Ever since we heard that Nick "Hedwig" Garrison was going to be the Emcee, we were looking forward to seeing Cabaret at the 5th Ave (through April 13, tickets: $20-$77). We imagined that Garrison knows exactly what life in little cabarets is like. And, it turns out, he does--of all the performers onstage, he's the one who gives that extra wattage for the big numbers, dials it down for friendly, catty asides, and acts like......

MUSICAL: Cabaret opens tonight at the 5th Ave. They have a mess of video clips up if you want a preview. It stars "Broadway’s Tari Kelly, Seattle favorites Louis Hobson, Suzy Hunt and Allen Fitzpatrick, and fringe star Nick Garrison as the Emcee." We're big Nick Garrison fans, despite not even having seen his turn in Hedwig and the Angry Inch--we're pretty sure he's reason to see the show all by himself. However, the......

Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya @ the Intiman Through July 18 // Intiman Theatre // Adults $48-$34 (Under-25 $10) "Uncle Vanya," says our friend as we're headed to the theater, "that's the Chekhov play where there's an old family estate...um...on the outskirts of Moscow...and there's a doctor running around." Okay, yes, it can feel like there's one big Chekhov play called Uncle Cherry Sisters or Three Seagull Orchard, but that's no reason to poke fun. Besides,......

Few people can make spousal abuse laugh-out-loud funny, yet that's what Noel Coward did with Private Lives. (Though maybe Yanni should get an honorable mention for musical abuse.) "Certain women should be beaten regularly," proclaims Elyot Chase, with conviction, "like a gong." Last night's audience erupted with laughter, as if they'd never seen Sleeping With The Enemy. The trick is to make it tasteful. When the curtain rises on the art deco, fairytale hotel where......