This Week In Theater: One Night Stands and Shameless Self Promotion

We are finally seeing signs of the local theater community letting up on the non-stop production schedule; while there will be productions running through December 31st, this weekend marks the last time this year we'll be seeing entirely new shows opening. This weekend also features a lot of one night only affairs, with one notable exception.

Of these, let's start with Shmorgasbord, Balagan Theater's late night cabaret free-for-all that's been largely absent while its parent company searched for a new home. Now that Balagan is housed in Capitol Hill's Erickson Theater, the Shmorg returns in full force. You can expect recitals, previews from coming shows, musical guests (including the up and coming Fictitious)...You know, the usual cabaret shenanigans.

Friday at 11:00p.m. // Erickson Theater, 1524 Harvard Avenue // Free

While we're at the Erickson, let's talk about Theater Anonymous, the latest theatrical experiment from the folks behind 14/48. What we know and can tell you: They're mounting a production of It's A Wonderful Life; every member of the show's 25+ cast is a mystery to both the audience and the cast itself. The first time the actor(s) onstage find out who their scene partner will be is on the night of the show, when they rise from the audience unbeknownst to all. This sounds like a stunt, and in a way it is, but reports from people who have seen this process working in Portland, with the Anonymous Theater Company, say that it's a hugely successful stunt. The show is sold out, but Standing Room Only tickets might be available.

Monday at 8:00p.m. // Erickson Theater, 1524 Harvard Avenue // $18 (good luck)

Also on Monday, the Endangered Species Project will close out their 2011 year over in Greenwood's Taproot Theater with Trelawney of the Wells, a late 19th century comedy that's also a love letter to the stage and the people who trod upon it. Talented Ms. Trelawney, a star of the stage, has decided to retire from theater in order to marry into a family that has no room in its life for her vocation. All well and good, until her former company determines that they can't do without their beloved actress. Hilarity ensues. As with prior ESP productions, this boasts an impressive cast of local actors.

Monday at 7:00p.m. // Taproot Theater in Greenwood, 204 North 85th Street // Free

We close out this week's entry with this weekend's sole production that lasts more than a single performance; it's from a company that hails from Chimacum, WA (just South of Port Townsend) and it features a performance from your correspondent (fulfilling the "shameless self promotion" promised in the headline). The Paradise Theater Company is coming to Fremont's West of Lenin -- the first time the company has crossed the water -- with The Milosevics, an amalgamation of Documentary/Verbatim Theater with elements of Song and Dance. The verbatim portion of the show is taken from transcripts from the Hague Tribunal's trial of Slobodan Milosevic; also from transcripts of private phone calls the Milosevic family had while the trial was going on. These are then leavened with lip-synched dance routines (think Craig Ferguson, or The Muppets). The result is a little jarring, pretty humorous and essentially engaging (if I do say so myself). Say, that Milan Babich is a handsome fellow, no?

Friday and Saturday at 8:00p.m. // West of Lenin, 203 North 36th Street // $10