Mike's adventures in art: A letter from Evan Hansen

If you're looking for tips on how to experience art in the Seattle area, you're in the right place. In this weekly post, KUOW arts reporter Mike Davis has suggestions for what to do around Seattle over the weekend so you can have your own adventures in arts and culture.

THEATRE

"Dear Evan Hansen" is playing at the Paramount Theatre. This is my pick of week and it came as a surprise. I expected this to be a typical high school musical, but the depth of emotion and turns in the story took me by surprise.

I never read plot or synopsis before enter a theatre. I like to be surprised. So early on, I was convinced I knew where the story was going. But I didn't! I won't spoil the plot here, but I will say, Evan writing a letter to himself in the school library launched into a story that shoots sky high before taking a gut-wrenching crash.

The first thing I noticed when I saw the stage for Evan Hansen was the unique set design. This story is about a high schooler, but the set is designed to put you into one of the most important aspects of modern day high schoolers - screens! They implemented screens that surround and at times engulf, the characters. Social media plays a key part in telling the story. That was clever.

The highlight for me, was the dramatic level of highs and lows throughout the story. At moments, the theatre erupts in laughter at the inappropriate, often sexual, jokes that you can expect from a teenager. But the lows are extreme and emotional as the play explores themes of isolation, friendship (or the lack of), relationships, and suicide. And the journey is a roller-coaster! You go from rooting for Evan, to feeling sorry for him, to hating him, to wanting to give him the biggest hug.

"Dear Evan Hansen" is playing at the Paramount Theatre March 7 - 12

FILM

The 28th Seattle Jewish Film Festival starts this weekend with showings at AMC Pacific Place 11 downtown. Opening night features "Karaoke," a comedy about a suburban couple getting swooped into the world or their charismatic neighbor who hosts karaoke nights.

This long standing film festival features Jewish and Israeli cinema from around the world, with both in-person and streaming options for audiences.

After recently attending Muestros Artistas, a Sephardic arts festival hosted by the University of Washington, I am looking forward to seeing the Sephardic film, "Alegría," a comedic-drama discussing family, heritage, and religion set at an orthodox wedding. This showing is the Sephardic spotlight and includes a coffee talk with refreshments hosted by UW professor of Middle Eastern Languages, Canan Bolel.

Seattle Jewish Film Festival has showings March 11 - 26 at AMC Pacific Place, Hillel at University of Washington, Gesa Power House Theatre, and Stroum Jewish Community Center