Get Out This Weekend: "Awesome" at Eve Alvord Theatre

Somehow, in between day jobs, practices, live shows, and recording their second album Beehive Sessions (produced by the Posies' Jon Auer), everybody's favorite performance group/art collective/pop band "Awesome" has found the time to put together a new theater extravaganza for all ages. And though it's kid-tested mother-approved, there's still scads of local talent involved: Here's What Happened is directed by WET's Jennifer Zeyl and has a different guest narrator each night--actor Charles Leggett, Almost Live! and Seattle Channel's Nancy Guppy, and man about town Sean Nelson.

Ostensibly, it's a fable about seven heroes, the dietary importance of fruit, a wise whale, an all-encompassing library (shades of Borges?), a call for revolution against a fascist state, and the universal storytelling power of the overhead projector, but it's also, to paraphrase one character, a loose string of events that allows the band to perform some of their favorite songs. Not that that's a bad thing. We always appreciate the "Awesome," their music and their personalities, both of which are well on display. But we're not exactly sure about the ability of the wink-wink-nudge-nudge show to reach children. Maybe we're underestimating kids today, but we don't think they get meta. Cuz we *just barely* get meta, and we've been around the post-post-post-modern block a few times. The show's still a success, due to "Awesome"'s perpetually winning combination of wit and songwriting chops, but if anything, it's not so much a show for kids as a show for parents that is still kid-friendly. Children's entertainment that doesn't insult parents' intelligence is few and far between, so grab your offspring and head to Seattle Center for this three-night stand. Tickets available here.

8pm // Fri Sept 20th-Sun Sept 22nd // Eve Alvord Theatre and Seattle Children's Theatre, Seattle Center // 201 Thomas St // $15 adults; $8 under 21

Photo by Victoria Lahti