While You’re In: Hear ‘Original Voices,’ drive in to see Bon Jovi, see BBQ-style Bard
Symphony celebrates Asian-American ‘Voices’
In the wake of a wave of violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, the Olympia Symphony Orchestra decided to do more than issue a statement condemning what’s happening. Orchestra executive director Jennifer Hermann and her colleagues have put together “Original Voices,” a concert and panel discussion aimed at not only entertaining but also at raising awareness and inspiring action. “This is a first-time event for us, and I’m really excited and proud,” Hermann told The Olympian. Pianist Angie Zhang and mezzo-soprano Miya Higashiyama, both featured soloists at past concerts, recorded new performances for the event, happening at 10 a.m. Sunday, May 3 and available for later streaming. The performers will join state Reps. Cindy Ryu and Sharon Tomiko Santos along with Hermann and Lena Mendiola, vice president of the orchestra’s board. It’s free, with registration required for those who’d like to join the event via Zoom and ask questions.
Bon Jovi is back, and so is the drive-in
Bon Jovi, the iconic New Jersey rock band — creators of such hits as “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “Wanted Dead or Alive” — is jumping on one of the pandemic’s biggest entertainment trends: the resurgence of the drive-in movie theater. On May 22, fans of Jon Bon Jovi and his formerly big-haired compatriots can watch a pre-recorded concert — in other words, a concert movie, filmed in April — at drive-ins across the nation, including Shelton’s venerable Skyline Drive-In at 182 SE Brewer Road. Tickets cost $89 per vehicle with as many as six people, and are on sale now. Can’t wait? Bone up on Billboard’s list of the Bon’s best songs, and/or check out what’s playing at the drive-in, which reopened in March and is showing double features Fridays through Sundays. Regular screening tickets are $8 for ages 12 and older, $3 for ages 6-11 and free for children 5 and younger. Call 360-426-4707.
Bard at the barbecue
The Wilma Theater’s wildly inventive “Fat Ham,” streaming through May 23, is a modern-day “Hamlet” that keeps the bones of the Shakespearean tragedy and changes pretty much everything else. In fact, it doesn’t end in tragedy. (That’s not a spoiler; playwright James Ijames, co-artistic director of the Philadelphia theater, told the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Cassie Owens all about it.) Protagonist Juicy is both queer and Black, and the setting is now a backyard barbecue that serves as the wedding reception for his just-widowed mother to his uncle. His late father appears draped in a blanket, the better to look more ghostly, and when the words “There’s the rub” are spoken, it’s in reference to the spice mixture applied to the meat. It’s not all about the laughs, though there are lots of them. Devotees of Shakespeare will find plenty to ponder, and those who haven’t thought about the bard since they graduated from high school can enjoy this at face value — as a story about a man finding himself in the wake of his father’s death. Tickets to the production, filmed on location under strict COVID guidelines, are $34-$37.
Freelance writer Molly Gilmore discusses arts, entertainment and more with 95.3 KGY-FM’s Michael Stein on “Oly in a Can” from 3 to 4 p.m. Fridays.
This story was originally published April 30, 2021 at 5:45 AM.