Top entertainment picks in Thurston County for the long holiday weekend

Molly Gilmore
·2 min read
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Plenty of Pride

Capital City Pride, happening Saturday, July 1, is packed with activities that reflect both the serious meaning of Pride, which commemorates the anniversary of the Stonewall rebellion that launched the LGBTQ+ rights movement, and the showy and sparkly celebration that’s part of the event. The event will begin with a Unity March at 10:30 a.m. Saturday from Tivoli Fountain at the Capitol Campus to Port Plaza, where festivities will begin at 11:30 a.m. and include music, drag performances and more, and end with a glamorous Pride Variety Show at the Capitol Theater. The 8 p.m. show has comedy, music and burlesque, including a performance by Papaya Magic Cabaret. Doors open at 7, and tickets are $25-$45.

‘Falsettos’ at Harlequin

Neuroses and complexities abound in “Falsettos,” opening Friday, June 30, at Harlequin Productions’ State Theater. William Finn and James Lapine’s Tony winner has been described as a perfect musical about an imperfect family. The sung-through show centers around Marvin (Jon Lutyens), a gay New Yorker who is parenting his precocious 10-year-old son (Josh Doyle) with his ex-wife (Meg McLynn). Oh, and they’re all in therapy. New York Times critic Charles Isherwood found the Tony-nominated 2016 revival to be both hilarious and surprisingly relevant, given that it premiered in 1992 and is set in the late ’70s. Directed by Corey McDaniel, the play runs through July 22 at the theater, 202 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia. Tickets are $33-$50, with pay-what-you-choose performances set for July 2, 7, 13 and 19. Witty and whimsical work by Olympia artist Roxanna Groves is on display in the lobby through the run of the show.

Nicholas Main (left), and Jon Lutyens play a gay couple dealing with the complexities of modern family in Harlequin Productions’ musical comedy “Falsettos.”
Nicholas Main (left), and Jon Lutyens play a gay couple dealing with the complexities of modern family in Harlequin Productions’ musical comedy “Falsettos.”

Lacey celebrates with music

Seattle a cappella masters The Coats are bringing their four-part harmonies to Lacey for the city’s July 3 Independence Day celebration. The quartet got its start busking at Seattle’s Pike Place Market in the late ’80s and has since sung regularly at Benaroya Hall and even performed at the White House. The guys, who perform both originals and covers (such as Dream Academy’s “Life in a Northern Town”) will perform at 5 p.m. at Rainier Vista Park, 5475 45th Ave. SE, Lacey. Also on the bill: Seattle’s Groove Nation, playing a wide array of danceable covers at 8; acrobatics shows at 4 and 6:45; and, of course, the fireworks, set to begin at 10. It’s all free.

Seattle’s The Coats, who’ve shared stages with the likes of The Beach Boys and Tanya Tucker, will perform Monday, July 3, in Lacey as part of the city’s early Independence Day celebration at Rainier Vista Park.
Seattle’s The Coats, who’ve shared stages with the likes of The Beach Boys and Tanya Tucker, will perform Monday, July 3, in Lacey as part of the city’s early Independence Day celebration at Rainier Vista Park.

Freelance writer Molly Gilmore talks about what’s happening in Olympia and beyond with 95.3 KGY-FM’s Michael Stein from 3 to 4 p.m. Fridays.