Out On the Town

ADDICTION INCORPORATED
Charles Evans Jr. directs this documentary that aims to go beyond what you think you already know about Big Tobacco. Addiction Incorporated talks to the ''safer cigarette'' scientist Victor DeNoble, who first blew the whistle on the industry's secretive efforts to develop a ''maximally addictive'' product, as well as Steven C. Parrish, a former executive and lawyer for Philip Morris, and Jeffrey Wigand, the subject of The Insider. The film explores not only how Big Tobacco got so big, but also what the industry's next move may be. Opens Friday, Feb. 3. Landmark's E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. Call 202-452-7672 or visit landmarktheatres.com.

ALBERT NOBBS

Albert Nobbs should work. Hell, it already did work on stage thirty years ago when Glenn Close raked in off-Broadway acclaim and first aspired to put the story on film, so why not again? Close is a brilliant actress, working with a familiar role in a familiar medium. Shouldn't that enough to get Nobbs good? This conceit -- women masquerading as men in 19th-century Ireland -- sounds compelling, but tempts director Rodrigo Garcia with an awful lot of issues. In 113 minutes, he crams poverty issues, class tension, dreams of America, an outbreak of scarlet fever, drunken cons, and some rotten medical attention into Nobbs, seemingly to remind us again and again that life can be unbelievably shitty. Save for Janet McTeer's Hubert Page, though, there's barely a whiff of flavor in this wallowing pit of miasma. You want to know why Albert Nobbs is no good? It, like its title character, is so caught up in its own drama, it never bothers to fill in the blanks. Now playing. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com. (Chris Heller)

BIG MIRACLE
Save the whales, save the world – at least, that's the gist of Ken Kwapis's film starring The Office's John Krasinski as an Alaskan newsman and Drew Barrymore as an environmentalist. Together, the former lovers work to rally support for freeing trapped whales among a motley crew: Russian and American officials, Inuit natives and oil company representatives. Might the two reconnect once they succeed in the cause, even putting a momentary thaw in the Cold War? As one famous Alaskan would say, you betcha! Opens Friday, Feb. 3. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com.

CHRONICLE
A trio of socially awkward teens develops incredible powers via a mysterious substance in this teen action flick from director Jay Alaimo. In the end, nothing good can come from mysterious substances in Hollywood: Don't say you weren't warned! Opens Friday, Feb. 3. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com. Reviewed in this issue.

EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE

Adapted from the Jonathan Safran Foer novel of the same name, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close follows Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn), a precocious boy genius who loses his father Thomas (Tom Hanks) during the World Trade Center attacks. But don't believe for a second that director Stephen Daldry's film, which also stars Sandra Bullock, is intended to be anything but entertainment. It doesn't make you think or question. It doesn't challenge you. It milks your tears, only to step away, giving you a sterile space to compose yourself. It's emotional manipulation of the most condescending order. Now playing. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com. (Chris Heller)

PARIAH

Pariah is the finest coming-of-age movie to find its way into theaters in years. The story, or at least a part of it, is inspired by writer and director Dee Rees's own. But Pariah is not autobiographical, and it's the better for it. Under the protective umbrella of fiction, Rees explores all sorts of conflict removed from her own life -- domestic violence, especially. And that's the brilliance of Pariah; it turns a gay-friendly movie into a story about identity. Anyone who had difficult teenage years -- which, let's face it, means everybody -- can relate to Alike (Adepero Oduye), can see a reflection of themselves in her wet, sad eyes. Rees balances Oduye's careful act with gorgeous camerawork, shooting behind corners and framing characters between everyday props to ground each scene in an urban reality. And when coupled with the cast's stellar acting, Pariah delivers that message with such unrelenting clarity that it's hard not to be impressed. Now playing. Landmark's E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. Call 202-452-7672 or visit landmarktheatres.com. (Chris Heller)

SHAME

Plenty will be made about Shame's adults-only rating, no doubt. Will Shame legitimize NC-17 movies? (No.) Was it necessary to see actor Michael Fassbender, um, Fassbend-her? (Yes.) Does composer Harry Escott really score an orchestral rendition of an orgy? (Sadly, yes, and it's as painful as you'd guess.) The truth is that director Steve McQueen's Shame doesn't merit any titles as an innovative film -- it's got dicks and tits, but it's not crusading for their cause. And while it's interested in the destructive affects of anonymous sex and pornography, to be sure, it's too overwrought to wallop any emotional punches. An understandably tragic story becomes something over-the-top and absolutely self-interested. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com. (Chris Heller)

THE DESCENDANTS

At its heart, The Descendants, adapted from a Kaui Hart Hemmings novel by director Alexander Payne (Election, Sideways) is about perception and reality, and how one smashes the other into soft little pieces. Gorgeous footage of Hawaiian beaches and countryside fades into urban sprawl and congestion. A moment of waterskiing bliss for Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie) gets replaced by a husk of a woman with a hole in her throat. And then there's Matt King (Geroge Clooney), who lives comfortably in Hawaii, but he's seen standing in a hospital room, staring at his comatose wife, demanding, "Who are you?" The Descendants is a movie about what families are stuck with, and how, one way or another, they manage to figure it out. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com. (Chris Heller)

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is downright thrilling to watch. David Fincher has taken a compelling murder mystery and swaddled it in his standard gloomy cloths; while it's obvious that he's not its father, he's done plenty to leave his mark. Fincher's latest foray into feature-length, pulpy crime is many things -- an indictment against violent misogyny, a slow-burning whodunit, a set piece for stellar character acting -- and to its credit, Dragon Tattoo is very good at all of them. The unrecognized star of the film, though, is the score. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who also scored The Social Network, pull together another spectacularly textured collection of sound under Fincher's watch. If murder, as one character says in the film, is "a science of 1,000 details," the same, morbidly enough, describes Fincher's films. With Dragon Tattoo, he gets 999 of them right -- and for that, there's no shame in rounding up. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com. (Chris Heller)

THE WOMAN IN BLACK
Daniel Radcliffe stars in James Watkins's supernatural thriller, set in a haunted house. Radcliffe plays a man sent to a remote village to help settle up the affairs of a late client. Will he make it back alive? Enter at your own risk. Opens Friday, Feb. 3. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com. STAGE

AMELIA
In honor of its 25th anniversary as well as the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the Washington Stage Guild presents the world premiere of an epic Civil War romance, about a heroic woman determined to rescue her wounded husband from a prison camp. Alex Webb wrote the play. Bill Largess directs. Extended to Feb. 12. Undercroft Theatre of Mount Vernon United Methodist Church, 900 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Tickets are $40 to $50. Call 240-582-0050 or visit stageguild.org.

BLOOD WEDDING
The plucky Constellation Theatre presents gay playwright Federico García Lorca's Blood Wedding, about Spanish lovers who fall victim to families at war. Shirley Serotsky directs a production with translation by British playwright Tanya Ronder and original music by another playwright Mariano Vales. The music will be performed by flamenco guitarist Behzad Habibzai and the show's actors, including Deirdra LaWan Starnes, Dylan Myers, Victoria Reinsel and Mark Halpern. Now in previews. To March 4. Source, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets $20 to $40. Call 800-494-8497 or visit ConstellationTheatre.org.

CARRIE FISHER'S WISHFUL DRINKING
Not many people can say that Meryl Streep played them on screen, but Carrie Fisher can – the hysterical 1990 film Postcards from The Edge was based on her 1980s autobiography. Since then, the daughter of singer Eddie Fisher and Hollywood star Debbie Reynolds – not to mention Princess Leia of Star Wars – has created a hilarious one-woman stage play – which she describes as ''talking about myself behind my back.'' Now to Feb. 12. Hippodrome Theatre, 12 North Eutaw St., Baltimore. Tickets are $35 to $69.50. Call 410-547-SEAT or visit BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com.

DEVIL BOYS FROM BEYOND
Landless Theater Company's latest campy cartoon character romp (after Cannibal! The Musical) is said to be a hybrid of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and His Girl Friday with a dose of Dynasty — with ''drag queen cat fights and scantily clad cute boys'' and set in the 1950s in Lizard Lick, Fla. Buddy Thomas and Kenneth Elliott wrote this play, winner of a 2008 FringeNYC Overall Excellence Award. Heather Bagnall Scheeler directs. Opens Friday, Feb. 3, at 7:30 p.m. To Feb. 26. DCAC, 2438 18th St. NW. Tickets are $25. Call 202-431-4704 or visit dcartscenter.org.

ELECTILE DYSFUNCTION: THE KINSEY SICKS FOR PRESIDENT!
Subtitled ''Because Sometimes It's Hard Being a Republican,'' this is the official launch of the Kinsey Sicks's campaign to become the first Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet to win the Republican nomination for President. No, not really. But heck, if Herman Cain can be taken seriously, even if for just a couple weeks, well, why not the Sicks? Opens in previews Saturday, Feb. 4, at 8 p.m. To Feb. 19. The Aaron & Cecile Goldman Theater, Washington, D.C.'s Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW. Tickets are $30 to $60. Call 202-518-9400 or visit washingtondcjcc.org.

ELEPHANT ROOM
Absurdist performance duo Rainpan 43 and magician Steve Cuiffo create a new theatrical event filled with bizarre magic and sublime comedy that the Village Voice has called "enchantingly goofy…strangely amazing." Paul Lazar directs this Arena Stage co-production with the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival. To Feb. 26. Mead Center for American Theater, 1101 6th St. SW. Call 202-488-3300 or visit arenastage.org.

HAIRSPRAY

After six years on Broadway, national tours and a splashy big-screen adaptation, how much charm could be left in the Charm City of the musical Hairspray? More than you might expect in Signature's new production, as long as you don't expect it from the usual source: the leads. Neither public broadcasting personality Robert Aubry Davis, making his musical theater stage debut as Edna Turnblad, nor Carolyn Cole as Edna's daughter Tracy Turnblad are particularly endearing. But thankfully, there are stellar supporting performances that make up for the missteps. As the black record store owner Motormouth Maybelle, Nova Y. Payton may be reason enough to see this Hairspray, given her show-stopping rendition of the gospel-tinged anthem of racial struggles, "I Know Where I've Been." There's also the charisma and sex appeal of James Hayden Rodriguez as Maybelle's son, Seaweed, and Patrick Thomas Cragin as Link Larkin, the teen idol in training on The Corny Collins Show. Closes this Sunday, Feb. 5. Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets are $63 to $86. Call 703-820-9771 or visit signature-theatre.org. (Jonathan Padget)

JOSEPHINE TONIGHT
Maurice Hines directs and choreographs this new musical biography of legend Josephine Baker, with music by Wally Harper and book and lyrics by Sherman Yellen. The bio-musical focuses on the early life of the internationally known singer, actress and nightclub sensation. To March 18. MetroStage, 1201 North Royal St., Alexandria. Call 800-494-8497 or visit metrostage.org.

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES

Ooh la La Cage. It's holding up remarkably well for a nearly 30-year-old musical, especially one that reflects an era of gay life often written off as ancient, outré history. Alas, the show's themes of marriage and family -- and how to define and defend them amid conservative political machinations -- remain all too familiar. Call it timeless, then: Harvey Fierstein's 1983 adaptation of Jean Poiret's original farce, and the plucky score by Jerry Herman that reaffirmed the hitmaking skills he'd not exhibited since Hello, Dolly! and Mame in the '60s. Christopher Sieber is thoroughly endearing as Albin, whether he's working the stage as Zaza or licking his wounds after Jean-Michel turns on him. Unfortunately, George Hamilton as Georges doesn't match Sieber's energy or skill. He plods through the loveliness of ''Song on the Sand,'' for example, with deliveries of the phrase ''la da da da'' that have all the musicality of morse code. To Feb. 12. Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. Tickets are $65 to $130. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org. (Jonathan Padget)

LAUGHTER ON THE 23RD FLOOR
The Keegan Theatre offers a play from Neil Simon's autobiographical period, a backstage comedy based on the playwright's experience as a writer for Sid Caesar's TV show Your Show of Shows from the '50s. Allison Cerke, Bradley Smith, Michael Innocenti are among the cast of the production directed by Colin Smith. To Feb. 18. Church Street Theater, 1742 Church St. NW. Tickets are $35. Call 703-892-0202 or visit keegantheatre.com.

LITTLE MURDERS
Ellen Dempsey directs this mordant comedy, set in the peak of '60s violence and insanity, by political and social satirist/cartoonist Jules Feiffer (The Village Voice). The play later became a 1971 film. To Feb. 11. American Century Theater -- Gunston Theater II, 2700 South Lang St. Arlington. Tickets are $30 to $35. Call 703-998-4555 or visit americancentury.org.

NECESSARY SACRIFICES
In a work commissioned by Ford's Theatre, playwright Richard Hellesen explores the two documented encounters between Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln during a period of national crisis. As Lincoln searches for a way to end slavery in the summers of 1863 and 1864, Douglass's rhetoric and conviction challenges the president to envision a post-emancipation world. Together, the men imagine not only a unified nation but a society that brings truth to the Declaration of Independence's assertion that "all men are created equal." Jennifer L. Nelson directs the production starring David Selby as Lincoln. To Feb. 12. Ford's Theatre, 511 10th St. NW. Tickets are $15 to $45. Call 800-982-2787 or visit fordstheatre.org.

NEXT FALL
This play, which earned a Tony nomination in 2010, weaves a tale about two men in love, two parents in denial and two friends on speed dial. Geoffrey Nauffts's hilarious and heartbreaking play focuses on the relationship between atheist Adam and religious Luke, and the chain of events set off after Luke is in a serious accident, as faith and family collide. Tom Story and Chris Dinolfo star, along with Dawn Ursula, Alexander Strain, Kathryn Kelley and Kevin Cutts. Now in previews. To Feb. 26. Round House Theatre, 4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda. Tickets are $26 to $56. Call 240-644-1100 or visit roundhousetheatre.org.

REALLY REALLY
Paul Downs Colaizzo's new comic tragedy pushes the edges and embraces the harsh reality of today's youth, ''Generation Me.'' Matthew Gardiner directs this world premiere, about a party at an elite university that spirals out of control. Really Really contains nudity, strong language and explicit situations. Now to March 25. Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets are $55 to $60, though 20 seats at every show are available for only $20 to those 30 and under. Call 703-820-9771 or visit signature-theatre.org.

RED
It's become so difficult to get tickets to Arena Stage's production of this Tony-winning play, the theater already extended its run an extra week – a week before it had even opened. A co-production with Chicago's Goodman Theatre, Arena's Red stars Edward Gero as the brilliant and passionate painter Mark Rothko facing the biggest challenge of his career. Robert Falls directs. Extended to March 11. Mead Center for American Theater, 1101 6th St. SW. Call 202-488-3300 or visit arenastage.org.

THE GALLERIST
Rorschach Theatre presents this play, about a gallery owner who discovers some forgotten paintings and in the process unearths a sordid family history of repressed artistic passions and animal possessions. To Feb. 19. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $25. Call 202-399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org.

THE GAMING TABLE
The Folger Theatre offers this stylish, effervescent comedy by early-18th Century playwright Susanna Centlivre. An independent-minded widow holds a nightly card game that attracts revelers and rakes and exposes the eccentricities of English manners. Eleanor Holdridge leads an all-female design team, including set designer Marion Williams, costume designer Jessica Ford, lighting designer Nancy Schertler and sound designer Veronika Vorel. To March 4. Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $30 to $65. Call 202-544-7077 or visit folger.edu.

THE SNOWY DAY
The Adventure Theatre presents a play based on the award-winning book by Ezra Jack Keats
, the first American picture book featuring an African-American child as its main character. The simple tale of a boy waking up to discover that snow has fallen during the night is brought to life in a magical world premiere, featuring a book by David Emerson Toney
 -- who can currently be seen on Ford's Theatre's stage as Frederick Douglass – and music and lyrics by Darius Smith. Jessica Burgess directs. To Feb. 12. Adventure Theater, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo. Tickets are $18. Call 301-634-2261 or visit adventuretheatre.org.

THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA
Possibly Shakespeare's earliest romantic comedy, Two Gentlemen of Verona is a play of excess, young love and shape-shifting selves, centered on two loyal friends transformed into enemies – all because they fall for the same woman. PJ Paparelli directs. To March 4. Lansburgh Theatre, 450 7th St. NW. Tickets are $79 to $95. Call 202-547-1122 or visit shakespearetheatre.org.

TIME STANDS STILL

After watching Donald Margulies's stunning Time Stands Still, now at Studio Theatre, you just might walk away contemplating changes in your own life. Chiefly about two war correspondents struggling to make sense of a wild world and their places in it, the play will likely cut any thinking person to the core. Margulies explores moral and ethical issues surrounding what humans do -- and don't do -- for others on a daily basis, and how they at least attempt to justify it all. Director Susan Fenichell has clearly worked hard with the show's four marvelous actors (Holly Twyford, Greg McFadden, Laura C. Harris, Dan Illian), as well as her sharp artistic team to create a measured tone and pace throughout the show. It never lags, and the plot's many small explosive devices reverberate long after they go off. Extended to Feb. 19. Studio Theatre, 14th & P Streets NW. Tickets are $35 to $60. Call 202-332-3300 or visit studiotheatre.org. (Doug Rule)

AARON DIEHL
A ''Discovery Artist in the KC Jazz Club,'' Aaron Diehl returns to the Kennedy Center following a 2008 solo performance on the Millennium Stage as part of a Jazz in D.C. celebration. The Juilliard-trained pianist has won the American Pianists Association's Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz, and toured with the Wynton Marsalis Septet, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Benny Golson. Friday, Feb. 3, at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Kennedy Center Terrace Gallery. Tickets are $16. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Jack Everly offers ''A BSO Valentine,'' conducting neo-traditional pianist and vocalist Tony DeSare and the BSO SuperPops in a lovely program of songbook standards. ''Fly Me to the Moon,'' ''Night and Day,'' ''Moon River'' and ''One for My Baby'' are among the highlights. Thursday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Also Friday, Feb. 10, and Saturday, Feb. 11, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, Feb. 12, at 3 p.m. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore. Tickets are $28 to $88. Call 410-783-8000 or visit bsomusic.org.

BOHEMIAN CAVERNS JAZZ ORCHESTRA
Every Monday night the 17-piece jazz orchestra performs a variety of music from the big band repertoire -- including pieces by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Billy Strayhorn and Maria Schneider, plus originals from band members -- at its namesake venue. Founded by baritone saxophonist Brad Linde and club owner Omrao Brown, features some of D.C.'s best jazz musicians, including Linde and trumpeter Joe Herrera, who co-direct. Performances at 8 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. every Monday night. Bohemian Caverns, 2001 11th St. NW. Tickets are $7. Call 202-299-0800 or visit bohemiancaverns.com.

CRYFEST: THE CURE VS. THE SMITHS DANCE PARTY
The Black Cat reprises one of its popular DJ-driven battle-of-the-bands theme parties, one that will certainly be a true cry fest if you don't like mopey '80s rock. Everyone else can cheer on DJs Steve Ep, Missguided, Killa K and Krasty McNasty as they spin tunes featuring Robert Smith's forlorn croons and whine as they play the whines of Morrissey -- or vice versa, depending on if you prefer The Cure or The Smiths. Friday, Feb. 3. Doors at 9 p.m. Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. Tickets are $10. Call 202-667-4490 or visit blackcatdc.com.

FEIST
IMP presents a concert in the acoustically rich, visually gorgeous Music Center at Strathmore by this popular, quirky Canadian pop chanteuse, owner of one of pop's prettiest voices, and her eponymous band. The tour is in support of Metals, released to critical acclaim last fall. To paraphrase her biggest hit: 1-2-3-4, what are you waiting for? Tickets on sale this Friday, Feb. 3, at 10 a.m. for show Wednesday, May 9, at 8 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $45. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.

GRAFFITI6
A collaboration between British singer-songwriter Jamie Scott and music producer Tommy D, Graffiti6's mixes soul and folk, hip hop and electronica, creating an eclectic but cohesive sound. When the band opens for the Coldplay-esque American band Augustana this Saturday, Feb. 4, they'll appear as a five-piece band, which will make the show, Scott told Metro Weekly, ''pretty loud, electric…a lot more like the album'' than previous stops in town. Saturday, Feb. 4. Doors at 8 p.m. at the Nightclub 9:30, 815 V St. NW. Doors at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20. Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com.

JOHN EATON
The Barns at Wolf Trap hosts the second in the three-part annual series on American pop and jazz standards led by the local jazz veteran and pianist. "Made In America: A Salute to Our Great Immigrant Composers" focuses on standards from Irving Berlin ("White Christmas," "God Bless America"), Vernon Duke ("April In Paris") and Kurt Weill ("September Song"), among other foreign-born American songwriters. Saturday, Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m. at The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1645 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $25. Call 703-255-1900 or visit wolf-trap.org.

JONATHAN BISS
Jonathan Biss represents the third generation of his family of professional musicians, following his grandmother Raya Garbousova (for whom Samuel Barber composed his Cello Concerto) and his parents, Israeli-born violinist Miriam Fried and violist Paul Biss. Jonathan broke from that tradition, though, tickling the ivories instead as one of today's best young classical pianists. The Washington Performing Arts Society brings him back to town as part of its Encore Series of popular performers. Saturday, Feb. 4, at 8 p.m. Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. 600 I St. NW. Tickets are $35. Call 202-408-3100 or visit sixthandi.org

KATHLEEN EDWARDS
The Canadian Kathleen Edwards tours in support of her new album Voyageur, which was co-produced by Justin Vernon, otherwise known as hipster rock darling Bon Iver. So expect a moody, contemplative, entrancing show. Friday, Feb. 3. Doors at 7 p.m. Nightclub 9:30, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $22. Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com.

NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC
Piotr Gajewski conducts pianist Daniil Trifonov and the symphony in an all-Tchaikovsky concert, including pouplar favorites "Polonaise" from the composer's opera Eugene Onegin, the Piano Concerto No. 1 and the 1812 Overture. Saturday, Feb. 4, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 5, at 3 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Remaining tickets are $28 to $81. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.

NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Christoph Eschenbach leads the NSO in another program exploring the mastery of Beethoven, this time focused on his immense and emotional Symphony No. 3 "Eroica," paired with Richard Strauss's masterpiece Metamorphosen. Thursday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m., and Friday, Feb. 3, and Saturday, Feb. 4, at 8 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Tickets are $20 to $85. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

SUSAN GRAHAM
The Washington Performing Arts Society presents mezzo-soprano opera star Susan Graham, accompanied by Malcolm Martineau, in a program inspired by iconic female characters: from Shakespeare's Ophelia, as rendered by Berlioz; to Goethe's Mignon by way of Schubert; to Mary, Mother of God by way of English baroque master Henry Purcell. Graham, who calls the tunes she selected ''dramatic, funny, gorgeous,'' also promises one selection from Sondheim, the details of which is a surprise. Might it be the Witch from Grimm's Fairy Tales (and Sondheim's Into The Woods)? Children would certainly listen to that. Saturday, Feb. 4, at 3 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Tickets are $25 to $65. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

THE NATTY BEAUX
A multi-genre but roots-centered supergroup featuring D.C.-area musicians from the Billy Coulter Band, the Junkyard Saints, Alexandria Kleztet and Western Bob, the Natty Beaux will stir the crowds at the new Hamilton club into a frenzy. Expect to hear toe-tapping renditions of familiar tunes from Ray Charles, Elvis Pressley, Nat King Cole and Jerry Lee Lewis. Thursday, Feb. 2. Doors at 6:30 p.m. The Hamilton, 600 14th St. NW. Tickets are $15. Call 202-787-1000 or visit thehamiltondc.com.

ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER
Dubbed ''America's cultural ambassador to the world,'' Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns for its annual engagement at the Kennedy Center with electrifying new works and a compilation of classics in mixed-repertory programs. Performances start Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. To Feb. 12. Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are $30 to $99. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE
Making a second appearance at the Kennedy Center this season, the American Ballet Theatre returns to the Opera House, with the Opera House Orchestra, for a week-long run of mixed-repertory shows featuring both new works and D.C. favorites. Thursday, Feb. 2, through Sunday, Feb. 5, at 7:30 p.m. Also Saturday, Feb. 4, and Sunday, Feb. 5, at 1:30 p.m. Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are $25 to $99. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

MARGARET JENKINS DANCE COMPANY
"Light Moves" is a collaborative piece, co-commissioned by the Clarice Smith Center, from choreographer Margaret Jenkins working with media artist Naomie Kremer, composer Paul Dresher and poet Michael Palmer. Friday, Feb. 3, and Saturday, Feb. 4, at 8 p.m. Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center's Ina and Jack Kay Theatre, University of Maryland, University Boulevard and Stadium Drive. College Park. Tickets are $35. Call 301-405-ARTS or visit claricesmithcenter.umd.edu.

ARLINGTON DRAFTHOUSE'S OPEN MIC NIGHT
Every Saturday night, the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse offers the chance for up to 15 budding stand-up comics to show their skills at the venue's new Old Arlington Grill. Every Saturday at 10:30 p.m. Arlington Cinema N' Drafthouse, 2903 Columbia Pike, Arlington. Free admission. Call 703-486-2345 or visit arlingtondrafthouse.com.

CHICAGO CITY LIMITS
New York may not be part of Chicago proper, but it is home to this improv group with the Windy City built into its name. In fact, the 35-year-old Chicago City Limits is said to be the longest-running comedy show in the Big Apple. Expect the unexpected – and the unscripted. Friday, Feb. 10, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, Feb. 11, at 7:30 p.m. The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1645 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $24. Call 703-255-1900 or visit wolftrap.org.

DEMETRI MARTIN
A year after release of This Is a Book, which featured narrative essays and short stories as well as Martin's drawings and other absurdities, the wry comedian, a former correspondent on The Daily Show, returns to his roots in standup. Friday, Feb. 3, at 8 p.m. Warner Theatre, 513 13th St. NW. Tickets are $35. Call 202-783-4000 or visit warnertheatre.com.

JOHN HODGMAN
You may know him from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, with his generally entertaining skit "You're Welcome," or as the smug, fumbling PC Guy in Apple's old ad campaign. But he's also just completed a humorous trilogy of almanacs, satirically dubbed "Complete World Knowledge," expounding on his farcical know-it-all persona: Last year's That Is All follows The Areas of My Expertise and More Information Than You Require. And did you also know he edits the humor section of the New York Times Magazine? Now you do. You're welcome. Friday, Feb. 10, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are $25. Call 703-549-7500 or visit birchmere.com.

SUZANNE WESTENHOEFER
Suzanne Westenhoefer may not have been the first openly gay comedian – her friend Kate Clinton beat her to that punch – but she did help pave the way for the many we're blessed with today. She returns to the Birchmere for an annual stop, where she's sure to talk about her budding career as a web and film actor. Saturday, Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are $45. Call 703-549-7500 or visit birchmere.com. GALLERIES

CORCORAN GALLERY OF ART
"30 Americans" is a wide-ranging survey of works by many of the most important African-American contemporary artists of the last three decades, including several gay artists: the late Jean-Michel Basquiat, Glenn Ligdon and Kalup Linzy. Through Feb 12. Corcoran Gallery, 500 17th St. NW. Admission is $10. Call 202-639-1700 or visit corcoran.org.

FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY
''Shakespeare's Sisters: 
Voices of English and European Women Writers, 1500-1700'' shines a light on the overlooked female contemporaries of William Shakespeare. These writers' works were seldom published and almost wholly neglected. Opens Friday, Feb. 3. Through May 20. Folger Great Hall, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Call 202-544-7077 or visit folger.edu.

LONG VIEW GALLERY
"Homestead" is a new exhibit from Mike Weber, a former D.C.-based mixed-media artist who moved to Los Angeles in 2010. To Feb. 19. Long View Gallery, 1234 9th St. NW. Call 202-232-4788 or visit longviewgallery.com.

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART
''Picasso's Drawings, 1890-1921: Reinventing Tradition'' focuses on the dazzling development of Picasso's drawings over a 30-year period, from the precocious academic exercises of his youth in the 1890s to the virtuoso works of the early 1920s, including the radical innovations of cubism and collage. Now to May 6. National Gallery of Art's West Building, 4th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Free. Call or visit nga.gov.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MUSEUM
" Big Cats: Vanishing Icons" is a photography exhibition showcasing the grandeur and plight of the world's endangered big cat species -- lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, jaguars, snow leopards, clouded leopards and mountain lions. All are victims of conflicts with humans and habitat loss or degradation. Through April 8. National Geographic Museum, 1145 17th St. NW. Free. Call 202-857-7588 or visit ngmuseum.org.

THE TEXTILE MUSEUM
''Dragons, Nagas and Creatures of the Deep'' is a playful, colorful exhibition presenting a global selection of textiles depicting dragons and related fantastical creatures of legend, all in honor of 2012 being the Year of the Dragon on the East Asian calendar. Opens Friday, Feb. 3. To Jan. 6, 2013. The Textile Museum, 2320 S St. NW. Suggested donaton of $5. Call 202-667-0441 or visit textilemuseum.org.

TORPEDO FACTORY ART CENTER
''Fears & Phobias'' features art in various media exploring the things that scare us. Lia Newman of Artspace in Raleigh, N.C., served as juror. Through Feb. 19. Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 North Union St. Alexandria. Free. Call 703-838-4565 or visit torpedofactory.org.

VITRUVIAN GALLERY
Local silk-screen artist Glenn Fry's "unrestrained urges" is meant to be "an homage to vintage gay porn magazines," he tells Metro Weekly. Though tame by today's porn standards – largely suggestive rather than explicitly sexual – half a century and another era ago, they were considered pornographic. Fry's art was mostly created from photo shoots with live models re-creating vintage images. The installation traces the early evolution of gay porn, before video and the Internet made it easier to come by. To Feb. 18. Vitruvian Gallery, 734 7th St. SE, 2nd Floor. Visit vitruviangallery.com.

BLACK CAT'S BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SCREENINGS
Every Saturday night, the Black Cat screens one episode from the popular vampire series that aired a decade ago, before bloodsucking creatures were everywhere: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The 14th Street venue offers the screening in its downstairs Backstage space and dubs it "Hellmouth Happy Hour," with drink specials -- and best of all, you only pay for the drinks. Every Saturday night from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Black Cat Backstage, 1811 14th St. NW. Free. Call 202-667-4490 or visit blackcatdc.com. CRYSTAL COUTURE – SHOW AND SALE
After its Wine and Beer Walks last month, the Crystal City Business Improvement District reprises its popular annual fashion show and sale featuring 40 area designers in an abandoned food court. Drinks, free makeovers, chats with wardrobe stylists and beats from DJ Neekola are all on tap. Tuesday, Feb. 6, through Friday, Feb. 10, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Crystal City Shops, 2200 Crystal Dr. Arlington. Tickets are $35. Call 703-412-9430 or visit crystalcity.org.

GMCW'S OPEN-MIKE/PIANO NIGHT
The Gay Men's Chorus of Washington hosts a monthly piano bar and open-mike night at Dupont's Black Fox Lounge. Singers of all levels are welcome to perform solos, duets or even sing-a-long with members of the chorus – and as an incentive, every singer will receive complimentary the venue's The Blue Diva cocktail after the first song. The series is meant as an homage to D.C.'s former gay bar Friends and its brilliant pianist Carl Barnwell. The next iteration is Thursday, Feb. 9, from 8 to 11 p.m. Black Fox Lounge, 1723 Connecticut Ave. NW. Call 202-483-1723 or visit blackfoxlounge.com.

MOMENTS OF TRUTH
Brave Soul Collective presents a show incorporating theater, spoken word and personal testimonials and focused on increasing HIV/AIDS awareness among the gay African-American community. The show, subtitled "Healing Ourselves from the Inside Out," features original works by Monte J. Wolfe, Alan Sharpe, Jared Shamberger, Thembi Duncan and Cornelius Jones Jr. It's being presented on what has been designated National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 8 p.m. Warehouse, 645 New York Ave. NW. Tickets are $15. Call 202-783-3933 or visit warehousetheater.com or momentsoftruth.eventbrite.com.

TERRY GROSS
Probably the best interviewer in the business, the host of NPR's cultural program Fresh Air shares her most fascinating conversations, talks about her life and career and takes questions from the audience in "All I Did Was Ask: An Evening with NPR's Terry Gross." Fun fact: Fresh Air is the third most-popular NPR program after Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Friday, Feb. 3, at 8 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $35 to $55. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.

THE DC CENTER'S OPEN MIC NIGHT
For its first Open Mic Night of the new year, the DC Center welcomes Andrew Fogle, former managing editor of The New Gay. Friday, Feb. 3, at 8 p.m. The Center, 1318 U St. NW. Suggested donation of $5. Call 202-682-2245 or visit thedccenter.org.

VALENTINE'S DAY EVENTS AT THE MANSION ON O STREET
On Valentine's Day, the Mansion on O Street offers several packages for lovers. Among these: A $30-per-person Happy Hour from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. featuring chocolate fountain and one complimentary glass of champagne, plus cash bar; and a $95-per-person Sit-Down Dinner from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. featuring a four-course meal with caviar bar, chocolate fountain and dessert buffet. And attendees to either happy hour or dinner can get 20-percent off hotel rooms at the complex for that night. Tuesday, Feb. 14. The Mansion on O Street, 2020 O St. NW. Call 202-496-2020 or omansion.com.

HIDE/SEEK EXHIBIT REEMERGES AT BROOKLYN MUSEUM
New York's Brooklyn Museum is the first to remount last year's National Portrait Gallery exhibit that courted so much controversy. "Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture" broke decades-old museum reticence in exploring sexuality and in fact was the first major museum piece to explore sexuality and gender in American history. The Brooklyn Museum has slightly altered the large multimedia show, so it'd no doubt be worth dropping by to see if you're in the area anytime in the next few months. To Feb. 12. Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway. Brooklyn, N.Y. Suggested contribution of $12. Call 718-638-5000 or visit brooklynmuseum.org

BROADWAY: ANYTHING GOES

Producers recently announced a 25-city national tour of the Roundabout Theatre Company's handsome revival of Anything Goes starting fall 2012. They didn't reveal specific cities or dates, or casting. Assuming Sutton Foster will decline, it'll be a challenge to cast a Reno Sweeney with her charisma and charm. Foster, a singing/dancing/acting triple threat, won her second Tony for this role and rocks the show boat all the way to a musical promised land. Her many co-stars are impressive too, notably Broadway veteran Joel Grey (Cabaret) as Moonface Martin. So better get onboard this SS Cole Porter before it sails away from the Great White Way. Stephen Sondheim Theatre, 124 West 43rd St. New York. Tickets are $92 to $142. Call 212-239-6200 or visit telecharge.com. (Doug Rule)

BROADWAY: OTHER DESERT CITIES

AND ONE HALF Jon Robin Baitz's new Broadway play Other Desert Cities is stunning -- a trenchant examination of family life and the serious consequences a lack of communication and support can render upon it. Baitz has assembled a superb five-person ensemble -- Stacey Keach, Stockard Channing, Judith Light, Rachel Griffiths and Thomas Sadoski -- directed with precision by Tony-winning veteran Joe Mantello (Take Me Out). Taking place over Christmas at a family's Palm Springs compound -- something of a private oasis in their scorched earth -- the dramatic play focuses on a daughter's plans to publish a tell-all memoir about a sordid part of the family's past that her mother, in particular, has assiduously worked to keep from seeing daylight. The gay playwright Baitz -- best known for creating the ABC series Brothers & Sisters -- has a wondrous way with words and language, and displays a sharp knack here for developing characters as authentically human as the person sitting next to you. And thanks to the actors' careful study of each character as well as obvious collective rapport, you come to understand -- even sympathize with -- all of them, flaws and all. Booth Theater, 222 West 45th St., New York. Tickets are $56.50 to $126.50. Call 212-239-6200 or visit telecharge.com. (Doug Rule)