Must List:’Jitterbug Perfume,’ Langston Hughes African American Film Festival, Mobile Food Rodeo
Your weekly guide to Seattle's hottest events
By Lena Beck, Gavin Borchert & Sydney Gladu April 25, 2019
Love the Must List? Get it right in your inbox. Subscribe.
MUST LOVE DINNER THEATER
Jitterbug Perfume
(Through 5/12) It’s built shows around themes ranging from spaghetti Westerns to holiday murders, but dinner theater Café Nordo, in its 10th season, hasn’t adapted a novel until now. Fittingly, it chose one by La Conner author Tom Robbins: Jitterbug Perfume, in which an ancient king seeking immortality meets rival modern-day perfumers, not to mention Pan the goat god. The specialty craft cocktails and prix fixe menu will relate meticulously to the theme—which, since the show is set in New Orleans, should be sumptuous and scrumptious. The original score is by Nordo’s resident composer, Anastasia Workman. Times vary. $99. Café Nordo’s Culinarium, Pioneer Square, 109 S Main St.; 206.579.6215
MUST SKATE
Rat City Roller Derby
(4/27) Watch Seattle’s beloved roller derby teams throw some elbows as they fight it out during the Home Team Champs Bout. This is the final competition of the season and determines the top dog in the Rat City Roller Derby league. Whether you are rooting for the Throttle Rocket, the Sockit Wenches, Grave Danger or the Derby Liberation Front, you’re going to want to be there. 5p.m. Prices vary. The Rat’s Nest, Shoreline, 19022 Aurora Ave.; ratcityrollergirls.com
MUST WATCH
Langston Hughes African American Film Festival
(4/25–4/28) Even though Hollywood is inching toward greater on-screen and behind-the-camera representation of African-Americans, it’s probably less because of a sudden altruistic awakening than because it realized there’s money to be made. But films that might not be smashes on the level of, say, Hidden Figures, Black Panther or Get Out still need a home, and Langston’s 16th annual showcase gives them one—plus workshops, panel discussions and more. Times and prices vary. Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, Central District, 104 17th Ave. S; 206.684.4757
MUST EXPLORE
Eighth Annual Seattle Modern Home Tour
(4/27–4/28) Hosted by the Modern Architecture + Design Society, this self-guided tour offers an opportunity to snoop around other people’s houses, in a socially acceptable way. Meet the architects and designers behind some of Seattle’s most stunning homes and walk away with ideas for your next home project. Times, prices and locations vary; mads.media/2019-seattle-modern-home-tour
MUST EAT
10th Annual Mobile Food Rodeo
(4/28) Giddy-up and get down to Fremont this Sunday for the 10th annual Mobile Food Rodeo, featuring delicious Seattle-area food trucks. Some of our favorites, including Off the Rez, Frelard Tamales and Where Ya At Matt, will be slinging their classics., so come hungry! 10a.m.–5p.m. Free. Fremont Canal, 34th Ave. between Evanston Ave. N and Phinney Ave. N; www.mobilefoodrodeo.com
Follow Us
Rearview Mirror: An Oyster Party, Money for Art, and Mac & Cheese at 30,000 Feet
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
We Partied for Art I love a party, and I love art, so when the Henry Art Gallery invited me to its annual fundraising gala, it was paddle’s up from the get-go. Held on the floor of Pioneer Square’s Railspur building in a space managed by Rally, Angela Dunleavy’s latest venture (read all about it…
Urban Grit Meets Wild Beauty: Inside Seattle Art Museum’s Beyond Mysticism
Seattle’s history is rooted in its fascinating juxtaposition of industry and nature, inspired by the region’s dramatic landscapes and rapidly changing cityscape. Seattle Art Museum’s current exhibition, Beyond Mysticism: The Modern Northwest, invites you to meet the artists who captured that tension and transformed it into a bold new vision of Modernism. Modernism, Made in…
Our March/April Issue Has Arrived!
Inside you’ll find Best Places to Live, a packed spring arts guide, and more stories from across the region.
The future’s bright, and so is the cover of Seattle magazine’s March/April issue! Featuring a mural by local artist (and 2023 Most Influential pick) Stevie Shao, the colorful cover is a snap from Woodinville, one of the six “Best Places to Live” featured inside. While we usually focus on Seattle neighborhoods, this year we expanded…
Supporting Roles
Three women in the Northwest are helping local artists through newly launched residencies outside of Seattle. Here, we take a look inside these thoughtfully designed spaces, and learn what drove their founders to become cornerstones in the creative community.
Iolair Artist Residency Eastsound, WA Years ago, after studying photography and earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Washington, Pacific Northwest native Linda Lewis realized that she didn’t want to spend the rest of her life behind a camera. “The minute I graduated from school, I was far more inspired by the…