Next month marks the 150th anniversary of the Lincoln Assassination at Ford’s Theatre — and the venue isn’t being shy about the occasion. Hauling out its arsenal of artifacts as well as hosting tours and discussions, Ford’s is even reenacting the immediate aftermath. Yet not everything in D.C. is deathly serious — or even historically significant — this season. In fact, there’s funny to be found all around, from David Sedaris to three princesses of comedy: Fortune Feimster, Loni Love and Lisa Lampanelli. You can also crack up with “Weird Al” Yankovic at Wolf Trap, or at him during — get this — “a burlesque tribute” to the man at the Black Cat. Speaking of cracking up, if anyone had said a decade ago that a ragtag variety show called Crack would still be going strong, no doubt they would have been accused of smoking something.
Countdown to Yuri’s Night — “D.C.’s longest-running celebration of the first human spaceflight lands at Artisphere” (4/11)
Safwat Saleem and Rebecca Sheir: Bruised — Barring last-minute intervention, Arlington county will close Artisphere by July, but the venue isn’t going quietly, or at least not without some indirect grumbling: The final exhibition is a series of new animated works by Saleem based on stories shared by the public via WAMU’s Sheir on the topic of defeat (4/15-Close)
B-Fly Backstage: Diverse Solo Shows from Women — Caroline Clay, Paige Hernandez, Jana Valentiner and Anu Yadav are a few of the local theater artists sharing excerpts from their solo work and discussing their experiences (4/18)
Ten Forward Happy Hour — One episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation and drink specials (3/27, and every Friday)
The Best of Burlesque — Swami Yomami hosts this Palace Productions show (3/28)
Sick Sad World Happy Hour — Two episodes of Daria plus drink specials (3/28, and every Saturday)
All Night Long! A Burlesque Tribute to “Weird Al” Yankovic — The Evil League of Ecdysiasts presents one of the strangest ideas for a burlesque show, put together by GiGi Holliday and Cherie Sweetbottom (4/3)
Exhibit: Ships, Clocks & Stars: The Quest for Longitude — The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England, assembled this exhibition focused on the historical struggle to determine longitude at sea and including various timekeepers and astronomical tables, plus paintings from Captain Cook’s Pacific voyages (Now-8/23)
Don’t Rock The Cradle Symposium — A three-day event focused on the topic of displaying books in exhibitions (4/1-3)
RSC Live: Love’s Labour’s Won (4/6)
Alan Gurganus and Elizabeth Stout — PEN/Faulkner Fiction with authors known for portraying local life in America and the ways in which sense of place intersects with sense of self (4/7)
2015 Folger Gala (4/23)
35th Annual PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction Ceremony — America’s largest peer-juried literary prize (5/2)
Rita Dove — O.B. Hardison Poetry lecture by this former U.S. Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner sharing her favorite poems by others and reading from her own (5/19)
Brews and Banter: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead — New pre-show conversation over booze intended to attract a younger theatergoing audience (5/21)
Silent Witnesses: Artifacts of the Lincoln Assassination — Reuniting, for the first time since April 1865, an extraordinary collection of artifacts that were in the theater or carried by Lincoln the night of his murder, from his top hat to Mary Todd Lincoln’s black velvet cloak to a playbill for the performance of Our American Cousin (Now-5/25)
History on Foot Walking Tour – “Investigation: Detective McDevitt” follows a detective investigating the Lincoln assassination (Runs through October)
Leaders and Legacies: The Influence of Lincoln and Mandela — A panel discussion on two of the world’s greatest leaders (4/14)
Now He Belongs to the Ages: A Lincoln Commemoration — Luminaries of stage and screen present a moving, commemorative tribute to the 16th president, 150 years to the day since his assassination (4/14)
The Lincoln Tribute — An around-the-clock event with ranger talks and panel discussions inside the theater and historians offering first-person accounts on the street outside, including the recreation of the evening vigil for Lincoln, plus a wreath-laying ceremony and ringing of church bells at 7:22 a.m., the time of Lincoln’s death (4/14-15)
Brian Anderson: Behind-the-Scenes Tour — Author and Ford’s Theatre Society board member gives a tour of the theater based on his book Images of America: Ford’s Theatre (4/14-15)
Midnight Tour with James Swanson — Author of Manhunt offers an intimate tour of the theater (4/15)
Mourning Our Lost Leaders — A panel discussion exploring how the Civil War and Lincoln’s assassination shaped the way we mourn in America (4/15)
Exhibit: Splendor & Surprise: Elegant Containers, Antique to Modern — Special exhibition features more than 80 remarkable boxes, coffers, chests and other containers that reveal the ways that cultures have stored their most treasured items and everyday objects over the past four centuries (Now-June 7)
Gardener’s Focus: An Orchid-Filled Greenhouse — Jason Gedeik leads tours through Hillwood’s working greenhouse during March, otherwise known as Orchid Month (3/27, 3/31)
Fabergé Egg Family Festival (3/28-29)
Fabergé: A Life of Its Own — Lecture and screening of documentary about the impacts of a newly discovered Fabergé egg on Hillwood’s scholarship (3/31)
Hands-on Workshop: April Floral Design (4/11)
Slow Art Day (4/11)
Hands-on Workshop: Hanging Baskets (5/9)
Hands-on Workshiop: Container Gardens (5/16)
Exhibition: Ingenue to Icon:70 Years of Fashion from the Collection of Marjorie Merriweather Post (6/6-12/31)
French Festival — Alliance Française teams up with Hillwood for this holiday celebration (7/11)
Gardener’s Focus: The Cutting Garden’s Bounty (7/12-30)
Nemr — Lebanese/American comedian offers a night of stand-up (4/16)
A Drag Salute to the Divas: DC Black Pride Edition — Shi-Queeta-Lee and her stable of female illusionists will next toast “Girl Groups & Ladies of Hip-Hop,” including SWV, Destiny’s Child, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott and Queen Latifah (5/24)
Sensuality II — A reprise of a hit last year at THEARC Theater, Clouds in My Coffee Theater presents this journey of two women in love, along the way getting into a little drag, burlesque and sushi (5/30)
Uncivil Union: Comedy for Equality — A Capital Pride benefit for the Ally Coalition brings a lineup of cutting-edge comics to town, including Wyatt Cenac, Bridget Everett, Rachel Dratch and more TBA (6/11)
Mike Lawrence — A night of comedy featuring the Comedy Central stand-up, plus opening set by D.C.-area native Jason Saenz. Free as part of Millennium Stage programming (3/27, Family Theater)
Ophira Eisenberg — Comedian, writer and host of NPR’s hit trivia comedy show Ask Me Another, part of Millennium Stage programming (4/26, Terrace Theater)
Grand Illusion: The Art of Theatrical Design — From the Baroque courts of Europe to Broadway stages today, a glimpse at the theatrical design collections at the Library (Now-7/25, James Madison Building)
Exhibit: Pointing Their Pens: Herblock and Fellow Cartoonists Confront the Issues — Editorial cartoons by the late Washington Post artist are paired with the work of his contemporaries, providing visual insights into key moments in the 20th Century (Now-3/19/16, Thomas Jefferson Building)
Bahiyyih Nakhjavani: The Woman Who Read Too Much (4/2, Jefferson)
Joseph Genetin-Pilawa: The Indians — Kluge Fellow presents part of his larger study on the indigenous histories of D.C. (4/2, Jefferson)
Giorgio Trinchieri: Fighting Cancer with Microbes — A leader of the National Cancer Institute presents the lecture “Friendly Gut Microbes Help Fight Cancer” (4/2, Madison)
Japanese Culture Day — A toast to the National Cherry Blossom Festival featuring origami-making activities, kimono demonstrations and tiara-making, plus a program about Japanese life and culture by the Japan-America Society of Washington (4/4, Jefferson)
Nicholas Vincent: Magna Carta — Noted scholar presents “Magna Carta from Runnymede to Washington: Old Laws, New Discoveries” (4/6, Madison)
Patricia Smith Poetry Reading — Winner of the 13th Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry (4/6, Madison)
Daniel Lucey: Working in Ebola Units in Sierra Leone and Liberia 2014″ (4/7, Madison)
David H. Plylar: Liszt’s Historical Hungarian Portraits — Library music specialist discusses composer Franz Liszt’s Historical Hungarian Portraits (4/7, Jefferson)
Thomas A. Bogar: Backstage at the Lincoln Assassination: Dramatic Lives Behind the Headlines (4/7, Madison)
David O. Stewart: Madison’s Gift — Author discusses and signs his new book (4/14, Madison)
Paul Laird: The Genesis of Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms (4/14, Jefferson)
Justin Martin: Rebel Souls — “Walt Whitman and America’s First Bohemians” (4/21, Madison)
Poets Laureate — Current laureate Charles Wright and the 15th laureate consultant Charles Simic participate in a moderated discussion with Poetry magazine editor Don Share (4/30, Jefferson)
Susan B. Harper: Vardanants Day — “Reflections on Failures and Successes of American Humanitarianism: A Case Study from the Armenian Crucible of 1915-1923” (5/7, Jefferson)
Nick Brown: Musical Lobbyists — A tour through a selection of the Library’s collection of telegrams, birthday cards and secret personal notes from notables including Leonard Bernstein, Frank Sinatra and the Kennedys (5/9, Jefferson)
Solomon HaileSelassie: Fly Space: Inside the Minds of Theatrical Directors and Designers — A look at the scripts, director’s notes, costume designs and set designs in the Library’s collection, from Bob Fosse, Oliver Smith and Peggy Clark, among others (5/16, Jefferson)
Welcome to Night Vale — Fictional podcast brought to life on stage (3/27-28)
Lisa Lampanelli — The “Queen of Mean” in the gay-loving mold of Kathy Griffin (5/29)
LISNER AUDITORIUM
George Washington University 730 21st St. NW 202-994-6800 lisner.org
Laverne Cox: Trans Day of Visibility — “Ain’t I A Woman? My Journey to Womanhood” is the topic of discussion by the Orange Is The New Black star (3/31)
Deepak Chopra — “The Future of Wellbeing” according to this new-age/alternative-medicine proselytizer (4/1)
TEDxFoggyBottom 2015 — An annual conference bringing together innovators and change-makers from the local community and the world (4/3)
Poetry Out Loud 2015 National Finals — A competition in which 53 high-schoolers — one from each state, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands — test their skills in reciting classic and contemporary poetry (4/29)
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE!
Grosvenor Auditorium NGS Headquarters 1600 M St. NW 202-857-7700 nglive.org/dc
Monster Fish: In Search of the Last River Giants — Based on a National Geographic Wild series about finding and protecting the world’s largest freshwater fish, complete with five life-size sculptures, including a climbable sawfish, plus a gallery of aquariums with live fish and several games to test knowledge and skills (3/26-10/11)
Nobody’s River: Kayaking Asia’s Wilderness — River guide Amber Valenti and extreme sports photographer Krystle Wright discuss their 2,700-mile expedition to one of the most remote areas of Asia (4/2)
We Are What We Eat — Photographer Matthieu Paley reveals his findings traveling the world in search of our ancestral ties to the food we eat (4/15)
Chasing Ancient Mysteries: A Digital Expedition — Explorer Albert Lin combines technology with physical exploration to solve both historical and modern mysteries (4/16)
Robert Clark: Evolution of a Photographer — Tracing a career from newspapers to National Geographic (4/21)
Marcus Samuelsson — A conversation with producer Pam Caragol Wells, followed by a reception featuring some favorite recipes by this celebrated chef drawn from his new book Marcus Off-Duty (4/23)
Shannon Galpin: Biking Afghanistan — The first woman to mountain bike in the country (5/5)
Thomas Peschak: Wild Seas, Secret Shores (5/19)
Bob Poole: Gorongosa Reborn — Cinematographer documents a conservation project in a national park in Mozambique (5/21)
An Evening of Exploration and Discovery — National Geographic personalities and the next generation of explorers discuss their work and pursuits (6/9)
NTLive: Of Mice and Men — An HD broadcast filmed by the U.K.’s National Theatre Live and featuring James Franco and Chris O’Dowd in the landmark revival of John Steinbeck’s play (3/30, Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW)
Tina Packer: Women of Will — Master Shakespearean actor/dramaturg deconstructs and conjures the Bard’s most famous female characters in a discussion based on her new book (4/8, Lansburgh Theatre)
NTLive: A View from the Bridge — Ivo van Hove’s stunning West End production of Arthur Miller’s tragic masterpiece starring Mark Strong is presented via an HD broadcast from the Young Vic (4/20, 4/27, Harman)
Will on the Hill — This event welcomes Members of Congress, Senators and distinguished Washington insiders to perform scenes from Shakespeare, infused with comedic references to contemporary politics (6/15, Harman)
NTLive: Treasure Island — Bryony Lavery offers a new stage adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s story of murder, money and mutiny, presented via HD broadcast from the U.K.s National Theatre (6/29, Harman)
NTLive: Skylight — Stephen Daldry’s adaptation of David Hare’s play starring Bill Nighy and Carey Mulligan, broadcast in high-definition from the West End (7/6, Harman)
Gretchen Rubin — Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives (3/31)
Jeffrey Goldberg: Is It Time for the Jews to Leave Europe? — Atlantic national correspondent discusses his reporting for the April cover story (4/7)
Candice Bergen — Murphy Brown actress shares the big events in her life in A Fine Romance, which she discusses in conversation with Madhulika Sikka (4/13)
Jennifer Teege: Holocaust Remembrance Day Program — My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me recounts the shocking discovery that this adopted German-Nigerian author was the daughter of the Nazi commandant portrayed by Ralph Fiennes in Schindler’s List (4/15)
Andrea Gibson w/Amber Tamblyn — Spoken word artist, first winner of the Women’s World Poetry Slam (4/16)
Nora Poullion — My Organic Life: How a Pioneering Chef Helped Shape the Way We Eat Today tells the story of the Restaurant Nora chef/proprietor, in conversation here with Nancy McKeon (4/20)
Ellen McCarthy — The Real Thing: Lessons on Love and Life from a Wedding Reporter’s Notebook (4/22)
David Brooks — The Road to Character (4/23)
Kate Bolick — Spinster: Making a Life of One’s Own (4/27)
Toni Morrison — God Help the Child (4/30)
Maria Bello — Whatever…Love Is Love: Questioning the Labels We Give Ourselves documents the adjustments this TV actress had to make in her life and with her son after falling in love with another woman (5/4)
5301 Tuckerman Lane North Bethesda 301-581-5100 strathmore.org
Julie Andrews — Maria von Trapp/Mary Poppins isn’t expected to sing at Strathmore’s 10th Anniversary Spring Gala, but the screen legend will share in conversation with The Washington Post‘s Peter Marks (4/25, Music Center)
Art & The Mind: Taste & Know — Subtitled “How Art, Science and Technology Shape Our Relationship to Food,” a discussion led by artist Stefani Bardin, whose art shines a light on industrial food production and its effect on the environment (5/7, Mansion)
Shirley MacLaine — Kennedy Center Honoree from 2013 will share her stories and discuss her work as a longtime advocate for civil rights, women’s rights and spiritual understanding (5/9, Music Center)
Aretha Franklin — The Queen of Soul offers a rare live concert (5/13, Music Center)
Art & The Mind: Please Do Touch — Subtitled “Evolving the Role of the Tactile Sense in Art Museums,” Rebecca McGinnis of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art leads a discussion about the power of touch and ways to incorporate the sense at museums to help broaden understanding and appreciation of works of art (5/14, Mansion)
Town&Country — The DC Rawhides presents a twice-monthly Saturday night hoedown of gay country-western dancing and socializing (4/4, 4/18, 5/2)
RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 7 Contestants Series — Performing as part of the Saturday night drag show will be: Max, a gray-haired, Old Hollywood glamour queen who can sing (4/4); Katya, a Russian-obsessed queen and trained gymnast whose “mug is as beautiful as her mouth is filthy” (4/25); and Trixie Mattel, known for a life-in-plastic aesthetic (5/9)
Crack — Chris Farris, Karl Jones and Shea Van Horn started this ragtag off-kilter variety show, “a low budget mess of stage and screen,” ten years ago (5/2)
Reduced Shakespeare Company — In 90 minutes, this three-man troupe sets out to offer “The Complete History of Comedy (Abridged)” (4/11)
Michio Kaku — Renowned physicist, the co-founder of string field theory, also a three-time New York Times best-selling author, stops by for an engagement part of the Frederick Speaker Series (4/15)
A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor — The public radio celebrity once kicks off the season at the Filene Center, this year featuring special guests Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O’Donovan (5/22-23)
Sarah Koenig and Julie Snyder: Creators of Serial — A behind-the-scenes look at the hit podcast, a spin-off of This American Life (6/6)
“Weird Al” Yankovic — Yes, the comedian and pop parodist par extraordinaire is still at it, with a couple of recent gems (“Blurred Lines”-spoof “Word Crimes,” “Tacky” for “Happy”) (6/12)
Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! — The popular NPR news quiz show will broadcast from Wolf Trap (7/23)
David Sedaris — He may be a tad awkward live, but that only makes this gay satirist’s tales and commentary funnier (8/2)
Jim Gaffigan — The “king of (clean) comedy,” says the Wall Street Journal (8/12)
A play of epic proportions, Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt has almost equally epic challenges and, like a suit that doesn’t quite fit, it feels just a little too big for the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production.
Immense in scope, Stoppard’s semi-autobiographical journey weaves its way from 1899 through 1955 as multiple generations of a wealthy Jewish family in Vienna experience war and antisemitism in ways that will forever change their lives and identities.
Heavy on the expository and vignette-driven, family gatherings share space with spirited conversations about Zionism, the creation of a Jewish homeland, and the growing “othering” of Viennese Jews as time passes through Germany’s annexation of Austria, two world wars, and a final post-war-Vienna pause.
The holidays can be overwhelming, and that goes for all the ways you can celebrate the holidays, too. So we thought we'd help out by culling through the festivities to select a few of the very best. We'll do it again next week with a whole new crop of outings to consider for getting your holly jollies on.
THE HOLIDAY SHOW -- The Gay Men's Chorus of Washington is sure to touch and titillate you with this year's 44th annual year-end extravaganza, a program designed to celebrate the holidays around the world through a mix of eclectic songs enhanced by arrangements accentuating the beautiful melodies and harmonies as performed by the full chorus of more than a hundred, by one of the organization's smaller, select ensembles, or by a few standout soloists. Among the most inspiring of the GMCW's smaller ensembles set to perform is the GenOUT Youth Chorus, a group of budding singers from around the region. Sure to give a rousing, high-kicking performance is another GMCW ensemble, the 17th Street Dance Troupe. Even jolly ol' Santa will drop by to liven the mood, especially for those who've been more nice than naughty. Saturday, Dec. 7, and Dec. 14, at 3 and 8 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 15, at 5 p.m. Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. Tickets are $25 to $75. Call 202-293-1548 or visit www.gmcw.org.
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