Ladies and gentlemen: Introducing... live entertainment at the Admiral Theater. Once part of the Oasis Entertainment cinema chain, the Admiral has broken that shackle to become a "stand-alone" theater. With renovation almost complete, and manager, Steve Garrett, back from a three-year stint setting up theaters in China, the planets have aligned, sending a series of live shows into orbit.

"There were some chaotic misunderstandings with management," said Garrett, who now lives in West Seattle. When he returned, he said he joined forces with theater owner, Dave Fazende, and "we straightened the problems out."

Shows from the offbeat to the mainstream will appear on the Admiral's Pier Two theater stage, in the lobby, and on the balcony. A class-H liquor license is in the works. The 28th Annual Seattle International Stand-up Comedy Competition show Nov. 9 got things rolling, and a more free form offering will follow, Dec, 15 with the "Naughty or Nice Burning Hearts Burlesque Extravaganza," to include jugglers, dancers, and more comedians. "It should be wild, but we've sort of ixnayed on the fire-eaters," said Garrett. He said that, after the Admiral's "New Year's Eve Masquerade Ball," the 2008 game plan, if all goes well, will include the Smothers Brothers, B.B. King, Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain, and John Cleese and Carol Burnett in the A.R. Gurney play, "Love Letters."

"We're close to signing these A-list acts, but we need more sponsorship," Garrett said. "The Admiral is trying for state and federal restoration grants given to historic buildings." He said County Councilman Dow Constantine expressed interest in helping submit the paper work needed to apply.

The Stand-up Comedy Competition was hosted by 2004 winner, Gabriel Rutledge, and produced by Seattle's Ron Reid, who was thrilled to see nearly 150 customers file through the door Friday night. Each of 16 comedians had about five minutes of shtick to win over the judges, and their acts were anything but routine.

Ruben Barron grabbed a reluctant audience member and wove her, his Hispanic culture, and a deliberately sloppy magic act, into his antics. Randy Liedtke blew into his "melodica," a handheld keyboard instrument powered by an air hose. His smooth riffs contrasted his droll jokes, including, "Last summer I met a girl in asthma camp. She took my breath away."

Comedian "Marcus" looked menacing, wearing a black baseball cap backwards, and sporting large biceps, the right one tattooed with a large pistol. Looks deceived, as he made it into the night's five finalists with his jovial, spot-on impression of the whining milquetoast comedian, Gilbert Gottfried. A complicated series of run-offs of finalists at other venues will determine the winner, who will receive $5000 and, according to Reid, a close look by Comedy Central.

While the stand-up stage is mostly a man's world, two women appeared, Martha Marion, who joked about her libidinous grandmother, and Allyson Smith, who complained that, as a young girl scout, she earned badges for sewing and cooking, while "boy scouts were never awarded badges for 'being a good listener.'"

After three years overseas, Garrett gave China mixed reviews. "I got a serious tooth infection from eating rotten grain." He recalled being driven into a remote area with land developers. "They were planning a new city in the middle of a forest. They pointed, 'The hotel is going here, and the movie theater is going there.' And this big tiger was standing right where the theater was going to be." Garrett said he is glad to be back in West Seattle. "It still has a neighborhood quality, and a hometown feel."