The Arts

A way to keep up with Seattle theaters, concert halls, galleries, museums and other fine-arts events.

Following the Yellow Brick Road in “Oz the Great and Powerful.”/Disney

This week, we have the Yellow Brick Road, the wearin’ o’ the green, plays from the 16th and the 21st centuries, strings that will make your heart sing, a visit from Joyce Carol Oates and other day-brighteners. If you’re more of a Grumpy Cat type, you can stay in and watch the season premiere of “Hell’s Kitchen.”

MOVIES

‘Oz the Great and Powerful’

Director Sam Raimi’s prequel returns over the rainbow to tell the story of how the wizard (played by James Franco) came to be. It isn’t as good as the 1939 classic, but it has some charms of its own, brightened by the rollicking color of the Land of Oz. Now playing at several theaters. For Seattle Times movie critic Moira Macdonald’s three-star review, go to www.seattletimes.com/movies.

TV

‘The Bachelor’

This season’s bachelor, Texas entrepreneur Sean Lowe, make his final decision in the dating/reality show’s two-hour season finale. 8 p.m. Monday on ABC.

‘Hell’s Kitchen’

The reality competition/scream-a-thon is back for an 11th season with 20 new contestants and chef Gordon Ramsay in Las Vegas for the season premiere. 8 p.m. Tuesday on Fox.

FOOD & DRINK

Foggy Noggin Brewing

Foggy Noggin Brewing hosts a special tasting Friday of its Anniversary Ale from the past three years. Sessions are at 6 and 7:30 p.m. at 22329 53rd Ave. S.E., Bothell; $25, RSVP recommended (206-553-9223 or www.foggynogginbrewing.com).

FESTIVALS, COMMUNITY

St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Irish Festival

Dig out those green sweaters and head on over to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade at 12:30 p.m. Saturday on Fourth Avenue from Jefferson Street to Westlake Park, Seattle. Then make your way to the Irish Festival for entertainment, cultural displays, children’s activities, genealogy and Irish language workshops, noon-6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, Seattle Center Armory; free (206-684-7200 or www.irishclub.org).

Balkan Night Northwest

There won’t be much standing around at this raucous celebration of all kinds of Balkan music and dance. It was so crowded last year, organizers made BNNW two nights this year to fit in all the entertainment  — more than 30 bands from Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Croatia and points beyond.  3 p.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday, Russian Community Center, 704 19th Ave., Seattle; $25 suggested donation. (www.balkannightnw.com).

POP MUSIC

Brian McKnight

The longtime R&B star brings his silky vocals to Seattle for a three-night stand. 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. Dimitiriou’s Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave., Seattle; $50 (206-441-9729 or www.jazzalley.com).

Flogging Molly

Raucous, Irish-inflected rockers bring their “Green 17” tour to town just ahead of St. Patrick’s Day. Expect the beer to be flowing and the fiddles to be blazing. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine Street, Seattle; $29.25 (877-784-4849 or stgpresents.org).

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Joseph Shabalala and his all-male troupe are on tour, celebrating 46 years of making music mixing South African musical traditions and the sounds of Christian gospel. The group’s latest album is “Songs from a Zulu Farm.” 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 Fourth Ave. N., Edmonds; $15-$45 (425-275-9595 or www.ec4arts.org).

LITERARY EVENTS

Joyce Carol Oates

Joyce Carol Oates

See in person an American author who is practically a household name — Joyce Carol Oates. She reads and discusses her new historical novel “The Accursed,” set in Princeton in the early 1900s and featuring Woodrow Wilson and the Devil himself. 7 p.m. Tuesday, Seattle Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Seattle; free (206-386-4636 or www.spl.org).

THEATER

‘Trails’

Village Theatre stages a world-premiere production — last seen by local audiences at the 11th annual Village Festival of New Musicals — about childhood friends who are challenged by the discoveries they make on a daunting journey: the Appalachian Trail. Book is by Christy Hall, lyrics by Jordan Mann and music by Jeff Thomson. Thursday-April 21, Francis J. Gaudette Theatre, 303 Front St N., Issaquah; $28-$63 (425-392-2202 or www.villagetheatre.org).

‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’

The King of Navarre and his buddies’ vow to hit the books without distraction is quickly derailed by the Princess of France and her entourage in this early Shakespeare comedy (which, typically, includes funny subplots). Jon Kretzu directs. Previews Tuesday-Thursday. Runs Friday-April 7, a Seattle Shakespeare Company production at Center Theatre, Seattle Center; $22-$45 (206-733-8222 or www.seattleshakespeare.org).

CLASSICAL MUSIC

Efe Baltacigil and Elisa Barston

Seattle Symphony principal cellist Baltcigil and principal second violinist Barston will perform a free concert at Serendipity Cafe, the winner of the Seattle Symphony and Opera Players’ Organization Musical New Year Concert Contest. 7:30 p.m. Friday, 3222 W. McGraw St. in Magnolia. Plan accordingly: the cafe holds about 60 people; attendance is on a first-come, first-served basis; and Baltcigil and Barston are popular SSO players (www.ssopo.org).

Vadim Gluzman

Seattle Symphony Orchestra

Vadim Gluzman will solo on Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, with guest conductor Michael Francis at the podium. The program will also include Elgar’s “Enigma Variations” and Tippett’s “Ritual Dances” from “The Midsummer Marriage.” 7:30 p.m. Thursday and 8 p.m. Saturday, Benaroya Hall, 200 University St., Seattle; $19-$112 (206-215-4747 or www.seattlesymphony.org). Note: “Enigma Variations” is the topic of the March 17 “Beyond the Score” educational/multimedia/musical program at the symphony; see the symphony website for details.

VISUAL ARTS

M.I.A. Gallery

Hawaii-based photographer Wayne Levin documents all aspects of sea life — animals, surfers, paddlers, divers, swimmers, shipwrecks — in black-and-white shots that put what goes on above and below the ocean in muted, painterly light. His solo show, “Underworld,” is a dozen photographs of what he calls “this floating theater.” 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, noon-5 p.m. Saturdays through April 13, 1203 Second Ave., Seattle (206-467-4927 or m-i-a-gallery.com).

“Swimmers, Triathalon,” by Wayne Levin, is part of “Underworld,” a solo show of Levin’s work at M.I.A. Gallery./Wayne Levin photo