Visual Art
Yves Saint Laurent: The Perfection of Style
Few fashion designers reach artistic visionary status. Yves Saint Laurent was undoubtedly one of them. During his 44-year career, the Frenchman created sophisticated haute couture dresses and runway-worthy ready-to-wear outfits. He pushed for practicality in women’s style, making sleek pantsuits and adding pockets to dresses. The Perfection of Style features 100 garments, plus photographs, drawings, and films that illustrate the master’s process. Oct 11–Jan 8, Seattle Art Museum, seattleartmuseum.org[1]
Concert
The Julie Ruin
Kathleen Hanna has been a musical, political, and style trendsetter since she began howling at Olympia house shows in the early ’90s with Bikini Kill. Hit Reset—the bouncy and emotionally charged latest album from Hanna’s current rock band, the Julie Ruin, and its first on Hardly Art—proves that the original riot grrrl hasn’t lost any of her ferocity. Oct 8, The Showbox, thejulieruin.com[2][3]
Dance
Zoe | Juniper: Clear and Sweet
The sense of style that Zoe | Juniper brings to each new performance outpaces everything else in the local dance scene. The focus on maximizing visual impact makes each new work feel like a piece of fine art. Clear and Sweet mixes the angular movements of dancers in the round, elegant videography, and the American folk tradition of communal shape-note singers. Oct 20–23, On the Boards, ontheboards.org[4]
Special Events
Bellevue Fashion Week
For 11 years, Bellevue Fashion Week has been upending the idea that Seattle lacks any chic fashion sense. Premier events like Vogue’s Front Row Fashion Runway Show or the Northwest-sourced Independent Designer Runway Show feature some of the hottest looks around. Additional free events ranging from collections debuted on the catwalk at Bellevue Square to image consulting sessions always help make Seattle a little more stylish. Sept 21–25, Various venues, fashionweekbellevue.com[5]
Concert
Bill Frisell
Seattle jazz guitar wizard Bill Frisell has become an expert reinterpreter of his own nostalgia. After rethinking ’60s rock on his previous album, Guitar in the Space Age, he’s moved onto his cinematic childhood with When You Wish Upon a Star. Frisell adds a nuanced layer of emotion to every note he plucks in reworked versions of numbers from Pinocchio, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Once Upon a Time in the West. Nov 5, Moore Theatre, billfrisell.com[6]
Comedy
John Cleese and Eric Idle
Monty Python shaped generations of comedic sensibilities, and it’s damn delightful that the British troupe’s members still get a kick out of delighting audiences. Experience the legendary dry wit of John Cleese and Eric Idle when the duo team up for Together Again at Last…for the Very First Time, two nights of scripted and improvised bits, musical numbers, and plenty of uproarious storytelling. Oct 26 & 27, Moore Theatre, stgpresents.org[7]
Concert
Brian Wilson Presents Pet Sounds
The Beach Boys’ 1966 masterpiece, Pet Sounds, featured groundbreaking production, instrumental arrangements, and melodic complexity. Its very existence challenged acts like the Beatles to further experiment and expand their sound (see: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band). To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the album’s mastermind, Brian Wilson, plays Pet Sounds in its entirety for the final time. Oct 8 Paramount Theatre, brianwilson.com[8]
Books & Talks
Garrison Keillor
After four decades of sharing a certain midwestern homespun wholesomeness with the public radio staple A Prairie Home Companion, Garrison Keillor relinquished his hosting duties in July. But don’t expect Keillor to stop his storytelling ways anytime soon. Hear him spin folksy yarns (he’s got a lifetime’s worth) when he stops at the Paramount. Nov 15 Paramount Theatre, stgpresents.org[9]
Books & Talks
Diana Nyad
Distance swimmer Diana Nyad serves as living proof that it’s never too late to finish what you started. After failing in her bid to swim from Cuba to Florida at 29, she became the first person to make the watery journey without a shark cage at the age of 64. She travels to Town Hall to drive home the inspirational themes of her memoir, Find a Way. Sept 1 Town Hall, diananyad.com[10]
Concert
Kanye West
Love him or hate him, there’s no denying Kanye West’s ambition for showmanship. His ego forces him to try and top his own grandiosity with each successive award show performance, Saturday Night Live set, and tour. Armed with songs from The Life of Pablo (the first album to go to No. 1 primarily via streaming listens), West unleashes his latest spectacle. Oct 19 KeyArena, keyarena.com[11]
Food & Drink
Anthony Bourdain
There are culinary celebrities for every type of person, from sensible moms (Rachel Ray, Martha Stewart) to gastronomical nerds (Alton Brown) to everyman gluttons (Guy Fieri). But there’s only one man who’s made food cool, edgy, and slightly rebellious: Anthony Bourdain. The No Reservations host exuded sardonic charisma while traveling the world to eat, and he’ll discuss his street food journey and other adventures as part of a national tour in support of his first cookbook in over a decade, Appetites: A Cookbook. Nov 13 Paramount Theatre, stgpresents.org[12]
Classical & More
Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Conductors don’t show up as guests on The Late Show or Conan, but Gustavo Dudamel isn’t a mere conductor; he’s a classical music rock star. John Williams even tapped him to oversee music for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The acclaimed Venezuelan music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic radiates artistic energy that brings fresh life into every piece he directs. Don’t miss Dudamel’s magic when he travels with the philharmonic to perform Mahler’s Symphony no. 9. Nov 4 Benaroya Hall, seattle[13]symphony.org[14]
Concert
Drake
There’s currently no better hip-hop pop star than Drake. Because Drake wins. Whenever other MCs try to beef with him, he comes out looking like the victor. While others draw attention for their antics (Kanye), sociopolitical lyrical messages (Kendrick Lamar), or tonal clumsiness (Macklemore), Drake keeps on putting out hit single after hit single and outselling the rest. He may not be creating the soundtrack of the generation, but he’s dominating its party playlist. Sept 16 Tacoma Dome, drake[15]official.com[16]
Theater
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
It’s easy to long for the early ’70s when a talent like Carole King could write an album like Tapestry and become a superstar without any semblance of glitz or manufactured image. Her story comes to life on stage in the Tony-winning jukebox biomusical Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Oct 19–30 Paramount Theatre, stgpresents.org[17]
Theater
Disney’s The Little Mermaid
Just because the water in Puget Sound gets dreadfully chilly in the fall doesn’t mean one can’t venture under the sea. The musical adaptation of Disney’s The Little Mermaid brings mermaid princess Ariel’s quest for love and legged acceptance to the stage for kids (and their nostalgic parents) to enjoy. After all, everything’s better down where it’s wetter. Nov 23–Dec 31 5th Avenue Theatre, 5thavenue.org[18]
Theater
Hansel and Gretel
Trouble getting your kids into opera? Perhaps a familiar fairy tale can serve as an entry point. Seattle Opera’s colorful production of Hansel and Gretel tells the classic story of the siblings who must deny their sweet-tooth urges to outwit a witch. While children are unlikely to pick up on the German lyrics, the English subtitles offer extra reading practice. Oct 15–30 McCaw Hall, seattleopera.org[19]
Classical & More
Cirque Goes to the Cinema
It’s great to expose children to orchestral music, but keeping them engaged during a live performance can sometimes feel like an impossible task. Performance company Cirque de la Symphonie is here to help. The ensemble features acrobats, aerialists, and jugglers to provide visual excitement while the Seattle Symphony performs selections from movie scores like Raiders of the Lost Ark. Oct 7–9 Benaroya Hall, seattle[20]symphony.org [21]
Theater
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Some childhood adventures never age, like the story of four children in the English countryside during World War II who find a portal to a magical world in some old furniture. Escape to the fantasy world of Narnia when Seattle Children’s Theatre stages The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Oct 13–Dec 11 Seattle Children’s Theatre, sct.org[22]
Theater
Bad Apples
The boldest offering on Seattle’s fall arts slate? How about a rock musical about the prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib? Bad Apples takes the true story of two female soldiers fighting for the love of a fellow soldier (who impregnated them both) by engaging in torture one-upmanship and turns it into a twisted, surreal look at sadism’s role in human nature. Do these horrors reflect on our collective psyche or were they really just the product of a few bad apples? Sept 7–25 ACT Theatre, act[23]theatre.org [24]
Film
Twist: Seattle Queer Film Festival
After operating for 20 years as the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, the city’s premier showcase of alternative cinema rebrands itself as Twist. But it’s just a change in name. The festival still features a mix of star-studded and decidedly independent moviemaking by and about the LGBTQ community that won’t be showing up at a multiplex anytime soon. Oct 13–23 Various venues, threedollar[25]billcinema.org[26]
Concert
Seattle Rock Orchestra: David Bowie
As long as we keep celebrating David Bowie’s music, he’ll never truly die. Seattle Rock Orchestra’s crew of area musicians and local vocalists travels to Kirkland to tackle the catalog of the fearless rock risk taker. Here’s to a space oddity that never ends. Oct 22 Kirkland Performance Center, kpcenter.org[27]
Theater
Man of La Mancha
Say what you will about his mental state, but Don Quixote thirsts for glorious adventure, and damn if he doesn’t go out to find it. The musical Man of La Mancha tells the tale of his madness, darkness, and undeniable spirit, carried by the soaring Broadway standard “The Impossible Dream.” Oct 7–30 5th Avenue Theatre, 5thavenue.org[28]
Dance
Jessica Lang Dance
Sometimes the most daring move is settling down. After a decade traveling the globe as one of the world’s preeminent freelance choreographers, Jessica Lang pumped the brakes and formed the troupe Jessica Lang Dance in 2011. The acclaimed New York ballet and contemporary dance ensemble heads to UW to perform a piece that fuses the worlds of architecture and dance (Tesseracts of Time) and a Beethoven-scored tribute to those wounded in war (Thousand Yard Stare). Nov 10–12 Meany Center, meany[29]center.org[30]
Special Events
Bruce Campbell: Last Fan Standing
No one does horror comedy like Bruce Campbell. His iconic role as Ash Williams in the Evil Dead movies (and currently in Showtime’s series Ash vs. Evil Dead) earned him lifetime comic-convention rock-star status. Heck, he even got nerds to watch Burn Notice. He’ll show off his comedic charisma live when he hosts his traveling geek trivia road show, Last Fan Standing. Oct 1 Moore Theatre, stgpresents.org[31]
Books & Talks
Jonathan Safran Foer
After Jonathan Safran Foer burst onto the literary scene with Everything Is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, fans have had to wait more than a decade for his third novel, Here I Am (out September 6). The story details a Jewish family in crisis as divorce and a son’s bar mitzvah intersect. Meanwhile, drama unfolds overseas as the Middle East suffers a devastating earthquake and pan-Arab forces invade Israel. Sept 26 Town Hall, townhallseattle.org[32]
Special Events
GeekGirlCon
Being marginalized, ostracized, or ignored is not new for female geeks. Thankfully, GeekGirlCon exists and continues to grow. For 2016, organizers have added another floor of the convention center, doubling the number of exhibitors and artists, adding new gaming and VR areas, expanding the DIY Science Zone, and featuring panels on everything from Hamilton to geektivism. Hooray for truly inclusive spaces! Oct 8 & 9 Washington State Convention Center, geekgirlcon.com[33]
Comedy
John Hodgman
In terms of career titles, the bespectacled John Hodgman would certainly be labeled Daily Show correspondent, author, and Mac pitchman before anyone would get around to standup comedian. But take heed: His acerbic wit and storytelling knack during his 2013 visit to the Neptune resulted in one of Seattle’s most hilarious evenings of standup comedy in recent memory. Nov 11 Neptune Theatre, johnhodgman.com[34]
Comedy
Maria Bamford
While she’s been a favorite of indie comedy fans for years, Maria Bamford finally got a chance to share her manic brilliance with a wider audience with May’s release of her surreal Netflix sitcom, Lady Dynamite. Drawing from her real-life struggles with mental illness and relationships, the series manages to be meta, absurdist, and emotionally empathetic. Expect similar laughter fuel when Bamford brings her standup act to town. Sept 17 Moore Theatre, mariabamford.com[35]
Books & Talks
Timothy Egan
Between winning the National Book Award for his Dust Bowl tome The Worst Hard Time and earning a Pulitzer for race reporting in The New York Times, it’s difficult to dispute that Timothy Egan is Seattle’s premier nonfiction author. His latest book, The Immortal Irishman, chronicles the life of Thomas Francis Meagher, a revolutionary Irish orator during the Great Famine who escaped banishment to Tasmania to become a U.S. Civil War hero and eventually the territorial governor of Montana. Oct 26 Benaroya Hall, lectures.org[36]
Food & Drink
Edible City
Tonight’s menu: a deep dive on Seattle food history in six courses. MOHAI’s Edible City takes patrons on a culinary journey by breaking down the elements of Seattle’s distinctive flavor: the local ingredients, processing industries, public markets, home-cooking tradition, modern innovations in food technology, and restaurants that have become part of the city’s identity. There may not be room for dessert. Nov 19–Sept 10 Museum of History and Industry, mohai.org[37]
Theater
Raisin in the Sun
Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 classic A Raisin in the Sun still resonates with its story of an African American family struggling to find a better life in Chicago after the death of its patriarch. A fair lot can sometimes still seem unattainable. We may be stretching the local angle, but considering it’s a play by one of the top local theater companies with a title based on a Langston Hughes poem, we’ll give it the nod. Sept 30–Oct 30 Seattle Repertory Theatre, seattlerep.org[38]
Concert
Rocky Votolato: Makers 10-Year Anniversary Tour
It’s easy for Seattle singer-songwriters to drift toward a gloomy path. But on his 2006 Barsuk Records release, Makers, Rocky Votolato managed to tap into a majestic Northwest beauty and childish innocence while pairing light folky roots with serene melodies. The album remains Votolato’s beloved calling card, and he shares it in full with fans in celebration of its 10th anniversary. As a bonus, fellow local Barsuk troubadour Chris Staples opens the show. Oct 8 Tractor Tavern, rockyvotolato.com[39]
Concerts
The Head and the Heart
Considering how far the band has come, it’s sometimes hard to remember that the Head and the Heart started out by just a making ruckus at the Conor Byrne and self-peddling copies of its debut record. The local folk heroes take a brighter, more pop-rock approach for their third album, Signs of Light (out September 9). Nov 5 & 6 Paramount Theatre, theheadandtheheart.com[40]
References
- ^ seattleartmuseum.org (seattleartmuseum.org)
- ^ thejulie (thejulieruin.com)
- ^ ruin.com (thejulieruin.com)
- ^ ontheboards.org (ontheboards.org)
- ^ fashionweekbellevue.com (fashionweekbellevue.com)
- ^ billfrisell.com (billfrisell.com)
- ^ stgpresents.org (stgpresents.org)
- ^ brianwilson.com (brianwilson.com)
- ^ stgpresents.org (stgpresents.org)
- ^ diananyad.com (diananyad.com)
- ^ keyarena.com (keyarena.com)
- ^ stgpresents.org (stgpresents.org)
- ^ seattle (seattlesymphony.org)
- ^ symphony.org (seattlesymphony.org)
- ^ drake (drakeofficial.com)
- ^ official.com (drakeofficial.com)
- ^ stgpresents.org (stgpresents.org)
- ^ 5thavenue.org (5thavenue.org)
- ^ seattleopera.org (seattleopera.org)
- ^ seattle (seattlesymphony.org)
- ^ symphony.org (seattlesymphony.org)
- ^ sct.org (sct.org)
- ^ act (acttheatre.org)
- ^ theatre.org (acttheatre.org)
- ^ threedollar (threedollarbillcinema.org)
- ^ billcinema.org (threedollarbillcinema.org)
- ^ kpcenter.org (kpcenter.org)
- ^ 5thavenue.org (5thavenue.org)
- ^ meany (meanycenter.org)
- ^ center.org (meanycenter.org)
- ^ stgpresents.org (stgpresents.org)
- ^ townhallseattle.org (townhallseattle.org)
- ^ geekgirlcon.com (geekgirlcon.com)
- ^ johnhodgman.com (johnhodgman.com)
- ^ mariabamford.com (mariabamford.com)
- ^ lectures.org (lectures.org)
- ^ mohai.org (mohai.org)
- ^ seattlerep.org (seattlerep.org)
- ^ rockyvotolato.com (rockyvotolato.com)
- ^ theheadandtheheart.com (theheadandtheheart.com)
