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I didn't drop off the face of the planet, I've just been in Hawaii. Go ahead, hate me. It was 80 degrees and sunny. But, surprise, surprise, Seattle is not. Which, I guess, means it's a good time to head to the theater. So, before I head out for the night, I just wanted to catch you up on a few things.

1. Back Home Again: A John Denver Holiday Concert closes on Monday, Christmas Eve. I saw it last Sunday, and it is actually quite charming. You should know that it's a full-on concert, not a theatre piece, with a mix of Christmas songs and John Denver classics, and Mr. Denver won't be there. Because, he's you know, not living. But the music is great, many of the musicians used to play with John, there's a little twang, fiddle, and boot stomping, and it's the perfect sort of uplifting holiday entertainment to bring your family to. I know, I brought my parents and they loved it. And I even bought them tickets. You can get yours here.

2. We're gearing up in a big way for The Breach, a fascinating new piece by three playwrights responding to Hurricane Katrina with three different stories. We have some great actors already on board, including John Aylward (of ER and West Wing fame).

We also have a ton of great programming lined up to deepen our understanding of what happened in New Orleans during Katrina and what is still happening. Times-Picayune journalist and author Chris Rose is coming to speak, Elliot Bay Bookstore is hosting a reading, The 5-Spot, with a New Orleans-themed menu, will be offering diners discounts to the show, we'll be selling art from NOLA-based artists in the lobby (proceeds going right back to them), and plenty more. I'll keep you updated, and there will be a calendar on our website, but you heard it first, as they say.

3. It's still raining. Ugh.

John Denver Sing-a-Long

Last Friday our Education Associate Jess and I went downtown to see if shoppers at Westlake Center 1. Like John Denver and 2. Would sing his songs for us on camera (because, you know, we're opening Back Home Again: A John Denver Holiday Concert tonight. The results? Seattle likes John Denver AND they like to sing (you can be the judge of whether or not they can sing).

By the way, we got a sneak peek of the music (performed by former members of John's band, including Dan Wheetman who co-wrote Fire on the Mountain, which we did last season). It was awesome. I didn't even think I liked John Denver, and surprise! It almost brought me to tears. Take me home, country roads.