Spotlight: Upcoming events in D.C. — February 15-21

The Philadelphia Story

One of the greatest romantic comedies ever produced. Katharine Hepburn stars as the snooty daughter of a wealthy Philadelphia family about to marry for the second time, until her cunning ex-husband (Cary Grant) throws a wrench into the works. James Stewart won an Oscar as a tabloid reporter who falls hopelessly in love with Hepburn. The Philadelphia Story marked a comeback of sorts for Hepburn, who had been marked as “box office poison” after a string of duds. Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz offers recorded commentary before and after each presentation. Sunday, Feb. 18, and Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 2 and 7 p.m. At Regal Gallery Place (701 7th St. NW), AMC Mazza Gallerie (5300 Wisconsin Ave. NW), and Potomac Yards Stadium (3575 Jefferson Davis Highway, Alexandria). Visit fathomevents.com.

All She Must Possess

A voracious collector of art and curios from around the world, Miss Etta Cone was also a one-time lover of Gertrude Stein. Her journey from society laughingstock to doyen of Modernity is part of the focus of Susan McCully’s play about Baltimore’s famed Cone sisters — Dr. Claribel Cone was the other — daughters of German-Jewish immigrants. Joseph W. Ritsch directs a premiere of the play presented by Columbia’s Rep Stage as part of the Women’s Voices Theatre Festival. Now to Feb. 25. The Horowitz Center’s Studio Theatre at Howard Community College, 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Md. Tickets are $15 to $40. Call 443-518-1500 or visit repstage.org.

Aubergine

A chef struggles with how to care for his dying father, a Korean immigrant with no taste for his son’s fancy French fare. Olney Theatre Company presents Julia Cho’s drama as part of the Women’s Voices Theater Festival and in a co-production with Everyman Theatre. Tony Nam and Glenn Kubota star. Directed by Vincent M. Lancisi. Now to March 4. Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, Md. Call 301-924-3400 or visit olneytheatre.org.

Arlo Guthrie

The 70-year-old son of folk’s founding father, Woody Guthrie returns to the area for two performances with two of his progeny. There’s son Abe Guthrie, who plays in Arlo’s backing band along with Terry A La Berry, Bobby Sweet, and Darren Todd. And there’s youngest daughter Sarah Lee Guthrie, the cleverly named Re:Generation Tour’s opening act. Saturday, Feb. 17, and Sunday, Feb. 18, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are $65. Call 703-549-7500 or visit birchmere.com.

The Oh Hellos

Texas-reared siblings Maggie and Tyler Heath offer silly banter between sweetly singing original, rootsy folk-rock tunes not too far astray from contemporary acts including Fleet Foxes and Mumford & Sons. Joined by a large touring band, the Heaths return to the 9:30 Club for a show that will open with a sensitive art-folk set from Lowland Hum, Charlottesville-based husband-and-wife duo Daniel and Lauren Goans. Wednesday, Feb. 21. Doors at 7 p.m. Doors at 7 p.m. 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $25. Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com.

Growing Our Own Gardens

Dance Exchange’s Associate Artistic Director Matthew Cumbie conceived and directed this multidisciplinary, intergenerational performance project described as “rooted in queer world-making.” The work unearths hidden histories and personal stories to commemorate LGBTQ spaces and the people who inhabit them. Saturday, Feb. 24, at 8 p.m, and Sunday, Feb. 25, 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.

Oscar Nominated Short Films 2018: Animation

Among the five animated nominees, probably the most widely known is Lou: Dave Mullins’ six-minute, Pixar-produced work, about a kindergarten’s mysterious lost and found box, screened last summer alongside Cars 3. A second American entry is Glen Keane’s Dear Basketball, an ode to the game written and narrated by retired hoopster Kobe Bryant, with music by John Williams. France is also represented twice, with Garden Party, a work by the Illogic Collective of animators following a couple of amphibians wandering around a deserted house, and Negative Space, Ru Kuwahata and Max Porter’s nostalgic look at a complicated relationship between a father and son. The fifth and final nominee is Revolting Rhymes, a two-episode, 28-minute film by Jakob Schuh and Jan Lachauer featuring famed fantasy writer Roald Dahl’s reinterpretations and parodies of five classic fairy tales, as narrated by Dominic West. Landmark also screens three additional films that didn’t get a nod: Lost Property Office from Australia, Weeds from America, and Achoo from Canada. Now playing. E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. Call 202-452-7672 or visit landmarktheatres.com.

John Holiday

Last year, the Texas-reared countertenor joined the ranks of opera stars Denyce Graves and Eric Owens when he became the latest recipient of the Marian Anderson Vocal Award winner, an honor given annually by the Kennedy Center to a young American singer showing “outstanding promise for a significant career.” In addition to a cash prize and a residency at Washington’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts, the award also comes with a recital co-presented by Washington National Opera and the Fortas Chamber Music Concerts series. Holiday will perform, with collaborators Kevin J. Miller and Neeki Bey, music that he loves, including selections by Poulenc, Hahn, and Bonds. Thursday, Feb. 15, at 7:30 p.m. Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Tickets are $39. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

MXDC Cocina Mexicana: National Margarita Day

Everyday is National Margarita Day for some of us, but officially, it comes just once a year: Thursday, Feb. 22. And among the offerings around town, you won’t do much better than the “wallet-friendly” fare at Todd English’s modern Mexican restaurant in the historic Garfinkel’s building next to the Hamilton. Normally priced at $12 per glass or $52 per pitcher, MXDC will offer margaritas that day for only $7 per glass or $38 per pitcher, including fruity variations with housemade syrups, ranging from Blackberry Cilantro to Piña to Mango, as well as one including the juice from a Habanero pepper. All margaritas at MXDC are made with Milagro Blanco tequila. In addition, MXDC Mixologists Anthony Tavara and Donald Piludo will offer samples of a uniquely blended, barrel-aged artisanal batch of Patrón Reposado tequila as part of a Taste of MXDC Flight with two other tequilas and priced at $20, or in a Cadillac Margarita, priced at $18 a glass or $76 per pitcher. 600 14th St. NW. call 202-393-1900 or visit mxdcrestaurant.com.