Published: Friday, July 18, 2008
Free concerts: Summer's stages brim with variety
By Andrea McInnis Herald Writer
With summer finally going strong, so are the area's free family entertainment offerings:
Marysville: This marks the 18th year of the two Sounds of Summer concert series. Plan for the guitar fusion sounds of California-based Incendio at 7 tonight at Jennings Park, 6915 Armar Road, and the rockabilly, rhythm-and-blues performance of Wired at noon Thursday at Comeford Park, 514 Delta Ave.
"The Marysville Parks and Recreation Department has always had good crowds (for these events)," said Maryke Burgess, manager of the Ken Baxter Senior-Community Center. "We are very excited about this year's lineup of music and have brought back a crowd favorite, Incendio. They're a great band for all ages, but with their Latin fusion sound, I highly recommend it as a date night.
"Mainly, we try to choose bands that we feel will appeal to all or most audiences while trying to also add some variety."
Bothell: The Music in the Park at Bothell Landing series will offer big swing music with Tempos at 6:30 tonight. The park is located at 9929 NE 180th St. Details are at 425-486-7430.
Everett: Incendio's sound will fill another Snohomish County venue after Marysville, spanning the Port Gardner Landing waterfront at 2 p.m. Sunday at 1600 W. Marine View Drive as part of the 27th annual Music in the Park Summer Concert Series. Then, at 10 a.m. Thursday at Sullivan Park, 11405 Silver Lake Road, as part of the Children's Concert Series, The Blues Berries will offer its blues and jazz for young people, music that guides audiences through centuries of styles, according to press materials. At 6 p.m. Thursday, the soul music of DoctorfunK, a 10-member group based in Seattle and Redmond, is part of the Night waterfront series, also at Port Gardner Landing.
Snohomish: Children's performer Tim Noah has canceled his 1 p.m. Sunday show, "Tim Noah Out o' the Box," formerly set for his Thumbnail Theater, 1211 Fourth St. For information, call 360-568-9412 or go to www.timnoah.com.
Edmonds: The Concerts in City Park series continues at 3 p.m. Sunday at Third Avenue and Pine Street with Wooden O Shakespeare Co.'s "Romeo and Juliet."
"We're not changing the text, and not changing the feuding families of the original story, but we are resetting it to make it a much more modern production; changing their historical perspective," said George Mount, director of "Romeo & Juliet" and artistic director of Wooden O Shakespeare Co.
In this version, he said, the Montagues are a peacekeeping force, assigned to a war-torn eastern Mediterranean town, and the Capulets are the local citizens who are trying to make do with military presence while also sort of rebelling against it. Romeo is a peacekeeper who falls in love with a local girl, Juliet.
The tradition of modernizing Shakespeare's plays is an old one, Mount said, explaining that his decision to bring "Romeo & Juliet" into this setting was an effort to give the story a greater sense of immediacy. But the themes remain the same, such as that of individuals finding love and making a positive choice to bridge gaps between people and communities in an environment of hostility, he said.
"Wooden O started as an independent organization that I founded, and this is 15th season of free performances in parks," Mount said. The group focuses on two stories per year, this year's being "Romeo and Juliet" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
According to press materials, this version of "Romeo and Juliet" features five actors (each playing several roles), some clad in military camouflage and carrying fake weapons.
Wooden O Theatre Productions, now part of Seattle Shakespeare Company, is a classical repertory theater group dedicated to performing the plays of Shakespeare and other classic playwrights. Rain will cancel the show. Learn more at 206-733-8222 or www.ci.edmonds.wa.us under "Calendars."
Lynnwood: Wooden O will take "Romeo and Juliet" to more of Snohomish County, at 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday in the Lynndale Park Amphitheater, 18927 72nd Ave. W., and will perform in Marysville and Everett during the first weekend of August. Details are at 206-733-8222, www.ci.lynnwood.wa.us.
Duvall: The third weekend of SummerStage concerts features Adrian Xavier's reggae at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in McCormick Park at the west end of NE Stephens Street. Details about the series are available at 425-788-9473, www.duvallwa.gov.
Mill Creek: Creekside Village Forum, at the corner of 151st Street SE and Main Street, is the home of the city's summer concerts. Its 7 p.m. Thursday show will feature the blues music of Becki Sue & Her Big Rockin' Daddies. Details are at 425-745-1891.
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