Looking for fun? Catch big-name bands or theater for tiny tots in the Olympia area
Craving a Pink Martini?
The legendary Portland little orchestra Pink Martini, known for its lively multilingual songs anchored by the piano-playing chops of founder Thomas Lauderdale, is coming to town Sunday, Jan. 21, for a show with singer China Forbes. Tickets ($64-$129) are more or less sold out for the show — happening at 7:30 p.m. at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia — but it’s worth checking the website or calling the box office at 360-753-8586. If you miss out, though, there are options: Martini will be shaking and stirring Jan. 26 in Tacoma, and there are still some tickets ($39-$115) available for the 7:30 p.m. show at the Pantages Theater, 901 Broadway Plaza. And Storm Large, who also does lead vocals for Pink Martini, is doing a bawdy solo show Feb. 15 at the Washington Center. Tickets are $34-$69 for the 7:30 p.m. show, recommended for ages 18 and older.
Ray of Indigo
Amy Ray, best known as half of the iconic folk duo the Indigo Girls, is performing Wednesday, Jan. 24, in Olympia. Also on the bill: fellow feminist folkie Dar Williams, whom the New Yorker’s Hendrik Hertzberg has described as “one of America’s very best singer-songwriters.” Williams, like Ray, is a crusader for social justice and the environment, and there’s every reason to expect a powerful and inspiring show that will draw hordes of fans. The show is at 7 p.m. at the Capital Theater, 206 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia. (Doors open at 6.) Tickets are $35-$45.
A winter’s tale
Juice Box Theatre, which mounts monthly kid-friendly shows at OlyTheater in Capital Mall, has a timely tale in store. “The New Mitten,” based on a Ukrainian folk tale about animals who cozy up in a lost mitten, will be on stage at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Jan. 18-20, at the black box theater in the mall, 625 Black Lake Blvd., Olympia. (It’s not far from the cinema.) Tickets to the pint-size production — aimed at ages 3-5 — are $5, and children younger than 2 are admitted free with a paying adult.
Freelance writer Molly Gilmore prefers Pink Martini to any other martini.
