Your Complete Guide to April 2018 Events in Seattle The 150 Biggest Music, Arts, Food & Cultural Events by Stranger Things To Do Staff

The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is one of the Seattle area's most delightful spring events. ASHTON QUINLAN

No joke—there are lots of awesome arts, music, food, and cultural events happening in Seattle this April. We’ve compiled the 150 biggest ones you need to know about below, including events happening for 4/20, Earth Day, and National Poetry Month. You’ll also find everything from Independent Bookstore Day to Record Store Day, from the Cheese and Meat Festival to the Langston Hughes African American Film Festival, from the opening of the Marvel: Universe of Superheroes exhibition to the closing of Teatro ZinZanni's Love, Chaos, and Dinner, and from the March for Science to the Tax Rally. If all of that isn't enough, you can also look ahead to the rest of this year's big events, or check out our complete Things To Do calendar.

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APRIL 1
HOLIDAYS

1. Easter
   Whether or not you actually celebrate the religious aspects of the holiday, there are a variety of secular ways to celebrate Easter in Seattle. Find them all on our Easter calendar, including Pastor Kaleb's Sunday Service, an Easter Bonnet Contest, and plenty of brunches.

PERFORMANCE

1. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Live
   If the prospect of a musical comedy sitcom made by a YouTube star about an unstable woman engaged in stalkerish behavior made you sigh and bemoan the decline of modern entertainment, oh no, love, you’re not alone. And yet, over the course of three seasons, Rachel Bloom’s show has become a powerfully funny, sharply observed, startlingly complex exploration of mental health, love, obsession, ambition, race, class, media, gender, and identity in the suburban wasteland (ever lived in West Covina? I have) of an American empire that stubbornly refuses to die. More to the point, and I never thought I’d be the one to say this, but: The songs are fucking excellent. Writing with a group of fine collaborators, Bloom manages to locate the intersection of musical theater and about 37 subgenres of pop to create pastiches that both comment on and transcend their components. The lyrics are funny, smart, and more, and the melodies stick in your head like an ice pick. The live show will feature Bloom along with co-stars Vincent Rodriguez III, Scott Michael Foster, and Pete Gardner as well as composers Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne, hello!) and Jack Dolgen, and show co-creator/executive producer Aline Brosh McKenna. SEAN NELSON

THROUGH APRIL 1
FESTIVALS

1. Fisherman's Village Music Festival 2018
   Celebrate the efforts of the Everett Music Initiative with this weekend festival spread over several beloved local venues, with live sets from cosmic hiphop kings Shabazz Palaces, Kevin Morby, Mount Eerie, Oberhofer, the Seshen, Taylar Elizza Beth, Sisters, Spirit Award, the Black Tones, and many more.
   Begins March 30

2. Sakura-Con
   For one weekend, see life through an anime lens as cosplayers gather again for the Northwest's "oldest and most well-attended" convention devoted to the art, presented by the Asia Northwest Cultural Education Association. It's a member-only festival, but once you're a member, everything else is free—contests, panels, "cosplay chess," gaming, and the Kawaii vs. Kowai Dance Party. Meet artists and browse their works, watch models strut outlandish looks on the runway at two fashion shows, and hear special Shinjuku musical guests Okamoto. Unfortunately, online tickets are sold out, but there will be tickets at the door if you can get there early enough. Just know you're in for crowds: 23,000 cosplay nerds attended last year.
   Begins March 30

MUSIC

1. Ruben Studdard
   Ruben Studdard, winner of the second season of American Idol who received a 2003 Grammy nomination for Best Male R&B ocal Performance, will visit Seattle.
   Begins March 29

PERFORMANCE

1. Shen Yun 2018
   Shen Yun, founded by Chinese Falun Dafa dancers in New York City, is an absolute celebration of an entire region's magic, splendor, and creative possibility. The production aims to bring China's ancient wonders to life on stage with dance and music.
   Begins March 28

APRIL 1-30
EVERYWHERE

1. National Poetry Month
   The Academy of American Poets dubbed April National Poetry Month in 1996 as a way of increasing people's awareness and appreciation of poetry in the U.S. See Seattle events for National Poetry Month here, including a reading from Neil Hilborn (April 1), a Charles Simic reading (April 12), Word Works: Ada Limón (April 14), and the Youth Speaks Seattle 2018 Grand Slam on April 21.

FESTIVALS

1. Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
   For the 35th consecutive year, flower enthusiasts will flock to Skagit Valley to see sprawling fields covered with hundreds of colorful tulips in bloom. The festival is designed as a driving tour, as there's no one spot to enter.

APRIL 2–30
FILM

1. Silent Movie Mondays
   On a recent podcast, Janice Min, the woman credited with transforming Us Weekly from a C-minus People magazine clone into a culture-defining celebrity news faucet in 2002, observed that the Paris Hilton/Lindsay Lohan era, which Min helped inscribe, now feels like a very long time ago, all but forgotten. It’s a strange parallel to the lingering devotion a small number of viewers keep for the first generation of film actors, who, like nearly all humans, even the most famous, are largely forgotten by the world. I know that going to a silent movie, much less a month’s worth of them, sound like medicine to most people, but this series is a true joy. The majesty of the Paramount Theatre is on full display, as is the glory of the Wurlitzer organ accompaniment. And seeing the films really does feel like time travel. The grammar, pace, and style are simultaneously fascinating and obscure, but the faces are a straight, vivid line from a century ago to right now. This year’s series focuses on the great female stars of early cinema: Marion Davies—unfairly maligned by Citizen Kane—in The Patsy (April 2), Pola Negri in A Woman of the World (April 9), Gloria Swanson in Stage Struck (April 16), Mary Pickford in Little Annie Rooney (April 23), and Colleen Moore in Ella Cinders (April 30). SEAN NELSON

APRIL 2-19
FOOD & DRINK

1. Seattle Restaurant Week
   Frugal gourmands everywhere rejoice over this twice-yearly event, which lets diners tuck into prix-fixe menus at more than 165 different restaurants hoping to lure new customers with singularly slashed prices: Three courses cost a mere $33, and many restaurants also offer two-course lunches for $22. It’s an excellent opportunity to feast like a high roller at an accessible price point and cross off some otherwise spendy establishments on your food bucket list, including critically acclaimed restaurants like Tilth, Agrodolce, and Lark. JULIANNE BELL

APRIL 3
FILM

1. Showgirls with David Schmader
   Is Paul Verhoeven’s dreadfully acted 1995 take on the American dream, or at least the casino strip revue version of it, a stealth masterpiece? Hilarious Stranger alum David Schmader will make the case that this tale of boobs, butts, unsubtle lesbian homoeroticism, weird dance-moans, and Kyle MacLachlan’s terrible hair has more than meets your bugged-out eyeballs. THRUST IT!

MUSIC

1. The Darkness, Diarrhea Planet
   Best known for their early '00s chart-topping hit "I Believe in A Thing Called Love," glam rock group the Darkness will share their infectious energy on their Tour De Prance with guest Diarrhea Planet.

2. Omara Portuondo
   Eighty-seven-year-old Omara Portuondo is one of the five surviving members—and the only original vocalist—of the world-famous Cuban ensemble Buena Vista Social Club.
   As a mellifluous singer and dancer of melded Spanish genres such as son cubano and bolero music, Portuondo rose to prominence with the troupe in the late 1990s after their self-titled debut and then sunsetted the legendary act with the other original members in 2015 on their final tour. Now the window to see any of the original members is slowly closing—this is an opportunity you’re not going to want to sleep on. ZACH FRIMMEL

APRIL 4
MUSIC

1. HAIM
   HAIM is the trio of Este, Danielle, and Alana Haim, or the coolest set of sisters in music right now. Fresh off of the release of their second record, Something to Tell You, HAIM are masters of rhythm and seamlessly intertwining many genres. What other band gets personal advice from Stevie Nicks, has an A$AP Ferg feature on one of their tracks, and opens for Taylor Swift? ANNA KAPLAN

2. Jungle
   At the Showbox, the hook-laden British dance-pop duo Jungle will bless their dedicated fan base with more exotic-hypnotic soul than this city is used to. The smooth and lean athleticism of their enjoyable 2014 eponymous debut combines Massive Attack’s warped perceptions, D’Angelo’s seduction, and Hot Chip’s dance-floor charm to keep your heart full and legs limber to jogger-friendly tempos. The common thread is a retro-UK-groove that keeps the songs moving to motivational, ecstatic heights, while inlayed textures and stylistic treatments keep them interesting and moving forward. Catch the fever. TRAVIS RITTER

RESISTANCE & SOLIDARITY

1. BlackLivesMatter March on Seattle
   March in protest of the Trump administration's tax bill, racially charged police brutality, and inequality with BlackLivesMatter Seattle.

APRIL 4–5
PERFORMANCE

1. Todrick Hall: American
   The dreamy young choreographer, singer, dancer, actor, and RuPaul’s Drag Race guest judge Todrick Hall is swinging back through town with an all-new production of singing and dancing. As you know if you’ve seen the documentary about his life, Behind the Curtain, Hall grew up in Texas and had the good fortune to have a mother who drove him an hour and a half each way to dance classes. As an adult, he got to star in Kinky Boots on Broadway. And did I mention he’s pals with RuPaul? CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE

APRIL 5
COMEDY

1. The Trailer Park Boys
   A F#cked Up Evening With the Trailer Park Boys, rescheduled from Christmastime because of the passing of John Dunsworth, will at last arrive in Seattle. Check out their bombastic comedy in person.

COMMUNITY

1. Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii 21st Annual Seattle Luncheon
   Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie will be the special musical guest for Planned Parenthood's annual fundraising luncheon. There are a limited number of Young Professional tickets for those 25 and under at $50.

MUSIC

1. Kate Nash, Miya Folick
   If I got a chance to talk to Kate at her show, I would tell her about the time the song “Foundations” wedged itself in my subconscious for weeks and I became unbearable to be around. “You said I must eat so many le-mons, cause I am so bit-tah!” I sang to myself in a weird cockney accent on the bus and in the shower, and I’m pretty sure the song played a minor role in a dream subplot. Kate doesn’t just write catchy songs about failing relationships, though. “I use mouthwash/sometimes I floss/I have a family/And I drink cups of tea,” she sings on a song entitled “Mouthwash.” I forgive her. I have no idea what Kate will sound like in concert, but if she sounds even half as good as she does on her CD, it’ll be worth it to you to check her out. STEVEN BLUM

APRIL 5-8
GEEK & GAMING

1. Magic the Gathering Grand Prix Seattle
   Magic the Gathering players will gather to compete for impressive prizes at this event celebrating the 25th birthday of the popular trading card game. The Grand Prix will mostly appeal to MTG players, for whom the main events will be standard and legacy tournaments, in addition to dozens of side events, ranging from Modern to Commander to Sealed Two-Headed Giant.But it's open to anyone, and will also feature exhibitions featuring MTG card art and vendors selling merch.

APRIL 5-28
ART

1. Michael Spafford: Epic Prints
   Three Seattle galleries—Davidson, Woodside/Braseth, and Greg Kucera—are displaying works by the legendary Michael Spafford, whose flat yet dynamic figurative works clash together with all the brutality of classical myth. The print Europa and the Bull #2 reduces the bodies of the bull and his victim into curved lines and blocks of black and white. Chimera and Bellerophon uses a diptych structure with a cut-out attachment to render the goat-lion-snake beast of legend, ingeniously mimicking its hybrid nature with disparate colors and materials. Perhaps the most impressive paintings are Coatlicue #1 and #2, the Aztec mother of the gods, depicted as four or six severed hands ensnared in a whorl of intestine-like snakes. Alongside the exhibition, University of Washington Press (Spafford is a professor emeritus at UW) will be selling a monograph on this important Northwest artist, and you can attend its release on April 6 at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery. JOULE ZELMAN

APRIL 6
FILM

1. A Quiet Place Opening
   Who knew affable John Krasinski had it in him to direct a shocker? The Office star and Emily Blunt play a couple with young children who must live in absolute silence for fear of hidden monsters that hunt by sound.

MUSIC

1. Devin the Dude, King Leez, DJ Indica Jones
   There’s a strain of melancholy, Southern rap that bangs bluesily, utilizing chicken-scratch guitars, deep-fried organs, and sumptuous horns to tell bleary-eyed street tales and revel in sun-baked nostalgia. Think UGK’s first few albums, or the work of production team Organized Noize. It’s a lush, humid sound, and Houston’s Devin the Dude has pretty much perfected it over a decades-long career in the game. His sleepy drawl and penchant for hilariously kush-addled observations have afforded him a cult fan base many up-and-coming rappers would kill for, and his remarkable streak of good-to-great releases (from 2002’s Just Tryin’ Ta Live to his latest, One for the Road) suggest a quality control that may surprise you, given his nonchalance and chilled demeanor on record. I’d be remiss if I didn’t single out for special mention his track “Doobie Ashtray,” the most heartbreaking ballad about friends stealing your weed ever released. KYLE FLECK

APRIL 6 & 8
PERFORMANCE

1. Blame it on Bianca Del Rio
   Bianca Del Rio, whom Matt Baume called "the most vicious RuPaul's Drag Race winner of all time," will wield her mean and hilarious sense of humor across the world on her latest tour. Catch her deluge of foul-mouthed devilry in Seattle.

APRIL 6-29
PERFORMANCE

1. Kiss Me, Kate
   The 5th is producing the Cole Porter classic as part of the city-wide Seattle Celebrates Shakespeare festival, with opulent sets and costumes from the critically acclaimed production by the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE

APRIL 7
FOOD & DRINK

1. Fourth Annual Masonry Farmhouse Beer Festival
   The Fremont wood-oven pizzeria is throwing a "celebration of all things mixed fermentation," with food, drink, and tasting glass included. Proceeds benefit KEXP.

MUSIC

1. Jonathan Davis
   Ex-Korn frontman, nü-metal pioneer, and notorious diva Jonathan Davis will return to Seattle to promote the release of his solo debut album.

2. Keith Sweat
   Anyone who had sex in the '90s owes their good fortune to the slick R&B of easy listening (and platinum-selling) legend Keith Sweat.

PERFORMANCE

1. Jinkx Monsoon & Major Scales: 'The Ginger Snapped'
   If you haven’t heard Jinkx Monsoon’s new album—which she produced with funds raised from fans online—get out your phone, open up Spotify, and listen to The Ginger Snapped. It features vocal performances by Amanda Palmer, Fred Schneider (of the B-52's), and Lady Rizo. “Cartoons and Vodka” is the first single off the album, but I have a soft spot for “Just Me (The Gender Binary Blues).” It dea
   It deals directly with the artist recently coming out as trans. Oh yeah, and don’t skip “Friends.” I’ve had that chorus stuck in my head for six weeks straight. CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE

READINGS & TALKS

1. Sarah Vowell and Michael Giacchino: The Old and the Dead
   The best-selling author and NPR star Sarah Vowell is anachronistic. She’s much happier with her nose in a dusty volume of history than she is doing almost anything else, and she turns all that reading of old books into funny new books. “That's the service I provide,” she said dryly at her last Seattle reading. But she’s also one of the voices in The Incredibles, and the owner of a television, and a big fan of Star Wars. At this event, “a unique conversation about pop culture and history,” she will be joined by the composer Michael Giacchino, who wrote the score to The Incredibles and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE

SPORTS & RECREATION

1. Brunch Run
   Run, walk, or leisurely stroll your way to the finish line at Seattle Magazine's annual 5K Brunch Run. The spread that awaits at the end includes bites from 15 local restaurants.

APRIL 7-22
FESTIVALS

1. Daffodil Festival
   Pierce County is fertile ground for the yellow perennial flowers, who have had their own festival in the area since 1934. The highlight of the event is its grand parade, where the festival's royal court (made up of 23 "princesses" from Pierce County high schools) sail down the street on daffodil-covered floats.

APRIL 7-28
COMEDY

1. Randy Rainbow
   YouTube phenom Randy Rainbow is the master of the catty sick burn—which comes off especially blistering when his wit's aimed at the flaming hypocrites in the Trump administration. Rainbow's MO is to simulate interviews with major political figures, cleverly twisting their sincere responses into fodder for his own nasty retorts, while weaving in pertinent footage from news outlets and breaking into hilarious, parodistic song. Rainbow is punching up—way up—and his deserving targets are left looking even lousier than they already are, which is a major feat. Watch him convert “Danke Schoen” into “DACA Shame” for quality rueful chuckles. In addition to his solo show on April 28, he'll also headline the Not in Our Town concerts on April 7 & 8. DAVE SEGAL

APRIL 8
MUSIC

1. Bilal, Bells Atlas, DJ SolidSound
   Singer, songwriter, producer, and musician Bilal is known for his work with Kendrick Lamar (“These Walls” off To Pimp a Butterfly won them a Grammy for best rap/sung collaboration), Erykah Badu, Robert Glasper, the Roots (“It Ain’t Fair” from the Detroit film soundtrack, most recently), and Common. But Bilal’s solo catalog is deserving of its own accolades, and he most recently united with Adrian Younge on the perfectly wrought 2015 LP In Another Life, the multi-instrumental producer bringing psychedelic soul and Morricone-esque drama to Bilal’s fine mix of R&B, jazz, funk, hiphop, and regular ol’ soul. Bilal’s vocals are a creamy caress that hit falsetto notes and evoke the greats—Prince, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield—all while maintaining his own singular sensuality. LEILANI POLK

2. An Evening with Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley
   Amanda Palmer, the cabaret punk star who is also known for writing bad poetry about the Boston Marathon bombings, will perform a night of new music, with support from Jason Webley.

READINGS & TALKS

1. An Evening with Anne Lamott
   Anne Lamott's friendly, nonjudgmental, and vague brand of Christianity (as encountered in her latest book Hallelujah Anyway; Rediscovering Mercy) irritates many critics even as they praise her linguistic facility and approachability. But she wrote Bird by Bird, an indisputably great book, and she is funny as hell on stage. CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE

SPORTS & RECREATION

1. Emerald City Ride
   Whether you choose the three-mile or 12-mile course around the Viaduct, you'll take in some pretty stellar views on this bicycle race. It's also your last chance to bike the SR 99 Alaskan Way Viaduct (car-free) before it's demolished.

THROUGH APRIL 8
FOOD & DRINK

1. Plate of Nations
   Every year, Plate of Nations presents a two-week-long opportunity to avail ourselves of the rich and varied cuisines of Rainier Valley, with shareable plates priced at $20 and $30. This year, 14 restaurants are participating, with Mexican, Chinese, Peruvian, Mediterranean, Ethiopian, Eritrean, Vietnamese, and more represented in the mix. Highlights include Szechuan food from the newly opened Little Chengdu, smoky Peruvian charcoal-roasted rotisserie chicken from Big Chickie, inimitable tacos from Tacos Chukis, and authentic Ethiopian food from Cafe Ibex. Angela Garbes once wrote about this event: "If you’ve never been to Cafe Ibex... you’re missing out on some of the best food in town. South Seattle is where it’s at. Catch up." JULIANNE BELL

PERFORMANCE

1. The Maltese Falcon
   Book-It Repertory Theatre and Cafe Nordo will collaborate on a stage version of the lush and gritty noir classic The Maltese Falcon, adapted by Jane Jones and Kevin McKeon. As private dick Sam Spade seeks the priceless jewel-encrusted falcon for some sketchy clients, you'll tuck into Nordo's special themed menu.

2. Moisture Festival
   Moisture Festival is devoted to the variety of performers Seattle has fostered over the years, from circus acts to comedians, burlesque dancers to musicians, and jugglers to tap dancers. It's been going for 15 years in Seattle, a testament to the popularity of cabaret-style entertainment in town. Variété is the main, recurring event, with a rotating lineup, and there are also matinée and rather racier late night versions. The bawdy Libertease Cabaret is for adults only and features burlesque and scantily-clothed aerial acts. There are also workshops, talks, and special opening and closing nights. If you love circus acrobatics, clowning, comedy, and/or sexy dance, you owe it to yourself to go.

APRIL 8-10
READINGS & TALKS

1. National Geographic Live — Standing at the Water's Edge
   Cristina Mittermeier's photographic work testifies to "the power of water" in its nourishing and cataclysmic forms. According to press materials, she's dwelled with the Kayapó people in the Amazon as they've faced down a dam that could ruin their way of life, covered First Nations' water struggles in Canada, and met Hawaiian indigenous communities reviving their peoples' traditional relationship to the ocean. This National Geographic Live show will combine her images with an anti-greed, anti-waste message.

APRIL 9
MUSIC

1. The Residents
   If you're into weird music that eludes easy categorization and reveals labyrinths of audiovisual surrealism, you need to see the Residents at least once in your life. (Those are the rules; I don't make ’em, I just report ’em.) They don't wear eyeball masks and top hats onstage anymore, but the Residents still mutate popular and avant-garde musical forms into bizarrely beautiful and emotionally resonant set pieces that lift you out of your mundane worries. While it would be cool to hear a whole set of Third Reich 'n Roll–style desecrations of the pop-rock canon, it’s likely the Residents have something more complicated planned for this concert. Nearly 50 years into their career, they remain as unpredictable as ever. DAVE SEGAL

READINGS & TALKS

1. Cecile Richards: Make Trouble
   Cecile Richards presided over Planned Parenthood through years of attacks by right-wing nuts in and out of Congress. The former executive director of the beleaguered reproductive health organization will present her newest book on standing up to misogyny and hate, Make Trouble.

APRIL 10
MUSIC

1. Camila Cabello
   Burgeoning pop star Camila Cabello has fully divorced herself from Fifth Harmony and struck out on her own with a widely acclaimed new solo album, which she will shill on this tour stop.

2. KYGO, Alan Walker
   EDM artist KYGO, or Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll, is a bedroom producer who made good, hitting 1 billion streams on Spotify faster than any other artist in late 2015. He'll be joined by Alan Walker on his Kids in Love tour.

READINGS & TALKS

1. Leslie Jamison with Claire Dederer: The Recovering
   A young, talented nonfiction writer best known for her book The Empathy Exams, Leslie Jamison has just published a new book called The Recovering, which “turns our understanding of the traditional addiction narrative on its head, demonstrating that the story of recovery can be every bit as electrifying as the train wreck itself,” according to publicity materials. She will be in conversation with Love and Trouble author Claire Dederer, who also has a knack for turning traditional narratives on their head. CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE

APRIL 10-11
MUSIC

1. Branford Marsalis Quartet
   The great saxophonist Branford Marsalis, who is a member of jazz's royal family (the Marsalises—Ellis, Wynton, Delfeayo), is famous for participating in Sting's only decent solo album, The Dream of the Blue Turtles, leading the band on Jay Leno's show in the mid-'90s, and working with DJ Premier on jazz/hiphop collaboration Buckshot LeFonque. He is less well known for the ribbons upon ribbons of beauty extracted from Igor Stravinsky's "Pastorale"—a piece on the album Romance for Saxophone. Branford Marsalis is also known for upsetting his more famous brother Wynton. Branford loves popular culture; Wynton hates it. CHARLES MUDEDE

APRIL 11
MUSIC

1. Jaden Smith
   It can't be easy to follow in the footsteps of the Fresh Prince, but Jaden Smith seems to be doing all right for himself. See the actor/model/musician grace the stage, joined by additional guests.

READINGS & TALKS

1. Samantha Irby with Lindy West: Meaty
   Of Samantha Irby, who blogs under the title bitches gotta eat, Stranger alum and current New York Times columnist Lindy West has written: "Samantha Irby is my favorite living writer... Actually, I’ll throw in the dead ones too. Screw you, Herman Melville." West will lead a discussion with Irby on the occasion of Irby's second book, Meaty, a treasure of musings about "chin hairs, depression, bad sex, failed relationships, masturbation, taco feasts, inflammatory bowel disease and more."

2. Sean Penn: Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff
   I guess the question is: Do you want it to be the case that Sean Penn’s first novel is good, or at least interesting, or do you want it to be folly? Either way, his literary debut, entitled Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff (Atria)—“a scorching, darkly funny novel about Bob Honey, a modern American man, entrepreneur, and part-time assassin”—is now available. Penn is tricky. On the one hand, he is indisputably one of the finest screen actors of this or any other lifetime. On the other, he’s the kind of conspicuous liberal activist celebrity who makes even devout liberals flinch. Plus the awful things we believe we know about his personal life and behavior. And, of course, the whole thing about actors writing fiction. But then again, one would like to believe that the truly breathtaking mastery of one art form could conceivably translate to some kind of noteworthy dalliance with another. SEAN NELSON

APRIL 11–14
COMEDY

1. Hannibal Buress
   As famous for his acting credits for Broad City, The Eric Andre Show, Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, Daddy's Home, and other funny films and television shows as he is for accusing fellow comedian/actor Bill Cosby of rape, Buress is a masterly storyteller whose anecdotes keep accruing layers of hilarity as they go. His topics typically revolve around life in urban environments and dating, and he has refreshingly blunt and cranky takes on human foibles. Buress also tackles existential issues like trying to “figure out how many strangers I have to have empty sex with before I propose to my ex-girlfriend. And the numbers are mounting irresponsibly.” DAVE SEGAL

APRIL 12
READINGS & TALKS

1. Laverne Cox
   Since shining so brightly as Sophia Burset in Orange Is the New Black, (and since scooping up an Emmy for producing The T Word, and since doing such a good job on CBS's
   legal drama, Doubt) Laverne Cox has been using her humor, her warmth, and her intelligence to pave and widen the path for other trans artists to follow. She's also been using all those talents to advocate for trans rights. Her lecture, "Ain't I a Woman," which borrows its title from Sojourner Truth's classic speech, very much serves that end. You can catch a clip of her performance on YouTube: "It is my belief that one of the biggest obstacles facing the transgender community are...points of view that suggest no matter what I'll do I'll never be a woman," she says, as she takes a moment to flip her hair. "And yet...ain't I a woman?" This is going to be good. RICH SMITH

APRIL 12-15
FILM

1. ByDesign Film Festival
   One of the richest institutional collaborations in this city is that between the ByDesign Festival and Northwest Film Forum. Here, two arts that are very similar, film and architecture (both are capital intensive), meet in the theater. This year, the festival’s key and must-see documentary is Dream Empire. It concerns a company that employs actors to transform “remote Chinese ghost towns into temporary international booming cities.” Why? To trick “visitors into buying overpriced property.” This is the sad story of our world, which is sloshing with surplus capital that has nowhere to go. CHARLES MUDEDE

MUSIC

1. Kenny G
   Although fate was obviously kinder to one of us, Kenny G and I had the same saxophone teacher. John P. Jessen, aka Johnny Jessen, taught sax out of the Sixth and Pine building downtown for ages. Kenny G used to play two saxophones at once, back at Franklin High School. And his early records were funk. Maybe not great funk, but funk. And we used to say, “Hey, local kid makes good.” I am not at all sure about his bossa-nova album. I am not at all sure about anything of Kenny G’s after 1989. But I sure do miss Johnny Jessen. ANDREW HAMLIN

PERFORMANCE

1. Patti & The Kid
   Described in the promotional materials as a dystopian "Western with Nerf guns," Frank Boyd and Libby King's Patti & The Kid follows two outlaws as they hide out from the Feds of the future in a vast desert. Along with Brooklyn-based theater company TEAM, King "has helped create and internationally tour four award-winning published plays: RoosevElvis, Mission Drift, Architecting, and Particularly in the Heartland." Boyd was the best part of WET's production of Young Jean Lee's Straight White Men, and his last show at On the Boards, The Holler Sessions, was favorably previewed by The Stranger and praised in the Seattle Times. This one should be good, too. RICH SMITH

APRIL 13
FILM

1. Lean on Pete Opening
   At first glance, this film by Weekend and 45 Years director Andrew Haigh looks like it might simply be a story of inexpressive white males brooding meaningfully in the rural Pacific NW. In reality, however, it’s one of the most surprising and affecting stories about the isolation, agony, and resiliency of youth since The 400 Blows. Based on a novel by Portland musician/writer Willy Vlautin, the story is about the travails of a kid named Ray who lives on the edge of poverty with his unreliable dad. Circumstances lead him to a job with a low-rent racehorse owner (Steve Buscemi) and an unlikely friendship with the animal who gives the film its title. Together they see America in a way that threatens to swallow them whole. Please don’t miss this fantastically unlikely movie. SEAN NELSON

MUSIC

1. The Breeders
   Welcome to today’s Breeders Chat. Did you know that Pod was originally conceived of as dance music? Can you rave till dawn on “Doe”? I know I can. Is the Last Splash–era lineup still on board now that the 20-year brouhaha has died down and new music approaches? Why did nobody get me LSXX for my birthday? Did you hear “Wait in the Car”? (Did it make you, like me, think of Juelz Santana saying, “Sit in the car”?) Doesn’t it sound like vintage, hard-charging Breeds, Kim jolting us awake with a “Good morning” that’s more wood-chipper than chipper? Aren’t they just your favorite 1990s survivors? Why are you walking away from me? LARRY MIZELL JR.

READINGS & TALKS

1. Lidia Bastianich
   Chef, TV host, and restaurateur Lidia Bastianich will share the story of her childhood on the Adriatic Sea, her perilous immigration from Yugoslavia to New Jersey, and her career in My American Dream: A Life of Love, Family, and Food.

APRIL 13-14
PERFORMANCE

1. The Fourth Annual Seattle Boylesque Festival
   Boylesque is burlesque that has a lot more "boy" in it. Think Chippendales, if Chippendales were queer and the men put sparkly tassels on their butts and occasionally looked hyper-femme. (So, really, it's nothing like Chippendales. Thank God.) Strappy lingerie, gender-bending, sequined crotch pieces, kicks, wieners, flips, and twerking all appear to be promised. The thing features more than 30 performers from across the country, and it tends to sell out, so nab your tickets ASAP if you're looking for extra-creative ways to pull slutty socks off your body parts. CHASE BURNS

SPORTS & RECREATION

1. Questival
   In this 24-hour outdoor adventure race, teams of two to six earn points by submitting challenges (which range from watching a sunrise to mailing a postcard to a senator to catching a fish) to the Questival app. When it's over, prizes will be awarded to the top teams.

APRIL 13-15
READINGS & TALKS

1. Orcas Island Lit Festival 2018
   This festival sounds like a boon to anyone who loves both literature and gorgeous island landscapes. Attend a lit crawl with bestselling and Pulitzer-winning authors, generate some masterpieces of your own at workshops, and chime in on panel discussions, as well as meeting regional authors, poets, and publishers.

APRIL 13-22
PERFORMANCE

1. Emergence
   In Emergence, created by the Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite, a "swarming, scurrying group of dancers" acts out the impulse towards social hierarchy. In Alejandro Cerrudo’s Little mortal jump, genres collide and transform. Yuri Possokhov has his Pacific Northwest Ballet debut in RAkU. See these three modern works, all in one night.

APRIL 13-AUG 19
ART

1. José Guadalupe Posada and the Mexican Penny Press
   José Guadalupe Posada was one of Mexico’s most influential printmakers and illustrators. While he made everything from illustrations for children’s games to sensationalistic news stories that appeared in "penny press" publications, Posada is best known for his satirical representations of calaveras (skeletons). This exhibition features those, along with other prints and media by the artist.

APRIL 14
COMEDY

1. Bill Maher
   Bill Maher shares his steadfast opinions on politics and life on his HBO show, Real Time. Hear what he has to say in his live stand-up routine.

MUSIC

1. Dashboard Confessional, Beach Slang
   Alt-emo artifact Dashboard Confessional will return to town high off the fumes of their latest album We Fight on a tour of the same name. They'll be joined by Beach Slang.

2. Robin Thicke
   Everybody's Divorced Dad™ Robin Thicke will share an evening of his mid '00s neo-R&B and "urban contemporary" pop hits.

RESISTANCE & SOLIDARITY

1. March for Science
   Advocate for science and evidence-based policy and demand change in our government at this second annual march.

2. Tax Rally 2018: Invest In All Of Us
   Fight back against Trump's tax plan (wherein "working families pay up to 17 percent of their income in state and local taxes while the wealthy pay less than three percent") by rallying for reform.

APRIL 14-15
FILM

1. Seattle Jewish Film Festival
   This annual film festival explores and celebrates global Jewish and Israeli life, history, complexity, culture, and filmmaking. It showcases international, independent, and award-winning Jewish-themed and Israeli cinema, and the audience votes on their favorites. The 2018 theme is "isREEL Life" in celebration of Israel's 70th anniversary. Most of the films are shown in March; in April, the fest migrates to the Eastside, where will be an opening night party featuring the documentary Shalom Bollywood about Jewish Indian performers.

APRIL 14-29
SPORTS & RECREATION

1. Clipper Round the World Yacht Race
   The Clipper Race gives 11 non-professional sailing teams the opportunity to circumnavigate the globe by way of its seven seas, stopping in various ports along the way. Since Seattle is part of the globe, you can witness some of the fleet's milestones from the shore on the West Coast leg of their tour.

APRIL 15
MUSIC

1. Kathleen Battle
   Back in 1992, Kathleen Battle, the soprano with a voice that’s unbelievably beautiful, released an album with the jazz giant Wynton Marsalis titled Baroque Duet. At this moment, both musicians were at their peak. Kathleen Battle was a black diva dominating the white world of opera, and Marsalis a black trumpeter leading both black African classical music, jazz, and European classical music, simply called classical. Tonight, Battle performs with another jazz musician, Joel A. Martin, who brings both forms of music together (he calls the combination "jazzical"). The event will feature spirituals and the heroes of the underground railroad. CHARLES MUDEDE

READINGS & TALKS

1. Lindy West: The Witches Are Coming
   The author, Stranger alum, and New York Times columnist Lindy West is giving a humorous slideshow called “The Witches Are Coming.” I hope it has something to do with her October 2017 column “Yes, This Is a Witch Hunt. I’m a Witch and I’m Hunting You.” Representative passage: “Setting aside the gendered power differential inherent in real historical witch hunts (pretty sure it wasn’t all the rape victims in Salem getting together to burn the mayor), and the pathetic gall of men feeling hunted after millenniums of treating women like prey, I will let you guys have this one. Sure, if you insist, it’s a witch hunt." CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE

THROUGH APRIL 15
PERFORMANCE

1. Ironbound
   This play, spanning two decades, dramatizes the working-class struggle for safety through the story of a Polish immigrant woman. The playwright, Polish-born, New Jersey-raised Martyna Majok, seeks to provide an alternative to caricatures of poor people in pop culture. Ironbound won the Charles McArthur Award for Outstanding Original New Play or Musical in 2015.

2. The Merchant of Venice
   This is the year where Stranger Genius Award-winning actor Amy Thone plays all the challenging lead male roles in town, and we should all rejoice. Her performance of Nixon in Strawshop's Frost/Nixon made it impossible for anyone in the audience to dismiss the president's crimes as an unfortunate side effect of male ambition. I have a hunch that her performance of Shylock in Seattle Shakespeare's production of Merchant of Venice, the classic/infamous comedy about a merciless Jewish merchant who demands her pound of flesh, will resonate with the conversations swirling around the #MeToo movement. Desdemona Chiang will direct. RICH SMITH

APRIL 16
READINGS & TALKS

1. Dr. John Cooper Clarke
   If you’re a devotee of the accent that emerges from the Northern English city of Manchester (familiar to fans of Mike Leigh films—especially Naked—or the songs and interviews of the Fall, the Smiths, or the brothers Gallagher, among others), you’re probably aware that the dialect exists in its purest and most glorious form in the mouth of Clarke, whose hilarious and cutting poetry was part of the original UK punk and post-punk landscape that forged all your favorite bands. Unlike many of those bands, whose value may be more historical and iconographic than artistic, Clarke’s work is as thrilling, funny, smart, and airtight as it ever was. His best works—“Beasley Street,” “Evidently Chickentown,” “Twat,” “I Married a Monster from Outer Space,” etc.—communicate as much anger, outrage, disdain, and social comment as any Sex Pistols or Clash song without leaning on noise. The violence lies in his adherence to form, and the sardonic sneer of his ingenious delivery. The 69-year-old honorary doctor doesn’t make it to America very often, and who knows whether there will even be a future, so if you make room for just one event in this whole calendar, make it this one. SEAN NELSON

APRIL 17
RESISTANCE & SOLIDARITY

1. We The People: An Evening with the ACLU's Anthony Romero
   Longtime executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union Anthony Romero will host this talk on fighting the Trump administration to protect individuals' freedom and equality. There will also be opportunities for you to find out how to support ACLU causes.

APRIL 18
MUSIC

1. Earth, Tiny Vipers
   The methodical evolution of Earth (the band, not the planet) has been richly rewarding. After inventing ambient metal with 1993's Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version, Earth leader Dylan Carlson veered off the doom-dirge path into more conventional hard-rocking territory—including a Hendrix cover—before a nine-year hiatus resulted in a radical shift to a more spacious, desert-bluesy sound. (The addition of Stranger Genius Lori Goldston's cello filled out and classed up the low end.) Albums like Hex, The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull, and the two editions of Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light still moved at Earth's trademark glacial pace, but the guitar attack became much more aerated, the chords hanging in the dusty air and decaying with fraught poignancy; think Ry Cooder's Paris, Texas soundtrack, but with graver, more forlorn atmospheres. Get ready to ponder, y'all! DAVE SEGAL

2. Jean-Michel Jarré
   Jean-Michel Jarré isn't simply a producer. For years, he has honed a massive LED and laser-based stage show called the Electronica World Tour, which he will now bring to Seattle for an evening of complete over-stimulation.

APRIL 19
MUSIC

1. Mad Clown & San E, Hostboi, Yung Futon
   Expanding past South Korea, Mad Clown and San E, two of K-Pop's biggest stars, will show off their bombastic styles on their We Want You Tour of 2018, with additional guests Hostboi and Yung Futon.

PERFORMANCE

1. The Lalas
   The Lalas of LA, seen in Justin Timberlake videos and at the Emmys, promise a sexy, interactive, comedic show.

READINGS & TALKS

1. Eat Read Hugo: Benefit Dinner & Auction
   This annual benefit dinner and auction supports Hugo House in hosting nationally recognized authors, awarding scholarships and fellowships to emerging writers, and providing a space for local readers and writers. This year, hear from guest speaker Daniel James Brown, author of The Boys in the Boat, eat delicious food from Herban Feast, and bid on "whimsical" literary and gastronomic experiences in an auction.

APRIL 19-21
MUSIC

1. Debussy's La Mer
   Hearing Claude Debussy's "La Mer (The Sea)" in concert is like watching the original Star Wars trilogy at Cinerama with a giant tub of popcorn: It's a thrilling experience you need to have in order to feel the full force of the art. The piece is massive and fantastic in the Tolkienian sense of the word: It sounds like you're on a galleon sailing into the mountains to face the One Demon for control over your own mind. Russian phenom Daniil Trifonov will guide you through this intense dreamscape on the piano. Though he's young (24!), you'll be in good hands. RICH SMITH
   No performance on April 20

PERFORMANCE

1. Bibliophilia
   World Lit Zine editor Jekeva Phillips created this storytelling extravaganza, along with Theater Schmeater, in an attempt to breathe some life into boring old book fests. Instead of just having people read their carefully arranged fantasies in close proximity to wine and cheese, she's pairing improv actors with regional writers to bring literary works to life. There will be games! Prizes! Special guests! Improvised plays inspired by poems! Dramatic interpretations of real-life stories told by audience members! Other things to get exclamatory about include your excellent headliners, poet Quenton Baker and Hugo House prose writer in residence Sonora Jha, as well as the Bibliophilia Pub Crawl in Belltown, which starts the week before on April 12th. Participating bars have mixed up new cocktails inspired by literature, and the proceeds will be used to pay the performers. RICH SMITH

2. Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
   Hubbard Street Dance Chicago company has been racking up enraptured reviews for 40 years, performing and commissioning works by Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Margo Sappington, Daniel Ezralow, Nacho Duato, Jirí Kylián, and Twyla Tharp. For this brief run in Seattle, they'll bring you choreography by Tharp, William Forsythe, Crystal Pite, and Nacho Duato.

APRIL 19-22
FESTIVALS

1. Spring Fair
   Welcome springtime by riding rollercoasters, playing carnival games, watching piglet races, taking in free music and comedy shows, seeing monster trucks in Motorsport Mayhem races, checking out garden displays, and more. There's also a "Fun on the Farm" area where kids can pet baby animals and learn about agriculture.

FILM

1. Langston Hughes African American Film Festival
   I have yet to attend a Langston Hughes African American Film Festival that doesn’t have an important black-directed or black-themed film that’s somehow been missed by the wider film community or is unavailable in any format—web, disk, cable, theater. In fact, without this festival, I would not have seen one of the most important documentaries of this decade, The Stuart Hall Project by John Akomfrah. I have only seen it once, and that was during the Langston Hughes Film Festival of 2014. There is also the three-hour biopic of the Haitian revolutionary Toussiant Louverture, Toussiant Louverture. I have only seen it once, in 2015, and yet, it’s always on my mind. This festival has got it like that. CHARLES MUDEDE

FOOD & DRINK

1. Specialty Coffee Expo
   This four-day expo will feature coffee skills training, workshops, lectures, and exhibits on all things java for those in the coffee industry and amateur coffee enthusiasts alike.

APRIL 19-MAY 6
PERFORMANCE

1. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
   Book-It will stage a version of Junot Diaz's famed Pulitzer-winning novel about a "ghettonerd" Dominican boy growing up in gritty Paterson, New Jersey. Elvis Nolasco (American Crime) will star and Elise Thoron will direct.

APRIL 19-MAY 13
PERFORMANCE

1. An Octoroon
   This theater will continue its sharp reflections on race relations and history this season with An Octoroon, Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins's play set in the latter days of American slavery, in which a young man inherits a plantation and falls in love with the titular "octoroon"—a woman with one-eighth black heritage. Will their relationship survive the machinations of a cruel overseer?

APRIL 20
FILM

1. You Were Never Really Here Opening
   Joaquin Phoenix's dazed masculinity is put to the service of Lynne Ramsay's adaptation of a novel by Jonathan Ames, about a veteran detective who tracks missing girls and begins enmeshed in a conspiracy. Ramsay directed We Need to Talk About Kevin, and by all accounts, her collaboration with Phoenix is just as harrowing a portrait of the peculiarly American appetite for violence.

PERFORMANCE

1. Taylor Mac: A 24-Decade History of Popular Music (Abridged)
   The thought of having to spend more than an hour and a half in a theater gives the average American restless leg syndrome (I think that's a fact). But if there's anyone who can make a person overcome theaterphobia, it's Taylor Mac. The playwright, performer, (MacArthur grant-winning) genius, and luminary of early-21