Weekend Preview: Musical Mayhem

The weekend has three musical acts of… um, note. But they likely don’t have a lot overlap in iTunes playlists.

In the stage performance slot this weekend is Tacoma Musical Playhouse’s opening of “NINE, The Musical!” This show is a stage version Frederico Fellini’s influential 1963 Italian film, “8 1/2”, which took the third spot on the “Best Films of All Time” list in the British Film Institute’s poll of film directors. It had already become a Broadway show in 1982 and won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The Best Film nod sparked a revival show, starring Antonio Banderas. That version took home two more Tony Awards. Then came a 2009 film. NINE is the story of celebrated Italian film director, Guido Contini, who has turned 40 and faces a double crisis: he has to shoot a film for which he cannot write the script, and his wife of 20 years, the film star Luisa del Forno, may be about to leave him. Those troubles aren’t separate as it turns out. The show is not recommended for children since it contains adult situations concerning sexual themes and coarse language. TMP’s production features Rafe Wadleigh, noted in TMP’s “South Pacific” and “Guys & Dolls,” as ‘Guido’, and a full complement of TMP’s female company led by Maria Valenzuela, most notably in “Kiss Me Kate.” The show opens Friday and runs Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through April 17.

On the harder side of the musical spectrum is the Tacoma’s Metal Choice Awards at Hell’s Kitchen on Saturday. Voting for the area’s hardest rock bands has ended and the ballots are being tallied. The envelopes will be opened at the black tie and jeans event.

Tacoma Symphony Orchestra has tuned up for a performance Sunday as well. It’s concert, “Hip Harp” with Deborah Henson-Conant, will be held at Pantages Theater. Henson-Conant is a Grammy-nominated performer, composer and songwriter. She’s known for her renegade image, evocative singing voice, and shows that fuse music, theater, stories, humor, virtuosity and entertainment as she rocks a 36-string custom-built electric “harness harp.” Her playing ranges from full-out bluesy to heart-wrenching ballad.

And with that, another weekend will end.