The Top Things to Do This Weekend: March 17–20

DANCE

Fri & Sat, Mar 18 & 19Betroffenheit^[1]Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite has mastered turning dance into a discomfortingly dark realm. For Betroffenheit, she teams up with playwright, performer, and countryman Jonathon Young to create a harrowing piece about a man suffering through PTSD and addiction. As dancers drag him into an inescapable vision of surreal horror, the sense of loss and desperation grows ever more emotionally devastating. Moore Theatre, $33

Mar 18–27PNB Director’s Choice^[2]Pacific Northwest Ballet gets a dose of indie rock hipness via the works that make up this season’s Director’s Choice program. In Year of the Rabbit, dancers perform to an orchestrated version of Sufjan Stevens’s Enjoy Your Rabbit, while Little Mortal Jump mixes compositions from the likes of Philip Glass with tunes by Tom Waits, Beirut, and Andrew Bird. McCaw Hall, $30–$187

BOOKS & TALKS

Thru Mar 20APRIL Festival^[3]As its acronym title suggests, APRIL (Authors, Publisher and Readers of Independent Literature) exists on the opposite end of the literary spectrum from the brick and mortar Amazon bookstore. This week, APRIL Festival celebrates its fifth anniversary. That’s half a decade of (mostly free) readings, workshops, storytelling competitions, and book mongering all in support of small press. The festivities include a reading with a poet, novelist, playwright, and a drag queen (Thursday), an anniversary bash at Fred Wildlife Refuge (Friday), and the book expo at Hugo House (Sunday). Various venues, Free–$50

Thur, Mar 17Lauren Weedman^[4]Since getting her start in the Seattle theater scene and on Almost Live!, Lauren Weedman has gone on to be a Daily Show correspondent, actress (Hung, Looking), and creator of hilarious one-woman shows. She now returns to town with her new book of comedic essays, Miss Fortune: Fresh Perspectives On Having It All From Someone Who Is Not Okay. Dan Savage joins Weedman at Town Hall to chat about the being okay with being not okay. Weedman also performs at Cloud Room on Friday and Teatro ZinZanni on Saturday. Town Hall, $5

FILM

Sat, Mar 19Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Film Festival^[5]While the mention of cinematic sci-fi and fantasy often conjure images of epics like the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings sagas, the genres don’t require blockbuster budgets to tell gripping stories. Since 2006, EMP’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Film Festival has brought together up-and-coming filmmakers to showcase the imaginative worlds of their sharp shorts for adoring (usually sellout) audiences. Cinerama, Sold out (standby only)

THEATER

Mar 17–Apr 24My Heart Is the Drum^[6]Feel the authentic pulse of African rhythms and take an uplifting coming of age feminine journey as the Village Theatre hosts the world premiere of the musical My Heart Is the Drum. When the parents of a 16-year-old Ghanaian village girl pull her from school and arrange a marriage, she flees to pursue her education at an urban university and finds even more struggles facing women in her culture. Can she find happiness and bridge the gap between her two worlds through song? Probably. It is a musical. Village Theatre Issaquah, $48–$68

Mar 18–April 16Eulogy^[7]Which stage of grief is laughter, again? In Eulogy, Kevin Kent plays professional mourner Eleanor Mae at the fictional Bolten’s Funerals. Even if she didn’t know the departed souls, she channels their energies to tell humorously dramatic tales of their lives. Audience members can bring old family photos for Eleanor to use as inspiration for these wild, improvised histories. West of Lenin, $20

Mar 18–April 10Mrs. Warren’s Profession^[8]The world’s oldest profession takes center stage in Seattle Shakespeare’s production of George Bernard Shaw’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession. Recent university grad Vivie Warren never really knew her mother, Kitty. When they reconnect, Vivie quickly learns about (and objects to) her matriarch’s illustrious career in the field of prostitution. As old secrets get revealed, Kitty attempts to convince her daughter about the feminine nobility of being a businesswoman in her line of work. Center Theatre, $31–$45

THE SPORTING LIFE

Sat, Mar 19Seattle Sounders FC vs. Vancouver WhitecapsIt’s the second home game for the Sounders this season, but the first against either of our Cascadia rivals. And after an 0-2 MLS record thus far, the boys (and Sigi) could use all the boom-boom-claps they can get. CenturyLink Field, $25–$105^[9][10]

CLASSICAL & MORE

Thur & Sat, Mar 17 & 19John Adams^[11]Ottorino Respighi’s ode to the vegetation of the Roman Empire finds stirring life under the direction of conductor and premier American composer John Adams (On the Transmigration of Souls) as the Seattle Symphony performs Pines of Rome. Adams also presents his latest concerto, Scheherazade.2: A Dramatic Symphony for Violin and Orchestra, with the aid of world-renowned violinist Leila Josefowicz. Benaroya Hall, $21–$121

FAMILY

Sat, Mar 19 Morgan TaylorThe Gustafer Yellowgold series is one part children’s book and one part kiddie rock concert. The titular sun creature’s illustrated stories come to life when accompanied by creator Morgan Taylor’s songs. At his two Town Hall shows, the Grammy nominated singer-songwriter will perform material from his latest work Gustafer Yellowgold’s Dark Pie Concerns. It’s sure to be a treat for kids and parents alike (keep in mind, Taylor has opened for Wilco), as Gustafer’s adventures include him creating a rebellious cake robot called Cakenstein that proclaims, “I punch like Tyson / Rampage like bison / I only want to party.” Town Hall, $5 ^[12]

CONCERTS

Fri & Sat, Mar 18 & 19 Ivan and Alyosha ^[13]After emerging from the local Christian music scene nearly a decade ago, Ivan and Alyosha has carved out a nice little niche with its happy indie folk rock tunes that touch on sonic elements of bands like Mumford and Sons, the Lumineers, and the Shins. Last year saw the release of the group’s second LP It’s All Just Pretend, which only further grew the band’s substantial Seattle fan base. Need proof of the demand for Ivan and Alysoha? The band takes over Tractor Tavern for a two day residency that includes headlining nights (with pals Ghost Ship and Silver Torches) and an early all-ages show on Saturday. Tractor Tavern, $10–$15

Sat, Mar 19Slayer^[14]For 35 years, Slayer has reigned supreme in the world of thrash metal. Generations of metal fans have soaked in the influential brutality of the band’s music. Despite the death of founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman in 2013, the band soldiered on with the release of its twelfth studio album Repentless in 2015. If your neck isn’t sore on Sunday from all the headbanging, you’re doing it wrong. Paramount Theatre, Sold out

References

1. ^{^} Betroffenheit (feedproxy.google.com)
2. ^{^} PNB Director’s Choice (feedproxy.google.com)
3. ^{^} APRIL Festival (feedproxy.google.com)
4. ^{^} Lauren Weedman (feedproxy.google.com)
5. ^{^} Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Film Festival (feedproxy.google.com)
6. ^{^} My Heart Is the Drum (feedproxy.google.com)
7. ^{^} Eulogy (feedproxy.google.com)
8. ^{^} Mrs. Warren’s Profession (feedproxy.google.com)
9. ^{^} Seattle Sounders FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (www.soundersfc.com)
10. ^{^} and Sigi (feedproxy.google.com)
11. ^{^} John Adams (www.seattlesymphony.org)
12. ^{^} Morgan Taylor (feedproxy.google.com)
13. ^{^} Ivan and Alyosha  (feedproxy.google.com)
14. ^{^} Slayer (feedproxy.google.com)