Two MUST ATTEND EVENTS-- I Mean It!

[photo (c) Kimberley Mead 2010]

Okay, look, October is, hands down, the busiest month in Austin. I've got about 40 weddings, there was ACL, BookFest is coming up and, of course, there's Halloween. I know, I know, your calendar is too packed to add even one more event. But trust me on this, there are two happenings you'd be a fool to miss. Miss them and I promise you you will be kicking yourself in your own behind. Both happen Halloween Weekend but I've worked it out so that I can attend each and still have the Dentists' Favorite Night of the Year open to go to parties.

The events I'm talking about are: A Most Unsettling and Possibly Haunted Evening in the Parlour of the Brothers Grimm and Drag-O-Ween.

[photo (c) Kimberley Mead 2010]

First, a few words about A Most Unsettling... This 3-night-only show (Oct 28, 29, 30) is a collaboration between Trouble Puppet Theatre and the Hidden Room. Beth Burns of Hidden Room is one of my favorite directors-- you might recall from my review of the show that her presentation of The Taming of the Shrew awhile back left me jaw-on-the-floor. Not only are her productions first rate, but they are offered in an actual hidden room downtown. It's an amazing set-up. Then there is Connor Hopkins' of Trouble Puppet-- Hopkins' creations are fabulous. That these two geniuses are teaming up to offer an evening of stories that put the GRIM back in Grimm's Faerie Tales is, I promise you, the best treat you could hope for at Halloween. But wait, there's icing on the cake-- Desert Sin will be there, dancing. And, OMG, I am peeing my pants knowing that Robert Matney, one of Austin's greatest gifts to the stage, will be narrating the evening as he takes on the role of Wilheim Grimm. Robert could read me the back of a cereal box and I'd be enthralled.

Do note that the show comes with a warning which is this:

The evening promises to be highly disquieting, and is certainly not recommended for patrons under the age of 13, or those with delicate sensibilities. Ladies should consider a mild loosening of the corset to avoid hyperventilation.

Okay, don't say I didn't warn you. You can get tickets by clicking this link

or calling 512-474-TIXS (8497).

In other news-- when is a drag not a drag? When there's a queen involved. The 11th Annual Drag-O-Ween is one night only at Ballet Austin. This year's theme is My Bloody Broadway. As if we could even begin to compete with the "ladies," please note there is a costume contest. You can get tickets by clicking this link.