Need a Mother’s Day weekend idea? There’s the Wooden Boat Fair, spring ballet, Wizard of Oz
Boats and ballet
Traditionally, Mother’s Day brings with it bouquets and breakfasts in bed. In Olympia, Mother’s Day weekend also brings both the Wooden Boat Fair and Ballet Northwest’s spring production. The fair, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 11 and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.. May 12, fills the waterfront with boats, vendors selling crafts and food, and crowds of people. One fair favorite is the children’s boat-building booth, open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 11 — or while supplies last. The fair (http://olywoodenboat.org/), held in Percival Landing Park, 217 Thurston Ave. NW, Olympia, also features a lineup of live entertainment, which this year includes jazz bands from four local schools. It’s free, provided you can pass the booths without buying. Ballet Northwest’s 2024 Mother’s Day ballet, “Coppélia,” is a romantic comedy about a toymaker determined to bring a mechanical doll to life. Mischief and mistaken identities figure prominently in the plot of the ballet, which the company last presented in 2016. Dancing the roles of the couple at the center of the romance are Grace Collins, 16, a sophomore at Olympia High School, and Marius Williams, 18, a senior at Tacoma’s School of the Arts. Joel Getzendanner plays Dr. Coppélius, the toymaker. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. May 10, 5 p.m. May 11 and 2 p.m. May 12 at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia. Tickets (https://www.washingtoncenter.org) are $17-$38.
‘Wizard of Oz’ on stage’
Olympia Family Theater’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” opening May 10, is populated not only by such familiar characters as the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow but also by elaborate puppets handmade by Olympia’s own String and Shadow Puppet Theater. “Some of them take several people to operate and contribute to the immersive experience of the production, complementing the live-music scoring and practical effects,” said director Vanessa Postil. “Also, Toto is a puppet.” The 2015 play, adapted by Jacqueline E. Lawton, is based on L. Frank Baum’s book and includes nods to the classic film. Performances are at 7 p.m. May 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25 and 31 and June 1 and 3 p.m. May 11, 12, 18, 19, 25 and 26 and June 1 and 2 at Olympia Family Theater, 612 4th Ave. E., Olympia. The play is recommended for ages 5 and up, and masks are required at Sunday shows. Tickets (https://olyft.org/) are available on a sliding scale.
Beware ‘The King in Yellow’
Also opening May 10 is something completely different, Theater Artists Olympia’s “The King in Yellow,” by well-known Olympia actor Xander Layden. “It’s definitely different than anything I’ve ever directed,” said Pug Bujeaud, who has a long history with dark and sometimes disturbing shows of all kinds. “King,” she said, is the weirdest. It’s part comedy of manners and part tale of horror. Warning to the squeamish and easily spooked: The production includes violence, fake blood and a creepy ventriloquist’s dummy. Bujeaud suggests the show for ages 13 and up. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. May 10, 11, 17, 18, 24 and 25 and 2 p.m. May 12, 19 and 26 at OlyTheater in the Capital Mall, 625 Black Lake Blvd., Olympia. Tickets (https://www.olytheater.com/) are $10-$20.
Freelance writer Molly Gilmore 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.
