WEDNESDAY 12/18
A Very Die Laborious Christmas
(PERFORMANCE) My expectations have been very excessive the primary time I noticed A Very Die Laborious Christmas on the Seattle Public Theater. Like, blow-the-roof-off-the-top-of-Nakatomi-Plaza-with-a-shitload-of-C-4 massive. Watching the 1988 motion film is my dearest Christmas custom—I’ve seen it a whole bunch of occasions, and I’m delighted to report that this domestically produced musical interpretation of Die Laborious, written by Jeff Shell and the Behavior and directed by Mark Siano, was past my wildest creativeness. It has every little thing! Fist toes! A white tank high decaying at a hilariously unrealistic tempo! I felt like I used to be watching all the very best components of the film—with all my favourite traces appropriately exaggerated in the identical manner I hear them in my head—with 160 of my closest, most Die Laborious-obsessed finest buddies. Ellis’s massive cocaine-fueled musical quantity is definitely worth the worth of admission alone. That mentioned, all of the exhibits are offered out. However Christmas is a time for miracles! The theater is providing $20 rush tickets to all performances by way of December 22. Simply present up an hour earlier than showtime, get your identify on the push listing, and so they’ll do their finest to squeeze you in. I promise it is definitely worth the trouble. (Seattle Public Theater, 7312 W Inexperienced Lake Dr N, a number of performances by way of Dec 22) MEGAN SELING
THURSDAY 12/19
Kimya Dawson with Blotto the Clown and Loopy Harold
(MUSIC) Kimya Dawson’s sound as a solo artist and as a member of the DIY punk duo Moldy Peaches ranges from indie folks to noise, however the widespread thread is that her work at all times makes you’re feeling like the principle character in a film. As an adolescent, I walked down the halls of my highschool with the Moldy Peaches’ “Fortunate Quantity 9” blaring by way of my earbuds. I pictured myself because the main outcast from my favourite TV exhibits and movies (Ghost World, Freaks and Geeks, My So-Referred to as Life) and romanticized my disappointment to make it really feel extra manageable. I wandered round my neighborhood listening to Dawson’s solo observe “I Like Giants” and gazed on the stars, placing the scale of my physique in perspective (“All women really feel too massive typically no matter their measurement,” she coos). The PNW legend will return to the stage with particular friends, clown wrestlers Blotto the Clown and Loopy Harold (unclear how they’re going to match into the present, however I can not wait to see.) Native artwork rockers Scott Yoder and Mildew Mother will open. (Neumos, 925 E Pike St, 7 pm, $20, all ages) AUDREY VANN
FRIDAY 12/20
Thunderpussy: The Breast Is But to Come Tour
(MUSIC) Stanger contributor Nathalie Graham writes: “Thunderpussy nearly didn’t make it. The long run appeared vibrant for the band after they launched their debut full-length Thunderpussy in 2018. They earned vital acclaim for his or her riff-filled model of ’70s-inspired rock, acquired featured in Rolling Stone as Mike McCready’s ‘favourite new band,’ and ended the yr signing to a significant label, Republic Information’s subsidiary Stardog. Within the years that adopted, although, issues took a flip. It wasn’t clear whether or not the band would ever launch a second file, not to mention exist. However, after years filled with heartbreak, loss, and uncomfortable however needed metamorphosis, Thunderpussy are again, and so they’re stronger than ever.” The quartet’s hometown present, the final date of their December West Coast tour, will characteristic tracks off their celebrated 2024 full-length West. Do not miss a gap set from British rockers James and the Chilly Gun, whose identify is derived from my favourite Kate Bush music. (The Crocodile, 2505 First Ave, 6 pm, $30, 21+) AUDREY VANN
SATURDAY 12/21
David Benoit Christmas Tribute to Charlie Brown feat. Courtney Fortune
(MUSIC) When the winter blues cowl the home windows of my thoughts in heaps of snow, there may be one factor that may shovel me out: Vince Guaraldi’s rating to A Charlie Brown Christmas. Much like the way in which a string of Christmas lights can remodel a chilly, darkish metropolis avenue right into a twinkling cinematic setting, the opening piano chords of “O Tannenbaum” can immediately uncover the fruits of the season; evoking flannel PJs and sizzling cocoa with massive squishy marshmallows. Once I hear the kids’s choir coo “Christmas Time Is Right here,” it really makes me imagine that there’s “magnificence all over the place.” Guaraldi died practically 50 years in the past, however there are many saints carrying on his legacy. Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist David Benoit, who’s finest referred to as the musical director of 2015’s Peanuts Film, will return to Jazz Alley with vocalist Courtney Fortune for a tribute to Guaraldi’s beloved rating. (Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave, a number of performances Dec 19–22, $55.50, all ages) AUDREY VANN
SUNDAY 12/22
Oh, Canada
(FILM) Say what you’ll about Paul Schrader (and there is, uh, lots to say—I am a diehard fan of this Twitter account that tracks the cinema auteur’s batshit Fb posts), however the dude is aware of tips on how to inform a narrative in an unflinching, exact, and perhaps even transcendental fashion. When you noticed Schrader’s god-tier movie First Reformed, you are already accustomed to his austere model of spiritualism. Hopefully, Oh, Canada continues the thread. The movie follows Richard Gere as Leonard Fife, an getting old leftist filmmaker who dodged Vietnam service by fleeing to Canada many years earlier. When his former scholar (Michael Imperioli) sits him down for an interview, Fife shares myth-busting tales of his youthful self (Jacob Elordi) and his spouse/creative associate (Uma Thurman). I would be seated for the solid alone, however Schrader’s route makes this one a strong wager. (Grand Phantasm, 1403 NE fiftieth St, a number of showtimes by way of Dec 22, $9–$12) LINDSAY COSTELLO
MONDAY 12/23
The Dina Martina Christmas Present
(PERFORMANCE) Seattle’s personal “Second Girl of Leisure” will return to the stage in December with some Christmassy razzle-dazzle. Alongside Stranger Genius Award-winning composer and musician Chris Jeffries, Dina Martina will ship the surreal comedy and festive tunes for which she’s been recognized and beloved for over 25 years. Buckle in for a vacation fever dream: Martina’s present was described by former Stranger editor Chase Burns as “cozy however disorienting,” and John Waters calls her act “some new type of twisted artwork.” (ACT Theatre, 700 Union St, a number of performances by way of Dec 24, $46–$60) LINDSAY COSTELLO
TUESDAY 12/24
The Jinkx & DeLa Vacation Present
(PERFORMANCE) Jinkx Monsoon, the “internationally tolerated Jewish narcoleptic drag queen,” and BenDeLaCreme, the sugary candy RuPaul’s Drag Race icon, will deliver their distinctive mix of bubbly effervescence and quirky realness to the stage for this vacation dragstravaganza. The pair plan to maximise their joint sleigh and share why they’re the true queens of Christmas cheer, which already appears undebatable. The present will return to city after a wildly profitable run final yr; anticipate brand-new songs and a wholesome sprint of spectacle, plus “grownup themes and language.” (Moore Theatre, 1932 Second Ave, a number of performances Dec 21–24, $30–$295, all ages) LINDSAY COSTELLO
Prizefight!
Prizefight! Win tickets to rad upcoming occasions!*
Thunderpussy
December 21, the Crocodile (21+)
ENTER NOW!
Contest ends 12/19 at 3 pm
*Coming into PRIZE FIGHT contests by submitting your e-mail tackle indicators you as much as obtain the Stranger Suggests publication. You may unsubscribe at any time.
