Fun events and things to do this week in Thurston County

By Molly Gilmore Contributing writer

November 29, 2019 6:00 AM

A contingent of Girl Scouts moves along Fifth Avenue as the 2018 Jingle Bell Parade follows a new route from Deschutes Parkway to Sylvester Park as part of the annual “Downtown for the Holidays” celebration. The parade will start at 1 p.m. Sunday. Steve Bloom Olympian file photo

Nov. 29 to Dec. 22

Share an adventure with Toad and friends — and Bruce Whitney

For many South Sound theatergoers, it just wouldn’t be Christmas without the music of Bruce Whitney, the former music director of Harlequin Productions and the bandleader and arranger for Harlequin’s holiday “Stardust” shows. “Stardust” has ended its run, but Whitney’s tunes can be heard this season at Olympia Family Theater. The theater company’s holiday offering is “The Wind in the Willows,” a musical by Andrew Gordon of Olympia, with music by Whitney and lyrics by Gordon, Whitney and Daven Tillinghast. The musical — based on Kenneth Grahame’s beloved children’s book about the reckless Toad and his friends — premiered in 2012, and it’s back with new songs, including a Christmas carol. Performances are at 7 p.m. this Friday plus Dec. 5, 6, 13 and 20 and 2 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday plus Dec. 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 and 22 at Olympia Family Theater, 612 Fourth Ave E., Olympia. Tickets are $15-$20; for the Dec. 5 performance, pay what you can. Get tickets and details at olyft.org or 360-570-1638.

Nov. 29 to Dec. 31

Holmes meets haunts in Dickens of a mystery

Harlequin Productions’ “Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol,” in its opening weekend, begins when the detective gets a visit from the ghost of his nemesis, Professor Moriarty. Holmes is in full-on Scrooge mode in the 2010 Charles Dickens-inspired mystery by Portland playwright John Longenbaugh — and he won’t be easily reformed, Longenbaugh told The Olympian. “The original Scrooge has more or less repented after the first ghost,” he said. “Holmes is tougher. He’s brilliant. He sees this as a puzzle, and he wants to figure out the why and the where and the who.” See what the ghosts have in store for Sherlock at the State Theater, 202 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. this Friday and Saturday plus Dec. 4-7, 12-14, 19-21 and 26-28; 2 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday plus Dec. 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 24, 28 and 29; and 7 p.m. Dec. 31. Tickets are $25-$50; for the Dec. 4 show, pay what you can. Find out more and get tickets at harlequinproductions.org, or call 360-786-015.

Eleise Moore as Inspector Lestrade and Terry Edward Moore as Sherlock in a scene from “Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol.” Jess Weaver Courtesy of Harlequin Productions

Nov. 29

Storytelling worth celebrating

The South Sound Story Guild celebrates the tradition of storytelling Friday with Tellabration, a concert of oral storytelling, traditional folktales and modern day stories. Tellabration is a national event, and the Olympia celebration happens at 7 p.m. at New Traditions Fair Trade Cafe, 300 Fifth Ave. SW, Olympia. Tickets are $10, free for students and those with low incomes. Get details and tickets — and make a dinner reservation — at newtraditionsfairtrade.com or 360-705-2819.

Nov. 30

Do you dare enter ‘The Room’?

Many have called “The Room” the worst movie of all time. (Don’t confuse it with “Room,” which won an Oscar for Brie Larson in 2015.) In fact, film studies professor Ross Morin told Entertainment Weekly’s Clark Collis that it’s “the ‘Citizen Kane’ of bad movies,” which almost sounds like a compliment. Written by, directed by and starring Tommy Wiseau, the film features “bizarre and unconventional storytelling, technical and narrative flaws and Wiseau’s off-kilter performance,” according to Wikipedia. Apparently, that’s why lots of people love it. Decide for yourself at 9 p.m. Saturday at the Capitol Theater, 206 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia. Tickets are $7-$10. Find out more at olympiafilmsociety.org, or call 360-754-6670.

Tommy Wiseau in “The Room,” which has earned somewhat of a reputation as the worst movie of all time. See for yourself when the Olympia Film Society screens the film at 9 p.m. Saturday at the Capitol Theater Courtesy of Olympia Film Society

Dec. 1

There’s no place like downtown for the holidays

Downtown for the Holidays is the Olympia Downtown Association’s annual kickoff to the season of Santa. The centerpiece of the free event, from 1 to 5 p.m. throughout downtown, is the Jingle Bell Parade at 1 p.m. that heralds the arrival of the jolly old elf and his spouse, who is so old-fashioned that she’s known only as “Mrs. Claus.” The festivities also include hot cocoa, horse-drawn wagon rides, live music and the lighting of Sylvester Park’s holiday tree — a Korean fir. Get all the details at downtownolympia.org/Events/Downtown-for-the-Holidays.

Dec. 5

‘SNL’ alum Breuer is a stand-up guy

Jim Breuer, known as “Saturday Night Live’s” Goat Boy and for the stoner flick “Half Baked,” brings his straight-up stand-up — much of it focused on his life as a family man — to Olympia on Thursday. The comedian, who lives in New Jersey and describes himself as just a regular guy, will aim for laughs at 7:30 p.m. at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia. Tickets are $29-$145. Find out more at washingtoncenter.org, or call 360-753-8586.

Dec. 5

A drag racer with ‘Sparkle’

Tammie Brown — the “RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestant known for her quirky personality and classic movie-star glamour — will be strutting her stuff and performing her original songs in Olympia. “Holiday Sparkle,” also featuring Clare Apparently of the online drag reality show “Camp Wannakiki” and members of Olympia’s Legacy Drag, will happen at 7 and 10 p.m. Thursday at Octapas Café, 414 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia. Tickets are $18-$27. Get them — and more details — at justinbucklesproductions.com.

Freelance writer Molly Gilmore thinks that life’s too short to watch a bad movie, even if it’s spectacularly bad. Hear more from her about what’s happening around the Sound every Friday on 95.3 KGY’s “Oly in a Can.”