Weekend Planner

'Sixties' in revue

If the idea of a musical revue worries you because you don’t want to hear beloved tunes turned into lounge music or a show tune, then Harlequin Productions’ “Sixties Chicks” just might be the revue for you. Musical director Bruce Whitney feels exactly the same way. “We work very hard to keep it true to the style,” said Whitney (who is the brother of managing artistic director Scot Whitney). “We’re really trying to trigger those memories we all have of those songs and those times.” Performances of the musical – which examines the ’60s from sweet, fluffy pop to gritty stuff about sex, drugs and social justice – are at 8 p.m. Thursday thrugh Saturday and July 9-11 and 16-18, and 2 p.m. Sunday and July 12 at the State Theater, 202 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia. Tickets are $34-$38. Call 360-786-0151 or go to www.harlequinproductions.org.

Wild and whimsical

Nancy Thorne’s humorous sculptures and Jill Neal’s Wild Women paintings offer a gently skewed look at life. The local artists have works on display through July at the State of the Arts Gallery, 500 Washington St. S.E., Olympia. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Call 360-705-0317.

Friday - Made for walkin'

Now that we’ve traded our water-resistant boots in for sandals, we get excited about social events that let us stroll in style. First Fridays happen year-round, though, from 5 to 9 p.m. on the first Friday of each month when downtown Olympia shops offer extended hours (which translates into more or less the same hours that chain stores always keep) and various special events. This Friday at Einmaleins, 121 State Ave. N.E., you can taste mushrooms and meet the owners of Provisions Mushroom Farm. Call 360-539-6175 or go to www.1x1olympia.com.

Another beer

We’re wondering just how often Seattle needs to celebrate beer. It seems to happen at least monthly. The latest “brew-haha” is the Seattle International Beerfest, happening this weekend. The festival highlights rare beers made with a variety of brewing techniques. The festival is from noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday at the Mural Ampitheatre, Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St. Tickets are $20, which includes a glass and 10 beer tickets. (Beer tastes cost 1-4 tickets each.) Go to www.seattlebeerfest.com.

Saturday - Go indie

The day for fireworks (everywhere but Olympia), flag-waving, grilled meat and malt beverages. For a listing of all the conventional ways to celebrate our nation’s Independence Day on Saturday, see a special listing on Page 16.

Sunday - Everything old is new again

Shakespeare is timeless, and that’s probably why he’s so familiar. Even if you’ve never read or seen one of his plays, you’ve certainly heard his words or his phrases, and know the plot of “Romeo and Juliet.” How then to make this play – filmed by Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrmann, among many others – fresh? Theater Artists Olympia’s answer: a male Juliet. (And if the play doesn’t seem quite dark enough for TAO, let us remind you that there’s plenty of death in it.) This modern take on a classic love story continues with performances at 8 p.m. today through Sunday and July 8-11, and 2 p.m. July 12 at the Minnaert Center for the Arts at South Puget Sound Community College, 2011 Mottman Road S.W., Olympia. Tickets are $12 and are available at the door and in advance at www.buyolympia.com. Call 360-357-3471, or go to www.olytheater.com.

Monday - A feast for the spirit

Buffets are usually only good if you can eat enough all at once to make it worth your while. But those attending the Psychic Buffet will have no such problem, since the offerings at this monthly event are on a higher plane. Happening from 5 to 9 p.m. the first Monday of each month in the lobby of the Urban Onion, 116 Legion Way S.E., Olympia, the buffet offers mini readings and healings by intuitives, healers and even an animal communicator, plus jewelry, astrology and card readings. Call 360-786-8617, or go to www.lisaholm-psychic.com.

Wednesday - A little bit country, a little bit world

World music is a pretty broad category – and a popular one here in the South Sound. One type of world music we don’t recall previously encountering, though, is country style. On Wednesday, the City of Lacey’s free music series offers just that: a serving of Tapwater, a Portland band that bills its sound as “world twang.” The free show is from noon to 1 p.m. at Huntamer Park, corner of Woodland Square Loop and Seventh Avenue, Lacey. Call 360-491-0857, go to or www.ci.lacey.wa.us.