15 Best Things to Do in Seattle in March 2020
Our handpicked list of the best bets for entertainment this month
By Gemma Wilson March 9, 2020
This article originally appeared in the March 2020 issue of Seattle magazine.
*Due to evolving public health concerns related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, be sure to check with event hosts and venues for updates on event schedules and cancellations.
This article appears in print in the March 2020 issue. Click here to subscribe.
PERFORMANCE
UGLY
3/5–3/16
Washington Ensemble Theatre’s Gush Series presents groundbreaking performances by out-of-town artists, works that Seattle audiences otherwise might not have a chance to see. In this installment, explosive New York-based director/choreographer Raja Feather Kelly presents his solo show UGLY, which is billed as “part dance-theater and part pop-culture collage.” 7:30 p.m. $25. 12th Avenue Arts, Capitol Hill; washingtonensemble.org
CINEMA
Children’s Film Festival Seattle
Ends 3/8
Expect an eclectic extravaganza of international cinematic offerings, from animated shorts to feature-length films, at this impressive annual festival aimed primarily at audience members ages 2–14. Check online for a full listing of 2020 events; previous years’ festivals have included interactive lobby installations, hands-on experiences, live scores performed alongside classic films and singalong screenings. Times and prices vary. Northwest Film Forum, Capitol Hill; childrensfilmfestivalseattle.org
THEATER
The Turn of the Screw
Ends 3/8
In this eerie tale, adapted by playwright Rachel Atkins from Henry James’ gothic horror novella, a young governess is hired to care for orphaned siblings Flora and Miles in a remote British country house. She soon begins to see strange spirits and becomes convinced that these evil apparitions are possessing the children. But are they really the spirits of former house employees, as she believes, or are they inventions of the governess’s mind? Come for the deliciously spooky ambiguity, stay for the performances by Book-it Repertory Theatre newcomer Shannon Lee Clair as the governess, and rising local stars Nabilah Ahmed and Rheanna Atendido as Miles and Flora, respectively. Times and prices vary. Center Theater at the Armory, Seattle Center; book-it.org
VISUAL ART
Iconic Black Women: Ain’t I a Woman
Ends 3/15
If you haven’t yet seen local artist Hiawatha D.’s exhibit honoring black women, make sure you get there before it closes this month. The paintings include subjects ranging chronologically from Sojourner Truth to Simone Biles, and they’re conceptualized as an homage to all black women and their unparalleled power as historymakers in America. Hours vary. $5–$7. Northwest African American Museum, Central District; naamnw.org
MUSIC
March Is Cabaret Month
Ends 3/28
If listening to a sultry chanteuse in a dimly lit club is your idea of a good time, clear your weekend calendar this month. Every Friday and Saturday in March, you can listen to both established and up-and-coming singers perform everything from classic cabaret repertoire (think French chansons and the Great American Songbook) to more unusual cabaret offerings, including folk music, opera and political satire. Times and prices vary. Egan’s Ballard Jam House, Ballard; marchcabaret.com
JAZZ
Kassa Overall
3/1
Don’t sleep on Kassa Overall, a Seattle-born, New York City–based jazz drummer who recently signed with Brownswood Recordings. Overall has played with the best of the best, and he just released his first album with Brownswood, I Think I’m Good, on February 28. Come and celebrate. 7:30 p.m. $15. The Triple Door, downtown; thetripledoor.net
MUSICAL THEATER
Sister Act
3/13–4/5
Fans of this 1992 Whoopi Goldberg movie will love this faithful stage adaptation with music by eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken. After nightclub singer Deloris Van Cartier witnesses her gangster boyfriend off someone, police put her in protective custody in a convent. In her undercover nun role as Sister Mary Clarence, Deloris brings her glitzy, glamorous disco style first to the convent choir, and then to the whole community. Times and prices vary. 5th Avenue Theatre, downtown; 5thavenue.org
PODCAST
My Dad Wrote a Porno World Tour 2020
3/15
The title of the popular podcast My Dad Wrote a Porno is distressingly literal. After retiring, British comedian Jamie Morton’s father took to writing pornography under the pen name Rocky Flintstone. Like a good son, Morton created a podcast in which he reads this amateur porn aloud, with commentary from two comedian friends, and the result is cringeworthy in the funniest possible way.
8 p.m. $57.50–$67.50. Moore Theatre, downtown; stgpresents.org
MUSIC
Fauré’s Requiem
3/14–3/15
Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, a transcendently beautiful choral and orchestral mass for the dead, inspires devotion in longtime classical music lovers and newcomers alike. Some attribute this requiem’s power to Fauré’s committed agnosticism rather than any religious devotion, meaning he focused on beauty instead of sacred rumination. Choral Arts Northwest presents the French composer’s masterwork alongside a modern tribute, Kevin Siegfried’s Songs for the Journey. Times vary. $28 in advance, $32 at the door. Various locations; choralartsnw.org
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