Spotlight: Upcoming events in D.C. — March 1-7
Auntie Mame
Every gay man should see this 1958 comedy in which Rosalind Russell gives one of her best performances as a Manhattan socialite who becomes caretaker and mentor to her young nephew Patrick. To be raised by such a fabulous and urbane woman in such a queer, colorful, and decadent demimonde as Mame’s is the stuff of a gay boy’s dream. Throw in hilarious repartee, cutting remarks, and witty banter, and it’s no mystery why Auntie Mame remains a classic with impeccable gay appeal. Wednesday, March 7, at 1:30, 4:30, and 7:30 p.m. 2301 M St. NW. Happy hour from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 to $12.50. Call 202-534-1907 or visit landmarktheatres.com.
Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill
Virginia’s Creative Cauldron is the latest company to put its spin on one of today’s most popularly produced shows, a celebration of one of the greatest jazz singers of all time. Matt Conner directs Helen Hayes Award winner Iyona Blake (Caroline, or Change) in Lanie Robertson’s play with music recreating one of Billie Holiday’s final performances, four months before her death. Mark Meadows accompanies Blake as Holiday’s pianist. In previews. Closes Sunday, March 4. ArtSpace Falls Church, 410 South Maple Ave. in Falls Church. Tickets are $20 to $30. Call 703-436-9948 or visit creativecauldron.org.
David Archuleta
In 2007, Archuleta almost won American Idol at the age of 16, but ended up runner-up behind David Cook. He then took two years off to do Mormon missionary work in Chile and released a handful of albums. Most interesting of them all is Forevermore, which features covers of Filipino songs and was released exclusively in the Philippines. His current world supports his sixth studio set Postcards in the Sky, last year in Manila. Monday, March 5, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are $29.50. Call 703-549-7500 or visit birchmere.com.
Little Big Town
Last year, the great country/rock band Little Big Town became the first act in history to have a residency at Nashville’s famed Ryman Auditorium. Now, the Alabama-rooted quartet of Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook tours in support of its eighth studio set, The Breaker, featuring the powerful ballad “Better Man” that Taylor Swift wrote for the band with its trademark four-part vocal harmonies in mind. Opening is Kacey Musgraves, a standout pro-LGBTQ country hitmaker (“Follow Your Arrow”) who will offer a preview of tracks from her forthcoming Golden Hour. Saturday, March 3. Doors at 6:30 p.m. The Anthem, 901 Wharf St. SW. Tickets are $75 to $369. Call 202-265-0930 or visit theanthemdc.com.
Shostakovich’s ‘leningrad’ Symphony
As the story goes, Dmitri Shostakovich had written all but the last movement to his wartime Seventh Symphony, dubbed “The Leningrad,” when the Nazis invaded his city and he had to flee. As big and bombastic as classical gets, The Leningrad is a kind of all-out aural assault with one of the loudest finales in the composer’s repertoire — ending with 21 brass instruments, double cymbals, and brass choir. Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts The Philadelphia Orchestra. Tuesday, March 6, at 8 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $65 to $110. Call 301-581-5100 or visit washingtonperformingarts.org.
Meg Schaap: Marie Antoinette
An intimate portrait of France’s iconic queen in works by the Maryland-based Dutch artist. The show depicts a metamorphosing queen breaking free through “wallpaper” frame, customs, and norms of her time period. Through the use of fashion magazines, gold leaf, pearls, diamonds, and acrylic paint, Schaap presents Marie Antoinette in a bold, brightly colored, and strongly feminine way. Opening Reception is Friday, March 2, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Meet the Artist/Artist Talk is Sunday, March 25, from 1 to 3 p.m. On display through April 1. 901 New York Ave. NW Call 202-347-2787 or visit touchstonegallery.com.
Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story
Hedy Lamarr was once known as the world’s most beautiful woman. But she was far more than just a pretty face: in 2014, Lamarr was enshrined in the National Inventors Hall of Fame for helping develop the technology behind Bluetooth, as well as an early version of Wi-Fi. Alexandra Dean’s documentary sheds new light on the Old Hollywood star, an Austrian Jewish immigrant to the U.S. who became a trailblazing inventor in her quest to help defeat the Nazis. Newly unearthed audio tapes of Lamarr speaking about her life are interspersed with reflections from her family, friends, and admirers, including Mel Brooks and Robert Osborne. Opens Friday, March 2. Landmark’s E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. Call 202-452-7672 or visit landmarktheatres.com.
Outliers And American Vanguard Art
Outsider art, made by self-taught Americans in the 20th century, is about as anti-establishment as it gets. This unusual exhibition of 250 works created by more than 80 artists in a range of media is billed as the first major exhibition to explore how this style of art — also known as folk, primitive, naive, or visionary — came to challenge traditional hierarchies and question prevailing assumptions about art and artmaking as well as the role of the artist in contemporary culture. To May 13. An Evenings at the Edge after-hours program is set for Thursday, March 8, from 6 to 9 p.m., featuring Lonnie Holley, an exhibition artist and improvisatory experimental musician, plus hands-on art-making, pop-up talks, and light fare and drinks available for purchase. Concourse Galleries in the East Building, 3rd Street at Constitution Avenue NW. Free, but registration is required for the Evenings at the Edge program. Call 202-737-4215 or visit nga.gov.
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