No time for witty intros this time, Bainbridge. There’s too much going on this weekend …
First, both the Ovation! Performing Arts Northwest and Bainbridge Performing Arts holiday shows kick off Friday.
‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’
Take a fantastic musical adventure with an out-of-this-world car that flies through the air and sails the seas. Based on the 1968 film version of Ian Fleming’s children’s book, and featuring an unforgettable score by the Sherman Brothers (“Mary Poppins”), “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” is one family-friendly blockbuster that audiences will find “Truly Scrumptious.”
The musical is set to fly onto the Bainbridge Performing Arts stage for a holiday run from Dec. 1 through Dec. 17, with evening shows Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., early Saturday matinees at 2 p.m., and Sunday matinees at 3 p.m.
There is no evening performance on Dec. 2, though, and the opening night reception is planned for 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1.
In the play, an eccentric inventor, Caractacus Potts, sets about restoring an old race car from a scrap heap with the help of his children, Jeremy and Jemima. They soon discover the car has magical properties, including the ability to float and take flight.
Trouble arrives, however, when the evil Baron Bomburst desires the magic car for himself. The family joins forces with Truly Scrumptious and batty Grandpa Potts to outwit the dastardly Baron and Baroness and their villainous henchman, the dastardly Child Catcher.
Tickets, $29 for adults, $24 for seniors, students, youth, military, and teachers, may be purchased online at www.bainbridgeperformingarts.org, by phone at 206-842-8569, or in person at BPA (200 Madison Ave. North). Box office hours are 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and one hour prior to each performance.
’South Pacific’
Ovation! Performing Arts Northwest will present the hit Broadway musical, South Pacific, with music by Richard Rodger, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. South Pacific opens Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the Bainbridge Island High School theatre (no affiliation) and plays through Dec. 17.
The Tony Award-winning musical is directed by Ron Milton with musical direction by Reece Suave.
The show will be presented with a live orchestra.
Set against an island paradise during World War II, parallel romances are threatened by prejudice and war. Nellie, a spunky, southern nurse, falls in love with Emile, an older French plantation owner. Nellie discovers the mother of Emile’s children was an island native. Plagued by the prejudices she was raised with, Nellie rejects Emile’s proposal of marriage. Meanwhile, the winsome Lt. Joe Cable struggles with similar prejudice as he fights to distance himself from the innocent Tonkinese girl he’s fallen in love with. Emile is recruited to join Joe on a dangerous mission that claims Joe’s life. As a result of the tragic loss, Nellie realizes that life is too short to forfeit happiness. She overcomes her prejudice in order to reconcile with Emile.
Tickets — $22 for adults, $19 for seniors, students and military, and $15 for youths — can be purchased at www.ovationmtb.com or by calling 1-800-838-3006. Tickets are also available at the door for all performances as available.
Evening performances are at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 1, 2, 8, 9, 15 and 16, and 3 p.m. matinees are Dec. 3, 10 and 17.
The theater is located at Bainbridge High School (9330 NE High School Road).
Off the stage, but still on the agenda this weekend are several more entertaining options for fun seeking islanders…
Also on Friday, the monthly Vinyl Lounge live record playing party, hosted by Space Craft, will return to the Alehouse on Winslow, from 7 to 10:30 p.m.
Bring your own record to spin, or just come to listen.
This month’s musical theme: “It’s a Sin: Good Songs about Being Bad.”
Songs about the joys of misbehaving will be spun for the enjoyment of all. Admission is free, and dancing is encouraged.
The Alehouse is located at 500 Winslow Way East, next to the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.
Visit www.spacecraftpresents.org to learn more.
Also in the offering from Space Craft, The Fur Coats and Smokey Brights will headline a doubleheader concert at Rolling Bay Hall from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2.
Tickets, $12 in advance and $15 at the door, are on sale at www.spacecraftpresents.org.
The Fur Coats are a psych/soul/pop band from Portland, Oregon fronted by Chris Karl and Betty. Their lineup includes members of Wampire, Charlie Hilton and Reptaliens.
A swaggering live act, the Fur Coats have gained a considerable local following since their inception some five years ago. Following the self-release of their EP “Desperate,” the band has been getting considerable local radio play, was featured on the PDX POP NOW! compilation and music festival, and toured Europe in the spring of 2017.
They are currently mixing and mastering a new set of singles to be released in the upcoming year.
The second album from Smokey Brights is both a rebirth and a milestone, a head trip and a body high, meticulously crafted but natural as daylight.
The music taps into history and stretches out a kind of visionary rock that rolls relentlessly forward while recombining iconic sounds— prog, funk, Bowie, Styx, Wilco, Flaming Lips — into something urgent and fun and utterly surprising.
What else do you need to know?
Two singers (married), a guitar hero some call Keanu J. Fox, and a crack rhythm section with veteran status make up the group.
Since their 2014 debut, “Taste for Blood,” Smokey Brights have amassed a rabid base of fans across the West Coast, gaining momentum with every show. They are a self-started, self-sustaining rock-n-roll machine that generates maximum joy through musical communion.
Rolling Bay Hall is at 10598 Northeast Valley Road.
Finally, for those seeking something spiritual, the Men’s Compline Choir of Bainbridge Island will sing the Office of Compline at 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3 at Saint Cecilia Parish.
Compline, also called Night Prayer, is the last of the traditional daily services sung by monastic communities and dates back to at least the 8th century. The service consists of chant, readings, psalms, prayers, petitions and hymns, sung in a contemplative setting in a darkened church.
The performance is approximately 30 minutes long.
All are welcome.
Saint Cecilia Parish is located at 1310 Madison Ave. North.
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