FILM

CATVIDEOFEST 2017

Filmmaker Will Braden (Le Chat Noir) has assembled another 80-minute program that’s a fancy feast for cat lovers, chock-full of cat videos both popular, as well as new and undiscovered. Yet CatVideoFest, co-presented with the Bethesda-based, globally focused nonprofit Alley Cat Allies, doubles as a fundraiser and networking event for fellow feline fans. Saturday, Nov. 18, at 5 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 19, at 5 p.m. AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Tickets are $13 general admission. Call 301-495-6720 or visit afi.com/Silver.

GIGI

Capital Classics, the hump-day series at Landmark’s recently refurbished West End Cinema, continues its winter season with this nine-time Oscar-winning movie musical, including Best Picture, and featuring songs by Lerner and Lowe (My Fair Lady). Vincente Minnelli directs the Gallic tale about a gawky girl in turn-of-the-20th-century Paris who transforms into the glamorous Gigi, yet yearns for something money can’t buy. With Leslie Caron and Louis Jourdan. Happy Hour-priced beer and wine from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, 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.

MILDRED PIERCE

Inspired by Ryan Murphy’s Feud 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 conclude the four-film run with the Michael Curtiz-directed 1945 classic through which Crawford snagged her only Oscar. “She was a queen at MGM for many years, and then they kicked her out very unceremoniously,” Minow says of the film. “I think that a large part of why that is her best performance is that she really was suffering in real life. She really was very humiliated. And that comes across in the role.” Sunday, Nov. 12, 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.

REBECCA

Alfred Hitchcock’s first American project, the 1940 Oscar winner stars Joan Fontaine as the young beloved of a brooding, aristocratic widower (Sir Laurence Olivier), and forced to live forever in the shadow of his first wife. Judith Anderson, as the creepy housekeeper Mrs. Danvers, steals the film. Also with George Sanders. Rebecca screens as part of the American Film Institute’s month-long Joan Fontaine Centennial series. Friday, Nov. 17, at 2 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 19, at 11 a.m., Monday, Nov. 20, at 2 p.m, Tuesday, Nov. 21, at 3 p.m., and Wednesday, Nov. 22, at 2 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.

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, Nov. 10, and Saturday, Nov. 11, at midnight. Landmark’s E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. Call 202-452-7672 or visit landmarktheatres.com.

WHERE SHOULD THE BIRDS FLY

Voices from the Holy Land offers the final in a free, four-part documentary series sponsored by 15 area churches and volunteer organizations and presented at a progressive Christian church in Gaithersburg. Released in 2013, Fida Qishta’s film shines a rare light on Israel’s siege and blockade of the tiny enclave Gaza — as seen through the filmmaker’s eyes as well as that of another Palestinian girl, Mona Samouni. A moderated discussion and audience Q&A follows. Sunday, Nov. 12, at 2:30 p.m. Christ the Servant Lutheran Church, 9801 Centerway Road, Montgomery Village, Maryland. Call 301-977-0285 or visit voicesfromtheholyland.org.

STAGE

A LITTLE PRINCESS SARA CREWE

The married couple of composer Matt Conner and lyricist Stephen Gregory Smith teamed up with book writer Ellen Selby on a new musical adaptation of the children’s novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Presented by Creative Cauldron’s Learning Theater Ensemble and directed by Selby and the fledgling Virginia theater company’s Laura Connors Hull, A Little Princess Sara Crewe takes place at Miss Minchin’s School for Girls, capturing the spirit of the novel and its salute to the power of imagination. To Nov. 19. ArtSpace Falls Church, 410 South Maple Ave. in Falls Church. Tickets are $20 to $30. Call 703-436-9948 or visit creativecauldron.org.

A SHORT SERIES OF DISAGREEMENTS PRESENTED HERE IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

British comedian/monologist Daniel Kitson has become a mainstay at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and has won plaudits in the U.K. and Australia for “story shows” that are simultaneously funny and thoughtful, absurd and serious, rich with humanity and riddled with frustration. He brings his one-man show to Studio X. To Nov. 25. Studio Theatre, 1333 14th St. NW. Call 202-332-3300 or visit studiotheatre.org.

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

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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)

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. Closes Sunday, Nov. 12. NextStop Theatre, 269 Sunset Park Drive, Herndon, Va. Tickets are $20 to $60. Call 866-811-4111 or visit nextstoptheatre.org.

EMILIE

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Lauren Gunderson’s spirited drama looks at the literary side of the actual Émilie du Châtelet, a genius scientist, mathematician and philosopher who, in the early 18th-century, published work that changed the equation describing one of the fundamental laws of physics — challenging Newton and the world’s rules about women in science. Emilie is most searing when relaying the Marquise’s righteous anger that such learned and supposedly wise men as her fellow scientists might be almost incapable of taking her work seriously merely because of her sex. Directed by Rick Hammerly. Extended to Nov. 19. Gunston Arts Center, 2700 South Lang Street, Arlington. Tickets are $10 to $35. Call 703-418-4804, or visit avantbard.org. (Andre Hereford)

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.

LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR AND GRILL

A celebration of Billie Holiday, as seen through one of her final performances, at a seedy, little jazz club in Philadelphia, four months before her death. Celeste Jones stars in Rep Stage’s production of Lanie Robertson’s popular play, featuring the Holiday standards “God Bless The Child,” “My Man” and “Strange Fruit.” Wil Lewis III is musical director. To Nov. 19. The Horowitz Center’s Studio Theatre at Howard Community College, 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Md. Tickets are $40, except $10 Thursdays. Call 443-518-1500 or visit repstage.org.

MANIFESTO! A THEATRICAL DADA DIVERSION

The latest devised theater piece from the Helen Hayes Award-winning troupe Happenstance Theater is built on text from actual manifestos — from the Capitalist to the Communist — for a show that the Washington City Paper reviewed as “a delightful romp through the surreal.” Set during wartime at the surrealist Cabaret ReVoltaire owned by Madam Proprietor and operated by Middle-Man and the New Girl, the cast includes Happenstance’s husband-and-wife leaders Mark Jaster and Sabrina Mandell, as well as Gwen Grastorf, Sarah Olmsted Thomas, Alex Vernon and Mark Winch. Closes Sunday, Nov. 12. Baltimore Theatre Project, 45 West Preston St. Baltimore. Tickets are $15 to $25. Call 410-752-8558 or visit theatreproject.org.

MEAN GIRLS

Tina Fey’s hit film transformed as a musical and the hottest ticket in town — especially since its stop at the National Theatre is a tryout prior to its Broadway debut, set for the spring. Fey has written the show’s book with music by her husband and 30 Rock composer Jeff Richmond and lyrics by Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde). Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon) directs. In previews. Runs to Dec. 3 at The National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $48 to $128, although the National will hold a ticket lottery before each show, and individuals may submit their names at the box office to win up to two tickets at $25 each. Twenty lottery seats are available for each performance, with names drawn 90 minutes prior to the show. Call 202-628-6161 or visit thenationaldc.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. Closes Sunday, 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. Closes Saturday, 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. To Nov. 26. Baltimore Center Stage, 700 North Calvert St., Baltimore. Call 410-332-0033 or visit centerstage.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 PAJAMA GAME

In an unusual twist, artistic director Molly Smith turns over directing reins for this season’s Golden Age Musical to Alan Paul, who has proven his mettle with musicals at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Choreographer Parker Esse joins to try to rouse interest in this classic battle-of-the-sexes. To Dec. 24. Mead Center for American Theater, 1101 6th St. SW. Call 202-488-3300 or visit arenastage.org.

THE REAL AMERICANS

Actor/journalist Dan Hoyle brings to life the characters he met traveling outside “the liberal bubble,” presented as part of Mosaic Theater’s “Transformational Journeys” and staged in repertory in the month of December with Draw The Circle. Charlie Varon directs. Opens Friday, Nov. 10. To Dec. 22. Atlas Performing Arts Center, Lab Theatre II, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $25 to $65. Call 202-399-7993 or visit mosaictheater.org.

VICUNA & THE AMERICAN EPILOGUE

Mosaic Theater Company presents a Trump-inspired satire by Jon Robin Baitz (Other Desert Cities), the gay playwright assaulted by a Trump supporter after the inauguration. A play about an Iranian tailor and his apprentice struggling to make a suit out of vicuna wool for a real-estate tycoon running for president, Baitz has updated the work to include rumination on the assault for the Mosaic Theater production. Extended to Dec. 3. Atlas Performing Arts Center, Lang Theatre, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20 to $65. Call 202-399-7993 or visit mosaictheater.org.

MUSIC

ALCINA

The Washington National Opera presents its first-ever staging of Handel’s masterful baroque opera, with world-class vocal talents led by Angela Meade as the sorceress skilled in the art of seduction, who falls prey to the enchantment of love in the land of illusion. In Italian with English supertitles. To Nov. 19. Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. Tickets are $69 to $195. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

ALEX CLARE

With a bluesy, clipped voice that has echoes of Adam Levine and Hozier, the London-born, Jerusalem-based singer-songwriter’s brand of soul-fired, electronica-accented pop/rock is as captivating a blend as his better-known contemporaries. A few years ago, Clare scored success with the stirringly emotive single “Too Close” — which famously became the soundtrack to an Internet Explorer 9 ad in 2012. He returns to the area in support of new album Tail of Lions. Monday, Nov. 13. Doors at 7 p.m. Rock and Roll Hotel, 1353 H St. NE. Tickets are $25 in advance, or $28 day-of show. Call 202-388-ROCK or visit rockandrollhoteldc.com.

AIDEN JAMES

Aiden James’ sweet and sensitive electro-folk songs are catchy and appealing, and his soothing voice and romantic lyrics convey a sense of realistic optimism that is nothing if not irresistible. But James deserves even more attention because of the relatively subtle, clever touches he often adds to punctuate his musical messages — hidden sounds and flourishes worth the fun of discovery. James performed during Town’s Bear Happy Hour several years ago after the release of Trouble With This, one of 2012’s best albums. He’s released several singles since then, most recently “Colorblind,” another gem of a song rewarding repeat listens. Friday, Nov. 10, at 8 p.m. during Bear Happy Hour. Town Danceboutique, 2009 8th St. NW. Free. Call 202-234-TOWN (8696) or visit towndc.com.

ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY

Ann Hampton Callaway has written songs for her mentor Barbra Streisand — plus the theme song to the old TV series The Nanny. But the lesbian jazz singer-songwriter’s focus in the past few years has been on the classics — whether love songs from the Great American Songbook to tributes to her idols Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald. The latter is the focus of a concert celebrating 100 years since the late First Lady of Jazz’s birthday, “The Ella Century.” Friday, Nov. 10, at 8 p.m. Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, 7719 Wisconsin Ave. Tickets are $35, plus $10 minimum purchase per person. Call 240-330-4500 or visit bethesdabluesjazz.com.

BETTYE LAVETTE

The great, hard-living soul singer Bettye Lavette has been incredibly forthcoming about her many dalliances with women, including in her recent memoir, A Woman Like Me. The New York Times touted her as second only to Aretha Franklin among her generation’s greatest — and Lavette has finally been getting some of the credit she deserved when she started in the business decades ago. She continues to tour in support of last year’s Grammy-nominated album Worthy, returning to the Hamilton for the second time this year. Sunday, Nov. 19. Doors at 6:30 p.m. The Hamilton, 600 14th St. NW. Tickets are $20 to $45. Call 202-787-1000 or visit thehamiltondc.com.

BROADWAY, THE NEXT GENERATION SERIES

Every year, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), offers a showcase of new generation Broadway composers at the Kennedy Center. Previous lineups have included recent Tony winners Steven Lutvak (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder) and Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Dear Evan Hansen). Each program features a different composer or composing team, who either perform themselves or recruit others to highlight songs in their repertoire, cabaret-style. This year’s series features five up-and-coming composers, all offered in free programs at 6 p.m. on the Millennium Stage. They include Oliver House (Held Momentarily) on Sunday, Nov. 12; Nikko Benson, on Monday, Nov. 13; Julian Hornik (Giovanni’s Room), on Tuesday, Nov. 14; Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews (Witness Uganda aka Invisible Thread), on Wednesday, Nov. 15; Max Vernon (The View UpStairs), on Thursday, Nov. 16; and Andrew Lippa (I Am Harvey Milk), on Friday, Nov. 17. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

CECILY

Increasingly known by mononym, young soprano and D.C. native Cecil Bumbray’s sound is rooted in a deep appreciation for mid-century soul and jazz, ’90s-era R&B and contemporary folk. More specifically, it’s rooted in influences from Chocolate City forebears, from Duke Ellington to Gil Scott-Heron, Roberta Flack to Meshell Ndegeocello. She returns to the Atlas Performing Arts Center for the third annual “Cecily Salutes DC,” a concert followed by a discussion about how to keep gentrification from chipping away at what makes the local arts scene unique, with a panel including Cecily, Art All Night creator Ariana Austin, musician Aaron Myers and Washington Project for the Arts’ Jordan Martin. Saturday, Nov. 18, at 8 p.m. Sprenger Theatre, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $22.5 to $28. Call 202-399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org.

DOM FLEMONS DUO

One of the founders of the great black bluegrass band the Carolina Chocolate Drops headlines a concert with bandmate Dante Pope at the new District Wharf’s more intimate concert venue. The Herd of Main Street opens. Saturday, Nov. 18. Doors at 7 p.m. Pearl Street Warehouse, 33 Pearl St. SW. Tickets are $14 in advance, or $16 day-of show. Call 202-380-9620 or visit pearlstreetwarehouse.com.

GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF WASHINGTON: IT TAKES TWO

“This is our strongest season in a long time,” artistic director Thea Kano says of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington’s upcoming year of song, dubbed “Make America Gay Again.” “We’re really intent on sharing our individual stories. You’ll see a lot more of our individual singers stepping forward on stage and saying ‘Hi, my name is… I’ve sung with the chorus for ‘x’ amount of years, and I come from….'” The 37th season kicks off with an annual cabaret, focused on duets and the power of two, “things that go together” — in song and in life. “There’s certainly a lot of acknowledgement of love relationships, but also of how friends hold us up at the end of the day,” says Kano, who cast 15 singers to perform a series of songs, mostly duets, from shows such as Dear Evan Hansen, Into The Woods, and NBC’s Smash. The evening culminates in “a sweeping finale where all the singers come together. It’s a secret what that’s going to be. It’s just so stunning, I want people to be surprised.” Saturday, Nov. 11, at 4 and 8 p.m. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $39. Call 202-399-7993 or visit gmcw.org.

HALEY REINHART

The jazzy, bluesy Reinhart came to fame as the second runner-up on the 10th season of American Idol. She has been a featured vocalist on several standout tracks from Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox, and returns the favor by featuring Bradlee on piano on several songs on her covers album What’s That Sound?, including a winsome rendition of “Words of Love” by the Mamas and the Papas. She’s now touring that charming throwback set, including a stop at the Fillmore Silver Spring two weeks before the Postmodern Jukebox headlines the same venue. Monday, Nov. 13, at 8 p.m. 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Tickets are $10 to $20. Call 301-960-9999 or visit fillmoresilverspring.com.

IRMA THOMAS W/MEMBERS OF PRESERVATION HALL, BLIND BOYS

Dubbed “The Soul Queen of New Orleans,” the Grammy-winning Thomas tours with the members from the French Quarter’s justly celebrated Preservation Hall Jazz Band — its Legacy Quintet, in fact — and from the Blind Boys of Alabama for “a very special concert that showcases the heart and soul of the South.” Sunday, Nov. 12, at 4 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $28 to $68. Call 301-493-9283 or visit nationalphilharmonic.org.

JACQUES BREL: SONGS FROM HIS WORLD

Steven Scott Mazzola directs this In Series cabaret of songs by the Belgian master of modern “chanson,” featuring a cast of four singers accompanied by music director Reenie Codelka. Bryon Jones, Fleta Hylton, Simon Charette, and Brian J. Shaw will sing various Brel classics, including “Ne Me Quitte Pas,” “Amsterdam,” and “Marieke,” many of which became global hits through renditions by Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone and Ray Charles, among others. In French with English supertitles. Weekends to Nov. 19. Source Theatre, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets are $20 to $43. Call 202-204-7741 or visit inseries.org.

JANET JACKSON

The renamed State of the World Tour stops at the renamed Capital One Arena more than a year and a half later than originally planned on account of the superstar’s decision to have her first born at the ripe old age of 50. It’s her first tour in support of 2015’s Unbreakable, her first set in over a decade that was actually good, thanks to her wise decision to reteam with her original producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Thursday, Nov. 16, at 8 p.m. 601 F St. NW. Call 202-628-3200 or visit capitalonearena.com.

JAZZMEIA HORN

A jazz vocalist originally from Dallas, Horn is quickly emerging as one of the genre’s best new talents, winning prestigious titles in the process, including the 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and the 2015 Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Competition. After a headlining concert at the Kennedy Center last winter, Horn returns to the area for two shows at Georgetown’s celebrated jazz haven. Monday, Nov. 13, at 8 and 10 p.m. Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Tickets are $25, plus $12 minimum purchase. Call 202-337-4141 or visit bluesalley.com.

NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Gershwin’s An American in Paris factors into “a tour of Europe” program led by Gianandrea Noseda and also featuring Respighi’s Fountains of Rome, Chausson’s Poème, and Falla’s The Three-Cornered Hat Suites No. 1 & 2. Thursday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 18, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 19, at 3 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Tickets are $15 to $89. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

THE CHORAL ARTS SOCIETY: MONTEVERDI’S VESPERS OF 1610

Scott Tucker leads the full chorus and orchestra along with special guests the Thirteen in a performance of a choral masterpiece that brilliantly superimposes Baroque music over traditional Gregorian chants, combines sacred music with secular styles, and alternates the grandeur of the large ensemble with solos and duets. Saturday, Nov. 18, at 3 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Tickets are $15 to $69. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

THE DAVE KLINE BAND, VERONNEAU

At its more intimate cabaret space, Strathmore offers a showcase of two local acts creating original exciting music from around the globe. Both the Dave Kline Band, a fiddle-fueled bluesy rock act drawing inspiration from the U.K., Colombia, Haiti and Senegal, and the globally inspired jazz band led by Canadian vocalist Lynn Veronneau, perform a double bill to celebrate the release of new albums. Saturday, Nov. 11, 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.

THE MARIINSKY ORCHESTRA

Valery Gergiev leads this pioneer of classical Russian ensembles in a program including Daniil Trifonov performing his own recently composed Piano Concerto. Strauss’s Don Juan, Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 6, and Mosolov’s Iron Foundry are also featured in the concert presented by Washington Performing Arts. Sunday Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Tickets are $45 to $115. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

WASHINGTON CONCERT OPERA: LA STRANIERA

Inspired by true events during the 12th century, Bellini’s La Straniera tells the tale of a French king’s scandalous divorce from a Danish princess and his subsequent marriage to a mysterious foreign woman, who’s kept tucked away in a wooded cottage. The bel canto treasure features soprano Amanda Woodbury, mezzo-soprano Corrie Stallings, tenor Gerard Schneider, and baritone Javier Arrey. Sunday, Nov. 19, at 6 p.m. GW Lisner, The George Washington University, 730 21st St. NW. Tickets are $40 to $110. Call 202-994-6851 or visit concertopera.org.

DANCE

DANCE METRO DC BENEFIT CONCERT

A leading booster of the local professional dance scene presents a starry lineup at a concert doubling as a fundraiser. Performers on tap at this fall benefit include Keira Hart-Mendoza of UpRooted Dance, Sarah J. Ewing of S. J. Ewing & Dancers, Katherine Horrigan of Company Danzante, Adrienne Clancy of ClancyWorks Dance Company, Erica Rebollar of RebollarDance, Tarik O’Meally, Robert Rubama and the Terre Dance Collective, and Nancy Flores. Saturday, Nov. 11, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 12, at 4 p.m. Dance Place, 3225 8th St. NE. Tickets are $15 to $30. Call 202-269-1600 or visit danceplace.org.

DANCE PLACE’S WHAT’S GOING ON

Dance Place’s first full-length production is a reflection of the world today as viewed through the lens of Marvin Gaye’s music, specifically the 1971 classic about life, love and social justice that gives the show its title. Vincent E. Thomas, Ralph Glenmore and Sylvia Soumah offer eclectic choreography in the work, spearheaded by Thomas in a co-commission with the National Performance Network Creation Fund Project with additional partnership from RestonCenterStage. The work returns home after a year-long nationwide tour. Saturday, Nov. 18, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 19, at 4 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.

COMEDY

AL MADRIGAL

The Kennedy Center presents a return engagement by the Daily Show‘s “Senior Latino Correspondent,” touted as “perhaps the most hilarious storyteller to hit the stage since David Sedaris.” Saturday, Nov. 18, at 7:30 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Tickets are $39 to $49. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

PAULA POUNDSTONE

The longtime standup comic, self-proclaimed “virginish” and “asexual,” is the funniest panelist on NPR’s reliably funny weekend news quiz show Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! Poundstone returns for another weekend run of shows at the Birchmere. Friday, Nov. 10, through Sunday, Nov. 12, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are $49.50. Call 703-549-7500 or visit birchmere.com.

UPRIGHT CITIZENS BRIGADE

Like the funniest extroverts at the party, the improv troupe Upright Citizens Brigade riffs on D.C. and audience-members alike. The brigade has many famous alumni, including Amy Poehler and Ed Helms. Sunday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. 600 I St. NW. Tickets are $20 in advance, or $25 day-of show. Call 202-408-3100 or visit sixthandi.org.

READINGS

GOD’S COUNTRY: A READING TO FIGHT HATE

Perisphere Theater provides a reading of Steven Dietz’s 1988 play, a docudrama exploring the white supremacist movement in America through the trial of a paramilitary group accused of murdering a Jewish talk radio host. The reading is a benefit for the Southern Poverty Law Center and comes with the note, “due to its subject matter, the script contains instances of offensive language.” Tuesday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m. Trinidad Theatre at Capital Fringe, 1358 Florida Ave. NE. Free, but donations to SPLC recommended. Call 866-811-4111 or visit capitalfringe.org.

EXHIBITS

ART14 WINTER 2017: LUCINDA FRIENDLY MURPHY

The winter edition of the seasonal art series at the Coldwell Banker Dupont/Logan office focuses on a series of large paintings by this Mid City Artist grouped under the title The Art of Evolution. Murphy’s work is an exploration of the mysteries of evolution from the Big Bang to our big brains, with a more recent focus on images reflecting large cosmic interactions and small neurons in the brain. Opening Reception is Thursday, Nov. 9, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. On display through February. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, 1617 14th St. NW. Call 202-387-6180 or visit facebook.com/midcityartists.

DENATURED: TECHNOLOGY AND THE NATURAL WORLD

Imagined futures, ghostly pasts, the detritus of technological process and tensions between the organic and artificial are all central to the pieces in this exhibition at District of Columbia Arts Center. Sarah Burford curated the show featuring works in video, mixed-media, creative coding and 3D prints by Ryan Hoover, Joanna Platt, Rachel Schmidt and Fabiola Yurcisin. Closes Sunday, Nov. 12. DCAC, 2438 18th St. NW. Call 202-462-7833 or visit dcartscenter.org.

ENAMELISTS GALLERY: HOLIDAY SHIMMERS

Unique enamel pieces by local artists are justing waiting to be discovered and purchased as glittering gifts inside the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria and the only gallery outside of California devoted solely to enamel works. Options range from beautiful framed pieces to display bowls and plates to jewelry, all in an array of colors. Opens Tuesday, Oct. 31. To Dec. 3. Enamelists Gallery, 105 North Union St. Alexandria. Free. Call 703-838-1561 or visit torpedofactory.org.

FOTOWEEKDC 2017

A citywide celebration of photography, this year’s 10th annual FotoWeekDC specifically celebrates “Landmarks of Photography” through special exhibitions and installations, events, film screenings, and lectures. Highlights of the event taking place at FotoWeekCentral (neighboring host venues Spain Arts & Culture and the Mexican Cultural Institute), include a Competition Winners Gallery and Cislanderus, the latter an exhibition focused on a group of Spanish-speaking people who, in the late-18th century, migrated from the Canary Islands to what is now Texas and Louisiana, where their culture lives on today, if barely. In addition, the Dupont Underground hosts the World Press Photo Exhibition through Nov. 26 and featuring a juried selection of photos from photographers in 126 countries, presented by Lightscape Foundation. FotoWeekDC launches with an opening party co-presented with BYT and featuring open bars, small bites, photo booths, live music and more, on Friday, Nov. 10, from 7:30 to 11 p.m. 2801 16th St. NW. Tickets to the Opening Party are $60; the World Press exhibition costs $10 to $25. Visit fotodc.org.

KARA WALKER: THE CIVIL WAR (ANNOTATED)

With the full title Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War (Annotated), this series of 15 prints by the provocative African-American artist appropriates and alters genteel Civil War-era images. Adding in stenciled figures and shadowy elements, Walker’s works are suffused with traumatic scenarios left out of the official record. Through Nov. 18. Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th and F Streets NW. Free. Call 202-633-1000 or visit americanart.si.edu.

MARLENE DIETRICH: DRESSED FOR THE IMAGE

From her very first Hollywood film — the Josef von Sternberg’s 1930 drama, Morocco, which earned the actress her only Academy Award nomination — Dietrich “was able to introduce to a very conservative, American, puritan population the idea of accepting women being attracted to other women,” says National Portrait Gallery historian Kate Lemay. Dressed for the Image charts the actress’s career, longevity, and influence on everyone from Madonna and Jane Lynch to Janelle Monae. It includes details about the 1955 outing of the German-born actress as bisexual. On exhibit through April 15, 2018. National Portrait Gallery, 8th and F Streets NW. Call 202-633-8300 or visit npg.si.edu.

REIKO SUDO: FANTASY IN JAPAN BLUE

A world leader in textile design and production, as CEO of Nuno Corporation, Sudo brings her internationally acclaimed works to the Kennedy Center for a six-week exhibition in honor of Japan’s historic ties to the institution and its support of the newly renovated Terrace Theater. The exhibition features fabric made from natural material mounted on 115 open fans, a symbol of good fortune. Closes Sunday, Nov. 12. Kennedy Center Hall of States. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

RONI HORN

Maryland’s modern art and architecture-focused Glenstone Museum offers an exhibition of more than 30 works by Roni Horn, drawn from the museum’s collection and selected and installed by the artist herself. Spanning four decades of her career, works on view explore wide-ranging topics including nature, ecology, identity, landscape and language. Glenstone, set on 200 acres of rolling pasture and woodland in Montgomery County, Md., also offers hourly guided outdoor sculpture tours of works by Andy Goldsworthy, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Ellsworth Kelly, Jeff Koons, Charles Ray, Julian Schnabel and Richard Serra. Through Jan. 28, 2018. Glenstone Museum, 12002 Glen Road, Potomac, Md. Call 301-983-5001 or visit glenstone.org.

WILLIAM WOODWARD: THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS

In his two-decades-long series of drawings and narrative paintings focused on the concept of sin, this Washington native has tried to imagine how Federico Fellini, Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton might have depicted their subjects if they were painters. The result are images that are whimsical and elusive, rather than strident and explicit in their interpretations. To Dec. 17, with a Gallery Talk with Woodward on Thursday, Nov. 16. American University Museum in the Katzen Arts Center, 4400 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Call 202-885-2587 or visit american.edu/cas/museum.

WONDER WOMEN!

From the Guerrilla Girls righting the wrongs of the art world, to painter Edna Reindel’s tough WWII riveters, to vintage feminist comic books, this exhibition at the National Museum of Women in the Arts features images of the powerful woman, real and fictional. The wide-ranging selection, including artist correspondence, sketches, ephemera, photographs, posters, rare books, museum archival material and artists’ books, draws from the special collections and artists’ archives of the museum’s Betty Boyd Dettre Library and Research Center. Through Nov. 17. 1250 New York Ave NW. Admission is $10. Call 202-783-5000 or visit nmwa.org.

FOOD & DRINK

BINDAAS FOGGY BOTTOM

James Beard Award-winning chef Vikram Sunderam’s newest dining concept reflecting the modern-day cuisine of his native India makes for a similarly satisfying and noteworthy experience. A degree above fast-casual, Bindaas focuses on the kind of food one might find on the streets and in the food markets of Mumbai, yet offered in a more relaxed and refined environment. With this just-opened second outpost, the intimate, not-quite-secret Cleveland Park gem becomes a much bigger and more noticeable jewel in a younger, hipper, and more diverse part of town. Impressive dishes from the opening menu include “Roadside Sandwich” burgers made from either chicken or seasonal vegetables and served on a pao bun with chutney, a Butternut Squash lentil/rice pancake with green curry sauce, and a delicious and filling Chicken Curry with tomatoes, garam masala and saffron rice. Bindaas also features a full bar with wine, beer and creative cocktails made with spirits from local distilleries, including Green Hat Gin and Cotton & Reed Rum. Don’t even think of going without trying the Tamarind soda, housemade with honey, ginger, clove, nutmeg and sumac. 2000 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Call 202-516-4326 or visit bindaasdc.com.

EMPORIYUM

Union Market is a haven for foodies year-round, but one weekend every November it becomes a veritable foodie’s paradise. In addition to the regular merchants and food stalls inside the Market proper, over 100 artisans, producers, chefs and restaurants from around the Mid-Atlantic also set up booths behind the market to sample and peddle their latest wares and fares. It’s a good assortment of tasty edibles and thoughtful gifts, for friends and family — and yourself. A sampling of the more intriguing vendors on hand this year include: South Mountain Creamery, Zesty Z Spreads & Condiments, Brother Floyd’s Righteous Pickles, the Local Oyster from Baltimore, Tibetan dumplings from D.C.’s Dorjee Momo, “liquor-infused ice cream” from Tipsy Scoop, dog treats from What The Cluck, New York’s Sfoglini Pasta Shop, and Bella Rouge Barbeque. The Emporiyum launches with a Five Year Birthday Party on Friday, Nov. 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. The Emporiyum is Saturday, Nov. 11, and Sunday, Nov. 12. Dock5 at Union Market, 1309 5th St. NE. General admission is $15 for admission after 1:30 p.m., $25 for access at 11 a.m. with a complimentary tote bag, or $40 for VIP access at 10 a.m. plus special bites and sips, and a gift bag; the Friday Birthday party is $40, or $80 with an All Access Weekend Pass. Call 800-680-9095 or visit theemporiyum.com.

ABOVE & BEYOND

STRATHMORE’S MUSEUM SHOP HOLIDAY MARKET

Yes, it’s already almost that time of year, and Strathmore’s annual Museum Shop Around is one of the best and most convenient places in town for finding unique, artsy holiday gift ideas. This weekend, 18 museums and art organizations will be represented at the event selling memorabilia and merchandise, including the Audobon Naturalist Society, the Jewish Museum of Maryland, Montgomery County Historical Society, the National Geographic Museum, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Kennedy Center, the Phillips Collection, and the Supreme Court Historical Society. Each museum is given its own space, often its own room, in Strathmore’s historic Mansion. That’s enough for most shops to display as much as 40 percent of their normal inventory. The Mansion also offers a café with food and drink available throughout the event, including hot apple cider. Runs through Sunday, Nov. 12, starting at 10 a.m. each day. The Mansion at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Free, but suggested donation is $10. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.

THE PANCAKES AND BOOZE ART SHOW

An import from Los Angeles, this unusual “underground art show” features the work of over 100 emerging artists plus live body painting, live music, and a free pancake bar. Pancakes and Booze is a traveling, Andy Warhol-styled event that former Hollywood cameraman Tom Kirlin started in 2009 and has since brought to over 20 cities, including D.C. twice a year. “When I was in college, the only place that was open after a night of drinking was IHOP,” Kirlin says. “I always had this silly idea to make a pancake restaurant with a full bar. So with the art show, I just merged the two ideas together.” Wednesday, Nov. 15, from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Penn Social, 801 E St. NW. Cover is $15. Call 202-697-4900 or visit pancakesandbooze.com.