Wednesday 4/5
(COMEDY) This weekend local comedian Andy Iwancio announced some good news: This spring she's recording a new comedy album for Kill Rock Stars! She already has one impressive release out this year—her EP Hard Trans dropped in January and it appeared on the iTunes comedy charts, peaking at #2. And Iwancio is just one of the very funny performers lined up for April's installment of Babe Cave, the monthly comedy showcase for women, non-binary, and trans comedians hosted by Jill Silva. Also taking the Here-After stage Wednesday night is Rohini Jayanthi, who we recently featured in our spring Arts + Performance magazine, Cara Rosellini, and Fat Cats Improv, the comedy duo of Shannon Bass and Olivia Sommers. Go laugh! (Here-After, 2505 First Ave, 7 pm, $10-$15, 21+) MEGAN SELING
Thursday 4/6
(COMEDY) Speaking of funny people performing at Here-After, you'd be wise to return Thursday (or Friday, Saturday, or Sunday) to see Janeane Garafolo. I probably don't need to run down her list of accomplishments, but just in case: She starred in the 1994 Gen X rom-com Reality Bites, played Beth the camp director in Wet Hot American Summer, and made a fool of Fox News before making a fool of Fox News was cool. As a standup comedian, Garafolo drifts from one thought to another like a cat trying to tell a story while chasing a piece of string, and then suddenly, after an hour or so, you realize she just dumped a bunch of brilliance on you and you never stopped laughing or at least chuckling because everything she said was relatable, true, and, at times, even poignant. Has anyone talked to her about hosting The Daily Show? Someone should talk to her about hosting The Daily Show. (Here-After, 2505 First Ave, 7 pm, $10-$15, 21+) MEGAN SELING
Friday 4/7
(FILM) Yosuke Sasano (Kōji Yakusho) is an unemployed salaryman. In the morning, he leaves home as if he is heading to work. But there is no work for him in Tokyo. The Japanese economy is still in a recession that began with the crash of 1991. He spends the day in parks doing nothing or talking with other unemployed salarymen. One day, a flimsy mission leads him to a remote fishing village. Here, he meets a strange woman. An affair soon begins. Her orgasms are supernatural. The film, the last by Shōhei Imamura, connects all of this (the watery romance, the decade-long economic slump) with a story about particles that have almost no mass, that pass through our bodies, our planet, like ghosts: neutrinos. The universe. The odd lovers. The late and great director. (The Beacon, 4405 Rainier Ave S, various showtimes April 7, 9, and 10, $12.50) CHARLES MUDEDE
Saturday 4/8
QTip Birthday and De La Soul Tribute
(MUSIC) On February 12, 2023, Trugoy the Dove joined a growing list of Golden Age rappers (Phife Dawg, MCA, Guru, Prodigy, Shock G) who crossed that final river. Trugoy, also Plug Two, was a member of a trio that turned the whole music industry upside down in 1989 with 3 Feet High and Rising. The album was a part of a movement that began with Eric B. & Rakim, and was accelerated by Public Enemy. Though De La Soul released a series of great albums during the 1990s and 2000s, 3 Feet High and Rising remained their masterpiece; and one track on that album, "Potholes In My Lawn," remains, after nearly 35 years, one of the most bewildering brilliant innovations in the history of hip-hop. Saturday night's Royal Room show, which is dedicated to Q-Tip's birthday, will also celebrate the music and genius of Plug Two's crew. Do not miss this event. Rest in peace. (The Royal Room, 5000 Rainier Ave S, 9 pm, $20-$25) CHARLES MUDEDE
Sunday 4/9
South Korean Cinema: Aimless Bullet
(FILM) Cheol-ho is an accountant struggling to support his family displaced by the Korean War: A pregnant wife, two children, a war veteran younger brother, a sex worker sister, and his mother, who has PTSD. To make matters worse, an endless toothache plagues Cheol-ho—one he can’t afford to fix. Based on the novella by Yi Beom-seon, Aimless Bullet (1961) was directed by Yu Hyun-mok and shot on-location in a still war-ravaged Seoul, South Korea. If you’re unfamiliar with Korean film, this is a wonderful place to start, as many consider the postwar classic the best Korean film of all time, or the country’s Citizen Kane. The 1:30 pm screening on Sunday is the second flick in the Seattle International Film Festival’s “unconventional” five-week crash course on Korean cinema that includes four screenings and five talks (in-person and streamed via Zoom webinar). (SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N, 1:30 pm, $13-$14) VIVIAN MCCALL
Monday 4/10
(DRAG) Surprisingly, as I write this on the Wednesday morning before the show, there are still some tickets available to Sasha Velour's The Big Reveal Live Show at the Neptune. This won't be just another drag show. On April 4 Velour released her book The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag. It's a deep dive into the history of queerness and drag, and how it all shaped Velour's life on and off the stage, woven together with photos, news clippings, illustrations, fliers, and other artifacts. At the Neptune, the Season 9 RuPaul's Drag Race winner aims to bring the book to life with a performance, yes (I hope there are rose petals!), but also a discussion with a surprise guest and an audience Q&A session. There's a post-show book signing, too, and copies will be available for sale in the lobby. Award-winning burlesque duo—and longtime Stranger favorites—Kitten N Lou will open the evening. (Neptune Theatre, 1303 NE 45th St, 8 pm, $45, all ages) MEGAN SELING
Tuesday 4/11
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(FOOD) I don't care if it's expected to be rainy and 50 degrees all week, it's officially spring and springtime is when we can walk down tree-lined city streets while leisurely enjoying soft-serve ice cream cones as tall as a child's head. At Milk Drunk, the soft serve comes in six flavors, paired off for maximum swirlability—the current menu includes vanilla and malted chocolate, rainier cherry and matcha, and cold brew coffee and banana-coconut. While the ice cream is good enough to enjoy on its own—the flavors are well-balanced without tasting artificial and the texture is lighter than your average ice cream—it'd be a waste to not take advantage of at least some of the toppings Milk Drunk has available. There's chocolate, caramel, peanut butter, or cookies 'n' cream hardshell (like Dairy Queen dipped cones but better!) and other crispy crunchy accouterments including Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Fruity Pebbles, M&Ms, Oreo Bits, strawberry crunch, and sprinkles. Live a little! Get the works! It's finally spring! (Milk Drunk, 2800 16th Ave S, Tues-Sun noon-9 pm) MEGAN SELING
