Hispanic heritage celebration, comedy, music and magic on this weekend’s entertainment menu

Molly Gilmore
·2 min read

Catch culture, cars and cumbia

Olympia is kicking off Hispanic Heritage Month with Lula Fest, happening from 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, at the intersection of State Avenue and Washington Street in Olympia. The street party will include a car show, food trucks and other vendors — and lots of music. Headlining is self-described “psychedelic electro-cumbia” band Terror/Cactus, a Seattle combo known for performing in masks. Cumbia are the rhythms and folk dance traditions of Latin America. Also playing at the free event: Anjali Silva, Pretty Funked Dub, Malo Castro and WEPA, and artists from The Bridge Music Project.

Speaker/activist/comedian Lindy West will talk about expectations and reality in “Every Castle, Ranked,” stopping in Olympia on Sept. 23.
Speaker/activist/comedian Lindy West will talk about expectations and reality in “Every Castle, Ranked,” stopping in Olympia on Sept. 23.

Beyond the dream house

In “Every Castle, Ranked,” playing Saturday, Sept. 23, in Olympia, Seattle writer-comedian Lindy West takes a hard look at the fantasy world she yearned for in her younger days. Those castles and princes didn’t turn out to be what West, a feminist and fat-acceptance activist, expected at all. The show will find her chronicling her disillusionment and the renewed hope she found after 40 — and discussing the history of toilets. The performance starts at 8 p.m. at the Capitol Theater, 206 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia, with doors opening at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30, $25 for Olympia Film Society members. Looking for something on Friday night instead? Comedian and actress Rachel Feinstein will do her standup at OFS at 8 p.m., with doors opening at 7. Tickets also are $30, or $25 for OFS members.

“Shazam: The Magic Show” stars Matthew Laslo of Eastsound, Orcas Island, who appeared on The CW’s “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” in 2016.
“Shazam: The Magic Show” stars Matthew Laslo of Eastsound, Orcas Island, who appeared on The CW’s “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” in 2016.

Magic show plus song and dance

“Shazam: The Magic Show,” stopping in Olympia Thursday and Friday, Sept. 22 and 23, combines illusions and big musical numbers as it tells the story of magician Matthew Laslo of Orcas Island. In the show, Laslo dreams of becoming a star in the world of magic; in the real world, Laslo is already pretty darn successful, having appeared with Penn & Teller and competed on “America’s Got Talent.” When he was 11 years old, Laslo met magician Stan Kramien, who is his mentor in both the show and in life. The performances, suitable for all ages, start at 7:30 p.m. both evenings at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. S.E., Olympia. Tickets are $39-$59. Also at the center this weekend is Elvis tribute band Robbie Dee and the Graceland Station Band, playing at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23. Tickets for that show are $29.50 and $50.

“Shazam: The Magic Show,” stopping in Olympia on Friday, Sept. 22, mixes magic with musical theater.
“Shazam: The Magic Show,” stopping in Olympia on Friday, Sept. 22, mixes magic with musical theater.

Freelance writer Molly Gilmore saw Doug Henning in “The Magic Show” on Broadway, and though the music-magic hybrid was quite successful, she would have preferred a “real” Broadway show — like “Cats,” which she saw not long after. 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.