Editor’s Picks: Florence + The Machine, The Souvenir, Mosaic’s Sooner/Later, and more!
Our picks of the best arts and entertainment in the D.C. area this week
THE WHITE SNAKE
In Mary Zimmerman’s adaptation of the ancient Chinese legend, a snake spirit transforms itself into a woman in order to experience the human world, and in the process falls in love with a pharmacist’s assistant. Allison Arkell Stockman directs a production from her company Constellation Theatre that features live original music from multi-instrumentalist Tom Teasley and dulcimer virtuoso Chao Tian, plus a signature bold acting ensemble led by Eunice Bae, Momo Nakamura, and Jacob Yeh. To May 26. Source Theatre, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets are $19 to $45. Call 202-204-7741 or visit www.constellationtheatre.org.
AKUA ALLRICH: CELEBRATING NANCY WILSON
A D.C. native and Howard University alum, the young jazz vocalist and composer blends traditional, modern, and African jazz styles while singing in the showy manner of many of today’s leading soul/pop divas. Allrich is especially well-regarded for covering Nina Simone, though the focus of her next engagement at Blues Alley, titled “This Mother’s Daughter,” is a tribute to Wilson, the jazz vocal icon who died last December at the age of 81. Sunday, May 26, at 8 and 10 p.m. Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Tickets are $25, plus $6 fee and $12 minimum purchase. Call 202-337-4141 or visit www.bluesalley.com.
SOONER/LATER
Mosaic presents a world premiere offering a metaphysical twist on romance, marriage, and parenting, while exploring the pains and pleasures of all three. Developed as part of Locally Grown Mosaic, a series nurturing and commissioning works by local artists, Allyson Currin’s play follows a teenage daughter as she helps her reluctant single mother to reenter the dating scene. Gregg Henry directs Cristina M. Ibarra, Erica Chamblee, and Tony K. Nam. Now to June 16. Sprenger Theatre in the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $30 to $60. Call 202-399-7993, ext. 2, or visit www.mosaictheater.org.
THE SOUVENIR
Among other expected and heretofore unknown legacies, this coming-of-age drama from critically acclaimed British filmmaker Joanna Hogg (Unrelated, Exhibition) will be remembered as the cinematic launching pad and feature film debut for Honor Swinton Byrne, the 21-year-old daughter of Oscar-winning actress Tilda Swinton and Scottish playwright John Byrne. The Daily Beast identified Byrne as “Hollywood’s Next Big Thing” in the headline to its review, noting Byrne “delivers a jaw-dropping breakout performance as a young woman infatuated with a toxic older man.” Her character, a shy film student in London, is so infatuated — and so naive — that she continues the relationship with her paramour (played by Tom Burke), defying her mother as well as her concerned friends, as they all recognize signs of heroin addiction. Naturally, Byrne’s real-life mother assumes the same role in The Souvenir, further heightening its appeal. Opens Friday, May 24. Landmark’s E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. Call 202-452-7672 or visit www.landmarktheatres.com.
FLORENCE + THE MACHINE
Lead singer Florence Welch emerged sylph-like in a white diaphanous gown when she took the stage at the Anthem on the first leg of her band’s High as Hope Tour last fall. Wielding a songbook of gorgeously melodic, midtempo power-pop built to propel Welch’s soaring vocals, the band materialized a sort of sing-along, clap-along church with Florence as the twirling preacher woman channeling the evening’s “healing, juicy, feminine energy.” There were no pauses for costume changes, or grand effects. Welch’s powerful voice was the effect the audience wanted to experience. Fans at the front bestowed gifts upon her — she bestowed her own with a performance that was as piercing during the encore as on the first song. Florence stirred lyrics into a beckoning, while the Machine supplied a steady drumbeat and lush arrangements leaning on harp and strings. They return at the top of June for a show under the stars, kicking off with a set of mid-tempo, sultry, alt-R&B tunes from the queer-identified black music producer/songwriter Dev Hynes (Solange Knowles, Sky Ferreira) performed under his moniker Blood Orange. Monday, June 3. Gates at 6 p.m. Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Md. Tickets are $109.50 to $375, or $39.50 for lawn seats. Call 800-551-SEAT or visit www.merriweathermusic.com. (AH)
SUNDAY SUPPER BENEFIT AT UNION MARKET
Eight of the nation’s best chefs and culinary experts — half of them women — will prepare a Latin-inspired family-style feast for this annual event, a communal dining outing that helps boost women’s roles in the culinary field. Created and hosted by Union Market’s parent company Edens, Sunday Supper has become the primary fundraiser for the James Beard Foundation-run Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Program, a multifaceted initiative — originally spearheaded by Edens’ CEO Jodie W. McLean — that strives to boost the number and presence of women leaders in the food industry. This year’s 8th event will feature culinary creations from four women: chefs Mary Sue Milliken of Border Grill Restaurants (Los Angeles, Las Vegas), Daniela Moreira of Timber Pizza and Call Your Mother (D.C.), and Johanna Hellrigl of Bird’s Eye Coffee Bar & Eatery (D.C.), and acclaimed public TV host/cookbook author Pati Jinich of Pati’s Mexican Table. The event will also include dishes that will serve as a kind of preview of culinary attractions on tap when Union Market’s Latin American offshoot La Cosecha opens next month, with chefs Juan Manuel Barrientos of El Cielo (Miami, Bogota), Sebastian Quiroga of vegan-oriented Ali Pacha (Bolivia), Christian Irabien of Amparo Fondita (formerly of Oyamel), and Frederico Tishler of White Envelope Arepa + Ceviche Bar (Baltimore). The dinner program will be paired with wines curated by Latin wine shop Grand Cata, while a Cocktail Reception will offer specialty drinks from District Fishwife, Chaia, Colada Shop, Pervuian Brothers, La Casita, and Buffalo & Bergen. It all ends, naturally, on a sweet note or three, via a Dessert Reception with selections from Pluma, Buttercream Bakeshop, Kith & Kim, Arcay Chocolates, Dolcezza, and Ice Cream Jubilee. Sunday, June 2, starting at 5 p.m. Union Market, 1309 5th St. NE. Tickets are $275 per person. Visit www.unionmarketdc.com/sundaysupper.
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