FRIDAY, JUNE 24 2016: South Sound events + craft beer and cider
Mandy Patinkin + Tilted Tree Cidery = Have fun stormin’ da Pantages
Weird Elephant + Taste of Tacoma = mysterious group of strangers
OH, MANDY
It’s inevitable that Mandy Patinkin‘s vast Broadway and screen credits will find their way into a Trivial Pursuit game or Jeopardy’s Broadway category. You can almost hear Alex Trebek now: “He made his Broadway debut as Che, the revolutionary in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita. He starred in Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George. As a scholar, he made Barbra Streisand swoon in Yentl. He played Madonna’s piano man in Dick Tracy.” The answers will likely elicit, “Who is Mandy … ughh, I forget his name,” from most, until they’re given this answer, “He plays CIA division chief Saul Berenson on Showtime’s Homeland.” “Who is Mandy, Mandy … PATINKIN!” Patinkin describes himself as “an actor who sings,” but that doesn’t begin to describe the range of the veteran performer’s career. In the past he’s made his mark in movies like The Princess Bride. But his natural home is the stage, whether on Broadway or, well, Broadway street in Tacoma. Broadway’s master songman, accompanied by Adam Ben-David on piano, will sing and dance in Tacoma’s historic Pantages Theater at 7:30 p.m.
PREFUNK: An oyster is the ultimate appetizer — a little daring, an intense spurt of flavor and aroma that connects with your senses and all your nerve endings; eating a fresh oyster is the most efficient way to whet an appetite. Your mouth is awake, and even after inhaling a half-dozen or so, you may be sated, but you won’t feel full. No wonder oysters have been the royalty of raw bars since early Roman times. Oysters exude the aura of exotica, of opulence, and of lust. From 6-11 p.m. the shuck masters at the Edison City Alehouse are hosting a fine cold-water-oyster and cider tasting with Tacoma’s newest cidery, Tilted Tree Cidery. Expect plenty of slimy shells bearing nature’s most famous briny aphrodisiac, fresh from Taylor Shellfish Farms. These precious little morsels will slip their way down your throat, enlivening your taste buds and, some would say, your loins. And it doesn’t stop there: bring on the Peaches n’ Heat (Habanero!) Cider, Holiday Cider, Duelling Cherry Cider, Pluot Cider an exclusively for this event — Blackberry Honey Cider!
ENTER THE DRAGON INN
Hailing from a time when movies often had titles more than two words long, King Hu’s 1967 wuxia classic Dragon Inn — more commonly known as Dragon Gate Inn — has been given a 4K remastering. If the story is familiar, it’s only because it’s been used in centuries of Chinese fiction beforehand and countless movies since. During the Ming dynasty, the emperor’s minister of defense is framed by a powerful court eunuch and then executed; his children are pursued by secret police. In the ensuing chase, a mysterious group of strangers begin to gather at the remote Dragon Gate Inn, where paths (and swords) will cross. The Grand Cinema screens the film at 9:09 p.m. as part of its Weird Elephant series, which pairs bizarre, spine-chilling, fantastic or just plain mind-blowing films with trivia and craft beer. Tonight, The Grand will pour a sampler of summery seasonals from Redhook Brewery.
PREFUNK: You might think the Taste of Tacoma is about eating. But you’d be wrong. It’s about drinking craft beer in the Rose Garden at Point Defiance Park. Indeed, the Taste kicks off today at 11 a.m. and runs through Sunday at Point Defiance with a beer garden hosting 7 Seas Brewing, Northwest Brewing Company, Odd Otter Brewing Company, Narrows Brewing Company and Fish Brewing Company. That’s worthy local company, each pouring 5.5-ounce pours in a commemorative tasting glass — five tastes for $20. Last call is at 8:30 p.m.
