A PEOPLE’S CHOIR DC: HALLOWEEN NIGHT
Started in D.C. a few years ago, this free monthly event at DC9 is a good alternative to the typical holiday fare of playing dress up for tricking and treating. A People’s Choir is all about communal singing — but it’s more than simply group karaoke. Here, a (hopefully) enthusiastic crowd sings along to popular songs using lyric sheets and music videos displayed with lyrics. This month’s theme is All Hallow’s Eve. Tuesday, Oct. 31. Doors at 7 p.m. DC9, 1940 9th St. NW. Free. Call 202-483-5000 or visit dcnine.com.
EDGAR ALLAN POE: BURIED ALIVE
Denis O’Hare (This Is Us, American Horror Story) stars and Kathleen Turner narrates the latest PBS documentary by Eric Strange (The War That Made America). The focus is on the famous 19th Century Baltimorean who still reigns as one of the most popular writers in American history, having helped develop the science fiction and horror genres, and also one of the most misunderstood. Presented as part of the American Masters series, Buried Alive offers interviews with experts, readings from Poe’s works, and reenactments from his life, all to expose the real Poe, as opposed to the long prevailing misrepresentations of a drug-addled madman who was buried alive, as if ripped from the pages of his pioneering horror stories. The film premieres nationwide Monday, Oct. 30, at 9 p.m. on PBS and will be available to stream across PBS apps or purchase on DVD starting the next day, Halloween. Visit pbs.org/americanmasters for more details.
EDGAR ALLAN POE READINGS: TALES OF MYSTERY AND IMAGINATION
Every year actors from Guillotine Theatre, formerly known as the Georgetown Theatre Company, gather to “communicate with the spirits and read a witches’ brew of poems and short stories,” all by “America’s 19th Century Master of Horror.” This year’s selections, presented in a cemetery vault in Alexandria and a historic Georgetown church, include The Cask of Amontillado, Spirits of the Dead, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Tell-Tale Heart, Annabel Lee, and The Raven. Saturday, Oct. 28, and Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. The Receiving Vault, Ivy Hill Cemetery, 2823 King St. Alexandria. Also Sunday, Oct. 29, at 7:30 p.m. Grace Church, 1041 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Requested donation of $10. Call 202-783-5000 or visit georgetowntheatre.org.
KLECKSOGRAPHY: TOIL AND TROUBLE
New stage works are written, rehearsed, and produced in just seven days as part of Rorschach Theatre Company’s annual “extreme new play development” series. Named after a childhood game that later inspired his famous Rorschach Inkblot Test, Hermann Rorschach is the driving force behind Klecksography from the theater company named in his honor and led by artistic directors Jenny McConnell Frederick and Randy Baker. Enlisting local stage artists to see what they see when given the same theme, this year’s “Toil and Trouble” focus is on famous witches, fictional or otherwise. The playwrights, directors, actors and designers will showcase their ideas in a one-night-only Halloween-themed production. Saturday, Oct. 28, at 7 and 9 p.m. Lab Theatre II in the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $15 to $20. Call 202-399-7993 or visit rorschachtheatre.com.
NEW ORCHESTRA OF WASHINGTON
The Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos is celebrated in a classical concert by the small chamber orchestra led by the husband-and-wife team of artistic director Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez and executive director Grace Cho. The National Cathedral’s professional choir Cathedra joins NOW to perform Mozart’s magnificent “Mass for the Dead” Requiem in D minor. The program also toasts Mexico’s vibrant contemporary culture with Javier Alvarez’s Metro Chabacano and Emmanuel Arias Y Luna’s Sonoralia “La Zacatecana,” both featuring NOW’s new string quartet-in-residence, the Aeolus Quartet. Saturday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. Mexican Cultural Institute, 2829 16th St. NW. Also Sunday, Oct. 29, at 3 p.m. Westmoreland Unitarian Christian Church, 1 Westmoreland Circle NW. Tickets are $30 to $40. Bethesda, Md. Call 240-235-5088 or visit neworchestraofwashington.org.
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
The AFI Silver Theatre offers its annual week-long “Halloween on Screen” series, this year including Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror with live accompaniment to the silent film by Andrew Simpson, Dario Argento’s masterpiece of horror, Suspiria, Phantasm:Remastered, and a double feature of I Was A Teenage Werewolf, starring a very young Michael Landon, and the only worthwhile film John Landis ever made, An American Werewolf in London, whose pre-CGI transformation scene is one of the all-time greats. But no frightening flick gets screened as often this year than Night of the Living Dead, the 1968 no-budget, alarmingly grisly thriller that kicked off the world’s zombie craze and upped the gore ante overall for horror films. Directed by George Romero, who died earlier this year, the black and white film is presented in a restored format. Screens Saturday, Oct. 28, at 10:10 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 29, through Tuesday, Oct. 31, at 9:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 6:30 p.m., and Thursday, Nov. 2, at 9:30 p.m. AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Tickets are $13 general admission, or $10 for matinee screenings. Call 301-495-6720 or visit afi.com/Silver.
OYAMEL: THE ULTIMATE HALLOWEEN NIGHT
Every year, Jose Andres’s temple of Mexican cuisine offers a special Day of the Dead-themed menu of food and drinks and available through the first week of November. Naturally, Oyamel is also decked out in creepy sugar skulls and human skeletons that have come to symbolize the holiday, meant to honor and remember friends and family members who have died. The festivities include a special five-course dinner plus cocktails made with tequila and mezcal only available on All Hallow’s Eve, or Tuesday, Oct. 31. Oyamel Cucina Mexicana, 401 7th St. NW. Tickets are $75 per person, all-inclusive. Call 202-628-1005 or visit oyamel.com.
PSYCHO
The area’s two Angelika theaters close out their monthlong “Hitchcocktober” series of Hitchcock classics with one of the director’s most famous works. Made in 1960, Psycho remains one of the greatest horror films in the history of cinema, single-handedly reinventing the genre. Anthony Perkins gives the performance of his career as Norman Bates, the meek, neurotic owner of an eerily isolated motel where he lives with his domineering mother. His life is forever changed when Marion Crane (the lovely Janet Leigh) stays for a night. The film is celebrated for a shower to end all showers — a master class in editing — and for Bernard Herrmann’s magnificent, instantly recognizable all-strings score. Psycho also features Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam and, in a blink-and-you’ll-miss it cameo, Ted Knight, who a decade later would star as the dumbest anchorman alive on the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Tuesday, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m. Angelika Pop-Up at Union Market, 550 Penn St. NE. Also Angelika Film Center – Mosaic, 2911 District Avenue, Fairfax. Tickets are $10. Call 800-680-9095 or visit angelikafilmcenter.com. (Randy Shulman)
THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI & THE DEVIL’S ASSISTANT
Billed as the world’s “first true horror film,” Robert Weine’s 1920 silent masterpiece The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari has become an annual Halloween offering at the Atlas, presented as a double feature with what organizers refer to as a “red-tinted hellscape,” both accompanied by live, original music by Andrew Earle Simpson. Caligari is about a tyrannical hypnotist who deploys a hapless sleepwalker to commit murders, while Harry A. Pollard’s 1917 Devil’s Assistant is a tale of a doctor who seeks revenge for being jilted in marriage by a character played by Pollard’s wife Margarita Fischer. Screenings in the Silent Film series include free popcorn, and naturally patrons are encouraged to attend the Halloween round in costume. Sunday, Oct. 29, at 4 p.m. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $18 to $20. Call 202-399-7993 or visit atlastarts.org.
THE LEGWARMERS
It’s been 16 years since Gordon Gartrell and Cru Jones started what has long been heralded as D.C.’s “premier ’80s tribute band,” performing the many guilty pleasure hits of the decade. The group, whose members also include Chet Reno, Lavaar Huxtable, Roxanne Rio, Capt. Morgan Pondo and Clarence McFly, has performed at concert halls throughout the region and beyond. Yet its primary base has been Virginia’s State Theatre. The band returns to the restored Art Deco building for two nights during the last weekend in October, when the usual audience participation of dressing the part — think shellacked big hair, lacy ankle socks, stirrup and parachute pants — will be amped up to 11, as both nights feature a Halloween Costume Contest with cash prizes, along with other spooky surprises. Friday, Oct. 27, and Saturday, Oct. 28, at 9:30 p.m. The State Theatre, 220 N. Washington St., Falls Church. Tickets are $18. Call 703-237-0300 or visit thestatetheatre.com.
A BAD MOM’S CHRISTMAS
Releasing just after Halloween and weeks before Thanksgiving, we have a Christmas-themed sequel to 2016’s surprisingly entertaining Bad Moms. Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, and Kathryn Hahn return as the rule-breaking moms who refuse to be “perfect,” only this time they’re terrorized by their own mothers (Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines and Susan Sarandon) visiting for the holidays. If it can smooth over some of the cracks of the first film, it could be good, if early, festive fun. Opens Wednesday, Nov. 1. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com. (Rhuaridh Marr)
AUSTIN POWERS: INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY
The 20-year-old original James Bond spoof from Mike Myers and co-starring Elizabeth Hurley spawned two blockbuster sequels and a whole bag of quotes. It’s the second in a new monthly series from Virginia’s Alden Theatre, inspired by the Rocky Horror Picture Show, in which “audience participation is required.” There will be a $5 prop bag to help further act out scenes as well as contests — plus free popcorn! Friday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m. Old Firehouse, 1440 Chain Bridge Rd. Mclean, Va. Tickets are free. Call 703-790-0123 or visit mcleancenter.org/alden-theatre.
IN THIS OUR LIFE
Inspired in part by Feud, Ryan Murphy’s series on FX, the Hill Center’s film and discussion series “Davis & Crawford, A Fabulous Rivalry” alternates between cinematic focuses on Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Hosts New Yorker writer Margaret Talbot and “Movie Mom” film critic Nell Minow picked one off-the-wall selection per diva, including this 1942 drama directed by John Huston, starring Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland as sisters. Sunday, Nov. 5, at 4 p.m. Hill Center, Old Navy Hospital, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. Free, but registration recommended for guaranteed seating.. Call 202-549-4172 or visit HillCenterDC.org.
JIGSAW
The Saw reboot/sequel no one asked for, the eighth in the franchise, picking up a decade after the original. Peter Spierig directs with his brother, Michael. If torture porn is your thing, then this is for you. But then again, so is therapy. Opens Friday, Oct. 27. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com. (RM)
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE
Initially planned as a Spielberg prestige pic starring Daniel Day-Lewis, the war drama about posttraumatic stress disorder instead becomes the directorial debut of Oscar-nominated screenwriter Jason Dean Hall (American Sniper) and features an unexpected dramatic turn from comedian Amy Schumer. Schumer plays the wife of PTSD-afflicted sergeant in this examination of soldiers trying to readjust to civilian life. Miles Teller, Haley Bennett, Beulah Koale, Scott Haze, Keisha Castle-Hughes, and Omar Dorsey also star. Opens Friday, Oct. 27. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com.
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
Landmark’s E Street Cinema offers its monthly run of Richard O’Brien’s camp classic, billed as the longest-running midnight movie in history. Landmark’s showings come with a live shadow cast from the Sonic Transducers, meaning it’s even more interactive than usual. Friday, Oct. 27, and Saturday, Oct. 28, at midnight. Landmark’s E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. Call 202-452-7672 or visit landmarktheatres.com.
TWO BLUE LINES
Voices from the Holy Land offers the third in a free, four-part film series sponsored by 15 area churches and volunteer organizations and presented at a progressive Christian church in Gaithersburg. Tom Hayes spent 25 years examining the human and political situation of the Palestinian people to make Two Blue Lines. The 2015 documentary explores the passionate dispute among Israeli citizens about their government’s occupation, deftly splicing together dueling creeds with a result that is electrifying and unlike the far more narrow view American audiences are used to. A moderated discussion follows. Sunday, Nov. 5, at 2:30 p.m. Christ the Servant Lutheran Church, 9801 Centerway Road, Montgomery Village, Maryland. Call 301-977-0285 or visit voicesfromtheholyland.org.
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?
Capital Classics, a new hump-day series at Landmark’s recently refurbished West End Cinema, concludes its fall season with the 1962 camp classic that is once again all the rage thanks to Ryan Murphy’s recent Feud FX series. Robert Aldrich’s shocker is still every bit as captivating today in its tale of a former child star (a marvelously unhinged Bette Davis) who torments her crippled sister and ex-movie queen (Joan Crawford). And if you liked Feud but haven’t seen Baby Jane on a big screen, here’s your chance. Happy Hour-priced beer and wine from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 1:30, 4:30, and 7:30 p.m. Landmark’s West End Cinema, 2301 M St. NW. Tickets are $12.50. Call 202-534-1907 or visit landmarktheatres.com.
AN ACT OF GOD
Tom Story is the divine one in a comedy by David Javerbaum, based on the Daily Show writer’s book The Last Testament: A Memoir by God. Story shares the stage with Evan Casey and Jamie Smithson as archangels Michael and Gabriel, helping God create an entirely new set of Ten Commandments. To Nov. 26. Signature’s Ark Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave. Arlington. Call 703-820-9771 or visit sigtheatre.org.
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA
Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra is an interesting animal: not quite historical drama, not quite lover’s tragedy. The already small Folger Theatre goes super-intimate by staging the production in-the-round and the intimacy gives the play personality. In director Robert Richmond’s cozy circle are a real Antony and Cleopatra. They may deliver grand and beautiful language, they may go to war or die by asp, but they are without question, living, breathing people who smirk, cuddle, and lose their tempers. A magnificent Cleopatra, Shirine Babb exudes the necessary countenance in the gorgeous garb of Mariah Hale. Babb is the reason to see this production. The only regret is that the revolving stage is not activated during her death scene so that more of the audience can see her expressive face as she chooses her fate. To Nov. 19. Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $35 to $79. Call 202-544-7077 or visit folger.edu. (Kate Wingfield)
ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN …
MetroStage presents Carlyle Brown’s fictionalized glimpse into the mind of Langston Hughes during the communist-purging McCarthy era, when the great poet was called to testify on the Hill about his patriotism and possible Communist ties. Marcus Naylor stars as Hughes and Michael Sharp as Joe McCarthy in this timely play featuring an original blues score by William Knowles. Directed and choreographed by Thomas W. Jones II. To Nov. 5. MetroStage, 1201 North Royal St., Alexandria. Tickets are $55 to $60. Call 703-548-9044 or visit metrostage.org.
ASSASSINS
It’s not every year you get to see this lesser-known Tony-winning Stephen Sondheim show, but if you missed the recent Pallas Theatre Collective production, you’re in luck. Virginia’s NextStop Theatre Company offers its own version of the revue-style portrait of attempted presidential murderers, with Bobby Libby as Lincoln’s killer John Wilkes Booth, Mikey Cafarelli as John Hinckley (Reagan), Alex Zavistovich as Samuel Byck (Nixon), Brice Guerriere as Giuseppe Zangara (FDR), Katie McManus as Sarah Jane Moore (Ford), Jaclyn Young as Squeaky Fromme (Ford), and John Sygar as Lee Harvey Oswald (JFK) and the show’s Balladeer. To Nov. 12. NextStop Theatre, 269 Sunset Park Drive, Herndon, Va. Tickets are $20 to $60. Call 866-811-4111 or visit nextstoptheatre.org.
CLOVER
Ally Theatre Company, focused on presenting works or partnering with organizations acknowledging and confronting systemic oppression in America, concludes its inaugural season with a new full-length play exploring the life of Washington socialite Clover Adams. Laura Rocklyn stars as Clover in a play that she co-wrote with Ally’s artistic director Ty Hallmark. Angela Kay Pirko directs a cast that also features Nick Depinto as Henry Adams and Tamieka Chavis as Lizzie Cameron. Closes Saturday, Oct. 28. Caos on F, 923 F St. NW. Tickets are $25. Visit allytheatrecompany.com.
I’LL GET YOU BACK AGAIN
Memories and lessons from the ’60s factor into Sarah Gancher’s high-energy rock-and-roll comedy, focused on a struggling stand-up comedian who decides to sit in for her dead father as bassist for his seminal psychedelic rock band. Round House presents a live music-enriched production directed by Rachel Chavkin, whom the New York Times has called “one of the most gifted [directors] working today.” Closes Sunday, Oct. 29. Round House Theatre, 4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda. Call 240-644-1100 or visit roundhousetheatre.org.
INTIMATE APPAREL
Dawn Ursula star in this turn-of-the-century tale about a talented African American seamstress and the romance she shares with a Jewish fabric merchant. Lynn Nottage’s play, inspired by a true story, gets a production in Baltimore directed by Tazewell Thompson and featuring Beth Hylton, Drew Kopas, Steve Polites, Bueka Uwemedimo, Jenn Walker, and Jade Wheeler. To Nov. 19. Everyman Theatre, 315 West Fayette St. Baltimore. Tickets are $10 to $65. Call 410-752-2208 or visit everymantheatre.org.
OUR TOWN
The townspeople become Japanese-style puppets in Aaron Posner’s eccentric take on the seminal classic by Thornton Wilder. John Hudson Odom (Angels in America) stars as the guiding Stage Manager in a production faithful to the script and sanctioned by the Wilder Family Estate, featuring just seven actors, who manipulate and animate the puppets. To Nov. 12. Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, Md. Call 301-924-3400 or visit olneytheatre.org.
SAFE AS HOUSES
Pinky Swear Productions worked with playwright Natalie Piegari for over a year to develop a drama exploring the pull of family and nature. Megan Behm directs this play about a patchwork family preparing a suburban house for a violent storm and deciding on whether they should wait it out. A knock at the door complicates things further, as the past comes flooding in. Now to Nov. 11. Trinidad Theatre at Capital Fringe, 1358 Florida Ave. NE. Tickets are $35. Call 866-811-4111 or visit pinkyswear-productions.com.
SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE
Blake Robison directs a production of Lee Hall’s adaptation of the bawdy Oscar-winning film from 1998, both riffing on and celebrating the Bard. Nicholas Carriere stars as Will among a large cast including Avery Glymph, Jefferson A. Russell, Liz Daingerfield, and Naomi Jacobson as Queen Elizabeth. In previews. Opens Thursday, Oct. 26. Runs to Nov. 26. Baltimore Center Stage, 700 North Calvert St., Baltimore. Call 410-332-0033 or visit centerstage.org.
SOTTO VOCE
Love transcends all borders in this 2014 work by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz (Anna in the Tropics). José Carrasquillo directs Theater J’s production of the passionate and lyrical drama about a young Cuban man’s research into the fate of a ship of Jewish refugees that fled Nazi Germany only to be denied entry into both Cuba and the United States. Sotto Voce features actors Brigid Cleary, Andrés C. Talero and Desiree Marie Velez. Closes Sunday, Oct. 29. The Aaron and Cecile Goldman Theater, Edlavitch DCJCC, 1529 16th St. NW. Tickets are $39 to $69. Call 202-777-3210 or visit theaterj.org.
THE BOOK OF MORMON
Written by South Park‘s Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the riotously funny, audacious musical, which won a whopping nine Tony Awards, is both cutting edge in shocking substance yet traditional in style. The Book of Mormon may weave in unexpected and provocative plot twists and scenes as well as convey extremely modern sensibilities about life, culture and organized religion. Yet it still hews to the standard musical mold, from repeated musical lines and lyrics, to boisterous sing-along group anthems, to sharp group choreography, including a tap number. To Nov. 19. Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are $59 to $250. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.
THE MISTRESS CYCLE
Matt Conner directs a musical launching a season of plays devoted to women’s stories at Virginia’s Creative Cauldron. Written by Beth Blatt, and featuring music by Jenny Giering, The Mistress Cycle tells the story of five “other” women from history, including Anais Nin, famed sexual adventuress of the early 20th century, Diane de Poitiers, mistress of Henri II in 16th-century France and Lulu White, a turn-of-the-last century New Orleans Madame. Iyona Blake, Julia Capizzi, Erica Clare, Abby Middleton and Justine “Icy” Moral give these women their due. Closes Sunday, Oct. 29. ArtSpace Falls Church, 410 South Maple Ave. in Falls Church. Tickets are $20 to $30. Call 703-436-9948 or visit creativecauldron.org.
THE WILD PARTY
AND ONE HALF The band is blowing, the hooch is flowing, and the guests are lit. But Constellation Theatre’s production of this Jazz Age musical from 1999 doesn’t lift off to the heights it should, in order to fully convey the dizzying descent and devastating impact when the party comes crashing down. Featuring book, music, and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, and based on the eponymous narrative poem by Joseph Moncure March, The Wild Party presents the romance of Queenie and Burrs as a straightforward drama of lust and angst, infused by an electrifying jazz-influenced score. But that sexual chemistry doesn’t register here between Farrell Parker as Queenie and Jimmy Mavrikes as Burrs. Instead, the fabulous Kari Ginsburg, as the boozy, bedraggled partygoer Kate, projects a maturity of experience that’s mostly missing from the other members of this uniformly young cast. Where Kate has been and where she’s going is of far more compelling interest than whether Queenie will steal away the handsome stranger who accompanies Kate to the party. Closes Sunday, Oct. 29. Source Theatre, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets are $25 to $55. Call 202-204-7741, or visit ConstellationTheatre.org. (AH)
ATTACCA QUARTET
This string quartet may be young, but the Washington Post has already praised them for coming “very close to epitomizing the string quartet ideal: four strikingly individual players with the ability to speak eloquently in one voice.” In a return to the acoustically rich Barns at Wolf Trap, Attacca performs a program featuring Haydn, Beethoven, and Ippolito. Sunday, Nov. 5, at 3 p.m. 1635 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $40. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit wolftrap.org.
BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan performing Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme is the featured attraction, but there’s plenty more Romantic music in store at this weekend’s concerts. Marin Alsop leads the BSO in a program also including Mendelssohn’s Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, and R. Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier Suite. Friday, Oct. 27, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 29, at 3 p.m. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore. Also Saturday, Oct. 28, at 8 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $30 to $99. Call 410-783-8000 or visit bsomusic.org.
COLD SPECKS W/LA TIMPA, BE STEADWELL
There’s a folky quality to the music Ladan Hussein makes under the alias Cold Specks, a style that has been dubbed “doom-soul.” The Somali-Canadian female artist tours with Nigerian-Canadian “dream-pop” musician LA Timpa, who produced several tracks on Cold Specks’ new album Fool’s Paradise, and also “queer-pop” artist Be Steadwell. In addition to using a loop pedal for vocal layering, Steadwell sings, raps and beatboxes in her intriguing, memorable compositions, including the sweet love letter to her D.C. hometown, “Not Gonna Move to New York.” Friday, Nov. 3. Doors at 8 p.m. Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. Tickets are $13 in advance, or $15 at the door. Call 202-667-4490 or visit blackcatdc.com.
DC’S DIFFERENT DRUMMERS: DC SWING!
The intimate jazz ensemble of the local LGBTQ music organization performs a swinging set of Big Band Era standards during a special Sunday afternoon event. Cornelius Young conducts. Sunday, Oct. 29, at 3 p.m. Second Floor of Mr. Henry’s, 601 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. Free, with suggested donation. Call 202-546-8412 or visit dcdd.org.
ERIC ROBERSON
Also known as Erro by family and fans, Philadelphia’s indie-soul singer-songwriter returns to the city of his alma mater, Howard University. He tours in support of his trilogy of EPs Earth, Wind & Fire, paying homage through all-original songs. Friday, Oct. 27, and Saturday, Oct. 28, at 8 p.m. The Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW. Tickets are $35 to $70, plus $10 minimum purchase per person at all tables. Call 202-588-5595 or visit thehowardtheatre.com.
IBEYI
An electronic soul-fired duo of sisters with African roots but based in France, Ibeyi will put you in mind of Les Nubians, the neo-soul partnership between the Faussart sisters who scored improbable success in the U.S. two decades ago, despite singing in French. But while Parisian-reared twin sisters Lisa-Kaindé Diaz and Naomi Diaz do sing in French, they also sing in English, Spanish and Yoruba — the language of their Nigerian ancestors. And their music, with Lisa primarily on piano and Naomi on percussion, especially reflects their pedigree as daughters of the late Cuban percussionist Anga Diaz, a member of the Buena Vista Social Club, and of French-Venezuelan singer Maya Dagnino. Ibeyi, a word that means “twins” in Yoruba, tours in support of new sophomore set Ash, which includes the standout Afro-Cuban-tinted anthem “I Wanna Be Like You,” and other songs featuring American jazz/hip-hop artist Kamasi Washington, Spanish hip-hop artist Mala Rodriguez, Meshell Ndegeocello and former First Lady Michelle Obama (the latter via samples). Zarid Wilder opens under his R&B alias theMind. Wednesday, Nov. 1. Doors at 7 p.m. 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $25. Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com.
JANE MONHEIT
The jazz vocalist returns to Blues Alley with another run of shows paying tribute to her idol, Ella Fitzgerald. Last year she released The Songbook Sessions: Ella Fitzgerald, the first release on her Emerald City Records. Thursday, Oct. 26, thru Sunday, Oct. 29, at 8 and 10 p.m. Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Tickets are $40 to $45, plus $12 minimum purchase. Call 202-337-4141 or visit bluesalley.com.
JOSHUA BELL
A recital by one of classical music’s most popular violinists, who performs with accompaniment by Alessio Bax on piano. Sunday, Nov. 5, at 4 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $90 to $125. Call 301-493-9283 or visit nationalphilharmonic.org.
LUCINDA WILLIAMS
Over the summer at Wolf Trap, the phenomenal alt-country singer-songwriter helped Mary Chapin Carpenter celebrate the 25th anniversary of Carpenter’s first and best-known hit “Passionate Kisses,” a gem Williams originally penned four years earlier. Now Williams returns for a concert celebrating a different 1992 release, that of her fourth album, Sweet Old World. Williams and her band will reprise the entire recording, start to finish, capped off with other songs from her rich repertoire. Monday, Oct. 30, at 8 p.m. Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. Tickets are $40. Call 202-888-0050 or visit thelincolndc.com.
MULTIFLORA MUSIC FESTIVAL
“Search for Sanctuary” is the theme of the inaugural month-long festival by Multiflora Productions, a. D.C.-based presenting organization specializing in genre-bending multicultural music drawn from all corners of the world. The lineup over the last week includes: Cissa Paz and Friends at Bossa Bistro on Thursday, Oct. 26; Innov Gnawa at Tropicalia on Friday, Oct. 27; and “Amplify Peace Tour: Saving Syrian Lives” at Tropicalia on Saturday, Oct. 28, Joe Lally and Tashi Dorji at Rhizome on Monday, Oct. 30, and the Middle East- and Appalachian-inspired group the Sandcatchers at Bossa Bistro on Tuesday, Oct. 31. Visit multifloraproductions.com for more information.
NELLIE MCKAY
Several years ago, this longtime straight LGBTQ ally and eccentric jazz/folk/musical theater artist toured performing her original musical revue A Girl Named Bill, about a real-life transgendered jazz musician from the past. She returns with a more “traditional” concert focused on her latest album My Weekly Reader, which is a little lighter than her previous sets — more lilting in a Brazilian jazz kind of way — but every bit as quirky. Saturday, Oct. 28, at 8 p.m. Amp by Strathmore, 11810 Grand Park Ave. North Bethesda. Tickets are $25 to $35. Call 301-581-5100 or visit ampbystrathmore.com.
PAPERHAUS
The popular D.C. band, consisting of founder Alex Tebeleff, Matt Dowling and Rick Irby, makes rhythmically oriented, psychedelic rock with a mournful edge, recalling everything from Joy Division and the Doors to experimental contemporaries Deerhunter and Lower Dens. Any fans of melodic electrified rock will be hooked upon first listen to the hazy, moody rocker “Told You What To Say,” the first track off new set Are These The Questions That We Need to Ask? A concert celebrating that Misra Records’ release also features local acts Go Cozy and Tony Kill, followed by a dance party with queer local DJ Alex DB. Friday, Oct. 27. Doors at 8 p.m. Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. Tickets are $15. Call 202-667-4490 or visit blackcatdc.com.
PINK MARTINI WITH THE NSO
Thomas Lauderdale founded his self-described “little orchestra” on a whim, corralling a few friends to perform together at a fundraiser countering a homophobic ballot measure in Oregon in the mid-’90s. Through the years, the cocktail band has grown and evolved, and has repeatedly performed with large, bona fide orchestras — a natural fit for the gay Lauderdale, an accomplished pianist with strong ties to the Oregon Symphony Orchestra. The band and its lead diva China Forbes reunite with the NSO conducted by Emil de Cou for a series of concerts playing from its varied, multilingual repertoire, ranging from Brazilian jazz to European classical to swinging standards. Thursday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 27, and Saturday, Oct. 28, at 8 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Tickets are $24 to $89. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.
SHAWN COLVIN AND HER BAND
Shawn Colvin had a pop hit — and snagged two Grammys — with 1996’s “Sunny Came Home,” and has been an influential mainstay in folk circles, as well as a regular performer at The Birchmere. She returns next week for another two-night run, this time celebrating the 20th anniversary of her Grammy-nominated hit-making album A Few Small Repairs featuring her one big hit. Colvin is joined by special guests Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams. Monday, Oct. 30, and Tuesday, Oct. 31, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are $62.50. Call 703-549-7500 or visit birchmere.com.
SUSAN WERNER
Trained to be an opera singer, the shy Werner instead found a more fitting musical path as a singer-songwriter, a role that requires her to be “a little more of a comedian or dinner-party host.” An Iowa-born, Chicago-based performer, Werner is good-natured and wholly unpretentious, cracking jokes and laughing easily. The queer artist offers a release show for her new concept EP, An American in Havana, a collection of original songs inspired and colored by her recent travels to Cuba. Veteran Cuban percussionist Mayra Casales will join Werner in concert as she does on the album. Friday, Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m. Jammin Java, 227 Maple Ave. E. Vienna. Tickets are $20, or $22 for Premier Plus reserved seats. Call 703-255-3747 or visit jamminjava.com.
WE ARE THE 9
Folk-rock singer-songwriter Justin Trawick formed this local collaborative of fellow musical acts a decade ago as a way to help book more shows and perform at more venues. The showcase readies its debut on the Wharf in Southwest with a concert featuring performances by Trawick, Vim & Vigor, Eli Lev, Rock Creek Kings, Uptown Boys Choir, Brave Like Us, Maryjo Mattea and Louisa Hall. Thursday, Nov. 2. Doors at 7 p.m. Pearl Street Warehouse, 33 Pearl St. SW. Tickets are $10. Call 202-380-9620 or visit pearlstreetwarehouse.com.
WHITE FORD BRONCO
What the Legwarmers are to the ’80s, this party band is to the ’90s, cheekily named after O.J. Simpson’s notorious failed getaway car. Playing through that decade’s songbook in all styles of popular music is a five-member ensemble consisting of singer/guitarist Diego Valencia, singer Gretchen Gustafson, guitarists Ken Sigmund and McNasty, and drummer Max Shapiro. Two shows on Friday, Oct. 27. Doors at 7 and 11 p.m. Rock and Roll Hotel, 1353 H St. NE. Tickets are $25. Call 202-388-ROCK or visit rockandrollhoteldc.com.
LMNO3
B.A.N.G.S.: Made in America uses hard rap, body percussion and a game show to repurpose the markers of identity that create the show’s titular acronym: “Beauty, Age, Number, Goodness, and Size.” Called a kaleidoscopic pageant of status and femininity, the work from New York-based trio features dancers exploring what they are — and aren’t — qualified to do. Evening includes partial nudity and explicit language. Saturday, Oct. 28, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. Dance Place, 3225 8th St. NE. Tickets are $25 in advance, or $30 at the door. Call 202-269-1600 or visit danceplace.org.
THE BENTZEN BALL COMEDY FESTIVAL
Lesbian comedian Tig Notaro (Amazon’s One Mississippi) curates this annual four-day event, presented by Brightest Young Things, that kicks off at the Lincoln Theatre on Thursday, Oct. 26, with a show featuring Notaro and friends including Seaton Smith. Other highlights of the weekend include: On Friday, Oct. 27, “You’re The Expert Live w/Chris Duffy”, at National Geographic’s Grosvenor Auditorium; on Saturday, Oct. 28, Colin Quinn with Haywood Turnipseed Jr, at the Lincoln, Andrea Gibson and Amber Tamblyn at the Kennedy Center, Story District’s “Going Commando” program of “stories about roughing it” at Grosvenor, and Jenny Slate, Max Silvestri, and Gabe Liedman in the “Big Terrific” at the Lincoln; and on Sunday, Oct. 29, the closing program “Al Franken: Giant of the Senate & Ira Glass: Giant of the Radio,” at the Lincoln. Visit brightestyoungthings.com/bentzen-ball for tickets and more information.
PAUL MOONEY & MARSHA WARFIELD: TRIBUTE TO DICK GREGORY
Last year, Mooney performed with Gregory, one of the first black comedians to gain popularity with predominantly white audiences. Now Mooney, known for frequent appearances on Chappelle’s Show as well as helping to discover Robin Williams and Sandra Bernhard, among others, returns to the Howard Theatre, this time for a tribute to Gregory, who died this past August. Mooney is joined by Warfield, best known as the tough-talking, no-nonsense bailiff Roz Russell on NBC’s ’80s sitcom Night Court, who only recently came out as a lesbian. The two comedians have Richard Pryor in common: Mooney used to be a writer for the late comic genius while Warfield was an ensemble member on the The Richard Pryor Show. Saturday, Nov. 4, at 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. The Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW. Tickets are $49.50 to $89.50, plus $10 minimum per person at all tables. Call 202-588-5595 or visit thehowardtheatre.com.
SUZANNE WESTENHOEFER
The small-town Pennsylvania native started as a standup comedian in 1990, and not long after dared to came out — years before Rosie O’Donnell and Ellen DeGeneres. In fact, Westenhoefer is credited as the first openly lesbian comic with an HBO special, and also the first on television overall, when she appeared on an episode of Sally Jesse Raphael entitled “Breaking the Lesbian Stereotype …Lesbians Who Don’t Look Like Lesbians.” The 56-year-old comic returns for a regular show at the Birchmere. Friday, Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m. 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are $45. Call 703-549-7500 or visit birchmere.com.
ARLINGTON ARTS CENTER: FALL SOLOS
Seven regional artists are assigned one of the main gallery spaces in the historic Maury School to exhibit a selection of their works in this semi-annual exhibition. Kate Haw, director of the Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Art, and Mika Yoshitake, assistant curator at the Hirshhorn Museum, were the jurors for the latest round, and they selected an entirely female line-up of artists, many of whom explore themes related to feminism, gender and identity: Mary Baum, Atsuko Chirikjian, Catherine Day, Anna Kell, Jen Noone, Mojdeh Rezaeipour, and Julie Wills. Now to Dec. 16. Arlington Arts Center, 3550 Wilson Blvd. Call 703-248-6800 or visit arlingtonartscenter.org.
ATHENAEUM INVITATIONAL: GLOW
Artists, both those specially invited and others who answered a call for submissions, created works showing a sense of lightness or hope emanating from something dark in this third annual exhibition presented by Alexandria’s historic museum. Twig Murray, the Athenaeum’s gallery director, juried the show. Closes Sunday, Oct. 29. The Athenaeum, 201 Prince St., Alexandria. Call 703-548-0035 or visit nvfaa.org.
AKI MATSURI FESTIVAL, BONSAI FALL FOLIAGE EXHIBIT
A month after it unveiled a new pavilion for its collection of bonsai trees designed by Hoichi Kurisu, the world-renowned designer of Japanese gardens, the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum hosts the second annual Aki Matsuri festival on Saturday, Nov. 4. A day-long celebration of Japanese-themed events, including music, food, and book signings, and culminating in a Moon Viewing ceremony, Aki Matsuri is followed by a weeklong Bonsai Fall Foliage Exhibit. The museum is an international center for the display and study of bonsai housed at the National Bonsai Foundation on the grounds of the U.S. National Arboretum. 3501 New York Ave. NE. Call 202-396-3510 or visit bonsai-nbf.org.
LUMIA: THOMAS WILFRED AND THE ART OF LIGHT
The Smithsonian American Art Museum presents a groundbreaking exhibition of 15 spellbinding, image-projecting light sculptures created nearly a century ago. This was a time, of course, well before technology made Thomas Wilfred’s colorful moving light creations an easy feat, and his contemporaries, including Jackson Pollock, László Moholy-Nagy and Katherine Dreier, recognized the Danish-American artist as an innovator. Yet the difficulty to maintain his sculptures is why, after faddish mid-20th century popularity, they’ve long been relegated to the storage archives of modern art museums, all-but forgotten along with the artist himself. With works shown together for the first time in nearly 50 years, Lumia, organized by Keely Orgeman of the Yale University Art Gallery, is helping to restore Wilfred’s works and reputation as a modern art pioneer. Now to Jan. 7. Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th and F Streets NW. Call 202-633-1000 or visit americanart.si.edu.
MIAMI IS NICE
The Golden Girls inspired this group art show and event series organized by the artist-run gallery SpaceCamp in Baltimore’s Station North, the area that also houses the city’s revitalized Eagle. Zachary Z. Handler served as lead curator of the exhibition, which also serves as the venue for his wedding to fellow Baltimore artist and performer Nick Horan — and decorative remnants from their wedding will remain in the gallery for the duration of the show as an art installation. Other artists with works on display include: Jackie Cassidy, Felice Cleveland, Samuel Draxler, Alissa Eberle, Alice Gadzinski, Labomamo, Ryan Lauderdale, Anya Mizani, April Pink, Sidney Pink, Danya Smith and Tiffany Smith. A portion of all artwork sales will go to SAGE Advocacy and Services for LGBT Elders and the Trans Women of Color Collective. Closes Sunday, Oct. 28. SpaceCamp, 16 West North Ave. Baltimore. Visit miamiisnice.com.
MMM… COLLECTIVE: MEETING BOWLS
Exploring new ways to gather and interact in public places, this Spanish art collective first installed its three large, semi-spherical sculptures with open-air seating for eight in the U.S. in New York’s Times Square. Six years later, Arlington Arts, through its Courthouse 2.0: Reimagining the Civic public art initiative, presents a local display of the installation prior to a display at Art Basel Miami Beach later this fall. Mmm… Collective’s other projects include Baltimore’s prominent, permanent B-U-S sculpture installed in 2014. Through Nov. 1. Public plaza at 1310 N. Courthouse Road, Arlington. Call 703-228-1850 or visit arlingtonarts.org.
PARALLAX GAP
The Smithsonian American Art Museum tapped the design practice FreelandBuck to create an immersive, ceiling-suspended structure in the Renwick Gallery, exploring the notion of craft in the field of architecture. The installation combines the practices of drawing, fabrication and architectural design in an innovative overlap of disciplines, embracing both Western and Eastern concepts of perspective. The resulting structure, consisting of hanging, overlapping synthetic fabric and depictions of nine iconic American ceilings, is meant to be a visual puzzle that reveals itself to visitors as they move throughout the room — creating a sense of parallax, where the distance and depth of the ceilings appear to vary when viewed from different lines of sight. Through Feb. 11. Renwick Gallery’s Bette Rubenstein Grand Salon, 1661 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Call 202-633-1000 or visit americanart.si.edu/renwick.
PHOTO ’17: NATIONAL PHOTO COMPETITION
Molly Roberts, National Geographic‘s Senior Photography Editor, served as the juror for the national exhibition of fine art photography presented by Virginia’s Multiple Exposures Gallery. Ranging from dramatic landscapes to captivating portraits to intriguing conceptual or figurative studies, the exhibition features 31 stunning works that keep you looking, including: Farm Dog by Ron Evans, Bubba’s Thangs by Nicholas Fedak II, Green Tree by Wenjie Han, Please Darling Keep Quiet by Kristen Harner, Hot Tamale Festival by Betty Press, Warren Oregon by Lacey Monroe, and Porch by Joanne Rojcewicz. Now to Nov. 26. Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 North Union St. Alexandria. Call 703-683-2205 or visit multipleexposuresgallery.com.
POTTERY ON THE HILL SHOW AND SALE
Seventeen of the nation’s top ceramic artists collaborate in the annual pottery show sponsored by East City Art, offering something for both the most avid pottery collector and the casual observer, from table platters to fanciful mugs to cooking pots. Potters with works on display this year include Trista Depp Chapman, Dan Finnegan, Matthew Hyleck, Donna Polseno, Stacy Snyder, and Catherine White. Preview Reception is Friday, Oct. 27, at 6:30 p.m. Show is Saturday, Oct. 28, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 29, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hill Center, Old Navy Hospital, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. Tickets to the preview reception are $30 in advance, or $35 at the door, and include complimentary hors d’oeuvres and refreshments; the show itself is free. Call 202-549-4172 or visit HillCenterDC.org.
ROBERT RISKO: MARK TWAIN PRIZE EXHIBIT
A showcase of work by one of today’s most celebrated caricaturist, who has created the caricatures for the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor since 2002. Risko started his career following in the footsteps of his mentor Andy Warhol, moving to New York from Pittsburgh and drawing iconic celebrity portraits in his inimitable graphic style for Warhol’s trendy downtown magazine Interview. In 1983, at age 25, Annie Leibovitz, Keith Haring and art director Bea Feitler chose him to define the look of the relaunched Vanity Fair, and he’s been a regular contributor to the magazine ever since. Closes Saturday, Oct. 27. Kennedy Center Hall of Nations. Free. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.
SUPERFIERCE: ART OF RESISTANCE
According to statistics from the National Endowment for the Arts, while approximately 51 percent of visual artists are women, less than 5 percent are represented in major museums around the world. Maggie O’Neill started the organization SuperFierce as a support system to help connect, inspire, mentor and exhibit fellow female artists. Its 2017 exhibition features over 30 female artists, selected by a panel of local visual art experts, and including, among others, Behnaz Babazadeh, Kimberly Cunningham, Lana Gomez, Linda Hesh, Akemi Maegawa, Anne Marchand, Cara Peterson, Caitlyn Price, Amber Robles-Gordon, and Antonia Tricarico. A Haute Halloween Party is Oct. 27. On display to Nov. 4. Blind Whino, 700 Delaware Ave. SW. Call 202-554-0103 or visit superfierce.org.
SUSAN STACKS: THE SANGUINE SUNRISE
Cosmic drawings in pencil and pen are Stacks’ focus work, intricate and ritualistic, with gold beams, cloud-like swirls of dots and graphite spirals overlapping elegantly. Stacks’ practice is ultimately meditative — an intellectual exercise in moving across the page — and her varied influences range from Netflix recommendations to Olbers’ paradox, algorithms to mapping, Buddha warriors to particle physics. Closes Sunday, Oct. 29. Adah Rose Gallery, 3766 Howard Ave. Kensington, Md. Call 301-922-0162 or visit adahrosegallery.com.
TREATIES BETWEEN THE U.S. AND AMERICAN INDIAN NATIONS
With the lead title Nation to Nations, this long-term exhibition at the National Museum of the American Indian tells the story of the treaties signed between U.S. leaders and influential Native diplomats. Most Americans today live on land that was originally promised to Native Nations via (obviously broken) treaties. And while most of the documents date to the early days of the American republic, the exhibit, which has been on display since 2015, has just been updated to end with an 11.5-foot-tall mile-marker post created last year by activists protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota — touted as the largest gathering of Native Americans in protest. In other words, the treaties are hardly something relegated to museums and history books but in fact very much an ongoing, present-day concern. On display through 2021. National Museum of the American Indian, Independence Avenue at 4th Street SW. Call 202-633-1000 or visit nmai.si.edu.
DC BEER FEST
A total of 80 breweries will fill the concourse at Nationals Park to help spread beer cheer the first Saturday in November — pouring over 200 varieties of beers, with a particular focus on fall seasonal offerings. Atlas, Right Proper, 3 Stars, are among the D.C. craft breweries represented, with Virginia represented by Bold Rock, Hellbender, Jailbreak, Port City and Old Dominion, Maryland with the Brewer’s Art, Manor Hill, and Wyndridge. Over a dozen of D.C.’s top food trucks will also be on hand for the annual beer fest, also offering Bobby McKeys Dueling Pianos, lawn games, DJs and more. Saturday, Nov. 4, from noon to 3 p.m. or 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Nationals Park, 1500 South Capitol St. NE. Tickets are $45 per session and include unlimited drink tastings. Visit dcbeerfestival.com.
ROCK THE CORE CIDER FEST
Drink The District’s annual festival devoted to hard cider moves this year from Southeast’s Yards Park to a spot in Northeast’s Edgewood neighborhood, a few blocks west of the Rhode Island Metro. More than 100 varieties of cider, as well as craft beer selections, will be available to taste. Attendees can enjoy unlimited drinks, a live DJ, social games, local artisan market and access to food trucks. Friday, Oct. 27, from 7 to 10 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 28, from 1 to 4 p.m. or 6 to 9 p.m.. The parking lot at 600 Rhode Island Ave. NE. Tickets are $50 each session, or $75 for a Cider Lovers Package including a 12-pack of curated ciders to go. Call 202-618-3663 or visit drinkthedistrict.com.
SMITHSONIAN FOOD HISTORY WEEKEND
Authors Ruth Reichl, Joan Nathan, Calvin Trillin, and Jessica B. Harris, broadcaster Simon Majumdar, Top Chef contestant Chef Sheldon Simeon, TV personality Duff Goldman, Pulitzer Prize-winning Los Angeles Times critic Jonathan Gold, and Francis Lam of NPR’s The Splendid Table are among those attending an event organized by the Smithsonian Museum of American History. The third annual Food History Weekend is focused on exploring how food has been both a bridge and a barrier to cultural connection in America. It launches with a Black Tie Gala featuring food, drinks, and presentation of the 3rd Annual Julia Child Award to restaurateur Danny Meyer of New York’s Union Square Cafe and Shake Shack, on Thursday, Oct. 26. The next day offers a free, day-long symposium about the migration of people and food throughout American history, followed by an evening “Dine Out” program at select local restaurants featuring a special dish or drink inspired by Child. A festival of free activities around the museum, including demos, book signings and film screenings, is Saturday, Oct. 28, ending with an After Hours event toasting the history of American brewing, featuring The Answer Brewpub, Harlem Brewing Co., Highland Brewing Co., and Weeping Radish Brewery. National Museum of American History, 1400 Constitution Ave. NW. Call 202-633-1000 or visit americanhistory.si.edu for more information.
TAQUERIA DEL BARRIO: DRAG BRUNCH
Petworth’s Mexican eatery from the DC Empanadas crew presents another round of its last-Saturday-of-the-month drag brunch. Desiree Dik hosts a show featuring queens Shaunda Leer and Whitney GucciGoo, who perform while guests enjoy French toast, chilaquiles and Taqueria’s signature tacos, among other dishes, all washed down with mimosas, Bloody Marys and Absolut vodka cocktails. Two seatings Saturday, Oct. 28, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. 821 Upshur St. NW. Tickets are $25 and include one brunch entree or three tacos and one brunch cocktail. Call 202-723-0200 or visit taqueriadelbarrio.com.
ALICE WATERS
The woman who helped launch the local organic food movement via her storied restaurant Chez Panisse tells her remarkable story in the new memoir Coming to My Senses: The Making of a Counterculture Cook. Through anecdotes, letters, photos, and recipes, Waters lays out how she came to fame as one of the modern era’s most decorated chefs, recipient of three James Beard Awards and even the French Legion of Honor. Waters will appear for a signing only — no reading or discussion. Saturday, Oct. 28, at 11 a.m. Union Market, 1309 5th St. NE. Call 800-680-9095 or visit politics-prose.com.
POP-UP MAGAZINE: FALL ISSUE
A night of new, true stories about the fascinating world around us billed as a magazine come to life, featuring storytelling, photography, film, radio, and original music. The D.C. stop of the nationally touring fall show features comedian Aparna Nancherla (Master of None), novelist Daniel Alarcon (At Night We Walk in Circles), photographer Erin Trieb, documentary filmmakers Donal Mosher & Mike Palmieri (October Country) and Juliana Schatz Preston (PBS’s Frontline), radio correspondent Sean Rameswaram, journalists Brooke Jarvis, Matt Thompson, Mary Melton, Matt Wolfe, and Robin Amer, and the Magik*Magik Orchestra. Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 7:30 p.m. Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. Tickets are $29. Call 202-888-0050 or visit thelincolndc.com.
DC DESIGN HOUSE
A benefit for Children’s National Health System, the 10th annual event highlights the talents of the D.C. area’s top decorators, with 23 beautifully designed spaces, four boutiques, plus special events throughout the month — with a daily onsite cafe by Relish Catering. This year’s house was built in 2009 and sits on two acres, a four-story, nearly 28,000 square-foot Potomac manse with nine bedrooms, nine full bathrooms, lower-level ballroom, a cinema, two-story library flanked by two offices, multiple kitchens, a pool, pool house with apartment and covered terrace — and all of it can be yours at the listing price of merely $10.28 million dollars. Closes Sunday, Oct. 29. 9004 Congressional Court, Potomac. Tickets are $35 to $60. Visit dcdesignhouse.com for more information.
FORD’S THEATRE’S HISTORY ON FOOT
A local actor offers the guided tour Investigation: Detective McDevitt, portraying Detective James McDevitt, a D.C. police officer patrolling a half-block from Ford’s Theatre the night President Lincoln was shot. Written by Richard Hellesen and directed by Mark Ramont, the 2-hour, 1.6-mile walking tour revisits and reexamines the sites and clues from the investigation into the assassination. One remaining tour for 2017 on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 10:15 a.m. Ford’s Theatre, 511 10th St. NW. Tickets are $17. Call 202-397-7328 or visit fords.org.
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