BAYWATCH
Another case of “Who needed this?” Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron lead the cast in an action-comedy based on the eponymous TV series and directed by Seth Gordon. Expect callbacks and references, slow-motion running, red swimsuits, and a general sense of having wasted money on your cinema ticket. Now playing. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com. (Rhuaridh Marr)

BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB: ADIOS
Lucy Walker’s documentary serves as a follow-up 18 years after Wim Wenders’ original helped spark a renaissance in Cuban dance music and launch international careers for many of the featured musicians. Adios follows the five original band members from the first film as they embark on one final international tour ending in their Havana hometown. Opens Friday, May 26. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2
★★★½
Guardians maintains the scrappy, jokesy, lovable nature that made the first film such a huge success — and such a breath of fresh air compared with the slightly stale, formulaic nature of Marvel’s other franchises. With its bold colors, brilliant soundtrack and wonderful array of performances, it was a necessary jolt of adrenaline to the cinematic superhero canon. But three years and a bigger budget later, the originality has diminished. What’s here isn’t fresh, though it’s still very palatable. Now playing. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com. (RM)

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES
While there’s debate about what exactly the trailer means when it states “The Final Adventure Begins,” the tone is undeniably intriguing. Directed by Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg, the latest in the series seems to be a darker affair than the recent, silly sequels, which is something we’re very much on board with. Javier Bardem stars as Captain Armando Salazar, a powerful and merciless ghost pirate who stalks Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow across the seas. If Disney gets this right, it could breathe new life into the franchise. Opens Friday, May 26. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com. (RM)

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UNION MARKET DRIVE-IN: HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS
Union Market readies the third round of its monthly warm weather Drive-In Series focused on Disney’s unexpected hit in 1989, a sci-fi comedy directed by Joe Johnston and starring Rick Moranis as an inventor whose experiment on his kids goes awry. You don’t have to have a car to take it all in — just grab a viewing spot in the free picnic area. Food and beer are available, delivered to you or your car window by the DC Rollergirls. Friday, June 2. Gates at 6 p.m., with the movie starting at sunset — around 8:15 p.m. In the parking lot at Union Market, 1305 5th St. NE. Free for walk-ups or $10 per car. Call 800-680-9095 or visit unionmarketdc.com.

WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
Now in its 27th year, the festival presents traditional film screenings as well as related cultural and educational programs at six different theaters. Six films at this year’s festival are “Rated LGBTQ,” exploring sexuality, gender and identity on screen: Cabaret, the hit 1972 adaptation of the stage musical classic starring Joel Grey and Liza Minnelli, which screens Saturday, May 27, at 12:30 p.m., at AFI Silver Theatre; Family Commitments, an outrageously quirky comedy about a Jewish-Arab same-sex wedding, in its Mid-Atlantic Premiere Saturday, May 27, at 6:30 p.m., at Edlavitch DCJCC; and In Between, Maysaloun Hamoud’s remarkable feature debut about three Arab-Israeli women sharing an apartment in the vibrant heart of Tel Aviv and struggling with contemporary and traditional pressures, which screens Sunday, May 28, at 1:45 p.m., at AFI Silver Theatre. Landmark E Street Cinema. Festival runs to Sunday, May 28. Tickets are $14.95 for regular screenings. Visit wjff.org.

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ACT@25!
Launched 25 years ago during DC Black Pride, the African-American Collective Theater celebrates its silver anniversary with a special event, a reader’s theater festival featuring 25 LGBTQ-themed short plays offered in three distinct programs. Program A, at 3 p.m., is an “early, after church/brunch show” with primarily new and seldom-seen works; Program B, at 6 p.m., is a before- or after-dinner show, “a little naughty and bawdy”; and Program C, at 9 p.m., is a late-night show for the “grown and sexy.” Sunday, May 28. Undercroft Theater of Mount Vernon United Methodist Church,, 900 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Tickets are $15 per program, or $30 for a pass to all three. Call 240-582-0050 or visit actat25.homesteadcloud.com.

BUILDING THE WALL
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan (The Kentucky Cycle, All The Way) imagines a future where President Trump is able to persevere with his plans to barricade the southern U.S. border. Building The Wall focuses on a historian interviewing the supervisor of a private prison as he awaits sentencing for carrying out a policy that has escalated into a violent and chaotic mess, with millions of undocumented immigrants rounded up and detained in overflowing private prisons and makeshift incarceration camps. Michael Dove directs Forum Theatre’s production, part of a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. Closes Saturday, May 27. Silver Spring Black Box Theatre, 8641 Colesville Road. Call 301-588-8279 or visit forum-theatre.org.

FEAR EATS THE SOUL
A stage adaptation of eccentric German filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s emotionally powerful drama about star-crossed lovers makes its U.S. premiere and closes out the 30th Anniversary season of internationally focused Scena Theatre. Centered on timely topics such as race, immigration and class, Helen Hayes Award winner Nanna Ingvarsson plays Emmi, an older German woman who falls in love with a younger Moroccan migrant worker, to the appall of everyone around them. To June 4. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $35 to $45. Call 202-399-7993 or visit scenatheatre.org.

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HIR
Shana Cooper directs Taylor Mac’s audacious, uproarious black comedy billed as “a kitchen-sink drama covered in glitter.” The story focuses on an Iraqi war veteran who returns to his childhood home and discovers that his family has transformed, from a formerly timid mother out to subvert the patriarchy, to a sister who is now a genderqueer anarchist, to a father who now wears clown makeup. Emily Townley and Mitch Hebert are part of the cast. To June 18. Woolly Mammoth, 641 D St. NW. Call 202-393-3939 or visit woollymammoth.net.

IN THE HEIGHTS
The U.S. Spanish-language premiere of Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first Broadway hit sizzles with the kind of urban energy you would expect from its setting in Manhattan’s Washington Heights neighborhood. Performed in Spanish with English surtitles. Extended in a sold-out run to May 28. GALA Theatre, 3333 14th St. NW. Tickets are $40 to $60. Call 202-234-7174 or visit galatheatre.org.

JAZZ
A world premiere stage adaptation of Tony Morrison’s exhilarating novel, following a couple who moves from the Virginia countryside to Harlem at the turn of the 20th century as the genre of jazz was just beginning to flourish. Shanesia Davis is Violet and Leon Addison Brown is Joe, whose later interactions with another woman sets off a series of violent, unforgivable acts. Adapted by Nambi E. Kelley and featuring a cast of 10, including an on-stage Trombonist. Opens Friday, May 26. To June 25. Baltimore Center Stage, 700 North Calvert St., Baltimore. Tickets are $20 to $69. Call 410-332-0033 or visit centerstage.org.

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s rock opera about Jesus gets a “sleek, modern” makeover in a Signature Theatre production helmed by Joe Calarco and starring Nicholas Edwards. The cast includes Signature standouts Natascia Diaz as Mary, Sherri L. Edelen as King Herod, and Bobby Smith as Pontius Pilate. To July 2. Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Call 703-820-9771 or visit sigtheatre.org.

KALEIDOSCOPE
Florence Lacey stars in the latest “Bold New Work” world premiere from partners, in life and in show, Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith (The Turn of the Screw). Presented by Creative Cauldron, the musical focuses on a legendary Broadway performer and her comeback one-woman show, foiled as she forgets her prepared anecdotes and attempts to make up new ones on the fly, as the insidious signs of Alzheimer’s become increasingly apparent. Closes Sunday, May 28. ArtSpace Falls Church, 410 South Maple Ave. in Falls Church. Tickets are $20 to $30. Call 703-436-9948 or visit creativecauldron.org.

LAURA BUSH KILLED A GUY
Billed as a smart, surreal and surprising reexamination of the Bush years, upstart local theater collective Klunch offers a world premiere written by its artistic director Ian Allen. John Vreeke directs rising local actress Lisa Hodsoll in a one-woman show that imagines the former First Lady ruminating on killing a guy in 1963 and reminiscing about her Texas childhood and married life with George W. To June 4. Caos on F, 923 F St. NW. Tickets are $25 to $35. Call 202-215-6993 or visit theklunch.com.

MACBETH
The provocative Tony-nominated director Liesl Tommy (Eclipsed) helms a production of the Bard’s exploration of murderous ambition, fiendish equivocation, and a love of terrifying intimacy. Shakespeare Theatre Company regular Jesse J. Perez takes on the titular role alongside Nikkole Salter as Lady MacBeth. With Naomi Jacobson, Tim Getman and David Bishins. Closes Sunday, May 28. Sidney Harman Hall, Harman Center for the Arts, 610 F St. NW. Call 202-547-1122 or visit shakespearetheatre.org.

MASTER CLASS
Ilona Dulaski stars in Terrence McNally’s love letter to opera great Maria Callas in a new production at Virginia’s MetroStage. Ayana Reed is the Second Soprano (Sharon), a role made famous by Audra McDonald, and Joseph Walsh plays Accompanist while serving as music director. Emily Honzel, Ayana Reed, Daniel Noone and Michael Sharp round out the cast. Nick Olcott directs. To June 11. MetroStage, 1201 North Royal St., Alexandria. Tickets are $55 to $60. Call 800-494-8497 or visit metrostage.org.

MERCY KILLERS

SIDE EFFECTS
Michael Milligan offers a timely, unblinking look at health care in America with two new plays each told from different perspectives. Mercy Killers focuses on those seeking care, such as a blue-collar American grappling with his red state ideals and his sickly wife, while Side Effects follows a doctor struggling to practice medicine as bureaucratic pressures collide with his professional and personal responsibilities. Taffety Punk Theatre Company produces the two plays in repertory to June 3. Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 545 7th St. SE. Tickets are $15. Call 202-355-9441 or visit taffetypunk.com.

NOISES OFF
A love letter to the thrilling unpredictability of the stage, this famed farce by Tony-winning British playwright Michael Frayn is revived in an Everyman Theatre production directed by Vincent M. Lancisi. Deborah Hazlett and Danny Gavigan lead a cast of eight resident company members portraying a cast of bumbling British thespians, whose backstage buffoonery during a run of the play-within-a-play Nothing On steals the show. You can expect wall-to-wall wackiness, carefully choreographed hijinks and sight gags — including flying sardines — from a comedy that the famed former New York Times theater critic Frank Rich once called “the funniest play written in my lifetime.” To June 18. Everyman Theatre, 315 West Fayette St. Baltimore. Tickets are $43 to $64. Call 410-752-2208 or visit everymantheatre.org.

OUTSIDE MULLINGAR
Keegan Theatre harkens back to its Irish roots with a comedy by John Patrick Shanley that poses the question, is it ever too late to take a chance on love? The focus is on neighbors whose families have been squabbling for years over a patch of land in rural Ireland. Mark A. Rhea directs Rena Cherry Brown, Susan Marie Rhea, Brandon McCoy, and Kevin Adams. Closes Sunday, May 28. Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church St. NW. Tickets are $35 to $45. Call 202-265-3768 or visit keegantheatre.com.

PROOF
With echoes of the recent Oscar-nominated film Hidden Figures, Proof explores the uphill climb a woman faces in gaining recognition in the male-dominated field of mathematics, even when she has genetics on her side. Dawn Ursula and Craig Wallace star in David Auburn’s 2001 Tony-winning play by David Auburn. To June 18. Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, Md. Call 301-924-3400 or visit olneytheatre.org.

SHE SPEAKS!
Suburban Maryland community theater troupe the Rude Mechanicals presents an ambitious production subtitled “Shakespeare’s Women in Their Own Words.” Leanne Stump helms a new work that laces together the voices of the most memorable women written by the Bard, from Beatrice’s sharp wit to Juliet’s broken heart. “Though the men take the title, the women oft steal the show,” goes a tagline for the production, which goes even further by letting the “fairer sex” run away with it. Opens Thursday, June 1, at 8 p.m. Weekends to June 17. Greenbelt Arts Center, 123 Centerway. Greenbelt, Md. Tickets are $22. Call 301-441-8770 or visit rudemechanicals.com.

THE ARABIAN NIGHTS
Ten years ago, Constellation Theatre Company launched its first season with a production of Mary Zimmerman’s entrancing adaptation of The Arabian Nights. Now, Founding Artistic Director Allison Arkell Stockman closes out the 10th anniversary season by revisiting the company’s roots and reimagining the show, once again with live music by Tom Teasley. Veronica del Cerro leads the ensemble as famed storyteller Scheherazade. To June 4. Source, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets $20 to $45. Call 202-204-7741 or visit constellationtheatre.org.

THE FATHER
Ted Van Griethuysen stars as an 80-year-old man whose world starts unraveling in an original and moving play from Florian Zeller, one of France’s most prolific contemporary playwrights, translated by two-time Tony Award winner Christopher Hampton. The Father won a Moliere Award, the French equivalent of the Tony, in 2014. Kate Eastwood Norris, Caroline Dubberly, Erika Rose, Manny Buckley, and Daniel Harray also star. David Muse directs. To June 18. Studio Theatre, 14th & P Streets NW. Call 202-332-3300 or visit studiotheatre.org.

THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME
Synetic Theater’s Founding Artistic Director Paata Tsikurishvili brings his mind-bending, cinematic style to Victor Hugo’s gothic, heartbreaking epic — relayed, like many Synetic productions, in wordless fashion, stripped of Hugo’s dialogue. Vato Tsikurishvili is Quasimodo, Phillip Fletcher is Frollo, and Irina Kavsadze is Esmeralda. To June 11. Synetic Theater, 1800 South Bell St., Arlington. Tickets are $35 to $60. Call 800-494-8497 or visit synetictheater.org.

TIMON OF ATHENS
Sparing no expense on lavish parties, expensive gifts and charity, the abundantly generous Timon suffers a downturn of fortune and friendship in Shakespeare’s tragic satire. Director Robert Richmond sets the action in modern times, where technology has taken over and high finance takes place online. Ian Merrill Peakes stars in the final production of Folger Theatre’s 25th anniversary season. To June 11. Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $35 to $75. Call 202-544-7077 or visit folger.edu.

ULYSSES ON BOTTLES
The culmination of its second season, Mosaic Theater Company presents the 2017 Voices From a Changing Middle East Festival in the 50th year since the Six Day War and the start of the Occupation. The festival launches with Israeli playwright Gilad Evron’s poetic and poignant allegory about an Israeli-Arab ex-teacher’s attempts to sail into Gaza on a raft made of plastic bottles. Serge Seiden directs Michael Kevin Darnall as Ulysses, an anonymous schoolteacher locked in an Israeli prison for a fanciful attempt to smuggle Russian literature to the children of Gaza, and Matthew Boston as an attorney assigned to defend him. Sarah Marshall, Elizabeth Pierotti and Chris Genebach round out the ensemble cast of Ulysses on Bottles, as translated by Evan Fallenberg. To June 11. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20 to $60. Call 202-399-7993 or visit mosaictheater.org.

AUDRA MCDONALD
Already showered with more Tonys than any other actress in Broadway history, McDonald arrives at Strathmore to display the range of productions she’s been featured in — from The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess to Ragtime to Master Class to, most recently, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, the Billie Holiday tribute she will revive in London’s West End this summer. Also known from her work on TV, principally as a lead character on ABC’s Private Practice, McDonald long ago adopted a Twitter handle that reflects her staunch support for marriage equality — @AudraEqualityMC. “Certainly, I’m a child, a product of what came because of civil rights,” she told Metro Weekly. “Without civil rights I certainly wouldn’t have been able to do half the things I’ve done. And so I feel it’s just my duty to do whatever I can to help push it along to get marriage equality for everybody.” Friday, May 26, at 8 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $45 to $105. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.

BLACK MASALA
D.C.’s nine-piece Balkan and funk band consists of members from Thievery Corporation and is focused on having fun both on record — including 2015’s I Love You Madly — and live. Next up is a performance as part of Multiflora Productions’ free monthly “Ivy City Live” programming at a New Orleans-themed complex. Delaware’s Dogfish Head Brewing sponsors the event with $5 seasonal brews all night. Thursday, June 1, at 8 p.m. Big Chief, 2002 Fenwick St. NE. Free. Call 202-465-4241 or visit blackmasala.com.

BROODS
Brother-sister duo Georgia and Caleb Nott are the reigning young pop act from New Zealand — aside from Lorde, who’s a co-writer on one of the strong synth-pop songs (“Heartlines”) on Broods’ smashing sophomore set Conscious released last summer. Swedish sensation Tove-Lo also shows up on “Freak of Nature,” dueting with Georgia, whose breathy voice is similar to Ellie Goulding. The Kiwis offered an extensive U.S. tour last year, including a stop at the 9:30 Club. But if you missed that, you get another chance — though you’ll have to journey to Baltimore. Tuesday, June 6, at 8 p.m. Ram’s Head Live, 20 Market Place. Tickets are $22 in advance, or $25 day-of. Call 410-244-1131 or visit ramsheadlive.com.

CAPITAL JAZZ FEST
As much about pop and R&B/soul as it is jazz, this annual three-day festival returns to Merriweather and kicks off Friday, June 2, with gates at 6:30 p.m., for performances by Charlie Wilson and Robin Thicke. Highlights to come Saturday, June 3, include Corinne Bailey Rae, Jaheim, El Debarge, Avery*Sunshine, Pieces of a Dream and Kelly Price, while Sunday, June 4, offers George Benson, Anthony Hamilton, Chris Botti, Sheila E, Loose Ends, Maysa and the headlining hunk from this year’s DC Black Pride, rapper Tank. Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia. Tickets are $64.50 to $115. Call 800-551-SEAT or visit capitaljazz.com.

COLOR PALETTE
Though a monthly series co-presented by D.C.-based podcast and website Hometown Sounds, the Kennedy Center presents this local synth-rock band comprised of Jay Nemeyer, Joshua Hunter, Matt Hartenau, Rogerio Naressi and Maryjo Mattea. Color Palette tours in support of its latest release, Live at Bender Arena, a four-track EP drawn from a performance on the campus of American University. Tuesday, May 30, at 6 p.m. Millennium Stage. Free. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

CONGRESSIONAL CHORUS: MUSIC WITHOUT BORDERS
The 160 voices from this family of choruses will unite for the 30th season closer, a diverse celebration focused on the power of music, the international language, to tear down the walls that divide nations. The centerpiece of the concert is the D.C. premiere of Calling All Dawns by Grammy-winning Chinese-American composer Christopher Tin. A 12-movement song cycle in 12 languages, this lush, cinematic masterwork is inspired by musical traditions from every corner of our planet and includes texts drawn from both sacred and secular sources, from Japanese haiku to Portuguese poetry, the Latin mass to Maori proverbs. Also on tap is Ethan Sperry’s a capella choral arrangement of A.R. Rahman’s Oscar- and Grammy-winning song “Jai Ho!” from Slumdog Millionaire. Saturday, June 3, at 7:30 p.m. National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW. Tickets are $15 to $30. Call 202-347-2635 or visit congressionalchorus.org.

FIFTH HARMONY
Dubbed “America’s most popular girl group” by Rolling Stone, the former X Factor contestants come to Wolf Trap to perform from their catchy repertoire of hits including “Work From Home,” “Worth It” and “That’s My Girl.” Saturday, May 27, at 8 p.m. The Filene Center at Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $35 to $65. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit wolftrap.org.

GAY MEN’S CHORUS: AND THE TONY GOES TO…
“You might say the gay men’s chorus singing Broadway, what else is new?” Yet Thea Kano of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington explains that for its spring concert, the group isn’t just singing Broadway. A concept conceived by the chorus’s longtime stage director John Moran, who died last year, the Tony-themed show traces the history of gays and gay issues in the musical theater. It all started with the death of Judy Garland in 1969. “That was, of course, the impetus for the LGBTQ movement,” Kano says, “but it was also the impetus for gay [actors and characters] showing up on the Broadway stage.” That same year ushered in what is touted as the first openly gay character on Broadway, the flamboyant gay villain in Andre Previn and Alan Jay Lerner’s musical Coco. Later came Seesaw, a musical about a gay choreographer that earned its star Tommy Tune a Tony in 1974, followed the next year by the Tony-winning blockbuster A Chorus Line with two more gay characters. Frank Shutts directs and Craig Cipollini and James Ellzy co-choreograph the concert featuring the full chorus, the GenOUT Chorus, the 17th Street Dance and vocal ensembles Potomac Fever and Seasons of Love. Saturday, June 3, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, June 4, at 3 p.m. Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. Tickets are $25 to $65. Call 202-888-0050 or visit gmcw.org.

JMSN
A few years ago Usher proclaimed Albanian-American singer-songwriter Christian Berishaj, better known as JMSN, as “his favorite new act.” Yet the music of the prolific alt-R&B/blue-eyed soul artist from Michigan has only gotten better over time. A kindred spirit of the Weeknd, drawing obvious influence from Prince and Radiohead, to name two, JMSN — pronounced like the Irish whiskey brand — returns to D.C. to support his fourth solo set, Whatever Makes You Happy. Tuesday, May 30. Doors at 7 p.m. 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $20. Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com.

JOHN PIZZARELLI
John Pizzarelli has established himself as one of the prime interpreters of the Great American Songbook and early rock and pop, putting jazz guitar spins on tunes from Rodgers, Gershwin, Lennon and McCartney, and Jobim. But Nat “King” Cole is his biggest inspiration. Thursday, June 1, through Sunday, June 4, at 8 and 10 p.m. Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Tickets are $45, plus $12 minimum purchase. Call 202-337-4141 or visit bluesalley.com.

OTTMAR LIEBERT & LUNA NEGRA
A German guitarist and songwriter performs with his band original Spanish-influenced New Age instrumental music. Liebert’s new album Slow celebrates the positive impact on heart rate and blood pressure that some studies have suggested can result from listening to what he calls “slow music,” otherwise known as easy listening or smooth jazz. Friday, May 26, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are $35. Call 703-549-7500 or visit birchmere.com.

NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT
Now in its 28th year, this concert on the U.S. Capitol grounds, airing live on PBS, features the National Symphony Orchestra led by Jack Everly performing patriotic classics. Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds) and Gary Sinise (CSI: New York) co-host for the 12th year, and Colin L. Powell also returns for a special tribute to our men and women in uniform. Other featured performers this year include Laurence Fishburne, Renee Fleming, Vanessa Williams, Auli’i Cravalho, Scotty McCreery, Five for Fighting, John Ortiz, Christopher Jackson, Ana Ortiz, Ronan Tynan and Russell Watson. Sunday, May 29, at 8 p.m. U.S. Capitol Building, West Lawn. Free. Call 202-467-4600 or visit pbs.org/memorialdayconcert.

THE SELDOM SCENE
Formed over 40 years ago in Bethesda, the progressive bluegrass band Seldom Scene remains especially popular in its hometown region. They return to Alexandria’s seated show palace to usher in Memorial Day. Sunday, May 28, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are $25. Call 703-549-7500 or visit birchmere.com.

DANCEAFRICA DC: 30TH ANNIVERSARY
Dance Place hosts this annual celebration paying tribute to the vibrancy of African heritage through dance, music, visual arts, food, clothing and crafts. The core of the event is a African Marketplace, where vendors sell food and wares on the street in front of the venue and local dance groups offer performances inside and out. Companies participating include Soul in Motion, Coyaba Dance Theater, Dance Place Step Team, KanKouran West African Dance Co., Sankofa Dance Theater, Ezibu Muntu and Farafina Kan. DanceAfrica also features a series of Master Classes, launching with one by Assane Konte of KanKouran on Tuesday, May 30, at 6:30 p.m. Marketplace hours are Friday, June 2, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, June 3, and Sunday, June 4, from 12 to 7 p.m. Dance Place, 3225 8th St. NE. Tickets for stage performances are $25 in advance or $30 at the door, and $16 for Master Classes. Call 202-269-1600 or visit danceplace.org.

THE WASHINGTON BALLET: FRONTIER
The Washington Ballet premieres a commission by choreographer Ethan Stiefel, featuring music by Adam Crystal performed by the Washington Ballet Orchestra conducted by Martin West. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy and his aspirations for America to be a leader of artistic, cultural and intellectual excellence, Stiefel’s work is performed as part of a JFK Centennial Celebration program also including works by Antony Tudor and Sir Frederick Ashton. Thursday, May 25, and Friday, May 26, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, May 27, at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are $25 to $140. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

WHOOPI GOLDBERG
A rare opportunity to catch the comedy and acting legend in an intimate setting for her thought-provoking commentary including a Q&A with the audience. From The Color Purple and Ghost to The View today, Goldberg has shown her versatility as an actress, comedian and talk show host and is part of the elite group of artists who have won Grammy, Oscar, Golden Globe, Emmy and Tony Awards. Saturday, May 27, at 8 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $65 to $130. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.

AMENDING AMERICA
Featuring more than 50 original documents from the National Archives, this exhibit highlights the remarkably American story of how we have amended, or attempted to amend, the Constitution in order to form “a more perfect union.” Of course it all started 226 years ago when the Bill of Rights was ratified, addressing some of the most pressing issues of the day that are still very much timely. Since then, there have been 11,000 proposed amendments — but only 17 ratified. Through Sept. 4. Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery of the National Archives Museum, Constitution Avenue at 9th Street NW. NW. Call 202-357-5000 or visit archives.gov/museum.

ART14 SPRING 2017 SHOW: MATT CORRADO, KELLY TOWLES
Recent works by two Washington artists are featured as part of an ongoing series at Coldwell Banker Dupont/Logan office, organized by realtor Ericka S. Black. Local creative collective BL_NK WORLD curates a show featuring more than 20 original paintings. Through May 31. Coldwell Banker, 1617 14th St. NW. Call 202-387-6180 or visit facebook.com/ErickaSBlackRealtor.

BLOODLINES: CURATED BY MARTINA DODD
Transformer offers a group exhibition of works on paper, sculpture and performance that seek to challenge the societal norms and restraints imposed on the female form. Works in Bloodlines tow the line between fascination and repulsion in directly addressing the stigmas associated with a woman’s menstrual cycle. That includes works by Samera Paz and Iman Person who use their own menstrual blood as a medium. Meanwhile, Lisa Hill’s installation references the invisible inheritance passed down from mother to offspring by reproducing the shedding, scarring and regeneration of skin on handmade paper. For the performance portion of the exhibit, Tsedaye Makonnen focuses on the intense physicality of birth with The Crowning on Thursday, May 25, at 6:30 p.m., while the queer, black and trans-media àjé collective explores the erotic complexities of menstrual blood with Cosmic Meditation on Saturday, June 3, at 8 p.m. The non-performative works are on display through June 24. Transformer, 1404 P St. NW. Call 202-483-1102 or visit transformerdc.org.

MARCIA COPPEL: CONNECT/DISCONNECT 2
A former speech pathologist, Coppel was inspired for her new series of paintings by a sign she saw at an outdoor cafe in Mexico, “Talk to Each Other. We don’t have Wi-Fi.” Some of the whimsical, colorful works in the show feature people talking to each other in cafes and at the beach, others are in their own worlds, floating in the air as well as sitting under umbrellas, and some are seated in a group with no interaction. Closes Sunday, May 28. Gallery B in Touchstone Gallery, 901 New York Ave. NW Call 202-347-2787 or visit touchstonegallery.com.

MARKUS LUPERTZ
One of Germany’s most prominent and provocative living artists is celebrated this spring and summer at two D.C. museums with two distinct but complementary displays of the neo-expressionist’s works. Taken together, the exhibitions at the Hirshhorn Museum and the Phillips Collection mark the first in-depth U.S. survey of Lupertz’s practice, and the two museums have teamed up for a joint catalog. Evelyn Hankins curates the Hirshhorn show, Threads of History, offering an in-depth exploration of his early years and over 30 groundbreaking paintings from the ’60s and ’70s, including the 40-foot-long Westwall (Siegfried Line), on view for the first time in the U.S. Runs to Sept. 10. Hirshhorn Museum, Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW. Free. Call 202-633-1000 or visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Nearly 50 works are in the comprehensive survey at the Phillips curated by Dorothy Kosinski in close collaboration with Lupertz and Michael Werner and including works spanning his career, including important examples from his “dithyrambic” pictures and provocative paintings of German motifs. opens Saturday, May 27. Runs to Sept. 20. The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. Tickets $12. Call 202-387-2151 x247 or visit phillipscollection.org.

SPEAK YOUR MIND
A show coinciding with Mental Health Awareness Month, Virginia’s Del Ray Artisans presents works by member artists celebrating the relationship between art and the human mind as a form of nonverbal communication. Artists were challenged to express themselves and to address complex mental impressions. Opening reception is Friday, May 5, from 7 to 9 p.m. On exhibit through May 28. Del Ray Artisans Gallery, 2704 Mount Vernon Ave. Alexandria. Call 703-731-8802 or visit thedelrayartisans.org.

WOODCUT PRINTS: EVE STOCKTON, MATT NEUMAN
Stockton’s studies in science and love of nature combine to create a contemporary and unexpected result: mesmerizing large-scale, multi-layered wood block prints representing a unique approach to a traditional process. Neuman’s current body of work focuses on color and uses a unique combination of painting and building techniques to craft abstract, geometric paintings that have a strong material and sculptural presence. Closes Sunday, May 28. Long View Gallery, 1234 9th St. NW. Call 202-232-4788 or visit longviewgallery.com.

NOPA KITCHEN+BAR: $70 WEEKEND DINNER FOR TWO MENU
Across from the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Penn Quarter, this 160-seat American brasserie, part of the same family as Rasika, Bibiana and the Oval Room, should already be on your shortlist for brunch. On Sundays between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., each diner can choose between an appetizer and entree or sandwich, as well as a special mimosa or bloody Mary, for $28 to $30 each (or $38 with bottomless classic mimosas). Now Executive Chef Matt Kuhn is working to get Nopa on your radar earlier in the weekend as well, with a new dinner menu focused on composed dishes designed for couples, whether lovers or close friends, reasonably priced at $70 for two, before tax and tip. Though the menu changes weekly, regular options include: Nopa Spring Mixed Grill, with bites of quail, fennel sausage, ribeye, red prawns and grilled asparagus, plus garlic custard and ramp salsa verde; Crispy Chesapeake Soft Shell Crabs, three jumbo crustaceans served with Old Bay sweet corn and crab succotash, smoked new potatoes and pickled ramps; and the standout Maine Lobster Bake, a whole lobster with Old Bay-seasoned kielbasa, local clams and red prawns, and sides of roasted sweet corn, pee-wee potatoes and “smoked tomato butter.” Available exclusively on Fridays and Saturdays during dinner service, 5 to 11 p.m., subject to availability. Nopa Kitchen+Bar, 800 F St. NW. Call 202-347-4667 or visit nopadc.com.

SUNDAY SUPPER BENEFIT AT UNION MARKET
A Latin-inspired “Flavors of the Americas” food event celebrates community and communal dining as well as being a benefit for the James Beard Foundation’s new Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Program supporting the next generation of women business leaders. Participating chefs and cocktail masters include Jose Garces (Rural Society), Amy Brandwein (Centrolina), Victor Albisu (Del Campo), Camila Arango and Tom Wellings (Bluebird Bakery), Anna Bran-Leis (DC Empanada), Giana Cavaliere (Volt), Gina Chersevani (Buffalo & Bergen), Violeta Edelman and Robb Duncan (Dolcezza), Gabriela Febres (Arepa Zone), Mario Monte, Daniella Senior and Juan Coronado (Colada Shop), Omar Rodriguez (Oyamel) and the team from Latin wine shop Grand Cata. Also whipping up concoctions at this event, initiated by Jodie W. McLean of Union Market’s parent retail company Edens, is San Francisco’s Traci Des Jardins (Jardiniere), Philadelphia’s Douglas Rodriguez (Amada de Cuba), New Orleans’s pastry chef Kelly Fields (Willa Jean) and New York’s Alex Raij and Eder Montero (El Quinto Pino) and Carolina Santos-Neves (Comodo). Sunday, June 4, at 5 p.m. Union Market, 1309 5th St. NE. Tickets are $250 per person. Call 800-680-9095 or visit unionmarketdc.com/sundaysupper.

BOOTCAMP WITH DJ BARRY HARRIS
In the late ’90s and early aughts Barry Harris was known as the gay half of sensational DJ/production duo Thunderpuss (with Chris Cox), responsible for, among other bombastic dance hits, the remix of Whitney Houston’s “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay” that still gets regular spins at clubs the world over. Now the Canadian artist (who also had a hit with “I Beg Your Pardon” from his debut act Kon Kan) returns to D.C. to inaugurate a new party at the DC Eagle, co-presented by Meat Locker with veteran D.C./Chicago DJ Steve Henderson, who will spin an opening set. Saturday, May 27, starting at 9 p.m. DC Eagle, 3701 Benning Rd. NE. Tickets are $15. Call 202-347-6025 or visit dceagle.com.

OTTER CROSSING FEAT. THE SPREADLOVE PROJECT, STRIKESTONE!
DJ Nav and Jett Chandon are the featured guests at the first of two house-loving, hirsute-oriented Otter Crossing parties in June. The focus is on an incredibly bouncy, happy variant of dance music minted in the U.K. in the ’90s. The duo have launched a SpreadLove Project DC “to retain the spirit and energy of the true underground sound of garage music.” DJ StrikeStone! kicks off the party with an explosion of disco and techno. Friday, June 2, starting at 10 p.m. Green Lantern, 1335 Green Ct. NW. Cover is $5. Call 202-347-4533 or visit facebook.com/ottercrossing.

KENNEDY CENTER OPEN HOUSE: CELEBRATING JFK AT 100
As part of a year-long centennial celebration of the life and legacy of its namesake, the Kennedy Center throws its doors open for a day of free performances, activities and events. Among the highlights on tap: the interactive hip-hop show for young audiences “All The Way Live!,” a National Symphony Orchestra instrument “petting zoo,” “Boogie Woogie Piano Man” Daryl Davis with a tribute to Chuck Berry, D.C. Bluegrass Union and Archie Edwards Blues Foundation jam sessions, Washington National Opera “costume trunk,” storyteller Polarbear with Mouth Open, Story Jump Out, more than 300 singers for the National memorial Day Choral Festival and dance from the Washington Ballet, D.C.’s contemporary ensemble Company E, vertical pioneers Bandaloop and street movers Flexn. There will also be an outdoor skatepark and music stage Finding A Line, plus community yoga and tai chi. Saturday, May 27, from 12 to 10 p.m. Kennedy Center. Free. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

STORY DISTRICT: OUT/SPOKEN
In 2010, the organization originally known as SpeakeasyDC began holding its first LGBTQ storytelling night. “We really wanted to offer a platform for our LGBTQ performers,” Story District founder Amy Friedman told Metro Weekly in 2015. “But more importantly, be part of the dialogue that was happening at the time.” Sharing hilarious or heartfelt true stories at the seventh annual Out/Spoken: Queer, Questioning, Bold & Proud are: Robin Katcher, Mike Boyd, Elyse Hannah, Patrick McBride, Darryl Smith, Sean Wells, Rebecca Kling and Melvin Thomas. Saturday, June 4. Doors at 6 p.m. Nightclub 9:30, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $22. Call 202-265-0930 or visit storydistrict.com.