Out and About: Madcap ‘Murder,’ a cappella champs, standup ladies and cultural celebration

Musical mystery

“Murder for Two,” in its opening weekend at Harlequin Productions’ State Theater, isn’t just a murder mystery: It’s a “miniature musical in the form of a snazzy vaudevillian double-act,” according to New York Times critic Charles Isherwood. Harlequin’s take on the award-winning show stars Katherine Strohmaier (who showed her many talents in Harlequin’s 2016 “The Last Five Years”) as a high-energy police officer and Harlequin newcomer Jon Lutyens as all of the suspects — including the dead man’s wife, a ballerina and singers in a boys’ choir. The show is “90 minutes of high-energy nonstop distraction from the world that we’re in,” Lutyens said in an interview on the company’s website. “Murder” runs through April 2 at Harlequin’s State Theater, 202 Fourth Ave. E, Olympia. Tickets are $25-$42, with discounted rush tickets available a half-hour before show times. Masks are required, as is proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test for audience members 12 and older; those precautions will remain in place through the run of the show.

Sweet Harmony

A cappella returns to The Washington Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, March 12, when Masterworks Choral Ensemble presents the Northwest Regionals of the Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival. Seattle’s The Bauds, the festival’s 2019 Northwest winners, will host. One marker of how long the pandemic paused live entertainment: When last they competed, the Seattle singers were known as “The Baudboys.” “When I asked them about this, they said, ‘It felt too ’90s, and also, we might be a little too old to be called boys anymore,” said Masterworks artistic director Gary Witley. The competition begins at 7:30 p.m. at the center. Tickets are $21-$26. Masks are required, as is proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test result for audience members 12 and older. The competition is Masterworks’ first event since the pandemic stopped 2020’s sweepstakes in March 2020, but the ensemble has a spring/summer season planned beginning April 2 with “Spring Into Song.” “It feels great to be singing again and also strange,” Witley told The Olympian. “Rehearsals are not just about learning music; they are more importantly about friendships, building community and sharing musical moments of beauty and fun.”

Ladies who make us laugh

The Ladies of Laughter tour, last seen in Olympia in early March 2020, is back in town, and so is comedian Karen Rontowski, whose offstage jobs include tarot reading and investigating all things paranormal. Joining Rontowski on the current tour, stopping Friday, March 11, at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, are Sarah Perry, the runner-up in LOL’s 2021 Professional Virtual Stand-Up contest, and 2012 LOL winner Stephanie Blum, a former school psychologist known for her self-deprecating humor. (“When I was pregnant, my doctor told me to exercise a little less than I normally would,” Blum said in a 2021 performance. After a long pause, she added, “That would be a coma.”) The show begins at 7:30 p.m. at the center, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia. Tickets are $25-$45. Masks are required, as is proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test result for audience members 12 and older.

Celebrate our many cultures

Experience music, dance, art and stories from many cultures at the Lacey Cultural Celebration, happening both in person and virtually. Check out Taiko drumming, bagpipers and more — and nosh on specialties of Bangladesh, Korea, Mexico and other lands — from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 12, at Saint Martin’s University, 5300 Pacific Ave. SE, Lacey. The event will also be livestreamed and will be available online through April 11.

Freelance writer Molly Gilmore talks about what’s happening in Olympia and beyond with 95.3 KGY-FM’s Michael Stein from 3 to 4 p.m. Fridays.