame. Travers wrote five sequels to Mary Poppins and, as Saving Mr. Banks depicted, she reluctantly sold the rights to Disney, who produced the famous film. Travers, apparently, was not fond of the Julie Andrews/Dick Van Dyke musical and particularly hated the animated dancing penguins. As mentioned, Travers is said to have had relationships with men and women, but few specifics about her sexual relationships
20 Seattle Gay News
P.L. Travers – Courtesy of Philadelphia Gay News
have ever been detailed. Her diary recounted her friendship (and possibly a relationship) with Jessie Orage, whose husband, Alfred Richard Orage, was a pupil of the spiritual teacher G.I. Gurdjieff. Travers became a follower of Gurdjieff, and through him became an occasional member of The Rope, a group that consisted mostly of writers, including Jane Heap, founding editor of Little Review, and Kathryn Hulme, author of The Nun’s Story. (Fun fact: Many members of The Rope were acquainted with Gertrude Stein, but Stein did not follow Gurdjieff; whether she and Travers ever connected is not known.) Valerie Lawson, author of Mary Pop-
But Jim Korkis, a Disney historian, was quoted in the Orlando Weekly (around the time of Saving Mr. Banks) saying that, “It has been assumed that Travers was bisexual, although no one really knows for sure. She was known to be extremely flirtatious around younger men. At one point, she told an acquaintance that she thought that Walt [Disney] had ‘eyes’ for her.” Travers certainly was secretive and private. It was perhaps a source of pride for her. A quote from her in a New Statesman article entitled, “The strange life of the creator of Mary Poppins,” [December 12, 2013] read, “I’m a private sort of person, as anonymous as possible – and that’s not hu-
Unpacking that quote, Travers is known to have written poetry for the erotic publication The Triad, and she wrote book reviews for New Pioneer, an anti-Semitic British magazine of the far right in the 1930s. The article’s last point likely refers to the fact that, at age 40, Travers adopted a son, Camillus, who discovered he was a twin at age 17. Upon learning this – and that his twin grew up poor in Ireland – his relationship with Travers became strained. It is entirely possible that Travers adopted Camillus so she would have someone to love. While she lived with Burnand, and was close to Orage, her rumored same-sex encounters may have happened without being disclosed. This is likely because Travers was alive (and prominent) during the era when women did not discuss relationships outside of marriage. Females in those days were expected to marry; if they lived together, there was always speculation about them being lovers. Moreover, if a woman lived alone, it was presumed she was likely promiscuous. Travers was certainly sharp enough – and discrete enough – not to let anyone know her true nature. For all anyone knows, she could have been asexual, given how little evidence there is of any lover(s). But whether Travers was asexual, bisexual or something else entirely, it was certainly a taboo at the time for a woman to be intimately involved with other women. As Travers was gaining fame as a children’s author, the exposure of a same-sex relationship could have been especially harmful to her career. (Travers was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1977.) This may account for why she felt she needed to maintain privacy. Travers never published an autobiography. And while the news articles and biographies hint at what might have been, all anyone can really do is speculate. Gary M. Kramer is an award-winning, Philadelphia-based film critic. He is a contributing writer to Philadelphia Gay News, Seattle Gay News, Salon.com, indieWIRE and various other media outlets. He is the author of Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews and co-editor of Directory of World Cinema: Argentina.
Emma Thompson as P.L. Travers in Saving Mr. Banks – joesgeekfest.wordpress.com
pins, She Wrote, a biography of Travers originally titled Out of the Sky She Came, indicated that both Travers and Orage “loved men.” Their close friendship, Lawson indicates, was formed over the loss of Orage’s husband, and Travers’ editor, George William Russell. Whether their friendship crossed over into a sexual relationship is not known.
October 23, 2015
mility.” Other articles about the author that surfaced around the time Saving Mr. Banks was released have been even more candid. According to the Daily Mail, Travers was said to be “neither warm nor kindly. She was an intellectual snob who wrote erotic prose, was a one-time fascist sympathizer, occasional and appalling mother.”
Celebrating 41 Years!
Meetings Events Activities
FOR A CALENDAR LISTING: Send details to: SGN, Attn: Community Calendar, 1605 12th Ave, Ste 31, Seattle, WA 98122. SGN phone: 324-4297. Fax: 3227188. 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 disabilities? See Jean’s List webpage www. scn.org/activism/calendar/disabilities.html for Marla Nonken’s disabilities accommodations lists. NOTE: Phone numbers accompanying listings are within area code (206) & locations of meetings/ events are in Seattle unless otherwise noted.
community calendar
SATURDAY - October 24
FREE Dental, Vision & Medical Care (10/22-10/25). Admission tickets distributed at 5am. Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, 301 Mercer St. First come, first served. Dental services: cleanings, fillings, extractions & x-rays. Vision: screenings, dilated eye exams, glaucoma screening, diabetic retinopathy, reading glasses & prescription glasses. Medical: physical exams, Pap smears, mammograms, x-rays, EKGs, ultrasounds, select lab tests, rapid HIV & hepatitis tests, foot care, wound care, flu shots, naturopathic & chiropractic care, acupuncture, behavioral health, nutrition & pharmacy councseling. No dental & vision on the same day. No narcotics. No medical marijuana prescriptions. 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. 448-8518. www.seattlefrontrunners.org. Best of the Northwest (10/23-10/25 & 11/13-11/15). Fri: noon-8pm; Sat: 10am-6pm; Sun: 10am-5pm. An art and fine crafts show. ‑Magnuson Park, Hanger 30, 6310 NE 74th St. nwartalliance.org. Inspire Youth Poker Slam. 5pm-midnight. El Gaucho, 450 108th Ave NE, Bellevue. Guests will enjoy an array of hosted premium drinks, incredible food provided by El Gaucho, attentive hosts and hostesses, a surprise musical guest, exciting live and silent auction items, and so much more! Tickets: $250/$500. 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.oasisyouth center.org. (Also meets Thursdays & Fridays 4-10pm.) Rainbow Duplicate Bridge. 6pm. Bus-accessible Central Area location. Every Saturday. Games also on Tuesdays & Thursdays. $4 fee includes coffee & snacks. For more information visit www.rainbowbridgeclub.org or email rainbowbridgeclub@gmail.com Gay City Presents How to Love This Queer Body of Color (10/22-10/25 & 10/29-11/1). 7pm. Gay City Calamus Auditorium, 517 E Pike St. In this spoken word series of performances, poets tell the story of their body as a Queer of Color, dissecting not only their bodies in relationship to love, but self-love & the relationship to the color of their skin. General admission $15-$20, students & seniors $12. gaycity.org/arts-season Margaret Cho: “The PysCHO Tour.” 8pm. Moore Theater, 2nd Ave & Virginia St. stgpresents.org; 877784-4849. This is Halloween (10/16-10/18, 10/20-10/25, 10/2710/31). The Triple Door, 216 Union St. Live music & dance, multimedia spookactular. tripledoor.com “Rhythm of the Rain”: A Revue of Rock & Roll’s Greatest Rain Songs (10/22-10/25). Thurs-Sat 10/2210/24 - 7:30pm; Sun 10/25 - 2:30pm. Features the vocal, dance & dramatic talents of the 28-member Vocalpoint! ensemble. Tickets: adults $20, seniors $15, students $10. nwchoirs.org/concerts-and-events Seattle Women’s Chorus “Hallows in the Cathedral: Spirits Rising” (10/23 & 10/24; 10/30 & 10/31). 8pm. St Mark’s Cathedral, 1245 10th Ave E. A spooky spectacular musical journey that includes ethereal harmonies & enchanting melodies. Tickets $25-$45. seattlewomenschorus.org “Water by the Spoonful” (10/23-11/14). 8pm. West of Lenin, 203 N 36th St. Seattle premiere of a Pulitzer Prize-winning drama. Elliot returns home from Iraq & struggles to find his place in the world. Written by Tony nominee Quiara Alegria Hudes. Directed by Julie Beckman. www.theatre22.org
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 Lambert House Art Night. 7:30-9:30pm. 1818 15th Ave. Every Monday. Bring your ideas & let’s have some fun. 322-2515, www.lamberthouse.org Washington Gender Alliance Support Group Meeting in Shoreline. 7:30pm. Center for Human Services, 17018 15th Ave NE, Shoreline. Meets every Monday. For information email info@washingtongender alliance.com Queers, Crackpots & Fallen Women AA. 8-9pm. SASG, 303 17th Ave E. Every Monday. Open women only AA group. 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org.
TUESDAY - October 27
St. Mark’s Cathedral Lower Level, Bloedel Hall 1245 10th Avenue East Seattle, WA 98121 (Capitol Hill) swg-sale.com Parking and entrance to the sale are free. Proceed to the back of the parking lot for entry.
Meditation for GBT Men. 11am-1pm. Cal Anderson House, 400 Broadway. Suitable for beginning & experienced meditators. Sponsored by Dharma Buddies. Contact Forrest Rode, 920-6117, Mike Chin (509) 990-0007, or Doug Allison, doug.l.allison@gmail.com. www.dharmabuddies.org. (Women may wish to contact our sister meditation group at www.LotusSisters.org.) Just for Today. 12-1:30pm. SASG, 303 17th Ave E. Every Sunday. Drop-in 12-step (Narcotics Anonymous) group open to anyone in recovery. 322-2437; www. sasgcc.org 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 625-0000; www.seattle-al-anon.org Rain City Soccer Club - Ripple Effect. Every Sunday afternoon. Location varies. Ripple Effect soccer team plays a weekly recreational scrimmage game for Gay guys in Seattle. To sign up visit www.raincitysoccer.org Seattle Prime Timers Rap Group. 12:30pm. SASG, 303 17th Ave E, Room 1. Subject: How important is religion or spirituality to the aging Gya man? Metro routes 8, 10, 12, 43. www.seattleprimetimers.org No Safeword Writers Group. 1pm. Meets 4th Sunday each month. NSWG exists to provide mutual support for members in the form of critique & commentary on each SUNDAY - October 25 other’s work, information about publishing opportuniFor information on GLBT-friendly religious/spiritual ties, & discussion of issues facing writers. For info & organizations in the Greater Seattle area, call or location, NSWG@sexpositiveculture.org; www.nosafe email Rick at the SGN office: 206-324-4297; sgn2@ wordwritersgroup.org (Also meets 2nd Tuesday, 7pm.) sgn.org. Rain City Jacks. 4th Sunday each month at 1pm; 1st FREE Dental, Vision & Medical Care (10/22-10/25). & 3rd Tuesday each month at 7pm. West Queen Anne/ Admission tickets distributed at 5am. Seattle Center Interbay. Location & membership details provided upon Exhibition Hall, 301 Mercer St. See listing for Saturday, request. RCJ is a traditional jack-off club. Friendly, sex10-24. positive, non-profit and private. Membership required. Best of the Northwest (10/23-10/25 & 11/13-11/15). Adult men only. Enroll at the door. www.raincityjacks. Fri: noon-8pm; Sat: 10am-6pm; Sun: 10am-5pm. An art org, email info@raincityjacks.org or call 1-888-809-5035. and fine crafts show. Magnuson Park, Hanger 30, 6310 “Rhythm of the Rain”: A Revue of Rock & Roll’s NE 74th St. nwartalliance.org. Greatest Rain Songs (10/22-10/25). Thurs-Sat: Seattle Sunday Bowling. 10:30am. West Seattle Bowl, 7:30pm; Sun: 2:30pm. Features the vocal, dance & dra4505 39th Ave SW (at SW Oregon St). Open bowl every matic talents of the 28-member Vocalpoint! ensemble. Sunday for the GLBT community & friends. You don’t Tickets: adults $20, seniors $15, students $10. nwchoirs. have to worry about how you bowl! $6.50 + $2 shoe org/concerts-and-events rental. (425) 785-4725.
Visit us online www.sgn.org
October 24 thru November 1
Orca Swim Team Workout. Sun: 5-6:15pm; Mon/Weds/ Fri: 7:30-8:45pm. Seattle University, Connolly Athletic Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. Every Sun, Mon, Wed & Fri. Pre-registration required. Orca Swim Team workouts are for both competitive & recreational swimmers. www.orcaswimteam.org Shame to Grace Sunday SAA. 6-7:30pm. SASG, 303 17th Ave E. Every Sunday. SAA is a fellowship of men & women who share their experience, strength & hope with each other so they may overcome their sexual addiction or dependency. Seattle SAA helpline 237-8828, SAA International Service Organization 1-800-477-8191. SASG 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Pride League Bowling. 6:30pm. West Seattle Bowl, 4505 39th Ave SW. Every Sunday (except during the summer). Regular league bowling. Jeff, 932-3731. Gay City Presents How to Love This Queer Body of Color (10/22-10/25 & 10/29-11/1). 7pm. Gay City Calamus Auditorium, 517 E Pike St. (See Saturday listing at 7pm for details.) This is Halloween (10/16-10/18, 10/20-10/25, 10/2710/31). The Triple Door, 216 Union St. Live music & dance, multimedia spookactular. tripledoor.com Noche Latina - Latino Night. 10pm. Neighbours, 1509 Broadway. Every Sunday.
MONDAY - October 26
SOBER - On Meds. 1-2pm. SASG, 303 17th Ave E. Every Monday. 12-step group open to anyone in recovery & living on a medicine regimen. 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Strength Over Speed. 2-3:30pm. SASG, 303 17th Ave E. FREE drop-in support group (not a 12 step) for Gay & Bi men who desire recovery from meth. For information visit www.strengthoverspeed.org. SASG 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Pozitively Me! 6:30-8pm. Gay City Health Project, 517 E. Pike St. Every Monday. A group and conversation about HIV for Gay & Bi men newly diagnosed and for Gay & Bi men facing the challenges of living with HIV longterm. www.gaycity.org. Orca Swim Team Workout. 7-8:15pm. Seattle University, Connolly Athletic Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. (See Sunday listing at 5pm.) PFLAG/South King County Monthly Meeting. 7pm. Unitarian Universalist Church, 25701 14th Pl S, Kent. Meets 4th Monday each month. PFLAG/Puget Sound: 325-7724.
October 23, 2015
Lesbian & Gay Child Care Task Force Monthly Meeting. 12 noon-2pm. Call for location. Meets 4th Tuesday each month. The Task Force, in conjunction with Child Care Resources of King County, offers referrals to GLBT-welcoming child care centers & provides training, support & curriculum materials to child care providers. (To access this, call 329-1011 & ask for the “Gay-welcoming” child care programs in your zip code area.) The task force meets monthly to assess their progress in achieving their goals. LGBTQ Questioning & Allied Youth Drop-in Group in Renton. 6-8pm. Renton Area Youth Services (RAYS), 1025 S 3rd St, Renton. Meets 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. 6-7:30pm. SASG, 303 17th Ave E. FREE drop-in support group (not a 12 step) for Gay & Bi men who desire recovery from meth. For information visit www.strengthoverspeed.org. SASG 322-2437; www.sasgcc.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. Youths 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 the 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. Queer Young Females Group - For Female-Identified Youth, Ages 22 & Under. 6:30-7:30pm. 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. 322-2515, www. lamberthouse.org Knitters Wine Event. 7-9pm. Poco Wine & Spirits, 1408 E Pine St. Looking to unravel with friends & learn a new craft over a glass of wine? We’ve got a Wool & the Gang Knit Party coming. You’ll have on-hand knitting help from a Gang of knitters & you get to walk away with your very own snood. $45-$50. www.pocowineandspirits.com Tuesday Night Sex Addicts Anonymous (GLBTQI). 7-8:30pm. All Pilgrims Christian Church, 500 Broadway E (enter at 509 10th Ave E; buzz in, Dickson 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 237-8828. SAA International Service Organization 1-800-477-8191. Over 40’s Group - For Lesbian Women 40 & Older. 7-8:30pm. University Congregational Church, 4515 16th Ave NE, Pilgrim Room. Every Tuesday. Open group for Lesbian women, 40 & older, in every stage of coming out or being out. Lots of social activities in addition to Tuesday meetings. 545-3521. Rainbow Duplicate Bridge. 7pm. Bus-accessible Central Area location. Every Tuesday. (See Saturday listing at 6pm.) Different Drummers. 7:15-8:30pm. Every Tuesday. Hand drumming classes for Gay men. Learn traditional African & Afro-Caribbean rhythms & basic hand drumming techniques. Drums are provided. For info & location call Dennis at 363-4500 or www.outdrum.com “Seattle Justice: The Rise & Fall of the Police Payoff System.” 7-8:30pm. Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. Author and former Prosecuter Christopher T. Bayley will discuss his successful fight during the 1970s to end corruption in Seattle law enforcement and politics. FREE. What About Me? 7:30-9pm. SASG, 303 17th Ave E. Every Tuesday. Drop-in social, support & discussion group for Gay & Bi men of all ages. 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Spiritual Empowerment. 7:30-9pm. SASG, 303 17th Ave E. A group for all LGBT & friends of any spiritual belief to explore how spiritual practice can enrich their life. 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Who Says Feminists Have No Sense of Humor? Rachel Lark, Musical Muse of the Sex-Positive Revolution - in Tacoma. 8pm. University of Puget Sound, Commencement Hall, N 13th & Lawrence St, Tacoma. Musician & sometime philosopher Rachel Lark will happily fill you in on the context of her song titles as
Seattle Gay News 21
she appears in Tacoma on her one-woman mission to help the public think positively & fearlessly about sex. FREE. www.pugetsound.edu 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
community calendar
WEDNESDAY - October 28
Mature Friends Morning Exercise/Health & Fitness Get-Together. 10am. Ballard Odd Fellows Hall Bldg, 1706 NW Market St. Every Wednesday. An hour of health-related activities, followed by a walk around Greenlake & lunch at a local restaurant. . www.mature friends.org Movie Event: “Gen Silent.” 1-3pm. Greenwood Senior Center, 525 N 85th St. An award-winning documentary film following the lives of six LGBT seniors who must choose if they will hide their sexuality in order to survive in the long-term health care system. Join us after the movie for a facilitated discussion on the challenges of aging LGBT, even in Seattle, and finding open and affirming community. FREE; donations gladly accepted. RSVP to 297-0875. 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 362-7282 x 8018 or email lbagley@chs-nw.org Union Jobs Fair. 4-8pm. South Seattle College Georgetown Campus, 6737 Corson Ave S. Building E, 3rd Fl. Meet employers and unions that are hiring NOW in industries, including: Aerospace, Bus Drivers, Construction, Postal Service, Fire Fighters, Law Enforcement, Meatcutters, Stagehands, Truck Drivers, and many more. Presented by the M.L. King County Labor Council. GLOBE (GLBTQ Loving Ourselves, Becoming Empowered): A Support Group & HIV/STD Prevention for Youth (14-20) in Everett. 6-8pm. CCA Building, 3331 Broadway - Bottom Floor, Everett. Every Wednesday. Sponsored by PFLAG Everett chapter. David/Brenda, (425) 263-2908. globeleaders@hotmail.com POZSeattle Second Monthly Social: Halloween Spookiness. 6-8pm. CC Attle’s, 1701 E Olive Way. Meet us inside the “Olive Room” for drinks, tasty food provided by CC’s kitchen, socializing & a whole lot of fun. This event is provided at no cost, but to help with overhead we ask a $5 donation. The event is for all HIV+ men & their friends, regardless of age, shape, size, color or gender identity. www.pozseattle.com Queer Youth Unite! 6-8pm. HEYO Youth Space, 1161 11th Ave. A chance for young Queer folks to come together & discuss issues of importance to our community. This month we’ve teamed up with Street Youth Ministries for a conversation about how homelessness affects Queer youth. www.lifelong.org The Rowing Team Peer Recovery Group. 6-7:30pm. All Pilgrims Church, 500 Broadway E. Meets every Wednesday. This peer recovery group provides a safe & supportive faith community to share your recovery journey with, God answers our prayers & sends us a boat. Sometimes rowing furiously for yourself & sometimes for others. All are welcome. Seattle Gay & Lesbian Book Club. 6-7:30pm. SASG, 303 17th Ave E. Every Wednesday. Discuss the best LGBT novels with other book-lovers in a safe, comfortable conversation. http://faculty.washington.edu/swittet/ SGLBookClub/ SASG 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Lotus Sisters Meditation & Dharma Discussion North. 6:15-8pm. Ravenna Bryant neighborhood. Meets every Wednesday. Call 525-7295 for location. www. LotusSisters.org. Seattle Frontrunners Fun Run. 6:30pm. Volunteer Park (in front of Black Sun across for museum). Every Wednesday. (See Saturday at 9am.) HIV/AIDS Support Group. 7-8:30pm. SASG, 303 17th Ave E. Every Wednesday. Please arrive by 7:00pm. FREE peer-facilitated emotional support group for HIV+ men who are newly diagnosed or newly dealing. 3222437; www.sasgcc.org Hermanos Trans Latino & Foreign-Born Support Group. 7pm. Entre Hermanos, 1105 23rd Ave. Bilingual (Spanish/English) Transsexual support group meets 2nd & 4th Wednesday each month to provide information, counseling, healthcare, sisterhood & social activities for Latino & foreign-born people in their transition. For more information contact Abby 322-7700, www.entre hermanos.org Ingersoll All-Trans Drop-In Support Group. 7-9pm. Seattle Counseling Services, 1216 Pine St, Suite 300. 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. www. ingersollcenter.org Seattle Movie Bears Movie Night. Check website for details. Every Wednesday night. Gay & Bi men enjoy a movie at a local theater with opportunity to socialize before & after movies. More info: http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/seattlemoviebears; or e-mail: seattlemoviebearssubscribe@yahoogroups.com Mature Friends Weekly Bridge Group. 7:30pm. Call for location. Every Wednesday. All levels welcome. MF is a social organization for Gay men & women, 40 years & over. www.maturefriends.org Orca Swim Team Workout. 7:30-8:45pm. Seattle University, Connolly Athletic Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. (See Sunday listing at 5pm.) 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 meet-
22 Seattle Gay News
Except, No Bowling:
*9/27/15 *11/15/15 *11/22/15 *12/6/15 *1/17/16 *1/31/15 *4/10/16
ing 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 - October 29
Alcoholics Anonymous “Safe & Sober Group.” 12noon-1pm. SASG, 303 17th Ave E. Open meeting of AA. 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org. BABES Women’s Support Group/Lunch Meeting. 12 noon-2pm. Call for location. Every Thursday. The BABES Network is a peer led agency; a sisterhood of women facing HIV together. 720-5566 or 888-292-1912; www.babesnetwork.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 (Also Fridays 4-10pm & Saturdays 6pm-12 midnight.) Union Jobs Fair. 4-8pm. South Seattle College Georgetown Campus, 6737 Corson Ave S. Meet employers & unions that are hiring NOW, in industries including aerospace, bus drivers, construction, postal service, fire fighters, law enforcement, meatcutters, stagehands & truck drivers. office@mlkclc.org Everett-Snohomish County Friendship Dinner for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS. 6pm. Grace UMC (formerly Firs United Methodist). Meets last Thursday most months. FREE. Everyone welcome. Sponsored by the Evergreen AIDS Foundation & SNOCO Gay Men’s Task Force. For information call (425) 252-7751. Shifting Gears. 6-7:30pm. SASG, 303 17th Ave E. Every Thursday. Drop-in support group (non 12-step) for anyone of any orientation or gender who desires recovery from drugs or alcohol. 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org 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. Boys’ Group - For Male-Identified Youth, Ages 1422. 7-8:30pm. Lambert House, 1818 15th Ave. Every Thursday. 322-2515 ext 16. www.lamberthouse.org Gay City Presents How to Love This Queer Body of Color (10/29-11/1). 7pm. Gay City Calamus Auditorium, 517 E Pike St. (See Friday listing at 7pm for details.) “The Nightmare” ‑ Thriller Thursday. Doors 7pm, Costume Table & Judging 8-10pm. R Place, 619 E Pine St. Presented by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,
October 23, 2015
Abbey of St Joan to benefit the Sisters’ Granting Fund. Prizes for best costume: $1000 for 1st place; $500 for 2nd; $250 for 3rd. www.theabbey.org Rainbow Duplicate Bridge. 7pm. Bus-accessible Central Area location. Every Thursday. (See Saturday listing at 6pm.) Shaping Sound: Dance Reimagined. The Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St. Commercial dance unplugged with today’s hottest dancers. Groups of 10 or more call 315-8054; single tickets 877-784-4849. stgpresents.org Buddhism & Recovery. 7:30-9pm. SASG, 303 17th Ave E. Every Thursday. A meditation/recovery group. 322-2437; www.sasgcc.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. SASG, 303 17th Ave. E. Every Thursday. A discussion group that is strictly focused on sexual topics and relationship issues related to being a Gay male. 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Shaping Sound. 7:30pm. Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St. Commercial dance UNPLUGGED with today’s hottest dancers with Emmy nominated choreographers Travis Wall, Nick Lazzarini, Teddy Forance & Kyle Robinson from “So You Think You Can Dance” and “All the Right Moves.” Tickets: $42-$75. www.stgpresents. org; 877-784-4849. Sonic Evolution: Under the Jazz Influence. 7:30pm. Benaroya Hall, 3rd Ave & Union St. A genre-blending concert featuring the Seattle Symphony with acclaimed vocalist Shaprece, renowned jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, a world premiere by Wayne Horovitz, the Roosevelt Jazz Band & composer Derek Bermal. seattlesymphony.org 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.) “Water by the Spoonful” (10/23-11/14). 8pm. West of Lenin, 203 N 36th St. Seattle premiere of a Pulitzer Prize-winning drama. Elliot returns home from Iraq & struggles to find his place in the world. Written by Tony nominee Quiara Alegria Hudes. Directed by Julie Beckman. www.theatre22.org
FRIDAY - October 30
AA Ageless in Recovery. 12noon-1pm. SASG, 303 17th Ave E. Meets every Friday. A drop in AA group for older & wiser people 55+. www.sasgcc.org Re-Parenting Ourselves. 12noon-1pm. SASG, 303 17th Ave E. Meets every Friday. A peer support group for adult children of any addiction. www.sasgcc.org SLAA Road to Recovery. 12noon-1:30pm. SASG, 303 17th Ave E. Meets every Friday. Ongoing 12 step group for sex & love addicts. www.sasgcc.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 Strength Over Speed. 6-7:30pm. SASG, 303 17th Ave E. FREE drop-in support group (not a 12-step) for Gay & Bi men who desire recovery from meth. www.strengthoverspeed.org. SASG 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Gay City Presents How to Love This Queer Body of Color (10/29-11/1). 7pm. Gay City Calamus Auditorium, 517 E Pike St. In this spoken word series of performances, poets tell the story of their body as a Queer of Color, dissecting not only their bodies in relationship to love, but self-love & the relationship to the color of their skin. General admission $15-$20, students & seniors $12. gaycity.org/arts-season 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. 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. Orca Swim Team Workout. 7:30-8:45pm. Seattle University, Connolly Athletic Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. (See Sunday listing at 5pm.) “Things That Go Bump (& Grind) in the Night.” 7:30pm & 10pm. The Ballard Underground, 2220 NW Market St. A burlesque revue fortuitously scheduled to occur on Devil’s Night, where mischievous souls prowl the Earth performing sinister pranks & dark deeds. Tickets: GA $15 in advance or $20 at the door; VIP $35 in advance. thingsthatgobump.bpt.me/ LGBT Friday Night Al-Anon Family Group. 7:45pm. Seattle Counseling Service, Rainbow Room, 1216 Pine St at Melrose Ave. Every Friday. (See related listing Sunday at noon for details.) Greater Seattle AIS 24-hour number 625-0000; www.seattle-al-anon.org Seattle Women’s Chorus “Hallows in the Cathedral: Spirits Rising” (10/30 & 10/31). 8pm. St Mark’s Cathedral, 1245 10th Ave E. A spooky spectacular musical journey that includes ethereal harmonies & enchanting melodies. Tickets $25-$45. seattlewomenschorus.org “Water by the Spoonful” (10/23-11/14). 8pm. West of Lenin, 203 N 36th St. Seattle premiere of a Pulitzer Prize-winning drama. Elliot returns home from Iraq & struggles to find his place in the world. Written by Tony nominee Quiara Alegria Hudes. Directed by Julie Beckman. www.theatre22.org “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” - in Edmonds. 9pm doors; 10pm show. Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 Fourth Ave, Edmonds. Give yourself over to absolute pleasure when the mother of all cult classics hits ECA’s big screen with a live cast this Halloween! Pull up your fishnet, starch your gold shorts, and get ready to become a creature of the night at the strangest, sexiest film of all ages! Tickets: $15 & $20 - party pack included. www. EC4Arts.org; 425-275-9595. Madison Pub Star Wars Weekend: “Light Side of the Force.” 1315 E Madison St. Costume Contest: Cash prizes: 1st place $300; 2nd place $200; 3rd place $100. Never a cover. madisonpub.com Neighbours - “Asylum.” 1509 Broadway. Hosted by The Markos Sisters with DJs Trent Von & Billy The Kid. Costume Contest: Cash prizes. neighboursnight club.com
SATURDAY - October 31
(See previous Saturday for ongoing activities.) Gay City Presents How to Love This Queer Body of Color (10/29-11/1). 7pm. Gay City Calamus Auditorium, 517 E Pike St. (See Friday listing at 7pm for details.) “The Rocky Horror Dance.” 8pm-12 midnight. All Pilgrims Church, 500 Broadway E. (Enter on E. Republican St.) Come in your best or spookiest costume, and bring your date(s), meet new friends, and dance the night away! For Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer & Questioning youth and their allies ages 14-22. $10-$20 suggested donation. Lambert House events are alcohol, drug and hate free. Nearby buses: 8, 43, 49, 60. Seattle Women’s Chorus “Hallows in the Cathedral: Spirits Rising” (10/30 & 10/31). 8pm. St Mark’s Cathedral, 1245 10th Ave E. A spooky spectacular musical journey that includes ethereal harmonies & enchanting melodies. Tickets $25-$45. seattlewomenschorus.org “Water by the Spoonful” (10/23-11/14). 8pm. West of Lenin, 203 N 36th St. Seattle premiere of a Pulitzer Prize-winning drama. Elliot returns home from Iraq & struggles to find his place in the world. Written by Tony nominee Quiara Alegria Hudes. Directed by Julie Beckman. www.theatre22.org “Seduction” - Seattle’s Sexiest Halloween Party. 8pm. Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, 301 Mercer St. Features Crow, Fabulous Fab & Marius. Tickets: $40 single/$75 couple; $50 at the door. seattleerotic.org The Cuff - “Asylum.” 1533 13th Ave. Costume Contest at midnight. Cash prizes: 1st place $1000; 2nd place $500; 3rd place $250. $15 cover. cuffcomplex.com Madison Pub Star Wars Weekend: “Dark Side of the Force.” 1315 E Madison St. Costume Contest. Cash
Celebrating 41 Years!
prizes: 1st place $300; 2nd place $200; 3rd place $100. Never a cover. madisonpub.com Neighbours Presents “Freak Show.” Neighbours Nightclub, 1509 Broadway. Hosted by Aleksa Manila & The Markos Sisters with DJ Randy Schlager. $1000 cash costume contest. neighboursnightclub.com Purr Presents “A Very Scary Fairytale Halloween.” Purr Cocktail Lounge, 1518 11th Ave. A Halloween party not to be missed. Costume Contest entries begin at 9pm; Judging at Midnight. Cash prizes: Grand Prize $1000, 2nd Prize $500, 3rd Prize $250.
community calendar
SUNDAY - November 1
(See previous Sunday for ongoing activities.) Border Riders Motorcycle Club First Sunday Ride. Contact Border Riders for details and rendezvous point. Meets 1st Sunday most months. BRMC provides a social & educational fraternity for individuals interested in recreational motorcycle touring. www.borderriders.com “Water by the Spoonful” (10/23-11/14). 2pm. West of Lenin, 203 N 36th St. Seattle premiere of a Pulitzer Prize-winning drama. Elliot returns home from Iraq & struggles to find his place in the world. Written by Tony nominee Quiara Alegria Hudes. Directed by Julie Beckman. www.theatre22.org PFLAG/Kittitas County. 4-5:30pm. First United Methodist Church, 3rd & Ruby Sts, Ellensburg. Meets the first Sunday of every month. For information, (509) 925-7937. Gay City Presents How to Love This Queer Body of Color (10/29-11/1). 7pm. Gay City Calamus Auditorium, 517 E Pike St. (See Friday listing at 7pm for detaiils.)
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
Allyship - an organization of LGBTQ individuals fighting for economic and social justice. www.LGBTQ Allyship. org, allyship@yahoo.com, 279-8169. American Veterans for Equal Rights - www.aver.us BiNet Seattle is a mixed gender, social group for Bisexuals, their partners & other Bi-friendly folks - www. binetseattle.org. Central Washington University GALA Hotline: (509) 963-1994. DIFFA/Seattle (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS). 763-8885; www.diffaseattle.org DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT: Crisis Clinic, 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 Network - support & advocacy for Bisexual, Trans, Lesbian & Gay Survivors of Abuse & Dating Violence, 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, 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 - 324-2570; www.equal rightswashington.org Freely Speaking Toastmasters - www.freelyspeaking.org Gay City organizes events & activities for Gay & Bi men & offers anonymous & confidential HIV/STD testing at the Center for LGBT Health, 517 E Pike St. More info or to schedule an appointment, 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. GLSEN/WA - Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network - 330-2099; www.glsenwa.org Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) - 3639188; www.thegsba.org HIV/AIDS Program, Seattle/King County Dept of Public Health, provides confidential/anonymous information about & testing for HIV/AIDS. 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, 328-8979. Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle & the Olympic & Rainier Empire - www.facebook.com/ISCSORE; www. imperialcourtofseattle.com Lambert House - 322-2515; www.lamberthouse.org LGBT Library - 517 E Pike St. Open Mon-Fri 2-8pm; Sat 2-5pm. LGBT MS Connection - 250-5002; LGBTMS Connection@gmail.com. Support group for LGBT persons with MS and their partners and their caregivers. Lifelong AIDS Alliance - 328-8979, www.lifelongaids alliance.org MEN: Gay City: 860-6969, www.gaycity.org; Knights of Mantra: 329-0886, www.jetchapterkofm.com; Mature Friends: Gay men & women 40 & over, www.mature friends.org; Northwest Bears: www.nwbears.com; The Olympians: www.TheOlympians.net; POZSeattle: www.pozseattle.org; Q-Squared: www.qsquared.org; Rain City Jacks: 888-809-5035, 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. 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: 388-1408, 323-0750. www.flying house. org. Northwest Lesbian & Gay History Museum Project - gayhistnw@aol.com Northwest Rainbow Alliance for the Deaf - www. nwrad.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. www.outandequal.org/affiliates/seattle PARENTHOOD: Families Like Ours provides a gateway for LGBT families interested in adoption: 441-7602, www.familieslikeours. org; Family Works offers support, information & activities for LGBT families: 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/proud-and-loud-families-northwest, plfnorthwest@aol.com; Queer Parent Networking Dinners: 568-7777, info@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.pflag seattle.org; PFLAG Bellevue/Eastside: 425-4836642, info@bellevue-pflag.org, http://community.pflag. org/PFLAGBellevue; PFLAG Pacific Northwest: www.pnwpflag.org; PFLAG Washington state: www. pflagwsc.org. PEOPLE OF COLOR: Asian/Pacific Islander Queer Network Program at API Chaya, 467-9976; Center for MultiCultural Health, 461-6910, www.multiculturalhealth.org; Entre Hermanos, GLBT Latinos/as, 322-7700, www.entrehermanos.org; Ile LaiLai, 7813565, iya@ilelailai.org; Men of All Colors & Cultures Together (MACCT), 923-8313, macctseattle@yahoo. com, www.macctsea.org; Nubian Pride Productions, nubianpride@gmail.com; People of Color Against AIDS Network (POCAAN) offers rapid HIV testing, M-F, 10am-5pm, 322-7061, www.pocaan.org and on Facebook; Seattle Two Spirit, SeattleTwoSpirit@ hotmail.com; Sistah 2 Sistah, LBT women of African descent, 322-7061, 255-8951; Sistah Sinema, www. sistahsinema.com, info@sistahsinema.com; TrikoneNorthwest, GLBT South Asians, (425) 985-4376, www. trikonenw.org; Two-Spirit Honor Project, 1-866-6850164; U.T.O.P.I.A. Seattle. Pride Foundation - 323-3318; www.pridefoundation. org Project NEON is a program of Seattle Counseling Service providing FREE information & services to Gay & Bi men to reduce health risks associated with methamphetamine use. 323-1768. www.crystalneon.org Public Health-Seattle & King County Online Com-
Visit us online www.sgn.org
prehensive Health Information for Sexual Minorities: www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/personal/ glbt.aspx Q Law: The GLBT Bar Association of WA - 682-6711; www.q-law.org; GLBT Legal Clinic - 235-7235. Resource & Referral Line can connect you to LGBTfriendly resources throughout Puget Sound and beyond. Call 323-LGBT Mon-Fri 2-8pm; Sat 2-5pm. At other times leave voice mail and your call will be returned. Or visit www.gaycity.org to view list of resources online or through Facebook. Safe Schools Coalition - www.safeschoolscoalition. org; 451-SAFE (451-7233). SEAMEC interviews, researches & rates candidates for public office on issues of concern to the LGBT community. 905-9941, www.seamec.org Seattle Area Support Groups & Community Center (SASG) 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. 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Seattle Commission for Sexual Minorities - 684-4503. Seattle Counseling Service for Sexual Minorities is a community mental health service for GLBT persons & their families. 323-1768. Seattle Out & Proud - 206-322-9561; www.seattle pride.org Seattle Police Department Sexual Minorities Community Advisory Council: kim.bogucki@seattle.gov Seattle PrideFest - www.seattlepridefest.org Servicemembers Legal Defense Network - (202) 328-3244; www.sldn.org SHIFT: A Peer Recovery Network - www.shift recovery.org Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, The Abbey of St. Joan - 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. Social Outreach Seattle (SOSea) - www.facebook. com/socialoutreachseattle 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 capitolhill cycling@ groups.facebook.com or jordan.l.simonson@ gmail.
October 23, 2015
com; Cascade Flyers: www.cascadeflyers.org; Different Spokes Bicycling Club: www.different spokes. 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; 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.seattlefront runners.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, 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 TRANSGENDER: Emerald City Social Club: (425) 827-9494; Gender Alliance of the South Sound: www. SouthSoundGender.com; Gender Justice League: www.genderjusticeleague.org; Gender Odyssey: www.genderodyssey.com; Hermanos Trans Latino & Foreign-Born Support Group: 322-7700; Ingersoll Gender Center: 329-6651, www.ingersollcenter. org; The New BoyZ Club: www.olympiaftmgroup. webs. com; Olympia Trans Discussion Group: www. facebook. com/pages/Olympia-Trans-DiscussionGroup/262449878114; Washington Gender Alliance: (360) 445-2411, www.washington genderalliance.com WOMEN: BABES: support groups for HIV+ women. 720-5566, 1-888-292-1912; Festival of the Babes: www.festivalofthebabes.com; Lesbians Over 40: 7220729; Mature Friends: Gay men & women 40 & over, www.maturefriends.org; 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 Girls of Leather: www.sgol.org; Tacoma Lesbian Concern (TLC): www.tacomalesbianconcern.org; WOWS: a fun, member-driven social group for Lesbians, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/womenofwest seattle; 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, 461-4493. 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; 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 in Washington state schools. 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; Health Education Youth Outreach: for LGBTQ youth, ages 16-24 - Jessica Hatlo, 206-957-1665, jessicah@llaa.org; It Gets Better Project: www.itgetsbetter.org; Lambert House: an activities & resource center for LGBT youth, 14-22, in Seattle, 322-2515, www.lamberthouse.org; www.MatthewsPlace.com; Oasis Youth Center: for GLBTQ youth, ages 14-25, in Tacoma, (253) 671-2838, www.oasisyouthcen ter.org; Parents, Family & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG)/Puget Sound: 325-7724, www.seattle-pflag.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; Queer Youth Space: 206-495-9963; www.queeryouth space.org; Renton Area Youth Services (RAYS): LGBTQ youth drop-in group, ages 12-18 - Sarah Hardin, 425-271-5600, ext 155; sarahh@ rays.org; Safe Schools Coalition: www.safeschoolscoalition.org; 451-SAFE (451-7233) (non-emergency), 1-877-SAFE-SAFE (1-877-723-3723) (crisis line); Seattle Young People’s Project (Queer Youth Resource Board): 860-9606, www.sypp.org; Teen Link: 461-4922, 1-888-431-TEEN; The Trevor Project: 866-4-U-Trevor; www.thetrevor project.org; True Colors - Connecting LGBTQ Teens: in Shoreline, 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/ Orion Center: 622-5555; YouthCare/Isis Program (Transitional Living Home for LGBTQ Young Adults, 18-22): 522-8412; Youth Suicide Prevention Program (OUTLoud-GLBTQ): 297-5922, ext 116, 1-800-273TALK, www.yspp.org
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E. THOMAS ST.
• JULIAʼS
METRO CLOTHING CO. • STUDIO 229 • PANACHE • LAUGHING BUDDHA TATTOO •
BELLEVUE AVE.
• SEATTLE COUNSELING SERVICE FOR SEXUAL MINORITIES MELROSE AVE.
HAIR CONNECTION•
E. OLIVE ST. THE SGN GLSEN ONYX LEATHER • SEA-MEC
BATHS
CLUB Z - (men) 1117 Pike near Boren - 622-9958 HOT HOUSE SPA & SAUNA - (women) SW corner of Pike & 11th (stairs behind Wildrose) - 568-3240 STEAM WORKS - (men) 1520 Summit - 388-4818
RESTAURANTS & BARS
88 KEYS - 315 2nd Ave. S. - 839-1300 BALTIC ROOM - 1207 Pine St. - 625-4444 THE BOTTLENECK LOUNGE
2328 E. Madison St. - 323-1098 C.C. ATTLE’S BAR & GRILLE 1701 E. Olive Way - 726-0565 THE CANTERBURY - 534 15th Ave. E. - 322-3130 CHANGES IN WALLINGFORD 2103 N. 45th - 545-8363 THE CRESCENT - 1413 E. Olive Way - 720-8188 THE CUFF COMPLEX 1533 13th Ave. - 323-1525 DIESEL BAR - 1413 14th Ave. - 322-1080 DOUBLE HEADER - 407 2nd Ave. S. - 464-9918 GLO’S - 1621 E. Olive Way - 324-2577 JAZZ ALLEY - 2033 6th Ave. E. - 441-9729 JULIA’S - 300 Broadway Ave. E. - 860-1818 KREMWERK - 1809 Minor Ave. #10 - 682-2935 THE LOBBY - 916 E. Pike St. - 328-6703
•WILDROSE • HOT HOUSE
MAE’S CAFE 6412 Phinney Ave. N. - 782-1222 MADISON PUB - 1315 E. Madison - 325-6537 NEIGHBOURS - 1509 Broadway - 324-5358 OUT WEST - 5401California Ave. SW POCO WINE ROOM 1408 E. Pine St. - 322-9463 PONY - 1221 E. Madison St. - 324-2854 PURR - 1518 11th Ave. - 325-3112 R PLACE - 619 E. Pine - 322-8828 RE-BAR - 1114 Howell at Boren - 233-9873 SEATTLE EAGLE - 314 E. Pike - 621-7591 TOMMY GUN - 1703 E. Olive Way WILDROSE - 1021 E. Pike - 324-9210
RETAIL SHOPS
CASTLE SUPERSTORE #17 206 Broadway Ave. E. - 204-0126 THE CRYPT - 1516 11th Ave. 325-3882 DOGHOUSE LEATHERS 1312 E. Pike St. - 257-0231 EMERSON SALON - 909 E. Pike St. - 323-7437 METRO CLOTHING CO. 231 Broadway Ave E - 726-7978 ONYX LEATHER - 1605 12th Ave. #8 - 328-1965 PANACHE - 225 Broadway E. - 726-3300 STAN’S ADULT SUPERSTORE 9630 16th Ave. SW - 762-3299 TABOO VIDEO - 1012 1st Ave. - 622-SEXY TOYS IN BABELAND - 707 E. Pike St. - 328-2914 UNDER U 4 MEN 709 Broadway Ave. E. - 324-6446 WILD AT HEART 1111 NW Leary Way - 782-5538
E.
IS AD
ST.
M
E. UNION ST.
LA CONNER
THE HERON INN & WATERGRASS DAY SPA 117 Maple Ave. - (877) 883-8899 info@theheron.com
OLYMPIA
DARBY’S CAFE 211 5th Ave. S.E. - (360) 357-6229 LOVER’S 3959 Martin Way E. Suite D - (360) 456-7300 JAKES - 311 4th Ave. E. - (360) 956-3247 URBAN ONION 116 Legion Way - (360) 943-9242
PORT ANGELES MAPLE ROSE INN 112 Reservoir Rd - (800) 570-2007
SPOKANE
ANDY’S 1401 W. 1st Ave. - (509) 747 - 0304 IRV’S (Drag Shows) 415 W. Sprague Ave. - (509) 624 - 4450 NYNE BAR AND BISTRO 232 W. Sprague Ave. - (509) 474 -1621 SPOTLIGHT LOUNGE 321 W. Sprague Ave. - (509) 624 - 0722
TACOMA
BAR MYX - 1212 California St. - 425-610-4071 LOVER’S - 112 SE Everett - (425) 353-3607 LOVER’S - 3402 Broadway - (425) 252-8754
CASTLE SUPERSTORE 6015 Tacoma Mall Blvd. - (253) 471-0391 CLUB SILVERSTONE 739½ St. Helens Ave. - (253) 404-0273 THE FANTASY SHOP 2301 6th Ave. - (253) 272-6640 LOVER’S 7002 Tacoma Mall Blvd., #F - (253) 475-2271 THE MIX - 635 St. Helens Ave. - (253) 383-4327 RAINBOW CENTER 2215 Pacific Ave. - (253) 383-2318 SHAKABRAH JAVA CAFE 2618 6th Ave. - (253) 572-2787 TANDEM FOR GEAR, CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES 3019 6th Ave, Ste. B - (253) 301-3026
KENT
TUKWILA
LOVER’S 193 Telegraph Road - (360) 752-1862 RUMORS CABARET 1119 Railroad - (306) 671-1849
EVERETT
LOVER’S 25801 104th Ave. S.E. - (253) 852-1720 THE VOYEUR 604 Central Ave. S. - (253) 850-8428 NASHVILLE’S SPORTS BAR (Drag Shows) 114 - Railroad Ave. N. - (253) 852 - 0909
October 23, 2015
ON
E. PIKE ST. • CHOP SUEY • MADISON PUB • DIESEL BAR • PONY
BELLINGHAM
24 Seattle Gay News
• POCO WINE ROOM
• THE CUFF COMPLEX E. PINE ST. • PURR • THE CRYPT • POST OPTIONS • DOGHOUSE LEATHERS
E. UNION ST.
SEATTLE
• THE GASLIGHT INN
LOVER’S 530 Southcenter Blvd. - (206) 248-5085
WENATCHEE
THE CELLAR CAFE 240 N. Mission St. - (509) 662-1722
Celebrating 41 Years!
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10 housemates
14 Help wanted
10 housemates
14 help wanted
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_______________________________ BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION MANAGER $37.87 - $56.82 Hourly Plus Excellent Benefits The Office of Economic Development is on the search for an experienced Business Retention and Expansion Manager. In this role, you will have the opportunity to play a leadership role in setting and executing the strategic direction of OED’s Business Retention and Expansion program, which provides outreach, problem solving, government navigation and connection to resources for hundreds of Seattle businesses each year. For more information and to apply, visit http://goo.gl/ oQt8nM by 10/27/15. The City of Seattle is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values diversity in the workforce. 42/1 _______________________________
11 for rent
11 FOR RENT
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12 12 housing wanted WANTED HOUSING _______________________________
13 13 housing for sale
HOUSING FOR SALE
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19 19 home services
HOME SERVICES
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20 20 health & health & well being WELL-BEING
_______________________________ ENERGY/BODYWORK Therapeutic massage. 29 years experience. Relaxation, major/ minor injuries, chronic muscle pain. Small Queen Anne home office/studio. Massage table or massage chair. Convenient parking. (I’m a Gay-friendly straight male graphic artist, web author.) First session 50% off = $45/1.5 hours (travel extra). By appointment only. References available. Chris Pringer, Reiki Master, 206286-0899. If you get a voice message mentioning “extension #,” please hang up and call back again. Brochure, testimonials, etc. via chalicebridge.com/BMIBrochure.html. 44/21 _______________________________
21 21 licensed LICENSED massage MASSAGE non-sexual
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RELAXATION and DEEP TISSUE massage on Capitol Hill. Last minute appointments welcome until 9 pm. Jeff, LMP, 206-6500542. www.broadwaymassage. com. 45/3 _______________________________ EXCEPTIONAL BODYWORK Given by highly trained LMP. I specialize in injury treatment, acute, chronic, and repetitive stress motion. I have a studio on CapHill, and one just north of the UW. Insurance accepted. Matt Shafer, LMP, 206-235-7766. 46/12 _______________________________
36 escorts
36 ESCORTS
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37 BODYWORK
37 bodywork
_______________________________ AMAZING BODYWORK! Deep tissue, erotic bodywork by handsome, hairy-chested, hung therapist. Reasonable rates. Photos, phone number and reviews at website: www.amazingbodywork. com. Robert. 43/6 ________________________________ EROTICALLY CHARGED nude full body rubdown from playful top, stimulating the senses. Get seduced. Incalls in Renton area. Scott, 206-355-4469. 25/3 ________________________________
DADDY BEAR The magic touch of bodywork. 12 noon-9pm. I’m known for my gifted hands. 206-328-5828. 45/3 _______________________________ GREAT MASSAGE given by highly-trained, clean-cut, handsome guy. I have two private studios, one on CapHill, and one just north of the UW. Call/ text Matt, 206-235-7766. In/out calls. 46/12 ________________________________ 38 men
38 MEN
_______________________________ PERSONAL Robert Nixon: Let’s talk. My name is Fred Rainville. 808-822-7171. 43/3 _______________________________ RAIN CITY JACKS Seattle’s own JO Club, RCJ hosts three group jack-off events every month. Hot, friendly, safe fun! Adult men only. 888-809-5035. info@raincityjacks.org; www. raincityjacks.org. 43/12
Dynamic Steve Jobs an electrifying triumph
Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs in Steve Jobs – www.geek.com
by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer STEVE JOBS Now playing Steve Jobs is not a traditional major studio Hollywood biopic by any stretch of the imagination. Resembling more a Broadway play as if it were written by David Mamet and Paddy Chayefsky working in tandem, presented like one of Louis Malle’s astonishing Andre Gregory collaborations, director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin have crafted a one-of-a-kind cinematic sensation worthy of a standing ovation. This is a film driven by the rat-atat-tat nature of its dialogue, each verbal twist and turn a thrilling mystery as to what is going to be said next and who is going to be lucky enough to get in the last word. The film is split into three sections, each set minutes before various important product launches Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender) is front and center to introduce. The behind-the-scenes mayhem is kept to a minimum thanks to the efforts of marketing
maestro Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet), the harried public relations wiz and close Jobs confidant, the one who has to monitor access to her charge before festivities begin. During the first event, the launch of the Macintosh personal computer in 1984, the most interesting guest inside the dressing room is Chrisann Brennan (Katherine Waterston), the Apple exec’s ex-girlfriend there to push him to recognize his 5-yearold daughter Lisa (Makenzie Moss) as his own and finally step up to the plate financially. Other guests include John Sculley (Jeff Daniels), the man coerced to leave Pepsi in order to come to Apple as CEO, and programmers Andy Hertzfeld (Michael Stuhlbarg) and Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen), the latter the co-founder of the company responsible for changing the face of personal computing while tinkering in a garage alongside Jobs. They aren’t the only people Joanna allows into the room with her boss, but they are the most important ones, each person adding input and insight as they make their respective cases for what they’d like him to say to the adoring throngs loud-
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ly cheering in the adjoining auditoriums for each respective product launch. Sorkin, working from Walter Isaacson’s best-selling biography of the Apple icon, has crafted a sensational script, one that’s potentially even better than his Oscar-winning one for David Fincher’s The Social Network. As mentioned, events are entirely driven by dialogue, things progressing forward with urgency and haste solely through the verbal interactions. More, the level of insight and understanding he is able to generate as to who Jobs was, his drive, his tenacity, his geocentricism, his self-awareness and, yes, his genius, all of that and more is on display. It’s a no-holdsbarred accounting of the man that attempts to dig below the surface in order to discover universal truths, not all of which are savory, whether it succeeds or not directly tied to the viewer’s own idiosyncratic point of view. Boyle is working at the top of his game, the man behind films as diverse as 127 Hours, Millions, Trainspotting and the Academy Award-winning Slumdog Millionaire navigating this untraditional terrain with sparkling, invigorating efficiency. The way he separates the three product launches (the NeXTcube in 1988 and the iMac in 1998 join the Macintosh as the other two) borders on dazzling, how he and his cinematographer Alwin H. Küchler (Sunshine) visually identify each shift in time both ingenious as well as completely organic to the story itself. It’s one of the most technically accomplished motion pictures released to theatres in all of 2015, yet it’s also just as doubtful most will recognize this truth, the inherent theatricality of the piece potentially keeping some from noticing. None of which would matter a lick if the performances were not up to snuff. Thank-
fully, everyone in the cast, every single person, no matter how big or small their respective part might be, is just wonderful, the most surprising of whom might be Rogen as Wozniak, the veteran comedian showing a depth and a range he hasn’t before now. But as good as he might be, and he is wonderful, the real standouts are Fassbender, Winslet and Daniels, all three giving performances as grand and as magnetic as anything they’ve ever given. It’s no great stretch to imagine that each could very well win Oscars for their turns, Winslet in particular subtly and cunningly becoming the film’s heart and soul as things progress to their rightfully open-ended conclusion. In most respects Hoffman is the voice of Jobs’ conscience, the complicated Jiminy Cricket sitting on Pinocchio’s shoulder doing her level best to steer him in as decent and as humane a direction as possible. I’m not an Apple historian. What I know about Jobs and his time with the company amounts to little (most of it tied to my recent watching of Alex Gibney’s documentary Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine). With that in mind, I can’t comment on how accurate a representation of the man at the center of all of this is. What I can say is, from a filmmaking perspective, from an entertainment standpoint, Steve Jobs is an exhilarating spellbinder, moving at a fervent pace as it attempts to show genius and all that comes with it – the good, the bad and the decidedly in-between – as intimately as it can. In the end the orchestra being conducted are the audience’s own emotions, Boyle and Sorkin the clever maestros making beautiful music out of them for everyone to enjoy.
October 23, 2015
Seattle Gay News 25
26 Seattle Gay News
October 23, 2015
Celebrating 41 Years!
Visit us online www.sgn.org
October 23, 2015
Seattle Gay News 27
28 Seattle Gay News
October 23, 2015
Celebrating 41 Years!