Open Space for Arts & Community will open its fall season with two intimate shows featuring performers who have dazzled artists throughout the Northwest and beyond.
The fun will start when Kevin Kent, a former Islander, teams up with special guests to perform “Kevin Kent’s Secret Speakeasy” on Monday night.
Kent, a star of Teatro Zinzanni in both Seattle and San Francisco, began his performance career in the 1980s and is now internationally known for his improvisational skills, humor and physical comedy. He is currently appearing as the master of ceremonies in “Bonsoir Liliane,” Teatro Zinzanni’s homage to the life of French dancer and Tony Award-winning star Liliane Montevecchi. Tony-winner Tommy Tune directed the show. Another recent honor for Kent was his nomination for the Bay Area’s Critic’s Circle 2011 Award for best principal performance. Fellow nominees included Bill Irwin and Mandy Patinkin.
Kent’s show on Vashon is being billed as the unveiling as a series of delicious secrets, including the identity of Kent’s mystery guest performers.
“Music will waft into the night,” promised Open Space staffer Maria Glanz. “Funny bones and more will be tickled.”
The show marks a return to Open Space for Kent. In May, he appeared in “Burlesco Notturno” at the venue.
In that show, Glanz said, Vashon audiences “got a taste of Kevin — now, at the ‘Speakeasy,’ he’ll bring a whole buffet of delight.”
Open Space’s next show, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 15, will be “Joey Pipia’s Magic Chamber,” a one-man show featuring magician Joey Pipia.
Local performer Kevin Joyce calls Pipia “the genuine article,” and a story in Northwest Magazine claimed that Pipia “could hide an elephant in his coat.”
Pipia presented “The Magic Chamber” for more than a year to sold-out houses in Port Townsend at The Chameleon Theater, and his run of the show last spring at Seattle’s Intiman Theatre also sold out. He has appeared on film, TV and stages across the country and tours regularly with The New Old Time Chautauqua and The Flying Karamazov Brothers.
“The Magic Chamber” is a one-of-a-kind theatrical event that Pipia said allows “a small select audience [to] experience the phenomenal at arm’s length, and having suspended its disbelief leave … with the sensation that anything is possible.”
Pipia added that he was delighted to bring his show to Vashon, emphasizing that audiences would see a performance with “no fancy boxes, no smoke or mirrors. Instead, it’s just the magic up close, fast paced, funny and amazing.”
Tickets to “Kevin Kent’s Secret Speakeasy” cost $20 and are on sale at www.brownpapertickets.com and Island book stores. The show will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 10, and is for ages 21 and older only.
Tickets to “The Magic Chamber” cost $20, can be purchased at www.brownpapertickets.com or by calling 800-838-3006. Seating is limited to 30 people per show. The show will be performed at 7 and 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15.
For more information visit www.openspacevashon.com.
The Open Space for Arts & Community is located at 18870 103rd Ave. S.W.
