ON THE TOWN Indoor theater returns around the Sound.

Atticus Finch in the courtroom – Richard Thomas (“Atticus Finch”) and The Company of To Kill a Mockingbird. Below: Tom Robinson on the stand – Yaegel T. Welch (“Tom Robinson”). Photos by Julieta Cervantes

THE RETURN OF INDOOR THEATRE AROUND THE SOUND

BY MISHA BERSON

To state the obvious, it has been a couple of rocky years for theaters in the Seattle region.

The pandemic meant cancelled productions and scratched subscription campaigns. And it caused confusion over how (and when) to offer plays and musicals live onstage—yet minimize the spread of the virus among the actors and audience members.

Some companies created theatrical Zoom attractions, with limited success. But the essence of theater, for the actors and the audiences, is the intimacy and immediacy of gathering together in person to watch what playwright Oscar Wilde described as an event “in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.” Though ensuring the health of all concerned is still a challenge, the dissemination of vaccines, a decline in the severity of cases, and more knowledge of how to mitigate the spread of the disease inspired some theaters in the area to host spring and summer shows indoors. And now more companies are moving forward by scheduling a broad array of live shows for autumn and beyond. (Note that each theater has developed its own COVID protocols. When you buy a ticket, just ask.)

Since nonprofit theaters rely heavily on box office receipts for their continuing existence, going on with the show is not just a rallying cry—it is a matter of survival. And it is also a boon to the many local residents who have enjoyed live theater, to those not yet exposed to

it, and to patrons who will be playing a critical role in helping the theatrical culture of the Northwest continue and thrive.

So consider a few productions on the calendar soon. And note that many theaters have discount ticket programs for seniors and students, as well as lastminute admissions and pay-what-youcan options.

Some shows that pique my interest this fall include: Choir Boy. ACT Theatre’s season opener is a rendition of an award-winning work by Tarell Alvin McCraney, a lauded stage and screenwriter who scripted the Oscarwinning film Moonlight, among other achievements.

This potent Broadway work depicts the emotionally and sexually charged atmosphere of a Black all-male boarding school, where an embattled gay student finds his niche and self-confidence as the leader of the school’s prized gospel choir. The show is bolstered by rousing music and exciting displays of stepping, a percussive Black movement form derived from African dance.

Choir Boy at ACT Theatre, September 9–October 23. Information: www. acttheatre.org

Scout, Jem and Dill discover the dolls - Steven Lee Johnson (“Dill Harris”), Melanie Moore (“Scout Finch”) and Justin Mark (“Jem Finch”). Photo by Julieta Cervantes

What the Constitution Means to Me. This stunningly timely solo theater piece was written and originally performed by Heidi Schreck, a luminous talent who grew up in Wenatchee and started her career in Seattle with the fringe troupe, Printer’s Devil Theater.

Schreck’s candidly personal, brainy and moving work (a 2019 Pulitzer Prize finalist seen on Broadway and filmed for Netflix) raises probing questions about the U.S. Constitution in relation to the rights of women, including the right to abortion, which is now in jeopardy after a recent Supreme Court decision allowing individual states to ban the termination of a pregnancy.

Though it offers a bracing commentary on what the Constitution is in theory and practice, the play, which will be performed at Seattle Rep by a different actor, also reveals how its promises and shortcomings directly affected the lives of Schreck and several female generations in her family.

What the Constitution Means to Me at Seattle Rep, September 30–October 23. Information: www.seattlerep.org Othello. Shakespeare’s tragedy, which is on the docket for Seattle Shakespeare Company this fall, takes us into the

BOOK AND LYRICS BY

Howard Ashman

MUSIC BY

Alan Menken

BASED ON THE FILM BY Roger Corman

SCREENPLAY BY Charles Griffith

“This horticultural horror will have you screaming with laughter…” —New York Post

ISSAQUAH

SEP 14–OCT 23, 2022

EVERETT

OCT 28–NOV 20, 2022

VillageTheatre.org/Shop Box Office (425) 392-2202

world of a great Moorish warrior whose interracial marriage is threatened by jealousy and bigotry, as he leads a Venetian army in Cyprus.

This gripping play, one of Shakespeare’s finest, has a long and complex history, including centuries of mainly white actors in England and America performing the title role in blackface. That practice has been successfully challenged in recent decades, with Black thespians now taking the lead, and fresh perspectives on the drama informed by our own era.

A new development in Seattle is having a prominent Black theater artist direct the still-controversial play. A classical actor who has excelled in many Seattle Shakespeare Company productions, Reginald André Jackson will stage the work, and it will be fascinating to see how he interprets it.

Othello at the Center House Theatre at Seattle Center, October 25–November 20. Information: www.seattleshakespeare.org To Kill a Mockingbird. Coming our way in the fall is a recent Broadway dramatization of Harper Lee’s renown novel, created by noted playwright and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, Being the Ricardos).

Lee’s compelling tale of a miscarriage of justice in the Deep South is told from the vantage point of the two young children of a widowed attorney, who incurs the ire of his small-town neighbors by defending a Black man falsely accused of raping a young white woman.

Though its themes are mature, the book has had a profound affect on the millions of young people who have read it, and it continues to resonate for adults. This national touring production stars famed actor Richard Thomas, who many of us will remember as John Boy from TV’s The Waltons. And it features in the supporting cast Mary Badham, who starred as a child in the 1962 film version of “Mockingbird” opposite Gregory Peck.

To Kill a Mockingbird at the Paramount Theatre, October 11-16. Information: www.seattle.broadway.com

Little Shop of Horrors. Craving a dose of musical comedy? The Village Theatre, which stages productions in Issaquah and Everett, has a lineup that includes this perennial crowd pleaser. Based on an Off-Broadway musical—and a cultfavorite B movie—about a plant with a voracious fondness for human flesh, the show mixes zany humor and romance, with dashes of mock-horror. No big moral messages here. It’s just good, silly fun.

Little Shop of Horrors plays in Issaquah, September. 14-October 23 and Everett, October 28-November 20. For tickets and more information, go to www. villagetheater.org

Misha Berson writes about the arts for crosscut. com and many other media outlets, teaches for the UW Osher program, and is the author of four books, including Something’s Coming, Something Good: West Side Story and the American Imagination (Applause/Hal Leonard).

ARE YOU TURNING 65 OR NEW TO MEDICARE? Turn to me, your local licensed sales agent, for a free consultation *

I’ll help you find a Humana Medicare plan that fits your needs and your budget

A Humana Medicare Advantage plan gives you everything you get with Original Medicare, and may include additional benefits and servics that matter to you.

Call a licensed independent sales agent LORI HUTSON 253-219-7131

Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. lori@ljhutson.com

A more human way to healthcare™

Y0040_GHHHXDFEN22_AD_M *No obligation to enroll.

Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole

BY SUSAN CAIN REVIEWED BY ANN HEDREEN

Not everyone might be drawn like a magnet to a title like Bittersweet, let alone the subtitle of How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole. But I was. I am a fan of Susan Cain’s first book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking (2012), and I sensed that Bittersweet might be an intriguing follow-up. This is especially true in 2022, when many of us have experienced more sorrow and longing in the past few years than, perhaps, in any previous era of our life. And so we know firsthand that with sorrow and longing comes meaning and “poignance”—a particularly popular word, Cain writes, among those of us in the second half, or third, or final lap of life. Poignancy “happens when you feel happy and sad at the same time. It’s the state you enter when you cry tears of joy,” Cain writes. As we get older, we “start to focus on what matters most, stop caring so much about ambition, status, and getting ahead. You want the time you have left to be charged with love and meaning.” In the introduction to Bittersweet you’ll find a quiz, which includes questions like: “Do you feel elevated by sad music? Do you tend to see the happiness and sadness in things, all at once?” I chafed a little: I wanted to read, not take a quiz. But then of course I took it, and I thought, clearly, I need to read this book. Because this is me. Not just me now, but me all my life. Yes, I love laughter and joy. But I am also, and always have been, drawn to sad music, poetry and art, and yes, I also “tear up easily at touching television commercials.”

Cain dives deeply into what she and many psychologists call the “tyranny of positivity” that pervades American culture. She also tackles another American trope, “effortless perfection,” which demands that we “appear like a winner without needing to try.” She sits in on workshops with psychologist Susan David, who is dedicated to helping others accept and integrate their difficult emotions. “You might think you’re in control of unwanted emotions when you ignore them, but in fact they control you,” David tells her audiences. “Internal pain always comes out. Always. And who pays the price? We do. Our children, our colleagues, our communities.”

Cain weaves stories from her own life—some heartbreaking, some funny, all of them poignant—throughout the book, which gives Bittersweet an intimacy and feeling of deep honesty. She shares poetry and lyrics that have moved her, from contemporary singer-songwriters to the Sufi poet Rumi. “This longing you express/is the return message,” Rumi wrote, seven centuries ago. “The grief you cry out from/draws you toward union.”

I am grateful to Susan Cain for reminding us of these and other bittersweet truths. And for reminding us that acknowledging the bittersweet currents in our lives can be so unexpectedly uplifting.

GAMES FOR YOUR BRAIN

ANSWERS

(Puzzles on page 64)

Rhymin’ Geography

1. Maine and Spain 2. Nebraska and

Alaska 3. Austin and Boston 4. Albuquerque and

Turkey 5. Waterloo and

Kalamazoo 6. Siberia and Liberia 7. Nome and Rome 8. Nice and Greece

A Bag of Tricks

1. Baghdad 2. Fleabag 3. Windbag 4. Baguette 5. Moneybags 6. Airbag 7. Bagel 8. Lumbago

A River Runs Through It

1. The Seine 2. The Nile 3. The Thames 4. The Hudson and

East Rivers 5. The Tigris 6. The Danube 7. The St. Lawrence 8. The Tiber

for your brain

Exercise your brain and have some fun with these puzzles designed to stimulate different cognitive functions.

Rhymin’ Geography (easy)

Each question has clues to two different geographical places that rhyme, such as Bali and Mali or Taos and Laos.

1. U.S. state that is home to Portland and Kennebunk; and the country where you’ll find Madrid and Barcelona. ______ _________ ______________ 2. U.S. state that is home to Lincoln and Omaha; and the state that is home to Juneau and Fairbanks. __ _________ ______________ 3. The capital of Texas; and the capital of Massachusetts. ______ _________ ______________ 4. Largest city in New Mexico; and the country where you’ll find Ankara and Istanbul. ______ _________ ______________ 5. Battlefield where Napoleon was defeated; and the Michigan city where Glenn Miller “had a girl.”______ _________ ______________ 6. A huge, frigid, and sparsely populated region of Russia; and the African country settled by American slaves. ______ _________ ______________ 7. The capital of Italy; and the Alaskan city that marks the end of the Iditarod sled dog race. ______ _________ ______________ 8. A major tourist center and resort on the French Riviera; and the nation that gave birth to democracy and the Olympics. ______ _________ ______________

A Bag of Tricks (harder)

All the answers in this word definition game contain the consecutive letters BAG.

1. The capital of Iraq. ______ _________ ______________ 2. A seedy, run-down hotel or lodging. ______ _________ ______________ 3. A person who talks and talks, but says little of value. ______ _________ ______________ 4. A long, thin loaf of French bread. ______ _________ ______________ 5. Nickname for a wealthy person. ______ _________ ______________ 6. This safety device was first introduced in American cars in the mid-1970s. ______ _________ ______________ 7. A small, round bread that likely originated in the Jewish area of Krakow, Poland, in the 17th century. _______ _________ __________ 8. This is an old fashioned word for lower back pain. ______ _________ ______________

A River Runs Through It (hardest)

Rivers often play an important role in the life and economy of cities around the world. Given the city, can you name its river?

1. What river runs through Paris? ______ _________ ______________ 2. What river runs through Cairo? ______ _________ ______________ 3. What river runs through London? ______ _________ ______________ 4. What two rivers run on either side of Manhattan in New York City? ______ _________ ______________ 5. What river runs through Baghdad? ______ _________ ______________ 6. What river runs through Budapest and Vienna? ______ _________ ______________ 7. What river runs through Montreal? ______ _________ ______________ 8. What river runs through Rome? ______ _________ ______________

Reprinted with permission from Nancy Linde, author of the best-selling book 399 Puzzles, Games, and Trivia Challenges Specially Designed to Keep Your Brain Young, 417 More Games, Puzzles, and Trivia Challenges Specially Designed to Keep Your Brain Young; and On-the-Go Games and Puzzles to Keep Your Brain Young. She is also the creator of the website Never2Old4Games.com, which is used by many senior-serving organizations in the U.S. and Canada. ANSWERS ON PAGE 62