Carol Burnett is coming to town. So is Tracy Morgan. George Takei. And pretty much every last queen who ever competed on RuPaul’s Drag Race will be on stage in the area. But sometimes you don’t want to see a diva — or any kind of show. Maybe you’d like to learn something — and apply yourself. You could learn how to successfully grow orchids or discover the precious art of Japanese flower-arranging. Or why not learn to be a clown? Really, you can learn — and do — just about anything in this town.
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Battle of the Seasons — Michelle Visage hosts this all-queen show, including Adore Delano, Alaska Thunderfuck, Courtney Act, Ginger Minj, Miss Fame, Phi Phil O’hara and Violet Chachki (5/21)
Julia Scotti and Kevin Meaney — Big Pants & Hot Flashes offers a night of LGBT laughs from transgender artist formerly known as Rick Scotti and gay comedian as seen on late-night TV and Broadway (5/13)
Freda Kelly — The Beatles’s devoted secretary and friend tells her behind-the-scenes story in the 2013 documentary Good Ol’ Freda and will appear for a Q&A after the screening (6/25)
B-Fly Backstage — A return engagement of Liner Notes, a spoken word-infused performance influenced by actual liner notes from favorite hip-hop and R&B artists, as performed by featured artists including Paige Hernandez, Akua Allrich, Baye Harrell and Kris Funn’s Corner Store Jazz Quintet (5/6)
Charm City Kitty Club — A cabaret designed to foster, showcase and celebrate creative expression and social justice among LGBT individuals and allies (4/22-23)
The Evasons: World Famous Mind Reading Duo — Circus of Wonders presents an audience-engaging show by Jeff Evason and Tessa Evason offering mind-blowing feats of telepathy and ESP, even enticing skeptics with promises of a $100,000 reward for proof of advanced scouting or sleuthing of information beforehand (4/30)
The Second City — Legendary Chicago troupe returns with Fully Loaded (3/24, 3/26)
29th Annual Evening of Comedy — Some of the nation’s funniest performers stop by every year (5/6-7)
THE BIRCHMERE
3701 Mount Vernon Ave. Alexandria, Va. 703-549-7500 birchmere.com
Charles Ross’s One Man Dark Knight: A Batman Parody — Latest show from super-nerd creator behind the irreverent parody One Man Star Wars and One Man Lord of the Rings (4/17)
Ten Forward Happy Hour — One episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation and drink specials (3/11, and every Friday)
Church Night — Featuring comedy from Umar Khan and Elahe Izadi and burlesque from Ruby Rockafella (3/11)
Dr. Who Happy Hour — One episode of Dr. Who and drink specials every Saturday (3/12)
A Karaoke Bonanza! — Radio CPR presents (3/17)
Bump & Grimes II — A Burlesque Tribute to The Walking Dead (3/18)
All Fools Night — Featuring Aztec Sun, Margot MacDonald, Jonny Grave & the Tombstones, with sideshow performances by Moloch’s Midway & Cabinet of Infernal Myseteries, hosted by Chelsea Shorte (4/1)
202 Comedy Festival: The Big Show — Featuring Seaton Smith, Aparna Nancherla and Jermaine Fowler, hosted by Romane & Lettuce (4/16)
Hump! Film Festival — Dan Savage carefully curates this annual festival of porn, or “short dirty movies…all created by people who aren’t porn stars but want to be one for a weekend” (5/6-7)
THE CLARICE
University of Maryland College Park, Md. 301-405-ARTS theclarice.umd.edu
Creative Dialogue: Flash In Time: Discussing D.C. Punk Fanzines — A discussion with panelists from the underground fanzine culture, including Scott Crawford, Patrick Foster, Amanda Huron and Farrah Skeiky, followed by screening of James Schneider’s forthcoming D.C. punk documentary Punk the Capital (4/7)
ArtistTalk: Indigenous Rights/Indigenous Oppression Part 3 — A conversation with Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq about her heritage and activism before her performance later that evening (4/21)
Maryland Day — A campus open house with more than 60 different events throughout the Clarice (4/30)
The Divas of Drag — In addition to a touring RuPaul’s Drag Race show, Live Nation presents a show featuring Latrice Royale, Alyssa Edwards, Trixie Mattel, Mimi Imfurst, Milk, Jujubee, Kennedy Davenport, Laganja Estranja, Gia Gunn, Tatianna, Wendy Ho and Vicky Vox (3/30)
FILMFEST DC
The Washington, DC International Film Festival 202-274-5782 filmfestdc.org
The festival will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year and as ever plans to present more than 60 features, documentaries and shorts from around the world, though details and schedule have not yet been announced (4/14-24, various venues)
Free Folger Friday: Thyramus and Pisbee Reading — Eric Hissom, who played Oberon in Folger’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, reads from his new play The Tragical Comedy of Thyramus and Pisbee (3/11)
PEN/Faulkner: Howard Jacobson — Former Man Booker Prize winner reads from his new novel Shylock is My Name, a contemporary rendering of The Merchant of Venice (3/14)
Folger Institute Shakespeare Anniversary Lecture: Tiffany Stern — “From Script to Stage to Script” (3/17)
PEN/Faulkner: Mitchell S. Jackson and Leslie Jamison — The intersection of memoir, essay and non-fiction takes center stage in this joint reading (3/21)
Folger Institute Shakespeare Anniversary Lecture: Stephen Greenblatt — “Shakespeare’s Life Stories” (4/25)
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction Ceremony — America’s largest peer-juried literary prize, now in its 36th year (5/14)
History on Foot Walking Tour – Follow a “detective” investigating the Lincoln assassination (3/17-October)
Abraham Lincoln Symposium — The Abraham Lincoln Institute and Ford’s Theatre Society present a free one-day symposium on the life, career and legacy of the 16th president, featuring: Sidney Blumenthal, A Self-Made Man: The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln 1809-1849, Edna Greene Medford, Undeclared Partners for Freedom: Lincoln, African Americans and the Emancipation Struggle, Louis P. Masur, “Lincoln and the Problem of Reconstruction,” Stacy Pratt McDermott, “Mary Lincoln on Mary Lincoln: Hearing the Voice of Mary Lincoln and Contextualizing Her Life and Legacy,” and Thomas L. Carson, Lincoln’s Ethics (3/19)
James Swanson Tour — Author of Manhunt offers an intimate tour of the theater on the anniversary of the Lincoln assassination (4/14)
2016 National Oratory Fellows — Student delegates from Ford’s National Oratory Fellows Program will perform historical and original speeches, learned and created as part of their participation (5/2)
HILL CENTER
Old Navy Hospital 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. 202-549-4172 HillCenterDC.org
Film Screenings: Journalism in DC — Longtime local film critic and author Mike Canning leads this month-long Friday night screening and discussion series, with upcoming films including James L. Brooks’s Broadcast News (3/11), Billy Ray’s Shattered Glass (3/18), and State of Play (3/25)
E.J. Dionne — Why The Right Went Wrong is the new book about the legacy of Barry Goldwater from this noted liberal columnist, who will discuss the work with fellow journalist Bill Press (3/14)
Barry Svrluga — The Grind: Inside Baseball’s Longest Season is an examination of the 2014 Washington Nationals by Washington Post‘s national baseball correspondent, who will discuss the work with his Post colleague Adam Kilgore (3/21)
Kimberly Schraf and Craig Wallace — NPR’s Rebecca Sheir interviews these two prominent, well-regarded local actors (3/28)
Joan Quigley — Bill Press leads a discussion of this lawyer/journalist’s new book, Just Another Southern Town: Mary Church Terrell and the Struggle for Racial Justice in the Nation’s Capital (4/4)
E. Ethelbert Miller — The Hill Center and Hill Rag welcome this writer and literary activist to celebrate forthcoming release of his Collected Poems (4/11)
Joyce Goldstein — The New Mediterranean Jewish Table is this prolific author’s latest, authoritative cookbook and the focus of a discussion led by NPR commentator Bonny Wolf (4/14)
On The Cooking Rack with Erica Skolnik — Passover Desserts is the focus of this class by the owner of D.C.’s artisan bakery Frenchie’s (4/14)
The Art of French Cooking with Chef Gerard Pangaud (4/16, 5/6)
Seeing Red Film Series — New Yorker staff writer Margaret Talbot and movie critic Nell Minow host this series, including Hollywood on Trial, a 1976 documentary about the House Un-American Committee hearings after World War II (4/24), Body and Soul, a 1947 boxing-centered parable of temptation, corruption and redemption featuring glorious noir cinematography by James Wong Howe (5/8), Crossfire, a 1947 film specifically singled out by the House Un-American Committee as evidence of a subversive agenda from its soon-to-be-blacklisted director Edward Dmytryk (5/15), and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the 1956 original that has been called the most frightening film ever made and reflected the obsessions of the Cold War (5/22)
The Life of the Poet: Mary-Jo Bang — Washington PostBook World editor Ron Charles leads a discussion focused on the life and work of this author of seven books of poems (5/16)
Italian Master Class: Jake Addeo — Executive Chef of Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca leads a culinary class (5/21)
Gardener’s Focus: An Orchid-Filled Greenhouse — Jason Gedeik leads tours through Hillwood’s working greenhouse on most days in March, otherwise known as Orchid Month
Fabergé Egg Family Festival (3/19-20)
Lecture: Faberge in St. Petersburg — Discover the stunning, new Faberge Museum holding the largest collection of items from the House of Faberge (4/12)
French Festival — Alliance Française teams up with Hillwood for this celebration of France’s national holiday (7/9)
The Moth StorySlam — Prepare a five-minute story to share at this open-mic storytelling competition, one focused on “The Dark Side,” as you define it — whether that’s the underworld, life under a log, the naughty or just un-sunny side of the street (3/21)
Risk Podcast — Kevin Allison created this live show and podcast where people tell stories they never thought they’d share (3/26)
The Same Heart — D.C. premiere of documentary proposing a “Robin Hood Tax” to help the world’s impoverished children, followed by Q&A with its directors Len and Georgia Morris and economist Dean Baker, and then an Afro Dance Party with singers (3/31)
Duncan Trussell — Stand Up Comedy Bus Tour, presented by Squarespace (4/5)
Jake Hurwitz & Amir Blumenfeld: If I Were You Live Podcast — Comedic advice offered live by these comedians, also creators of Webby award-winning Internet series Jake and Amir as well as comedy advice (4/6)
The Sweet Spot — “First-ever high-energy, heart-pounding, fist-pumping, laugh-out-loud pop erotica burlesque show in the world,” now touring the show Make It Rain (4/7)
Blacks in Wax — A live wax museum, an annual production in which local youth transform from a wax replica of a character to a live portrayal of notable celebrities, replicated at the Kennedy Center as part of its free nightly programming (3/20, Millennium Stage)
Sarafina! — A free performance at the Kennedy Center of Mbongeni Ngema’s musical exploring the black political struggle (3/21, Terrace Theater)
Adam Cayton-Holland — A free performance by the stand-up comedian, picked as one to watch by both Esquire and Variety (3/31, Terrace)
Maz Jobrani — Stand-up sensation and founding member of the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour leads an evening of comedy (4/1, Concert Hall)
Tracy Morgan — Picking Up The Pieces (4/22, Concert Hall)
Miranda Sings — International YouTube sensation offers a night of comedy, hit songs, magic tricks, dramatic readings of hate mail and never-before-seen videos (4/23, Concert Hall)
Carol Bash with Carmen Lundy, Terri Lyne Carrington — After a screening of Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band comes a panel discussion with the film’s director and two female jazz artists, in conjunction with the Williams Jazz Festival (5/14, Terrace)
Ireland 100: Festival Opening Concert — Artist-in-Resident Fiona Shaw directs this concert featuring performers from Ireland and the U.S., including choreographer and dancer Colin Dunne, soprano Tara Erraught, tenor Anthony Kearns, fiddler Liz Knowles, the Harmony North Choir, Uilleann pipers, actor Louis Lovett, performers from the Abbey Theatre and the National Symphony Orchestra (5/17, Concert Hall)
Ireland 100: Eavan Boland in Conversation with Colm Toibin — Two of Ireland’s finest writers read from and discuss their most recent works (6/1, Family Theater)
Ireland 100: Foremost Irish Language Poets with Larla O’Lionaird (6/2, Family Theater)
Ireland 100: A Conversation with Colum McCann (6/3, Family Theater)
Ireland 100: Ireland’s Laureaters Anne Enright and Paula Meehan (6/4, Family Theater)
Ghashee W Mashee (The Dumbass) — Im Hussein in another tale exploring issues affecting the Arab American community, directed by Aziz Charabaty (4/9)
Welcome to Night Vale — Fictional podcast brought to life on stage with Danny Schmidt and Carrie Elkin (4/18)
The Naked Magic Show — “The world’s naughtiest magic show” featuring Christopher Wayne and Mike Tyler (4/24)
Comedy Bang! Bang! Live! — Scott Aukerman with guests Paul F. Tompkins and Lauren Lapkus Special, with opening act Neil Campbell (5/9) Plastic Cup Boyz (5/29)
LISNER AUDITORIUM
George Washington University 730 21st St. NW 202-994-6800 lisner.org
Ken Burns & Henry Louis Gates Jr. — WETA presents “American Fault Line: A Conversation on Race and the American Ideal,” moderated by Carlos Watson of OZY (3/14)
TEDxFoggyBottom: Think Next — An annual conference bringing together innovators and change-makers from locally and around the world (4/23)
LOGAN FRINGE ARTS SPACE
Trinidad Theatre 1358 Florida Ave. NE. 202-733-6321 capitalfringe.org
James McLure’s Lone Star — A staged reading of a one-act comedy, set in late-’50s Texas, which doubles as a fundraiser for Arcturus Theater Company’s upcoming productions, including August Strindberg’s The Pelican and Julie Steele Allen’s Mariposa & The Saint (3/19)
Levity — An adults-only comedy night (3/26)
Trinidad Crafting Salon — Get inspired to get crafty, or craftier, at this event intended to boost handiwork skills (4/18, 6/13)
Clown Cabaret — Workshops teaching basic aspects to various forms of clowning, from classic to circus, commedia to slapstick (4/18, 6/13)
Capital Fringe Festival Preview — Shows upcoming at this year’s festival will be previewed in short, rapid-fire excerpts at this buzz-generating event (6/24, Old City Farm & Guild, 925 Rhode Island Ave. NW)
11th Annual Capital Fringe Festival — This year’s festival will run for 22 days and touch down at 10 venues around town, including the year-round Logan Fringe Arts Space, which will naturally serve as festival hub (7/7-31)
Hilaree O’Neill: Down to Nothing — Mountaineer discusses her September 2015 National Geographic story about leading a team of elite climbers to a remote peak in Myanmar and the physical and emotional toll endured (3/22)
Charlie Hamilton James: I Bought A Rainforest — British photojournalist discusses his adventures in the wild world, from buying a rainforest in Peru to photographing the diverse ecosystems in Yellowstone or documenting vultures on the Serengeti (4/5)
Lee Berger: Almost Human — Nat Geo Explorer-in-Residence recounts the trailblazing expedition that resulted in his headline-making discovery of Homo naledi, a previously unknown hominin species now changing our understanding of the human story (4/11)
Arthur Middleton, Joe Riis: The Future of Yellowstone — An event meant as a centennial celebration of the National Park Service with a wildlife ecologist and photographer sharing the story of one of the most iconic creatures in Yellowstone, the elk, and their work with the Wyoming Migration Initiative (4/28)
Kenny Broad: Near Misses & Direct Hits — The 2011 Nat Geo Explorer of the Year discusses his wide-ranging approach to research, everything from trafficking to El Nino to cutting-edge science projects (5/12)
Mark Synnott: Life on the Vertical — Extreme climber discusses his adventures, including scaling the sea cliffs of Oman to exploring Uzbekistan’s Dark Star cave (4/31)
Caroline Alexander: The Iliad: An Epic Rendition — Renowned author reads and discusses her newly published and acclaimed translation of one of the oldest stories man has ever told, a kickoff to National Geographic’s new exhibition The Greeks: Agamemnon to Alexander (6/2)
An Evening of Exploration and Discovery — National Geographic personalities and the next generation of explorers discuss their work and pursuits at this annual Explorers Symposium (6/14)
Charles Duhigg — Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business from this Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter (3/11)
Iris Bohnet — What Works: Gender Equality By Design from this behavioral economist and director of the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard University (3/12)
Steve Harrigan — A Friend of Mr. Lincoln is the latest historical novel from this award-winning author, who imagines a long friendship between a fictional poet and the 16th President (3/13)
Barbara Bradley Hagerty — Life Reimagined: The Science, Art and Opportunity of Midlife from this former NPR reporter (3/17)
Shirin Ebadi — Until We Are Free: My Fight for Human Rights in Iran from 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center (3/18)
Roy Blount Jr. — Save Room for Pie: Food Songs and Chewy Ruminations from this comedian and regular on NPR’s quiz show Wait, Wait….Don’t Tell Me! (3/19)
Augusten Burroughs — Lust & Wonder: A Memoir is the seventh memoir from gay author of Running with Scissors (3/30, Busboys & Poets, 2021 14th St. NW)
Diane Rehm — On My Own (4/5)
Sidney Blumenthal — A Self-Made Man: The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln, 1809-1849 (5/18)
Eric Ripert — 32 Yolks: From My Mother’s Table to Working the Line from this James Beard Award-winning chef, part-owner of New York’s Le Bernardin and D.C.’s Westend Bistro (5/20)
The Academy for Classical Acting — “Meet tomorrow’s classical actors today” is how STC bills the acting out of scenes and monologues that students in its acting program will give one night over happy hour (3/17, Harman Hall Forum)
Hangmen — An HD broadcast filmed from London’s Royal Court Theatre where Martin McDonagh (The Pillowman) stars as a local celebrity in Matthew Dunster’s new comedy (3/21)
Muslims in Art and Culture — A discussion tied to STC’s current production of Othello (3/18, 3/23, Forum)
AsidesLive Symposium: 1984 — A three-hour event offering the opportunity to examine George Orwell’s 1984 through discussions with experts on the topics of security and surveillance, Orwell’s influence on our society and the work that went into adapting the book into the play (4/3, Forum)
As You Like It — The National Theatre broadcasts its first staging in over 30 years of Shakespeare’s glorious comedy of love and change, starring Rosalie Craig as Rosalind (4/17)
Jeremy Garcon — Poet, whose work touches on gender roles, wealth disparity, societal expectations and complexities of romance, reads from his latest book Boy I Adore just before a performance of The Taming of the Shrew (6/2, Forum)
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 (6/13)
Purim 2016: Make Shushan Great Again — Sixth and I promises an election-themed Purim celebration with a full megilla reading and an unconventional spiel, a satirical spin on the traditional holiday story (3/23)
Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company (3/27)
Call Your Girlfriend Podcast — A podcast for long-distance besties everywhere, hosted by Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow (4/10)
Annie E. Clark and Andrea L. Pino — We Believe You: Survivors of Campus Sexual Assault Speak Out, and that will be the topic of conversation with New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (4/13)
Jen Kirkman — I Know What I’m Doing and Other Lies I Tell Myself is the latest book by this cable TV-minted comedian and the focus of this event (4/16)
Russell Howard — One of the U.K.’s most successful stand-up comedians tours the U.S. with a brand-new show (5/4)
STRATHMORE
5301 Tuckerman Lane North Bethesda 301-581-5100 strathmore.org
The Ceremony of Tea: A Demonstration of Tradition — A free demonstration by the Chado Urasenke Tankokai Washington DC Association, in conjunction with the exhibit Timeless Transformation (3/12, Mansion)
Ikebana Workshop — Learn the art of Japanese flower arranging (3/13, Mansion)
The Heart of the Kimono — A discussion about these formal robes led by kimono expert Kuniko Kanawa (3/13, Mansion)
Arts & the Brain: Art Therapy & PTSD — Gary H. Wynn of Uniformed Services University and Melissa Walker of National Intrepid Center of Excellence discuss creative new treatments being developed and implemented by physicians and artists to help soldiers returning from combat (3/17, Mansion)
Historical Home Tour — A guided tour illuminating the history, architecture and personal stories of Strathmore’s original venue (3/24, 4/22, 5/12, 6/16, Mansion)
Arts & The Brain: George Gershwin — Harvard-educated psychiatrist and Juilliard-trained concert pianist Richard Kogan explores the healing impact of music, with the life and work of Gershwin suggested as a case in point (3/31, Mansion)
Arts & The Brain: Dance & Movement for a Healthy Brain — Writer and dance critic Judith Lynne Hanna of the University of Maryland speaks about the mind/body connection and the link between dance and improved mental health (4/7)
Carol Burnett — The female sketch comedy pioneer and all-around dynamic entertainer will put herself on the spot, taking questions from the audience (4/15-16, Music Center)
Arts & The Brain: Improv as a Tool for Educators & Therapists — Stephanie Anderson, a Second City faculty member as well as a mental health professional at Children’s National Medical Center, describes her innovative psycho-educational curricula and therapies for hospitalized youth (5/5, Mansion)
Acrobuffos: Air Play — The comedy duo of Seth Bloom and Christina Gelsone offers a show merging the high art of Daniel Wurtzel’s air sculptures with crowd-pleasing comedy, including the spectacles of flying umbrellas, larger-than-life balloons, kites, even a huge snow globe (5/6, Music Center)
Arts & The Brain: Writing to Heal — Seema Reza, author of When The World Breaks, discusses her work in helping service members fighting PTSD and other mental health issues by harnessing the power of writing and creativity (5/12, Mansion)
Bon Qui Qui featuring Group 1 Crew — Yes, that Bon Qui Qui, the King Burger character from Madtv created by Anjelah Johnson. The Gold-Plated Dreams Tour features Johnson as herself, a stand-up comedian, a hip-hop performance by Group 1 Crew, and then Bon Qui Qui will close out the night. Hey, Jawon! (5/3)
Brian Regan — Relatively clean and profanity-free stand-up comic (5/19-21)
Imago Theatre: ZooZoo — An enchanting wordless production featuring comedy, illusion and larger-than-life replicas of exotic and familiar creatures intended for animal lovers of all ages (3/17)
The New Adventures of Alice in Wonderland — A lively musical adaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic for young audiences (3/25-26)
A Fish Called Wanda — Screening part of Flying Dog Movie Series (3/30)
Seven Samurai — Screening as part of a Cinema Classics Film Series at the Weinberg (4/3)
Erik Larson — For a Frederick Reads program, past National Book Award nominee will discuss and sign copies of his most recent book, Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania (4/4)
The Night Cry — A screening as part of a Silent Film Series at the Weinberg (4/16)
Naomi Shihab Nye — Award-winning Palestinian-American poet, writer and educator discusses her work as part of the Frederick Speaker Series (4/17)
Chonda Pierce — Emmy-nominated comedian, dubbed “the country comic” by Billboard, stops by for a Focus on the Funny Tour (4/23)
The Breakfast Club — A Flying Dog Movie Series screening (4/27)
George Takei — Fresh off his Broadway run with Allegiance — A New Musical, Takei comes to the Weinberg as part of the Frederick Speaker Series (5/2)
Stand By Me — A Flying Dog Movie Series screening (5/25)
The Professional — A Flying Dog Movie Series screening (6/29)
A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor — The public radio celebrity returns for another Memorial Day run of shows, including a live broadcast, this year featuring Chris Thile of Nickel Creek and the Punch Brothers, Heather Masse of the Wailin’ Jennys and Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks (5/27-28, Filene Center)
Ragtime The Musical — The touring production of the Broadway musical spectacle (6/9-11)
Flight of the Conchords — The New Zealand musical comedians (6/13)
Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! – The popular NPR news quiz show broadcasts live (7/21)
Ira Glass — The public radio star makes his Wolf Trap debut with a solo show, Seven Things I’ve Learned (8/20)
“Weird Al” Yankovic — The comedian and pop parodist par excellence returns for another year at Wolf Trap (6/12)
Halloween isn't until next Thursday, but venues around town are already getting in the spirit of the spookiest season of the year.
Certainly, any spooky savant should be hellbent on making it to the 9:30 Club this Saturday, Oct. 26, for the very last BENT. "See You in HellBENT" will be hosted by Pussy Noir, who will perform along with queens from the haus of bambi and Ana Latour. Music by DJs The Barber Streisand, Samson, and the party's founder Lemz. Doors at 10 p.m. Tickets are $25. Call 202-365-0930 or visit www.930.com.
Opera may not be the nimblest of the arts, but in choosing Beethoven’s Fidelio, Francesca Zambello’s production lands right on time.
From the opera’s theme of political imprisonment to S. Katy Tucker’s haunting intro projections of prisons, actual political prisoners, and snippets of poignant Constitutional rights, its relevance is given in no uncertain terms.
Indeed, reports that a particular presidential candidate has discussed using the military to control the “enemy within” only adds to its prescience.
That said, Zambello’s potent vision isn’t quite enough to lift this production beyond more than a few inspired moments and the chance to hear conductor Robert Spano deliver the composer’s only opera (an experience Beethoven hated so much, he vowed never to attempt another one).
Tucked below D.C. in Dupont Underground on a recent October evening, the Washington Ballet soft-launched its 2024-2025 season with an immersive Dance for All program. In addition to a well-timed popup pre-show, TWB's lithe Studio Company performed new choreography by artistic director Edwaard Liang, set to music by composer Blake Neely.
To my surprise, Liang's was practically the first face I saw as I descended into the bustling space for the performance. The former New York City Ballet soloist-turned-choreographer, and now company leader, was greeting patrons at the door, the soul of easygoing ambassadorship.
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