FILM

INVISIBLE LIFE

A melodrama in the vein of Douglas Sirk. Karim Aïnouz’s Invisible Life won the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes and is Brazil’s official submission for Best Foreign Film at the upcoming 92nd Academy Awards. The focus is on two close-knit sisters cruelly separated at a young age by their conservative father and repressed in pursuing their dreams by patriarchal norms of Brazilian society. Opens Friday, Jan. 3. Opens Friday, Jan. 3. Area theaters. Visit www.fandango.com.

MYSTIFY: MICHAEL HUTCHENCE

Richard Lowenstein offers a through-the-looking-glass examination of the life, times, music, and mystery of the INXS frontman. The charming and charismatic Australian, an international superstar, died far too young, and Hutchence struggled with success and the creative limits of pop stardom even before a violent event fractured his sense of self and robbed him of his connection to life. Mystify weaves together rich images from an extraordinary archive of private home movies to delve beneath the public persona to give a full, intimate portrait of a complex sensation. Fathom Events screens the documentary one-night-only at cinemas across the country on Tuesday, Jan. 7, at 7 p.m. Area theaters including Regal venues at Gallery Place (701 7th St. NW), Potomac Yards Stadium (3575 Jefferson Davis Highway), and Majestic Stadium (900 Ellsworth Dr., Silver Spring). Visit www.fathomevents.com.

SMITHSONIAN THEATER’S OSCARS SPOTLIGHT: DOCUMENTARIES

The Warner Bros. Theater in the National Museum of American History continues to screen 15 documentary features that have been shortlisted for the 92nd annual Academy Awards. Up next in the series: The Edge of Democracy on Saturday, Jan. 4, at 1:35 p.m., For Sama on Saturday, Jan. 4, at 3:45 p.m., The Great Hack on Sunday, Jan. 5, at 1:50 p.m., Honeyland on Sunday, Jan. 5, at 3:55 p.m., Knock Down the House on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 2:20 p.m., Maiden on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 3:55 p.m., Midnight Family on Sunday, Jan. 12, at 2:20 p.m., and One Child Nation on Sunday, Jan. 12, at 3:55 p.m. 1300 Constitution Ave. NW. Tickets are $10 per film, or $75 for a Film Festival Package. Call 202-633-1000 or visit www.si.edu/theaters.

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

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

THE SONG OF NAMES

An adaptation of Norman Lebrecht’s novel, François Girard’s drama stars Tim Roth as Martin and Clive Owen as Dovidl, childhood friends from London whose lives are totally upended during World War II. The Song of Names follows as Martin goes on intercontinental search to find Dovidl, the one-time-budding virtuoso violinist, 35 years after becoming estranged. Opens Friday, Jan. 3. Landmark’s E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. Call 202-452-7672 or visit www.landmarktheatres.com. Also Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema, 7235 Woodmont Ave. Call 301-652-7273 or visit www.landmarktheatres.com.

STAGE

DISNEY’S NEWSIES

A band of underdogs become unlikely heroes when they stand up to the most powerful men in New York in this musical boasting a score by Alan Menken and Jack Feldman and a book by Harvey Fierstein, and based on a 1992 Disney film. Molly Smith directs. To Jan. 12. Fichandler Stage in the Mead Center for American Theater, 1101 6th St. SW. Call 202-488-3300 or visit www.arenastage.org.

EUREKA DAY

“How do you find consensus when you can’t agree on the facts? A comedy for our moment,” is how Mosaic Theater Company bills Jonathan Spector’s new play, set in a California private school whose progressive-minded, vaccine-flexible values are put to the test by a mumps outbreak. Serge Seiden directs Regina Aquino, Lise Bruneau, Erica Chamblee, Sam Lunay, and Elan Zafir. To Jan. 5. Lang Theatre in the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20 to $65. Call 202-399-7993 or visit www.atlasarts.org.

JAMES JOYCE’S THE DEAD

SCENA Theatre presents Richard Nelson and Shaun Davey’s Tony-winning musical adaptation of the classic short story by James Joyce that wrestles with themes of lost love and the search for meaning in life. Robert McNamara directs a production full of “drama, dance, and song,” and featuring a 13-member cast including Danielle Davy, Andrea Hatfield, Buck O’Leary, and Rosemary Reagan. To Jan. 12. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $15 to $50. Call 202-399-7993 or visit www.atlasarts.org.

JERSEY BOYS

One of the most successful jukebox musicals in history won four Tonys in 2006, including Best Musical. Far more style than substance, and stronger in song than in story, Jersey Boys nonetheless offers a parade of ’60s-era hits popularized by Franki Valli and the Four Seasons — including “Sherry,” “Walk Like A Man,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” and “December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night).” Closes Jan. 5. 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $54 to $114, plus fees. Call 202-628-6161 or visit www.thenationaldc.org.

MY FAIR LADY

The classic musical about a young Cockney lass who becomes a “proper lady” for an older, well-to-do man comes to new life in a Lincoln Center Theater production helmed by Bartlett Sher. Lerner & Loewe’s My Fair Lady features several gems that have become American Songbook standards, including “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “The Rain in Spain,” and “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly.” Now to Jan. 19. Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are $39 to $159. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

SINGING IN THE RAIN

The greatest movie musical of all time comes to life on stage, rain and all, in an Olney Theatre production directed by Marcos Santana and choreographed by Grady McLeod Bowman. To Jan. 5. Mainstage at 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, Md. Call 301-924-3400 or visit www.olneytheatre.org.

THE SNOW QUEEN

Virginia’s Synetic Theater offers a whimsical, movement-driven adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s beloved fairy tale, directed by Ryan Sellers and adapted by Emily Whitworth. Extended to Jan. 5. 1800 South Bell St., Arlington. Call 800-494-8497 or visit www.synetictheater.org.

COMMUNITY STAGE

QUADRILLE

Greenbelt Arts Center offers the East Coast premiere of Quadrille: A Romantic Play by San Francisco-based writer Melynda Kiring. Stephen Foreman directs a community cast bringing to life a “romantic fairy tale,” set in 1835, further described as “featuring romance, secret plots, good food, more secret plots, bad food, heroic duels, and plenty of perfectly prepared corn muffins.” Opens Friday, Jan.3. Talkback with the playwright after the Sunday, Jan. 5, show. Weekends to Jan. 19. Greenbelt Arts Center, 123 Centerway. Greenbelt, Md. Tickets are $22 to $24. Call 301-441-8770 or visit www.greenbeltartscenter.org.

THE FOREIGNER

Larry Shue’s 1984 comedy is set at a rural fishing lodge in Georgia, where two guests from England uncover some scandals among residents while also incurring the ire of white supremacists who seek their removal. Sherrionne Brown directs a community cast in a production from Baltimore’s Spotlights Theatre that tackles the xenophobia and racism still present today. Weekends to Jan. 12, with a talkback with director and cast after the performance on Sunday, Jan. 5. 817 St. Paul St. Tickets are $18 to $24. Call 410-752-1225 or visit www.spotlighters.org.

MUSIC

ALEXANDER PALEY

Originally from Moldova, the internationally heralded concert pianist Alexander Paley returns for his only annual concert in the D.C. area, showcased as part of the concert series presented by the Washington Conservatory of Music. The program includes Debussy’s 12 Etudes, Scriabin’s Sonata No. 5, and Ravel’s Suite Le Tombeau de Couperin. Saturday, Jan. 11, at 8 p.m. Westmoreland Congregational Church, 1 Westmoreland Circle, Bethesda. Suggested donation of $20. Call 301-320-2770 or visit www.washingtonconservatory.org.

AUDACITY BRASS BAND

The Wharf’s charmingly intimate Pearl Street Warehouse welcomes back a 10-piece powerhouse brass band from Richmond focused on merging the sounds of a New Orleans jazz ensemble with a rocking jam band for a modern funk-fusion twist. In the midst of working on new material and a followup to 2019’s The Chemically Imbalanced album, the Audacity Brass Band will perform its new single “Serenity” at this free D.C. concert. Saturday, Jan. 4. Doors at 7 p.m. 33 Pearl St. SW. Free. Call 202-380-9620 or visit www.pearlstreetwarehouse.com.

BLUE DOT JAZZ TROUPE

Rooted in the music of New Orleans, this modern rhythmic jazz ensemble mixes in blues, funk, Afro-Cuban, and pop to bring the signature American music genre to life in new and dynamic ways, with the intention of getting audiences moving and dancing. And since this past summer, they’ve been doing it three nights a week, performing live at Kramerbooks’ Afterwords Café, in the back of the venue, where patrons can enjoy late-night food as well as a host of literary-inspired cocktails and over 20 craft beers on tap. Thursdays from 9 to 11 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 10 p.m. to midnight. 1517 Connecticut Ave. NW. Call 202-387-3825 or visit www.kramers.com.

DEAN FORD AND THE BEAUTIFUL ONES

Virginia’s historic State Theatre presents a concert by a band from Maine that has spent the past decade performing in tribute to Prince in a way that is touted “as close as you will ever get to the real thing.” Dean Ford and company perform from the hit repertoire of the Purple One, including the Purple Rain album in its entirety. Saturday, Jan. 4, at 9 p.m. 220 North Washington St., Falls Church. Tickets are $15 to $18. Call 703-237-0300 or visit www.thestatetheatre.com.

DIANA ROSS WITH NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Maestro Emil de Cou helps give 2020 a Supreme boost in its second week with an NSO Pops program featuring Diana Ross. Ross performs from her hit-packed, decades-spanning career accompanied by the orchestra in concerts also featuring as special guest the Joyce Garrett Singers, the D.C. gospel choir that also performed in tribute to the living legend in 2007 at the 2007 Kennedy Center Honors. Thursday, Jan. 9, through Saturday, Jan. 11, at 8 p.m. Concert Hall. Tickets are $39 to $199. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO

The bisexual iconoclastic singer-songwriter returns to D.C. to perform in her hometown. Titled an “Exploration Through Geographical Memories,” the concert draws from Ndegeocello’s Ventriloquism, the 2018 Grammy-nominated set featuring covers of R&B and pop hits from the 1980s and 1990s — everything from Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam’s “I Wonder If I Take You Home” to George Clinton’s “Atomic Dog,” Sade’s “Smooth Operator” to Janet Jackson’s “Funny How Time Flies (When You’re Having Fun).” The result, as anyone with even passing familiarity with Ndegeocello’s prior output would expect, is a collection of imaginatively recreated songs often drastically different than their originals — and as far removed as it gets from the act that gives the album its title. The visionary vocalist and bassist will be joined by Federico Pena, Gene Lake, and Tarus Mateen. Thursday, Jan. 9, at 10 p.m., and Friday, Jan. 10, through Sunday, Jan. 12, at 8 and 10 p.m., Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Tickets are $56, plus $12 minimum purchase. Call 202-337-4141 or visit www.bluesalley.com.

MICHAEL HOOVER: MEMORIES OF ELVIS

On the day when Elvis Presley would have turned 85, the Birchmere presents a birthday tribute show from a D.C.-born, Virginia-based man who actually won a singing competition held over 40 years ago in Memphis that proclaimed him “The Best Elvis Tribute Artist In The World.” Hoover and his band are said to offer an expert re-creation of Presley’s stage presence. Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are $25. Call 703-549-7500 or visit www.birchmere.com.

NSO POPS, THE WASHINGTON CHORUS: GAME ON!

Hardly the typical night at the symphony, the focus is on the music of video games at this program featuring two of Washington’s leading classical music organizations conducted by game music legend Andy Brick. Hear concert premieres of symphonic arrangements of scores from a dozen blockbuster games, including The Witcher 3, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Bioshock, and Sid Meier’s Civilization series. Stunning in-game HD videos and never-before-seen concept art will accompany the performance. Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 8 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Tickets are $29 to $89. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

OORKAAN: GLIMPSE

The Dutch music compay Oorkaan transports young audiences to an enchanted world in which music, artists, images, and technology interact to explore questions such as: What do colors sound like? Who can understand the moon? How do you sing a tree? Jazzy melodies mix with bright visuals to form a captivating new way to relate to music and sounds and ideal for toddlers aged 2 and 4. Remaining, non-sold out performances are Wednesday, Jan. 8, and Thursday, Jan. 9, at 12:30 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 11, at 11 a.m. Kennedy Center Terrace Gallery. Tickets are $20. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

PASSPORT TO THE WORLD OF MUSIC 2020

Curated by Lynn Veronneau and Ken Avis of Wammie-winning jazz samba group Veronneau, the annual festival presented by Virginia’s Creative Cauldron celebrates the music and dance of cultures around the world, with performances by artists representing a broad spectrum of genres: folk to Latin, opera to bluegrass. The 2020 series kicks off the first weekend in January with a cabaret featuring local singing actor and pianist Mark G. Meadows and jazz vocalist Danielle Wertz on Saturday, Jan. 4, at 7:30 p.m., followed by a concert featuring the eight-member folk ensemble Shenandoah Run on Sunday, Jan. 5, at 7 p.m. The showcase picks up the next weekend with: the Ken & Brad Kolodner Trio, an old-time instrumental bluegrass father-and-son act plus guitarist Luke Chohany, on Friday, Jan. 10, at 7:30 p.m.; The Kennedys, the legendary folk-pop duo of Pete and Maura Kennedy that originated in D.C. but is now based in New York, on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 7:30 p.m., and Raymi, a D.C.-based band, led by Juan Cayrampoma, that performs traditional music from the Andes in South America, on Sunday, Jan. 12, at 7 p.m. The series continues to Feb. 1. ArtSpace Falls Church, 410 South Maple Ave. Tickets are $20 to $25, or $70 for tables of two with wine, $140 for tables of four with wine. Call 703-436-9948 or visit www.creativecauldron.org.

SCYTHIAN

A headliner on the US Celtic Festival Circuit, the D.C.-based ensemble, known for its high-energy folk music, was founded by brothers Alexander and Danylo Fedoryka, first-generation sons of Ukranian immigrants. Scythian plays “old time, good time music” of many cultures. They next perform a hometown show courtesy of All Good Presents. Saturday, Jan. 4. Doors at 6:30 p.m. The Hamilton, 600 14th St. NW. Tickets are $25 to $30. Call 202-787-1000 or visit www.thehamiltondc.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 continues to tour behind 2017’s An American in Havana, a collection of original songs inspired and colored by her recent travels to Cuba. Werner will be joined by Havana-born percussionist Mayra Casales. Saturday, Jan. 11. Doors at 6 p.m. Jammin Java, 227 Maple Ave. E. Vienna. Tickets are $20 to $28. Call 703-255-3747 or visit www.jamminjava.com.

THE INSERIES: LE CABARET DE CARMEN

Bizet’s famed opera Carmen comes to life in a unique and intimate tango-cabaret experience led by the In Series’ young and innovative new director Timothy Nelson. Cara Gonzalez performs as the intoxicating and immortal titular chanteuse accompanied by the More Tango Quartet and with musical direction from Emily Baltzer. The cast, performing in French with English super-titles, also features Brian Arreola as Don Jose, Kelly Curtin as Micaela, Alex Albequerque as Escamillo, Kyle Dunn as Host, and Lydia Gladstone as Madame Pastia. The concert comes with a warning, “Parental Advisory: Explicit Content.” Opens Saturday, Jan. 4. Post-Show Q&A is Sunday, Jan. 5. Runs to Jan. 19. Source, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets are $21 to $46, or $31 to $56 for Opening Night & Celebration. Call 202-204-7763 or visit www.inseries.org.

WHO’S BAD: THE ULTIMATE TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL JACKSON

Founded over a decade ago in North Carolina, Vamsi Tadepalli’s band didn’t explode in popularity until after the King of Pop’s death in 2009. Ever since, this infectious tribute production has regularly offered fans a treat, putting on a show recreating Jackson’s precise synchronized dance routines, in full regalia, from glitzy jackets to glittery gloves. Saturday, Jan. 11. Doors at 7 p.m. Baltimore Soundstage, 124 Market Place. Tickets are $18. Call 410-244-0057 or visit www.baltimoresoundstage.com.

WNO’S AMERICAN OPERA INITIATIVE: THE NEW 20-MINUTE OPERAS

“Catch a glimpse into the future of opera” reads the tagline for the Washington National Opera’s commissioning program for contemporary American opera, now in its eighth season. This year’s festival includes three short operas, staged in a world-premiere concert performance and featuring WNO’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists accompanied by a small chamber orchestra comprised of musicians from the WNO Orchestra. The three operas, performed in English with each highlighting a different aspect of American life and culture, are: Woman of Letters, about the dreams of a young girl being raised by a first-generation New York immigrant and widower, with music by Liliya Ugay and libretto by Sokunthary Svay; Admissions, about a well-to-do American family swept up in the ripped-from-the-headlines college-admissions scandal, with music by Michael Lanci and a libretto by Kim Davies; and Night Trip, about the harsh realities a young African-American girl from Chicago confronts on a visit to her relatives in 1950s-era rural Tennessee, with music by Carlos Simon and a libretto by Sandra Seaton. Performances are Friday, Jan. 11, at 7 and 9 p.m. Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Tickets are $19 to $35. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

WILL LIVERMAN, KEN NODA

A Wolf Trap Opera alum, baritone singer Liverman returns for a recital as part of the Chamber Music series at the Barns at Wolf Trap. Ken Noda will accompany on piano as Liverman sings from Winterreise, Schubert’s iconic journey through the icy regions of the Self. Sunday, Jan. 12, at 3 p.m. 1635 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $42. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit www.wolftrap.org.

DANCE

STEP AFRIKA!: STEP XPLOSION, DRUMFOLK

Strathmore welcomes back the professional dance troupe founded by C. Brian Wiliams and focused on stepping, the high-energy, percussive style of dance that originated with African-American fraternities and sororities. This year’s program begins with performances by six of the finest step squads around, ranging from Dem Raider Boyz of Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Md., to the Cook Hall Step Team from Howard University. Yet the showcase is on a portion of a new work commissioned by Strathmore that honors the heritage of step and puts the vibrant art form in historical context. Drumfolk reflects on the harsh realities of the American South while celebrating the fortitude of enslaved Africans who practiced percussive traditions such as patting juba, hambone, ring shout, and tap — all antecedents of step. Sunday, Jan. 12, at 5 p.m. Music Center, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $35 to $75. Call 301-581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.

COMEDY

50 FIRST JOKES

Underground Comedy presents the 5th annual D.C. edition of a multi-city comedy event, a showcase with the descriptive tagline: “50 Comics. One Mega Show. 1st New Joke of the New Year.” The fun, fast, and loose show features a mixture of established comedians along with promising up-and-comers, all of whom will share a new joke they’ve written since the ball dropped on 2020. Wednesday, Jan. 8. Doors at 7:30 p.m. Drafthouse Comedy, 1100 13th St. NW. Tickets are $5. Call 202-750-6411 or visit www.drafthousecomedy.com.

CHARLES ROSS: ONE-MAN STRANGER THINGS: A PARODY

Over the years this nerdy comedian has patented a brand of irreverent, succinct parodies of popular science fiction/fantasy franchises, everything from One-Man Star Wars Trilogy to One-Man Lord of the Rings to One-Man Dark Knight. These CliffsNotes-esque theatrical shows include plenty of pop culture references and side-jokes to broaden the appeal beyond their core fan bases. Ross returns to the Birchmere with his newest enterprise, a parody of the hit Netflix series Stranger Things. Sunday, Jan. 5, at 7:30 p.m. 3701 Mount Vernon Ave. Tickets are $35. Call 703-549-7500 or visit www.birchmere.com.

THE SECOND CITY: SHE THE PEOPLE: THE RESISTANCE CONTINUES!

An all-female team from Chicago’s sketch comedy troupe once again roasts the patriarchy, modern politics, and pop culture in a new show building on last year’s blockbuster success at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Directed by Carly Heffernan, She The People: The Resistance Continues! satirizes today’s world, exploding myths and misrepresentations surrounding body positivity, bachelorettes, Beyoncé, and the 2020 elections. To Jan. 5. 641 D St. NW. Call 202-393-3939 or visit www.woollymammoth.net.

MURDER MYSTERY COMEDY SHOW: THE NEWLY DEAD GAME

The audience is asked to solve a murder in a new show from Die Laughing Productions. The setup: The audience is part of a taping of the popular game show Clash of the Couples, where one couple will win it all and one contestant will lose the game — and his “life.” 98 Rock morning show host Justin Schegel and Comedy Central’s Rob Maher will lead this interactive whodunit in which willing volunteers will fill some roles in the show and all audience members will guess who the murderer is, with correct guesses rewarded with “something new and shiny.” Saturday, Jan. 4. Doors at 6:30 p.m. The Wine Garden at City Winery DC, 1350 Okie St. NE. Tickets are $22. Call 202-250-2531 or visit www.citywinery.com.

WASHINGTON IMPROV THEATER: ROAD SHOW

D.C.’s leading troupe for longform improv offers its annual “wintry mix” of vignettes featuring different ensembles, with each plot developed on-the-fly, spurred by a single audience suggestion. Each show is different, but all offer a grab bag of spontaneous comedy and long-form improv, including the all-female-identifying group Hellcat, the slyly named all-African-American group Lena Dunham, the improvising playwrights of iMusical, and the improvised rockers in Heavy Rotation. Now to Feb. 2. District of Columbia Arts Center (DCAC), 2438 18th St. NW. Tickets are $15 to $18. Call 202-462-7833 or visit www.witdc.org.

READINGS & DISCUSSIONS

BITE YOUR TONGUE: THE UNHOSPITABLE EDITION

Next weekend sees the premiere of a women-focused “Night of Storytelling” speaker series from Bite Your Tongue, or BYT, a new outfit co-founded by Sara Polon of Soupergirl, Doron Petersan of vegan bakery Sticky Fingers, and Anna Valero of Drink The District, Kraken Axes, and Hook Hall. Co-produced by Story District, the series launches with a lineup of “D.C.’s Foodie Women” sharing personal stories about starting and running some of the area’s top bakeries, breweries, and food companies. The lineup also includes Violeta Edelman, co-founder and co-CEO of Dolcezza Gelato & Coffee; Sarah Frimpong, CEO and co-founder of grab-and-go food company Wellfound Foods; Sarah Gordon, co-founder of Gordy’s Pickle Jar; Jenna Huntsberger, founder of online bakery Whisked! D.C.; and Julie Verratti, co-owner of Maryland’s Denizens Brewing Company. The show in the new Hook Hall event space in D.C.’s Park View neighborhood will start with a live performance by local band One Lane Bridge. Proceeds from the event will go toward N Street Village and the nonprofit’s work in empowering homeless and low-income women in D.C. Saturday, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m. 3400 Georgia Ave. NW. Tickets are $20. Call 202-629-4339 or visit www.bytongue.com.

DANIEL J. LEVITIN: SUCCESSFUL AGING

The celebrated neuroscientist behind insightful bestsellers including This Is Your Brain on Music and The Organized Mind returns with an examination of what happens in our brains as we age. Drawing from neuroscience as well as cognitive psychology, Successful Aging shares scientific lessons about how to age joyously — with a particular focus on what we all can do today to help make the most of our senior years — as well as how our culture should adapt to take full advantage of older people’s wisdom and experience. Thursday, Jan. 9, at 6:30 p.m. Kramerbooks, 1517 Connecticut Ave. NW. Call 202-387-1400 or visit www.kramers.com.

PEGGY ORENSTEIN: BOYS & SEX

The bestelling author and contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine was a provocative pioneer with the book Girls & Sex, which launched conversations about young women’s right to pleasure and agency in sexual encounters. Now she returns to explore how our culture’s binary gender norms and sterotypes impact those born male in Boys & Sex, with the subtitle Young Men on Hookups, Love Porn, Consent, and Navigating the New Masculinity. Orenstein will be in conversation with Debra Hauser of Advocates for Youth. Thursday, Jan. 9, at 7 p.m. Solid State Books, 600 H St. NE. Call 897-4201 or visit www.solidstatebooksdc.com.

PEGGY WALLACE KENNEDY: THE BROKEN ROAD: GEORGE WALLACE AND A DAUGHTER’S JOURNEY TO RECONCILIATION

The daughter of infamous Southern segregationist George Wallace has earned the Rosa Parks Legacy Award from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference for her lifelong pursuit of racial reconciliation. The Broken Road is a clear-eyed and insightful memoir about her life in relation to her father, who had a late-life recantation of his supremacist views. Wallace Kennedy will discuss her new book in conversation with Diane McWhorter, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Carry Me Home. Tuesday, Jan. 7, at 7 p.m. Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. Call 202-364-1919 or visit www.politics-prose.com.

ART & EXHIBITS

THE TOUCH OF COLOR: PASTELS AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

Known for its brilliant colors and its delicate, velvety texture, pastel is one of the most colorful and versatile materials in the history of art. The medium’s history, from the Renaissance to today, is on display via 64 exquisite examples drawn entirely from the National Gallery of Art’s permanent collection, yet they are rarely exhibited due to the fragility of pastel as a medium. Featured in the exhibition are works by Rosalba Carriera, Edgar Degas, James McNeill Whistler, Henri Matisse, and Roy Lichtenstein. Now to Jan. 26. Ground Floor, East Outer Tier in the West Building, 6th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Free. Call or visit www.nga.gov.

6 @ 35: CELEBRATING WASHINGTON SCULPTORS GROUP’S 35TH ANNIVERSARY

The Zenith Gallery toasts the 35th anniversary of an organization that supports area sculptors by collaborating with other arts organizations, helping develop careers and exhibiting artwork. The latest exhibition in Zenith’s downtown Sculpture Space highlights six member artists of the Washington Sculptors Group, selected by a jury comprised of Sandy Bellamy, the official art curator for D.C.’s public buildings, art critic and curator Nancy Nesvet, and Zenith’s Margery Goldberg. The six artists with works on display are Luc Fiedler, Allen Linder, Mitra Lore, Vienne Rea, Gil Ugiansky, and Wilfredo Valladares. To Jan. 4. 1111 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Call 202-783-2963 or visit www.zenithgallery.com.

10X10 INVITATIONAL

A hand-picked group of roughly 100 regional and national artists have donated nearly 200 works for the fifth annual exhibition at Maryland’s Pyramid Atlantic Art Center. Every artwork is different, ranging in styles from prints to paintings to mixed-media, but all are the same size — 10 x 10 inches — and all are available at the same price: $50. The invitational is billed as a great opportunity for collectors of all levels to get interesting pieces by talented artists at a remarkable price, or at least serve as original holiday gifts. It’s also a constantly rotating stock, with new pieces put on display as works sell from the second floor gallery in Pyramid, the nonprofit contemporary art center located in the historic Arcade building in Hyattsville’s Gateway Arts District. Through Jan. 5. 4318 Gallatin Street. Call 301-608-9101 or visit www.pryamidatlanticartcenter.org.

A MONUMENT TO SHAKESPEARE

A temporary exhibition highlighting how Henry Clay Folger and his wife Emily Folger set out to create their shrine to the Bard as a gift, in 1932, to the American people — examining the Folger Shakespeare Library’s architecture and looking to its future. To Jan. 5. 201 East Capitol St. SE. Call 202-544-7077 or visit www.folger.edu.

EXHIBITION OF FINE ARTS IN MINIATURE

Strathmore hosts the 86th annual show featuring more than 700 intricately detailed works of art, painstakingly produced in miniature. The exhibition, presented by the Miniature Painters, Sculptors, and Gravers Society of Washington, D.C., draws viewers into a concentrated universe that traces it roots to the 7th century. To Jan. 5. The Mansion at Strathmore, 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda. Call 301-581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.

MANIFESTO: ART X AGENCY

More than 100 works of art and ephemera created over the past century are currently on display in this group exhibition at the Hirshhorn. The specific focus is on artist manifestos and their impact, exploring how artists have used these statements of principles or theories to engage with the political and social issues of their time, including the present day. Manifesto: Art X Agency is named after a multichannel film by German artist Julian Rosefeldt that features actress Cate Blanchett performing excerpts from some of the great manifestos of the past century. Dating to 2015, Rosefeldt’s film makes its Hirshhorn debut as part of the exhibition, which is mostly comprised of seminal works from the museum’s permanent collection made by Alexander Calder, Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, Jackson Pollock, Guerrilla Girls, Adrian Piper, Nam June Paik, and Glenn Ligon. To Jan. 5. Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW. Call 202-633-1000 or visit www.hirshhorn.si.edu.

RIGHTFULLY HERS: AMERICAN WOMEN AND THE VOTE

The National Archives Museum highlights the hard-won victories that stemmed from the Women’s Suffrage movement, chief among these the passage 100 years ago of the 19th Amendment. The temporary exhibition also explores the story of the diversity of American women’s experiences and their impact on history. To Jan. 3. The Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery, Constitution Avenue and 9th Streets NW. Call 202-357-5000 or visit www.archivesfoundation.org.

SEASON’S GREENINGS: AMERICA’S GARDENS

This year’s annual holiday show at the U.S. Botanic Garden showcases iconic scenes from 24 of the nation’s botanic gardens, from Hawaii to Maine. Plant-based recreations bring to life everything from Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s vibrant red Japanese torii gate, to the flamingo topiaries of Franklin Park Conservatory in Ohio, to the NASA space nodes and rockets of the Rocket Garden in Alabama’s Huntsville Botanical Garden. In addition, the Garden Court features the traditional collection of plant-based D.C. landmarks, including a botanical replica of Washington’s Union Station, while the West Gallery features a decorated tree with its own model train. Also on view throughout the conservatory are thousands of blooms, including a showcase of heirloom and newly developed poinsettia varieties. To Jan. 5. 100 Maryland Ave. SW. Call 202-225-8333 or visit www.usbg.gov.

SHADES OF PASTEL

Artists from around the nation who work in pastels are represented in this biennial juried exhibition from the Maryland Pastel Society. Soft pastels have a high concentration of pigment, resulting in intense hues in an extensive range of colors, from earth tones to vibrant shades. To Jan. 5. The Mansion at Strathmore, 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda. Call 301-581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.

STEPHEN BENEDICTO

Works by the D.C.-based abstract fine artist are next up to be featured at Art14, the seasonal art series at the Coldwell Banker Dupont/Logan office on 14th Street NW. Benedicto creates works that are unique, dynamic, multidisciplinary, and polymathic, combining traditional hand-made practices with automated systems and machine-rendered designs, all intended “to express the complex ideas of fetishism, transhumanism, and the design of self.” Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, 1617 14th St. NW. Call 202-387-6180 or visit www.facebook.com/CBRBDupont.

VOTES FOR WOMEN: A PORTRAIT OF PERSISTENCE

The American suffragist movement’s most influential leaders — Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton among them — are, of course, prominently featured in this special exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. Yet Votes for Women takes pains to shine a spotlight on the many lesser-known, or at least less-heralded, women and organizations — many of them African-American — who helped advance the voting cause in tandem with efforts to abolish slavery, fight racism, or promote civil rights. Such a list includes Ida B. Wells, Mary McLeod Bethune, Lucy Stone of the American Woman Suffrage Association, and Mary Church Terrell, founder of the National Association of Colored Women. To Jan. 5. 8th and F Streets. NW. Call 202-633-8300 or visit www.npg.si.edu.

ABOVE AND BEYOND

ELVIS’ BIRTHDAY FIGHTCLUB

Elvis Presley hosts an underground fight club in what is billed as a comically lowbrow theater event from Astro Pop Events (Countdown to Yuri’s Night). Now in its 10th year, the production features the King accompanied by sardonic sidekick Kittie Glitter, plus “a little more conversation” in the form of hilarious color commentary during seven comical, choreographed matchups full of cartoon-like violence and below-the-belt comedy, as burlesque dancers keep the audience “all shook up” between fights. Friday, Jan. 3, at 7:30 and 10 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 4, at 7:30 and 10 p.m. GALA Theatre at Tivoli Square, 3333 14th St. NW. Tickets are $28 to $38 plus fees. Call 202-234-7174 or visit www.astropopevents.com. Also Friday, Jan. 17, at 7:30 and 10 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 18, at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Creative Alliance at the Patterson, 3134 Eastern Ave. Baltimore. Tickets are $28. Call 410-276-1651 or visit www.creativealliance.org.

KLEZMER BRUNCH WITH SETH KIBEL

The Washington Jewish Music Festival reprises its popular bi-monthly event of klezmer music and a kosher buffet at the newly renovated Edlavitch Jewish Community Center on 16th Street. Seth Kibel and fellow musicians perform new arrangements of traditional Eastern European/Jewish melodies as well as original songs drawing upon jazz, classical, world beat, rock and other genres for an entertaining blend of music. Sunday, Jan. 5, at 11 am. Community Hall at 1529 16th St. NW. Tickets are $15 for the concert only, $30 for concert and brunch, or $35 for Mimosa brunch and concert. Call 202-777-3247 or visit www.jxjdc.org.

THE DC BIG FLEA & ANTIQUES MARKET

The Dulles Expo Center once again plays host to what is billed as the Mid-Atlantic’s largest indoor antique and collectibles flea market, with booths offering unique, quality antiques for home and office. This is not the flea market of yore, but one where you can find sophisticated, sleek, and sturdy furniture and designs, from fine antiques to vintage clothing and handbags to mid-century modern artworks. Saturday, Jan. 4, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 5, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 4320 Chantilly Shopping Center, Chantilly, Va. Admission is $10 for both days. Call 757-430-4735 or visit www.thebigfleamarket.com.

THREE KINGS DAY CELEBRATION AT GALA

For more than 42 years, GALA Hispanic Theatre has wrapped up the holiday season and launched a new year with Fiesta de los Reyes Magos. The timeless tale of the Magi is presented in a bilingual presentation of song, dance, and storytelling and featuring Eduardo Perdomo as Balthasar, Héctor Diaz as Caspar, and Quique Avilés as Melchior. Additional performers include Honduran singer Maria Isolina, the Mexican youth dance company Los Quetzalitos, and the Afro-Peruvian youth music group Grupo Rompe Cajón. Pedro Biaggi serves as Master of Ceremonies. Sunday, Jan. 5, at 2 p.m., preceded at 1:30 p.m. by a posada, or procession, with the Three Kings and live animals — donkeys, goats, and sheep — on the corner of Park Road and 14th Street NW. Tivoli Square, 3333 14th St. NW. Free. Call 202-234-7174 or visit www.galatheatre.org.