It’s a varied menu on tap this weekend on Bainbridge, in more ways than one, but with several choice optiosn for those seeking fun.
“Next to Normal,” the first full musical production staged by Bainbridge Island’s Lesser Known Players, opens Friday at Rolling Bay Hall.
The show centers on Diana, a suburban wife and mother (played by Sarah Taylor in the LKP production) who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that managing her illness has on her husband (Adam Somers) and children (Henry Beddoe and Cordelia Janow).
The musical addresses topics of grief, depression, suicide, drug abuse, ethics in modern psychiatry — and yet somehow, according to the director, it’s not a downer.
“It’s not dark because everyone’s trying to better themselves and come out of what they’re dealign with,” said Steven Fogell.
Shows are Friday, Jan. 24 through Sunday, Feb. 9, at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 3 p.m. Sundays (as well as a special extra matinee at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1).
Tickets for LKP’s “Next to Normal,” $24 each, are available now through www.brownpapertickets.com (event #4441252, or search “next to normal”).
The Bainbridge Island Museum of Art’s inaugural Masterpiece Dinner, with a 10-course menu celebrating the Chinese New Year, begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the Bistro.
Designed by Chef Sok of Finders Keepers, the feast explores the adventurous cuisine of China.
For price and ticket info, visit the “upcoming events” section of www.biartmuseum.org.
Former congressman Don Bonker will appear at Eagle Harbor Book Company at 3 p.m. Sunday to talk about his new memoir “A Higher Calling.”
Admission is free and open to all.
Bonker, a Bainbridge Island resident, served 14 years in the U.S. Congress. The book is a reflection on the man’s own time in government, a demand for “moral leadership and decency” in Washington, D.C., and a challenge to the next generation of political leaders.
Visit www.eagleharborbooks.com to learn more, or check out the Jan. 24 issue of the Review for an interview with Bonker about writing, the role of faith in public service, climate change, impeachment, and his dream Democratic ticket in the upcoming election.
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