Editor’s Weekend Picks: 6 things to do this week
From Purple Rain to Minecraft to David Sedaris, we've got you covered
PURPLE RAIN
Prince is “The Kid” in this semi-autobiographical film about a tortured musician. Apollonia and Morris Day also star in the 1984 film that is otherwise most notable for its superb soundtrack (“Let’s Go Crazy,” “When Doves Cry,” “Purple Rain”). If you’d like to see it in a crowd and are free Friday, Aug. 25, you’ll have to decide if you’d rather do so indoors in D.C., or outdoors in Silver Spring. Purple Rain screens after 7 p.m. in a seated show at the 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $10. Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com. On the same day, at 8 p.m., it shows for free as part of the AFI Silver Theatre Outdoor Summer Screenings in Veterans Plaza, Ellsworth Drive and Fenton Street, Silver Spring. Free. Call 301-495-6720 or visit afi.com/Silver.
DAVID SEDARIS
The (gay) modern-day humorist returns to the region for a second time this year to promote his new book Theft By Finding. His dry, wry and shy sensibility may sound like it wouldn’t work live on stage — Me Talk Pretty One Day was an early best-selling book title that he has — but anyone who has heard his unmistakable delivery on NPR knows the audience in the amphitheater in Northern Virginia is in for a treat. Saturday, Aug. 19, at 8 p.m. The Filene Center at Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $25 to $55. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit wolftrap.org.
HARBOR DOME: SUMMER SNOW GLOBE
Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like — an oversized, enclosed orb in which “snow” will be falling and swirling all around — yet not keeping you trapped or stuck. A childlike playland for the strictly 21-and-over set, opening weekend features creative cocktails by Mixtress DC of Buffalo & Bergen and live music from guest DJs on Friday, Aug. 18, and the party bands White Ford Bronco on Saturday, Aug. 19, and Magic Giant on Sunday, Aug. 20. Runs to Sept. 3. Intersection of Waterfront Street and National Plaza, National Harbor, Oxon Hill, Md. Tickets are $10 to $25 per night. Visit nationalharbor.com/summersnowglobe.
MINEFAIRE: THE ULTIMATE MINECRAFT FAN EXPERIENCE
Billed as Comic-Con for Minecraft fans, enthusiasts of one of the world’s most popular video games ever will arrive in costume to join gaming tournaments, learn from the world’s top Minecraft experts, meet and greet their favorite Minecraft YouTube stars and enjoy hands-on attractions for families and people for all ages– but, to be frank, this one is mostly for the kiddies. Saturday, Aug. 19, and Sunday, Aug. 20, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dulles Expo Center, 4320 Chantilly Shopping Center Drive, Chantilly, Va. All-inclusive tickets start at $49. Call 703-378-0910 or visit minefaire.com.
WIZARD OF HIP
MetroStage presents a 25th Anniversary revival of a show by the company’s associate artistic director, Thomas W. Jones II. A non-stop comic journey following Afro Jo, an African-American everyman in search of the ultimate state of “hip,” the show stars Jones, backed by the Lady Doo Wops, Kanysha Williams and Jasmine Eileen Coles. In previews. Opens Sunday, Aug. 20. Runs through Sept. 17. MetroStage, 1201 North Royal St., Alexandria. Tickets are $55 to $60. Call 703-548-9044 or visit metrostage.org.
DURAND JONES & THE INDICATIONS
Born in the Bayou, Jones teamed up with writer/producers Aaron Frazer and Blake Rhein through his involvement with the Indiana University Soul Revue. The Indiana-based Indications, which also includes bassist Kyle Houpt and organist Justin Hubler, are an emerging soul band whose new debut album, as a review in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel puts it, offers “soul music that’s so much of the old school that it might as well drive a car with fins.” Friday, Aug. 25. Doors at 6:30 p.m. DC9, 1940 9th St. NW. Tickets are $12 in advance, or $14 day of show. Call 202-483-5000 or dcnine.com.
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