Fill your weekend with ‘Sweeney Todd,’ Lord Franzannian’s vaudeville and ‘Twin Peaks’ actress

Harlequin, symphony team up for ‘Sweeney Todd’

Forget (for the moment, at least) Broadway tours. Harlequin Productions and the Olympia Symphony Orchestra are staging a full version of Stephen Sondheim’s dark and witty “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” The Tony-winning musical thriller will come to life this weekend only, Oct. 11-13, at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts. There’ll be more than 60 people — musicians, actors and singers, including members of Masterworks Choral Ensemble — on stage for the show, helmed by Harlequin’s Aaron Lamb and the symphony’s Alexandra Arrieche. Actor Eric Jensen, a regular at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre, stars as Sweeney. Also featured is the center’s Andy Crow Wurlitzer organ. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 11-12, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13, at the center, 512 Washington St. S.E., Olympia. Tickets are $26.10-$99.

Local vaudeville extravaganza returns

It’s commonly accepted that the heyday of vaudeville ended about a century ago when broadcast radio became the latest and greatest— or, some argue, when the Great Depression hit. In Olympia, though, vaudeville has retured to its heyday with Lord Franzannian’s Royal Olympian Spectacular Vaudeville Show, an extravaganza of comedy, music, dance, storytelling, burlesque and more. The 18th show— curated by theatrical wonder Elizabeth Lord and hosted by Lord Franzannian, Lord’s red-cheeked alter ego — is happening at 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday, Oct. 11-13. and again Oct. 18-20, with matinees at 2 p.m. Oct. 13 and 20 at Wild Man Brewing Gastropub, 414 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia. Evening shows are recommended for ages 16 and older, and matinees are suitable for all ages. Tickets are $15-$25, with youth matinee tickets available for $7, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Advance tickets are available online. Oh, and Olympia comedian Sam Miller, who got his start performing in the vaudeville show, is part of the lineup Oct. 18-20.

Sherilynn Fenn of ‘Twin Peaks’ in Olympia

Sherilyn Fenn, best known for her central role as Audrey Horne in David Lynch’s mysterious “Twin Peaks,” will be in town Saturday, Oct. 12, for a screening of “Wild at Heart,” Lynch’s 1990 dark fairy tale, whose violent and sexual content shocked audiences. Fenn played a small role in “Wild,” which stars Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern. The film will be shown at 7 p.m. at the Olympia Film Society’s Capitol Theater, 206 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia, with doors opening at 6. Fenn, who was nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Emmy for her work in “Twin Peaks,” will answer questions after the screening and sign autographs for a fee. Tickets are $30, $25 for film-society members.

Freelance writer Molly Gilmore didn’t watch “Twin Peaks,” but she does remember the world’s fascination with the scene in which Fenn has her way with a cherry. She talks with DJ Kevin the Brit about what’s happening around town on KGY-FM’s “Oly in a Can,” airing at 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Fridays.