Got plans? Consider burlesque, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ or a trip back to the apocalyptic ’80s

Molly Gilmore
·2 min read

‘Alice’ gets an update

Olympia Family Theater started with “Alice in Wonderland” back in 2006 and presented an original adaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic in 2017. On Friday, May 5, the theater company revisits “Wonderland,” this time as a world-premiere musical that folds environmentalist and climate-justice themes into the madcap tale. Written by Lavinia Roberts and directed by OFT artistic director Lily Raabe, this modern-day “Alice” extends out of the theater with an immersive and interactive art installation in the company’s O YAA studio space. Performances are at 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through May 28 at the theater, 612 Fourth Ave. E, Olympia. The installation will be open to ticketholders 30 minutes before each performance. Tickets are $5-$35, with a limited number of free tickets available at the door. The show is recommended for ages 5 and older, and masks are required at Sunday performances.

P. NoNoire, who holds the title of Mr. Exotic World, is one of the headliners for the second annual Pacific Northwest Burlesque Festival.
P. NoNoire, who holds the title of Mr. Exotic World, is one of the headliners for the second annual Pacific Northwest Burlesque Festival.

Burlesque Fest is back

Local dancers — including the Latinx trio Papaya Magic Cabaret, who’ll be performing in June at the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas — and burlesque royalty Medianoche (2017 queen of burlesque) and P.No Noire (reigning king of boylesque) will be showing their stuff at the second annual Pacific Northwest Burlesque Festival, happening May 4-6 in Olympia. To quote the title of one of the weekend’s shows, they’ll be stripping “like the mountain is out.” Performances are set for 7 p.m. May 4 and 6 and 9 p.m. May 5 and 6 at the Olympia Ballroom, 116 Legion Way SE. Tickets are $23-$50 per show. Performances are nearly sold out, but those who miss out can check out Papaya Magic online.

Anthony Edwards stars in the 1989 apocalypic thriller “Miracle Mile,” opening Friday, May 5, at the Capitol Theater.
Anthony Edwards stars in the 1989 apocalypic thriller “Miracle Mile,” opening Friday, May 5, at the Capitol Theater.

Love and war and ’80s hair

The end of the world looms large in “Miracle Mile,” screening in May at the Capitol Theater. The 1988 cult classic — in which Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham (whose haircut will take those of a certain age back in time) face the threat of nuclear war — was chosen by the Olympia Timberland Library Film Club, which is giving away free tickets to the May 5 screening. “’Miracle Mile’ is an intense ticking-clock apocalyptic thriller with the beating heart of a true love story,” film club facilitator Zach Havekost wrote of the film. “We don’t have much time.” Screenings are at 7 p.m. May 5 and 11 and 4 p.m. May 14 at the theater, 206 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia. Tickets are $12, $9 for Olympia Film Society members. Also opening this weekend at the Capitol Theater is the Kids Club pick “Lyle, Lyle Crocodile” — a live-action flick about a singing crocodile living in New York City. Screenings are at 1 p.m. Sundays, May 7, 14, 21 and 28. Tickets are free for kids 12 and younger and regular price ($9 or $12) for those 13 and older.

“Lyle, Lyle Crocodile” is the Olympia Film Society’s Kids Club pick for May. Kids 12 and younger get free admission to the screenings at 1 p.m. Sundays.
“Lyle, Lyle Crocodile” is the Olympia Film Society’s Kids Club pick for May. Kids 12 and younger get free admission to the screenings at 1 p.m. Sundays.

Freelance writer Molly Gilmore is recalling a long-ago fondness for Anthony Edwards, who got her started watching doctor shows. She talks about what’s happening in Olympia and beyond with 95.3 KGY-FM’s Michael Stein from 3 to 4 p.m. Fridays.