STAGE
Israel @ 60 Onstage!
[READINGS] A series of three staged readings of plays by contemporary Israeli playwrights, presented in conjunction with a summer course by Portland State University's Judaic Studies program. Shmuel Hasfari's
Master of the House July 1, Roni Pinkovich's
Tea July 8 and Motti Lerner's
Pangs of the Messiah July 15.
Lincoln Hall, Portland State University, 1620 SW Park Ave., 810-5408. 7 pm Tuesdays, July 1-15. $8 suggested donation. Map
JAW 2008
Portland Center Stage's annual playwrights festival kicks off with three readings of local work: Matt Zrebski's
The Cloud Bangers, a meteorological romance, on July 8; Ginny Foster's
Starvation Heights, a turn-of-the-century mystery about a deadly sanitarium, on July 9; and Hunt Holman's
Willow Jade, a midlife crisis farce of rock 'n' roll and D&D, on July 10.
Gerding Theater, 128 NW 11th Ave., 445-3700. 7:30 pm Tuesday-Thursday, July 8-10. Free. Map
Les Misérables
[SOLD OUT] Broadway Rose, Tigard’s accomplished but modestly funded summer musical theater company takes on Claude-Michel Schönberg’s record-smashing musical and delivers the sort of unforgettable evening of theater we’re lucky to experience once a season. Douglas Webster (Jean Valjean) sings with tremendous strength and passion; Leif Norby brings a tragic empathy to the role of Javert, saving the totalitarian policeman from being just a stern voice in a succession of ridiculous hats; the ensemble numbers are sharply directed and deeply affecting; and Darius Pierce and Lori Paschall as the ghoulish Mr. and Mrs. Thénardier are grossly hilarious. BEN WATERHOUSE.
Deb Fennell Auditorium, 9000 SW Durham Road, Tigard., 620-5262. 8 pm Wednesdays-Saturdays, 2 pm Sundays. Closes July 20. $20-$30. Map
New Believers
The sequel to Fever Theatre’s iffy January workshop piece is a big step forward for the company, which has learned to temper its passion for experience creation with a sense of humor. But while there’s plenty to enjoy in this wide-ranging exploration of belief, in which audience members may be fed strawberries or have their feet bathed by an oiled-up acolyte, it’s hard to shake the impression that it’s a show about religion crafted by people with no religious upbringing. But I could be wrong. BEN WATERHOUSE.
Oregon Casket Building, 403 NW 5th Ave., 381-6814. 8 pm Thursdays-Saturdays. No show July 4. Closes July 5. $10-$15. Map
The Paul Goebel Show Live!
Bridgetown Comedy brings the self-styled "King of TV" to town, along with Graham Elwood, Jim Bruce and Brian McNett.
Berbati's Pan, 231 SW Ankeny St., bridgetowncomedyfestival.com. 9 pm Wednesday, July 2. $10. 21+. Map
Puppetstock
A summerlong series of family-friendly puppet theater, hosted by Moxie RX. Performers include the Dim Sum Puppet Opera Company (Aug. 28) and Penny's Puppet Productions and Mudeye Puppet Company (Aug. 29).
Moxie Rx, North Mississippi Avenue and Shaver Street., 285-0701. 8 pm Thursday, Aug. 28. 10 am Friday, Aug. 29. $5, $3 children. All ages. Map
Razzle Dazzle Die!
[DINNER THEATER] Interactive murder-mystery musical dinner theater. Food by Timothy Fuhrman, murder by Eddie May.
Pine Street Bistro, 221 SW Pine St., 524-4366. 7:30-9:30 pm Fridays-Saturdays. $69 per person. Map
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar
Portland Actors Ensemble kicks off its summer season of free Shakespeare al fresco with the most accessible of the Roman plays.
Washington Park Lewis & Clark Memorial, Southwest Park Place and Lewis and Clark Circle., 7:30 pm Thursdays-Saturdays. Closes July 19. Free. Map
Ubu Lives!
The final installment of End of the Pavement, Pavement Productions' "Micro New Works Festival," is an anthology of eight short plays about Albert Jerry's character Ubu Roi by playwrights from across the country.
The Back Door Theater, 4319 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 8 pm Saturday, July 5. Pay-what-you-will. Map
Who Stole My Dead Husband?
Lou Pallotta’s Italo-sploitation family dinner theater, starring Jim Caputo.
Madison's East Wing, 1125 SE Madison St., 800-966-8865. 7:30 pm Fridays-Saturdays. Open-ended run. $64-$69, dinner included. All ages. Map
CLASSICAL
Bach Cantata Vespers
This year’s series concludes with one of the best-loved of all Bach’s works, the cantatas
Heart and Mouth and
Deed and Life (#147, the one with “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”) and another brand new work commissioned for the occasion, this one by young composer Joel Morris. The St. James Bach Cantata Choir is joined by professional instrumentalists (organ, oboe, trumpet, strings). BRETT CAMPBELL.
St. James Lutheran Church, 1315 SW Park Ave., 227-2439. 5 pm Sunday, July 6. Freewill offering. Map
Chamber Music Northwest
What better way to express your patriotism than to celebrate 20th and 21st century American composers? On Thursday and Friday the world’s finest young cellist, Matt Haimovitz, plays a kaleidoscopic solo tribute to Buenos Aires and tango singer Carlos Gardel by the world’s finest younger composer, Boston’s Osvaldo Golijov, then joins a squadron of fellow celli in Villa Lobos’ ethereal-to-exuberant greatest hit,
Bachiana Brasileira No. 5 for eight cellos and soprano. The show also features some of the world’s finest musicians in works by Golijov’s fellow Argentine master, the late Astor Piazzolla; Samuel Barber’s searing
String Quartet (with its inescapable Adagio, in its less syrupy original version);
An American in Paris (in Gershwin’s original arrangement for a pair of pianos), and the world premiere of award-winning twentysomething composer Sheridan Seyfried’s
Then Velvet Dark for piano quartet, inspired by Carl Sandburg's poem “Fourth of July Night.” CMNW’s July 7-8 shows honor 2007 Grammy-award winner Joan Tower’s 70th birthday year with the West Coast premiere of her four-movement “A Gift” (commissioned by Portlander Paul King) for piano and winds, plus Mozart’s big
Divertimento for Two Horns and Strings, brimming with memorable, danceable tunes, and a Rossini trifle. BRETT CAMPBELL.
Kaul Auditorium at Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd., 294-6400. Americas: 8 pm Thursday and 7:30 pm Friday, July 3-4. Tower/Mozart: 8 pm Monday, July 7 at Kaul Auditorium and Tuesday, July 8 at Catlin Gabel School, 8825 SW Barnes Road. $10-$43. Map
Mark O'Connor Quartet
CMNW brings the Seattle-born fiddle phenom back to the Northwest with Matt Haimovitz, violinist Ida Kavafian and violist Paul Neubauer in his own “Bluegrass” quartet and more. BRETT CAMPBELL.
Kaul Auditorium at Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd., 294-6400. 8 pm Saturday, July 5. $10-$43. Map
Oregon Bach Festival
The best reason to drive to Eugene this summer is the Shanghai Quartet’s appearances at the OBF. On Saturday, they join a quartet of festival regulars in Mendelssohn’s astonishingly precocious Octet and sextets by Richard Strauss and Brahms. On Monday, the group plays Barber’s
String Quartet (in case you miss it at Chamber Music Northwest), arrangements of traditional and popular Chinese songs, and that most sublime of 20th century chamber works, Maurice Ravel’s
String Quartet. More French fare follows Tuesday when the quartet and Festival star guest musicians play a pair of breezily brilliant 20th century works: Francis Poulenc’s wistful and witty
Sextet for Piano and Winds and his friend Darius Milhaud’s nostalgic film score,
The Chimney of King René; brief baubles by Saint-Saëns and Ibert; and two of the most beautiful works of the last century, both graced by harp: Claude Debussy’s magical
Sacred and Secular Dances, and Ravel’s shimmering
Introduction and Allegro. BRETT CAMPBELL.
Hult Center for the Performing Arts, One Eugene Center, Eugene., 800-457-1486. Octets/Sextets: 7:30 pm Saturday, July 5. Barber/Ravel: 7:30 pm Monday, July 7. French Feast: 7:30 pm Tuesday, July 8. $29-$45. Map
Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble
Canada’s most esteemed Chinese music group opens the Chinese Garden’s summer series with classical (both Chinese and Western) and contemporary music for erhu (violin), dizi (flute), pipa (lute), yangqin (hammered dulcimer), zheng (harp) and ruan (guitar), sometimes leaning a bit to the sweeter side to entice non-ethnomusicological Western listeners. It's a chance to hear some of the world's most alluring music in one of the country's most enchanting settings. Food and libations are available. BRETT CAMPBELL.
Portland Classical Chinese Garden, Northwest 3rd Avenue and Everett Street., 228-8131 ext. 2001. 7:30 pm Tuesday, July 8. $18-$22. 21+. Map
DANCE
