ON THE TOWN
AUTUMN BRINGS A NEW HARVEST of arts and entertainment offerings in the Seattle area—things to discover or re-discover, and to savor with family and friends. Here are some of the enticing events on the horizon. Return to Narnia The Seattle Children’s Theatre is a local treasure for dramalovers of all ages. From Oct. 13 through Dec. 11, the company brings back its magical adaptation of a beloved fantasy tale, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Based on the first volume of the C.S. Lewis series, The Narnia Chronicles, this play with music follows four English youths, consigned to the countryside during World War II, who find an enchanted land behind an old wardrobe. In the beautiful but oppressed Narnia, they help a talking lion defy a wicked white witch who has kept the country in a perpetual state of winter—with no Christmas allowed.
Misha Berson writes about the arts for The Seattle Times and many other publications, and is the author of four books, including Something’s Coming, Something Good: West Side Story and the American Imagination (Applause/ Hal Leonard).
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, 2003 production; Emily Cedergreen (Lucy).
52
3rd Act magazine | fall 2016
This may be the perfect chance to also share the Lewis book, an international best-seller that’s been translated into more than 40 languages, with young people who haven’t read it yet. Or you can extend the pleasure of the play yourself by diving into the The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe again, or for the first time. For tickets and more information, contact Seattle Children’s Theatre at 206-441-3322 or see sct.org. Book-It’s Treasure Island Another classic hitting the boards could also lead you and young ones on an epic journey. Book-It Repertory Theatre, which has adapted scores of literary works for live audiences, is unveiling its new dramatization of the ripping pirate yarn, Treasure Island. Penned by Robert Louis Stevenson in the 1880s as a magazine serial, this coming-of-age classic follows young Jim Hawkins, an innkeeper’s son, on a ship voyage with a dissolute band of treasureseekers that includes the infamous Long John Silver, he of the peg leg, eye patch, and pet parrot on his shoulder. One thrilling escapade follows hard on the heels of another in Stevenson’s colorful fable. And while many previous adaptations of Treasure Island have swashbuckled their way across stage and screen, Book-It has a unique style of translating from page to stage. For one thing, the company will use as much of Stevenson’s original prose as possible in its version. The show runs Nov. 23 through Dec. 24. For details and tickets, call 206-216-0833 or visit book-it.org. A Duke Ellington Christmas The December arts calendar is heavy on holiday events, including such perennial favorites as the Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Nutcracker Suite, Seattle Symphony’s Messiah, and ACT Theatre’s A Christmas www.3rdActMag.com
NARNIA PHOTO BY CHRIS BENNION
n