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‘Mean Girls,’ ‘Frozen’ and More Coming to Seattle

English authors, transgender mayors, disco divas and more take the stage as the 5th Avenue and the Paramount announce their 2019/2020 upcoming seasons

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No matter how much Seattle theaters have mined the oeuvre of Jane Austen in recent seasons—either in straightforward adaptations (Seattle Rep’s Pride and Prejudice, Taproot’s musicalized Persuasion) or fanciful extrapolations (Taproot’s Christmas at Pemberley)—there’s plenty of ore left. The 5th Avenue Theatre, assiduous in nurturing new work, is opening its 2019–20 season with a musical in development, Austen’s Pride (Oct. 4–27; dates are 2019 except where noted). Lindsay Warren Baker and Amanda Jacobs (book, music and lyrics) reimagine her working on her most famous novel and interacting with its characters. A project of the 5th’s New Musical Development Program, this staging is the piece’s next step after workshop productions both here and in New York.

Also born in Seattle is the musical Stu for Silverton (Jan. 31–Feb. 23, 2020), the tale of the Oregon town that was the first in the nation to elect an openly transgender mayor, first staged by Intiman in 2013 and continuing its evolution here. Original 5th Avenue stagings of familiar properties include two film reworkings, Shrek the Musical (Nov. 26–Dec. 29) and Sister Act (March 13–April 5, 2020), plus Andrew Lloyd Webber’s best musical ever, Evita (June 12–July 3, 2020). They’re also hosting touring productions of Jersey Boys (April 14–19, 2020) and Once on This Island (May 12–24, 2020). See 5thavenue.org for ticket info.

The Paramount, too, is offering new (if not homegrown) musicals in its Broadway season. Summer: the Donna Summer Musical (Dec. 31–Jan. 5, 2020) uses the Jersey Boys formula of grafting together a biopic and a jukebox musical; Anastasia (June 16–21, 2020) reunites Once on This Island composer and lyricist Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens to tell the story of a woman who may be a missing Romanoff; and, probably most eagerly anticipated, is Tina Fey’s conversion of her cult classic Mean Girls (Aug. 4–9, 2020) into a musical with songs by her husband Jeff Richmond. Remember, on Wednesday, Aug. 5, we wear pink!

Classics include the brilliantly cynical Jazz Age musical Chicago (Sept. 19–22) and Fiddler on the Roof (Jan. 14–19, 2020). Guaranteed sell-outs are The Book of Mormon (May 19–31, 2020) and a stage version of Frozen (Feb. 7–March 1, 2020), which will pull in every 9-year-old within 200 miles. Rounding out the season are Miss Saigon (Oct. 29–Nov. 3), the disaster farce The Play That Goes Wrong (April 21–26, 2020), and—which of these things is not like the other?—Mark Morris’s edgy Nutcracker adaptation The Hard Nut (Dec. 6–15). stgpresents.org is where you go for more info.

Rearview Mirror: Crocodile Guardians, Late-Summer Potato Salad, and a Halloween Costume Hunt

Rearview Mirror: Crocodile Guardians, Late-Summer Potato Salad, and a Halloween Costume Hunt

Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).

COOKING WITH ASTER PANTRY A few leaves turn, my inbox fills with fall festival pitches and cozy brunch menus, and suddenly I want to stay home with a glass of wine and cook. I love this nesting season, though I’m not ready to give up summer produce. Earlier this year, I wrote about Seattle chefs…

WALKDONTRUN Returns This Saturday, Turning Downtown Seattle Into a Sprawling Art Show

WALKDONTRUN Returns This Saturday, Turning Downtown Seattle Into a Sprawling Art Show

In its second year, the free festival brings 200-plus artists to a 20-block route September 19, with a secret garden and a former 7-Eleven stocked with art.

Most walks through downtown Seattle involve trying to get somewhere. On September 19, the crosswalk itself might be the reason to stop. Heap Troupe will turn a four-way crossing into a performance, one of dozens of encounters planned for this year’s WALKDONTRUN. The free, all-ages art walk stretches across more than 20 blocks. From 11…

At Two Dot Schoolhouse, Ruth Marie Tomlinson Builds an Artistic Community

At Two Dot Schoolhouse, Ruth Marie Tomlinson Builds an Artistic Community

For nearly 20 years, the Seattle artist and her husband have welcomed artists, writers, and musicians to a historic Montana schoolhouse. Now they’re searching for its next stewards. 

At her solo exhibition last year at The Vestibule, Seattle artist Ruth Marie Tomlinson presented a new series of work inspired by her close readings of British nature writer J.A. Baker’s The Peregrine and Icelandic author Sjón’s The Blue Fox. As if on sheets torn from a sketchbook, her pages included excerpts and outtakes of…

Rearview Mirror: Seahawks Off the Field, Seattle on the Board, and Smoked Oysters

Rearview Mirror: Seahawks Off the Field, Seattle on the Board, and Smoked Oysters

Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).

HOOKED ON KNOCKS Admittedly, I am late to this one. The Seahawks’ first season of Hard Knocks, the HBO series that follows NFL teams through training camp, premiered in August, but until last week, I had never heard of it. To be honest, my football knowledge starts with knowing what a touchdown is and doesn’t…