Incredible Shanghai Acrobats visit Bothell
Published 9:00 pm Thursday, January 25, 2007
They contort themselves into almost unreal positions. They turn into human triangles and defy gravity.
The Incredible Shanghai Acrobats, a company of Chinese acrobats, have performed on Broadway and now they’re in Bothell.
The Incredible Shanghai Acrobats open with a 2 p.m. matinee Saturday at Northshore Performing Arts Center. There’s also an 8 p.m. show.
The performers pack more than 2,000 years of Chinese circus traditions into their shows, according to the Northshore center’s Web site. They are known for their fearlessness, boundless energy and skill.
Ache Brazil: Better than a martial arts movie, Ache Brazil brings a volatile combination of dance, acrobatics, live music and a hidden martial arts discipline from the tropics to the limelight Saturday night in Edmonds.
Elaborately costumed Samba dancers perform while gravity-defying Capoeira fighters square off in the performance, which brings a sample of Brazil’s world renowned Carnival to the Northwest.
“Grand Illusion: An Intimate Evening with David Copperfield”: Illusionist David Copperfield’s goal for his performances is to make what you dream come true.
He’ll try his hand at that tonight and Saturday at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle.
“For magic to be relevant,” Copperfield explained in a written statement, “it has to evolve so it keeps up with, or even surpasses, the best film and theater. I want to base my work on what people really dream about. Most of us don’t dream of pulling a rabbit out of a hat.”
Copperfield said “Grand Illusion” was inspired by an unfulfilled wish of his grandfather’s – to win the lottery. During the show, Copperfield will help the audience discover how to predict lottery numbers that will come up that night.
Other highlights include “Reunion,” in which a member of the audience takes the trip of his or her life; “Killer,” magic involving a lethal black African scorpion; “Squeezebox,” where Copperfield gets squeezed into an object that could fit into a Prada shoe box; “Man Versus Steel,” where he floats through solid steel; and “Thirteen,” where 13 audience members vanish and then reappear.
“The Baker’s Wife”: A bittersweet tale of life, love and bread opens tonight at Civic Light Opera in Seattle.
The story is set in a small Provencal town where everyone seems happy now that a baker and his attractive young wife have arrived. But contentment doesn’t last when the wife is lured away by a handsome young gigolo and the baker loses his zeal for life and baking, throwing the community into chaos.
The show is directed and choreographed by Ann Arends with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz.
“The God Committee”: Seattle’s Taproot Theatre kicks off its 2007 season with the medical drama “The God Committee,” opening tonight, to be followed by a series of selections that Taproot is promising will “examine difficult choices, illuminate the beauty of love, seek thrilling adventures and charm with adored classic comedy.”
“The God Committee” revolves around the matter of life and death at St. Patrick’s Hospital. And here’s the math: There are four patients on the table and only one heart. It’s up to seven medical professionals to decide the fate of this organ transplant.
The rest of Taproot’s season is:
* “Mary’s Wedding,” by Canadian playwright Stephen Massicotte, March 21 through April 21;
* George M. Cohan’s adventure “Seven Keys to Baldpate,” May 16 through June 16;
* Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Tony-nominated Broadway hit “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” July 11 through Aug. 11;
* Oscar Wilde’s comedy “The Importance of Being Earnest,” Sept. 26 through Oct. 27.
“Swan Lake”: The Pacific Northwest Ballet performs “Swan Lake,” a favorite classic of love and loss, beginning Thursday in Seattle.
Tchaikovsky’s splendid score is the perfect setting for “Swan Lake” and the perfect showcase for PNB principal dancer Patricia Barker, who retires at the end of this season.
“Blue Door”: Playwright Tanya Barfield explores a black man’s search for himself, with help from some ghosts, in “Blue Door,” opening Thursday for a run through March 4 at Seattle Repertory Theatre in Seattle.
Barfield’s play has humor and original songs woven through the story in poetic fashion. Barfield was winner of the 2003 Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Playwrights.
The Ache Brazil troupe performs Saturday in Edmonds.
David Copperfield performs this weekend in Seattle.
Angela Sterling photo
Patricia Barker will take her final turns in “Swan Lake” with the Pacific Northwest Ballet.
