On this last weekend of February, a variety of live theater and live music — plus a sailboat regatta if weather permits — beckon on the North Olympic Peninsula.
Here’s a sampling of things to do, see and hear.
• “Baskerville,” a Sherlock Holmes mystery, opens tonight for a three-week run at the Port Angeles Community Playhouse, 1235 E. Lauridsen Blvd.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic “The Hound of the Baskervilles” is translated to the stage, with Holmes (Tim Thorn) and Doctor Watson (Peter Stone) investigating a legendary curse on the Baskerville family.
The other 40 or so roles are all played by a handful of actors, all of whom change costumes and personas in full view of the audience. All the while, multiple projections provide clues and atmospheric effects.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Tuesdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through March 13. Tickets — $15 general, $8 students — are available at www.pacommunityplayers.org and at the theater the day of the show. All patrons must show proof of full vaccination.
• A “Too Hot for Socks” dance comes to the Castle ballroom at 651 Cleveland St., Port Townsend, tonight.
Doors open at 6 p.m., swing dance instructor Ben White provides a lesson from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.; then dancing continues till 9 p.m.
A ticket is needed to reserve the dance instruction; multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Doyle provides the music. Masks and proof of vaccination are required. To reserve tickets, see www.thecastleinpt.com/events.
• The Grand Tango by Astor Piazzolla is the centerpiece of two free performances by the Port Townsend Symphony Orchestra.
Featuring cellist Pamela Roberts, the ensemble will take the Chimacum School Auditorium stage, 91 West Valley Road, Chimacum, first for the open dress rehearsal at 7 p.m. tonight and then for the concert at 2 p.m. Sunday.
It’s first-come, first-seated tonight, but reservations are strongly advised for Sunday’s event via contact@ptsymphony.org. Audience members age 12 and older must show proof of vaccination at the door, and everyone must wear an effective mask inside the auditorium.
More information can be found at PTsymphony.org.
Sean Rankins’ boat, Cito, foreground, raced in the 2021 Shipwrights’ Regatta in Port Townsend Bay. This year’s event is planned for noon Saturday. (Port Townsend Sailing Association)
The Port Townsend Sailing Association hosts the event, with details for boaters at PTsail.org and via info@ptsail.org .
Spectators are invited to watch the race from Port Townsend’s waterfront — unless it’s scrubbed, said organizer Jim Heumann.
“If the current weather forecast holds, it is likely we will postpone the race. There are possible gale-force winds and heavy rain predicted,” he said Thursday, adding the decision will be made this afternoon.
• Live music at Finnriver Farm & Cidery, 124 Center Road, Chimacum, includes three gigs this weekend.
Jazz vocalist Sarah Shea sings Gershwin, Ella Fitzgerald and other Great American Songbook classics tonight from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.; then Jonathan Doyle, Matt Weiner and Eric Eagle play jazz and swing from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, and finally Chris Miller and Matt Sircely dish up Americana from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
A cover charge at each of these performances supports the musicians. For more details, see https://www.finnriver.com/farm-music-event-calendar.
• Auditions for the New Works Showcase at Olympic Theatre Arts, 414 N. Sequim Ave., Sequim, will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday.
The showcase, a collection of eight short plays from local playwrights, has roles for actors of all ages and experience levels.
Rehearsal schedules will be decided by each play’s cast and crew; the showcase performances will run from March 25-April 3. For information, see olympic theatrearts.org or phone 360-683-7326.
• “Blues Is a Woman,” a theatrical concert celebrating the feminine history of blues music, comes to the Port Angeles High School Performing Arts Center, 304 E. Park Ave., Port Angeles, on Saturday night.
Information and tickets are found on the Juan de Fuca Foundation for the Arts website, JFFA.org.
• The final weekend of “Angel Street (Gaslight),” the Victorian-era thriller now on the Olympic Theatre Arts stage, has three performances: 7:30 p.m. tonight and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.
This tale, which was made into a movie twice, is directed by Sequim’s Ginny Holladay.
For tickets, which are $18 general and $12 for students, visit olympic theatrearts.org. Patrons must show proof of vaccination.
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Jefferson County Senior Reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-417-3509 or durbanidelapaz@peninsuladailynews.com.
