MUST SEE

Trojan Women: A Love Story

(1/16–1/28) “My plays are broken, jagged, filled with sharp edges,” says American playwright Charles Mee. “That feels good to me.…It feels like the world. And then I like to put this…into a classical form, or some other effort at civilization.” Mee has done just this with this student production of Euripides’ The Trojan Women, the ancient Greek playwright’s recounting of the war atrocities Athens visited upon Troy, and contemporized it by including firsthand accounts from survivors of the Holocaust and Hiroshima. Times and prices vary. Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse, University District, 4045 University Way; 206.543.0790; drama.washington.edu

MUST HEAR

St. Vincent

(1/18–1/19) AKA Annie Clark, this ax-slaying alt-rock goddess is a serial collaborator who makes friends in every corner of the music world, from her cohort David Byrne (on their 2012 album, Love This Giant) to her uncle Tuck Andress (of jazz duo Tuck and Patti), who appears on her latest album, Masseduction, along with producer Jack Antonoff (Bleachers), Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley) and of course, her own laser-sharp guitar licks. 8 p.m. Prices vary. The Moore Theatre, downtown, 1932 Second Ave.; 206.467.5510; stgpresents.org

MUST STEP

Configurate

(1/19–1/27) After a career as a principal dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet, Olivier Wevers broke away to form Whim W’Him, his own company—not forgetting his roots, but enhancing them, attracting “dancers whose skill set extends from the heightened physicality of ballet to the expressive power of modern dance,” as Seattle Weekly’s Sandra Kurtz put it. This month’s program includes premieres by Gabrielle Lamb (New York City), Ihsan Rustem (Switzerland) and Wevers himself. 8 p.m. Prices vary. Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center, Seattle Center, 201 Mercer St.; 707.350.9446; whimwhim.org

MUST PAIR

Dark Beer and Chili Competition

(1/20) A dozen or so Washington craft breweries will compete to be crowd favorites in this annual competition at 192 Brewing Company in Kenmore. Attendees will sip winter dark beer and sample brewers’ specialty chili to determine which pairings are best for the cold Pacific Northwest winter. Remember to stay for the awards ceremony. $2.50 per beer or chili sample. Noon-5 p.m., awards at 5:30. Kenmore, 7324 NE 175th St., Suite F; 425.424.2337

MUST VIEW

Marcio Diaz

(Through 1/27) The metaphorical great-grandchild of Impressionist painter Seurat, Marcio Diaz has developed a painting style, which he calls “Bubblism,” that replaces Seurat’s pointillist dots with tiny, playful whorls of brilliant color. They suggest pixilation, a reality increasingly encountered through screens, but the artist’s inspiration actually came from “viewing the world through drops of rain” after he moved to the Pacific Northwest from his native Nicaragua, and his portraits often take the form of bucolic farmscapes. He shares this exhibit with sculptor Elaine Hanowell. Times vary. Free. ArtXchange Gallery, 512 First Ave. S; 206.839.0377; artxchange.org