Can't Miss It: Monday

Staged Readings Galore: For the intellectually curious, a staged reading can be an invigorating exercise in engaging the imagination; the mechanics function a lot like a radio drama, though the actors are front and center by design. Sure, the fact that they have a script in hand means that opportunities for "theatrical magic" are slim, but this allows the nuts and bolts of storytelling to take control. A playwright's intentions are laid bare with their use of themes, dialogue and, often, stage direction -- so attending a staged reading is a worthwhile endeavor. Fortunate, then, that there are three on offer this evening:

• New Century Theater Company presents their latest Pipeline entry, Martin "Lieutenant of Inishmore" McDonagh's The Lonesome West at Solo Bar in Queen Anne.


• Live Girls! is responsible for the Cupcake Reading Series, which features a collection of short plays by female playwrights at the Mount Baker Community Club.


• Finally, the Endangered Species Project is putting on Sinclair Lewis' It Can't Happen Here at MOHAI. Seattlest's Omar Willey discussed this production yesterday.

All performances are free of charge, with a suggested donation.

Your Mother Sews Socks That Smell: The ongoing march toward Halloween continues and the Central Cinema is presenting another horror movie classic along with its pointless sequel. William Friedkin's The Exorcist's main strength stems from its skeptic's approach to the central subject matter, a resolve that's slowly eroded away as the movie progresses; so that by the time the titular priests are in the room with the possessed child, the viewer has no choice but to accept the proceedings as is. (This effect is quadrupled if the viewer has a Roman Catholic upbringing.) Masterful editing and an astounding sound design put the film over the top. The Exorcist II: The Heretic, presented as part of Central Cinema's Bad Movie Art series, is an odd beast, and has its defenders. Mostly notable for allowing us to see how the possessed child actor had, uhm, developed -- and for expanding on the underlying mythology that was lightly touched on in the original, the movie does contain a number of effective sequences and visuals (which does include James Earl Jones in full tribal regalia screaming to the skies, almost worth the price of admission right there).

Tonight, Exorcist II at 7:00p.m.; The Exorcist at 9:30p.m. // Central Cinema, 1411 21st Avenue // $8 - $10