Can't Miss It: Thursday
FELLINI FINITO: Tonight's the last night of SIFF's presentation of Federico Fellini's Amarcord. Truth be told, this particular Seattlester has never really liked Fellini's films, but we were blown away by his cinematic homage to the small town Italy of his youth. The film marked Fellini's transition from par-for-the-course post-war neo-realist to the surrealist auteur that changed film forever, and Amarcord remains his masterpiece.
7:30 p.m. // 321 Mercer St. // $10
MUSICAL: Off-Broadway musical Memphis (slated for B-way later this year) is making a stop in Seattle before heading to the Great White Way. The 5th Ave will run the rock 'n' roll show about a white DJ playing black music in the '50s, beginning Jan 27th. However, tonight at 7:00 p.m. you should beat the lack-of-sun induced Seattle blues by catching Memphis composer and lyricist David Bryan (of Bon Jovi's 1s and 2s, on keyboard) at EMP's Oral History Live! Series. Tickets are free to EMP members and 5th Ave subscribers, and just $5 for the general public.
7 p.m. // JBL Theatre (@ EMP), 325 Fifth Ave. N. // $5 GA, free to subscribers
ART: A pair of local artists are featured in the first show of '09 at Howard House. First, there's Arthur S. Aubry, a long-time Seattleite whose photography explores the lost industrial spaces of the Pacific Northwest. We suppose we could agree with the gallery's p.r. that "[o]bjects that in their active life were the embodiment of pragmatic industry become abstracted into visual meditations on shape and color, line and texture," but honestly they strike us at least equally as elegant representations of the Northwest's transformation from provincial industrial outposts of the American Century to the super-modern high-tech hubs they've become. Also on display is David Hartt, whose work explores the compromises we make between idealized societies and necessity.
6-8 p.m. (opening reception) // 604 Second Ave. // free!
EXIT MUSIC FOR A TEEN DRAMA: Joshua Radin is friends with Zach Braff, which is perhaps why his brand of melodic folk-pop has been on more soundtracks than radios, but if you're a teenager seeking to swoon or just into that sort of thing, he's playing an in-store at the U Village Barnes & Noble in support of his new record, Simple Times, out last September.
7 p.m. // 2675 NE University Village St. // free!
