Can't Miss It: Thursday
MORE DEADLY THAN THE MALE: A feminist author is held hostage by a disillusioned former student in this satirical play loosely based on an actual event that took place ten years ago in England. Deranged and ambitious Molly holds Margot Mason at gunpoint in her home, but instead of gunshots and action scenes, Female of the Species is full of thoughtful one-liners and humorous attacks on gender politics and ego. Suzy Hunt is wonderful as Margot Mason, a role recently played by Annette Bening in Los Angeles. Renata Friedman also excels as young gunwoman Molly. The feminist doctrine at the heart of it all is the clever play’s single victim.
7:30 p.m. // ACT Theatre // $55
UP FROM CONCRETE: Concrete Blonde was named by labelmate Michael Stipe, who said the band’s music is as hard rock as it is introspective, or so the story goes. Led by the singing/songwriting of Johnette Napolitano, Concrete Blonde embodies the American alternative scene of the late 80s and early 90s - dark attitude with firm rock and soul roots, equal parts steel string acoustics and the grimy streets of LA. The group has come out of retirement more times than Michael Jordan, but 2010 seems like a good year for a Concrete Blonde renaissance. The band’s 1990 vampire-centric album Bloodletting beat 2010 to the vampire punch by 20 years. There’s no word on any new music from the group, though they’re sure to perform their biggest hit “Joey,” and we may get Naplitano’s perfectly strange cover of Leanardo Cohen’s “Everybody Knows.” Damn, who doesn’t miss 1992?
8:00 p.m. // Showbox at the Market // $25
BUYPHONE 4: Can it count as an “event?” Judging by the massive media response and even more massive word-on-the-street buzz, the release of Apple’s newest iphone just might be the biggest news of the month. (Sorry oil disaster, World Cup, and General McChrystal. We’re smitten with you, but none of you multi-task or have a 960x640 screen.) Iphone 4G hits store shelves today, and you’ve probably already decided whether or not you’d like to be the first in line to buy one. As CNN puts it in this article, why pitch a tent and risk the discomforts of the outdoors when you can probably pick one up at a quiet Radio Shack? Regardless if the iphone is your cup of tea, the new device will likely be the hottest topic around the water cooler today. For those interested, the seattlest.com has a great iphone app, which you can download for free here.
