Weekend Performing Arts: Pink Door Dance, Northside Chop Shop, and Sexy Halloween

Seattle Shakes' "Hamlet." Photo by John Ulman.

This weekend when it comes to theatre, the big news is the opening of Seattle Shakes' stunningly cast Hamlet (tickets $22-$38). Directed by John Langs, Seattle Shakes tackles the play that's just too big to ever be fully performed with a cast of amazing Seattle actors, including Adam Standley (in several roles, including Fortinbras), Charles Leggett (as the ghost of Hamlet's father), Shawn Law (Laertes), Brenda Joyner (Ophelia), and the incredible David Pichette as Polonius. With a set design by Jen Zeyl and sound by Rob Witmer, this is about as fantastic a group as you could bring together in Seattle, and I'd be more than willingly bury my longstanding dislike of seeing Shakespeare performed to head over for it.

Of course, the Rep's production of Edward Albee's Three Tall Women is pretty stacked, too (tickets $30-$52). Directed by Alison Narver, the show stars Megan Cole, Alexandra Tavares, and Suzanne Bouchard in the titular roles. And yes, I dig Tavares, but Bouchard has been one of my favorite Seattle actors for quite some time--since at least ACT's The Women a few years ago. Last weekend, I also missed calling out the opening of Adam Rapp's Red Light Winter (tickets $15). Produced by small and new-ish Seattle theatre company Azeotrope at Theatre off Jackson, Rapp is a playwright whose star's been rising in NYC for quite a while, since he clambered out from under the shadow of his older brother Anthony (of Adventures in Babysitting and Rent fame), and the show features Richard Nguyen Sloniker (Azeotrope's founder, who I don't think I've ever seen), and Tim Gouran (who's a strong actor).

In terms of dance, this weekend is the inaugural edition of Chop Shop Northside (tickets $14/$20). Founded a couple years ago in Bellevue by longtime Seattle dance stalwart Eva Stone, Chop Shop is the east side's biggest dance festival, and sells out Meydenbauer for two days every February. Now it expands north to Edmonds Community College, where among others you can catch Jim Kent performing a solo choreographed by the incredible Mark Haim.

Also, this Friday is the latest iteration of lovely Seattle-by-way-of-Perugia dancer and choreographer Alice Gosti's Modern Dance Behind the Pink Door, at the Pink Door (10 p.m., free with purchase of food and/or drinks). The line-up features the likes of Maya Soto, Mimi Allin, and Ms. Gosti herself. And then Sunday and Monday, over at On the Boards, you have the latest iteration of their longest running performance series 12 Minutes Max (tickets $8 at the door, and don't forget it's early at 7 p.m.), featuring performers like Markeith Wiley and Lavinia Vago, as well as "Awesome"'s John Ackerman performing selections from his '09 song-of-the-day project and more.

Otherwise, you've got a trio of fun at Eclectic Theatre, with 3 Geeks 1 Mic (tonight 9:30), Human Prop's improv comedy (Friday), and Blood Squad's Halloween-y Hell Squad (Saturday). There's other stuff playing (check our Theatre and Dance sections), but frankly, Halloween festivities are probably first on everyone's mind, so I need to call out BUMP this Friday down at the Showbox (tickets $35-$125). An annual fundraiser for Gay City, BUMP is a crazy-ass costume party with live entertainment, including Waxie Moon (for whom my straight heart nevertheless yearns), Inga Ingenue (for whom my straight heart yearns slightly less in jest), and Liza Rose (come on! Aerialists!) and more. It's got a $1,000 costume prize and after-party at the Baltic Room. And it's all for a good cause.