Eastlake's Christening New Artwork

It's a plane. It's a boat. It's a wave. No, it's a sculpture and a striking one at that.

The Eastlake community at 5 p.m. today launches "Shear Draft," a work of art situated on a triangle of land at Eastlake Avenue and Fairview East.

The sculptor is Thomas Lindsey, a local artist who created sculptures sited in the Bellevue City Council chambers and at Seahurst Park.

Lindsey says he drew inspiration for the design from the neighborhood's maritime origins and from the fact that Boeing once built seaplanes on nearby Lake Union.

The project was funded by the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, which supplied a $42,000 matching grant.

Cheryl Trivison, Eastlake Community Council president, also gives credit to Lake Union Dry Dock, where the sculpture was fabricated, and Zymogenetics Inc. for making the land available. (The sculpture is pictured on B 2.)

Yesterday, the sculptor was recovering from a back injury suffered during assembly of the heavy steel sculpture.

But, on the good side, Lindsey had just heard from a resident who previously had been critical of the abstract sculpture.

Lindsey said, "Now he says he's impressed."

The jury's out: The show went on Saturday at the Seattle Repertory Theatre's final performance of "Voir Dire." But it probably shouldn't have.

Actor Michael Sussman, who played the pivotal role of Michael, fell ill with what was first believed to be an E. coli infection, but later was diagnosed as a virus.

Instead of canceling the fast-paced play about a jury trial, the Rep replaced Sussman with an understudy who lacked sufficient rehearsal time and was forced to read from the script.

By most reports, the evening's sold-out performance fell flat. Some called it "a disaster" and protested paying full price for a flawed performance.

But Rep spokesman Roxanne Moffat said, "Most people were sympathetic."

She reports the theater received "only eight complaints" and is trying to make amends by offering other tickets.

Rite stuff: One of the region's most eligible multimillionaire bachelors is about to dump his single status.

Publicity-shy Bruce McCaw, one of the four fabled McCaw brothers (formerly of Cellular One), will exchange wedding vows with Jolene Rister, an Alaska Airlines flight attendant.

Only family and close friends have been invited to the wedding ceremony, which will take place Dec. 8 at St. Dunstan's of the Highlands, the small Episcopal church near the exclusive Highlands community.

Dog days: At the Seattle City Council's "blue sky" meeting Monday, Councilwoman Jan Drago announced another in the seemingly endless public hearings on park facilities for off-leash dogs. Razzed by her colleagues, Drago said defensively, "This hearing is a little different."

Councilwoman Martha Choe asked, "What's different? Will the dogs speak?"

Space cadets: If reports are true and if Boeing and McDonnell Douglas do agree to a merger, what will the powerhouse new company be called? That was the question that KPLZ-FM's Kent Phillips and Alan Budwell were asking yesterday morning.

One of the better answers: McBoeing.

Jean Godden's column appears Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the Local News section of The Times. Her phone is 464-8300.