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May 16, 2008

Last Weekend to Catch Miller at Arena

Anyone lucky enough to see Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and A View from the Bridge2008-04-10_stage_3359_4064.jpg consecutively (and thanks to Arena’s Arthur Miller Festival, you can) immediately will notice this seminal contemporary playwright’s unblinking fascination with middle-aged men imploding like dying stars. The plots may be different, the characters diverse, but each play nevertheless offers a man discovering, with catastrophic personal consequences, that he is completely at odds with his world. Without anchors of self-knowledge, these men have nowhere to go but down and as they begin to unravel, Miller explores their effect on everyone within emotional grabbing distance -- the wives, the friends, even the on-lookers, but most especially the children on the cusp of emancipation. And thus Miller’s genius: although these plays are ostensibly about two deeply traditional men from the 1950s, they are so rich with the dynamic of families and the universal agony of just "getting it wrong,” they remain edgy, current and extremely riveting. Despite the strengths of Salesman (Four Stars), View (Five Stars), it must be said, is the better of the two productions. With a reconfigured ensemble, director Daniel Aukin creates a phenomenal piece of high-tension drama. It is a story executed with unprecedented unity and shared vision. Everyone is on board and it is a stunning ride. In Rep through May 18. Arena Stage, 1800 S. Bell St., Crystal City. Tickets are $47 to $66. Call 202-488-3300 or visit www.arenastage.org. Read the full review by Kate Wingfield.
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May 10, 2008

Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Dance Co.

MelandStacy.jpgThe Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Dance Company performs a mixed program with Bharata Natyam, Modern Dance and Fusion work tonight and tomorrow night. The performance highlights are the company premieres of three dances by Anna Sokolow, a pioneer of Modern Dance, and Bell Song, a fusion work nominated for the Dance Metro DC Awards and recently invited for a showcase at the Lincoln Center in New York. Performances are Saturday, May 10 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 11 at 7 p.m. at Dance Place, 3225 8th Street NE. Tickets are $22. For more information, or to purchase tickets, please visit www.dakshina.org.
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May 9, 2008

Meet Countertenor David Daniels at Out @ The Opera

Elektra97_sld57_website.jpgMetro Weekly readers and Washington National Opera subscribers to Out@the Opera can save $20 per ticket to the opening night of Elektra, this Saturday, May 10, at 7 p.m. at the Kennedy Center Opera House (use source code 6704 when ordering). The evening features a 6 p.m. pre-show meet and greet with countertenor David Daniels, currently starring in the Washington National Opera's production of Tamerlano. Tickets are $50-$300. Call 202-295-2400 or click here.
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May 6, 2008

MIller Time at Arena Stage

Anyone lucky enough to see Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and A View from the Bridge2008-04-10_stage_3359_4064.jpg consecutively (and thanks to Arena’s Arthur Miller Festival, you can) immediately will notice this seminal contemporary playwright’s unblinking fascination with middle-aged men imploding like dying stars. The plots may be different, the characters diverse, but each play nevertheless offers a man discovering, with catastrophic personal consequences, that he is completely at odds with his world. Without anchors of self-knowledge, these men have nowhere to go but down and as they begin to unravel, Miller explores their effect on everyone within emotional grabbing distance -- the wives, the friends, even the on-lookers, but most especially the children on the cusp of emancipation. And thus Miller’s genius: although these plays are ostensibly about two deeply traditional men from the 1950s, they are so rich with the dynamic of families and the universal agony of just "getting it wrong,” they remain edgy, current and extremely riveting. Despite the strengths of Salesman (Four Stars), View (Five Stars), it must be said, is the better of the two productions. With a reconfigured ensemble, director Daniel Aukin creates a phenomenal piece of high-tension drama. It is a story executed with unprecedented unity and shared vision. Everyone is on board and it is a stunning ride. In Rep through May 18. Arena Stage, 1800 S. Bell St., Crystal City. Tickets are $47 to $66. Call 202-488-3300 or visit www.arenastage.org. Read the full review by Kate Wingfield.
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May 3, 2008

Edgeworks Dance Theater

The daring troupe, headed by Helanius J. Wilkins previews a performance of the determining factor at American Dance Institute today, Saturday, May 3 at 8 p.m. The determining factor is a multi-media dance work examining the often-difficult issues surrounding gender, sexuality and spirituality. The work goes one step further by addressing the denial of homophobia and homosexuality so prevalent throughout the black community. Part of the project's research component included interviews and discussion groups with Wilkins where participants shared stories and perspectives on the project's main themes. The American Dance Institute is located at 1570 East Jefferson Street in Rockville, Md., two blocks from the Twinbrooks Metro stop on the red line. Reservations are strongly encouraged. Tickets are $15 and $25. Call 301-984-3003 or visit www.americandance.org.

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Edgeworks Dance Theater

The daring troupe, headed by Helanius J. Wilkins previews a performance of the determining factor at American Dance Institute today, Saturday, May 3 at 8 p.m. The determining factor is a multi-media dance work examining the often-difficult issues surrounding gender, sexuality and spirituality. The work goes one step further by addressing the denial of homophobia and homosexuality so prevalent throughout the black community. Part of the project's research component included interviews and discussion groups with Wilkins where participants shared stories and perspectives on the project's main themes. The American Dance Institute is located at 1570 East Jefferson Street in Rockville, Md., two blocks from the Twinbrooks Metro stop on the red line. Reservations are strongly encouraged. Tickets are $15 and $25. Call 301-984-3003 or visit www.americandance.org.

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April 28, 2008

Zombie Strippers

Zombie Strippers.jpgWith a title like that, how could you not want to see this horror spoof starring Jenna Jameson and Nightmare on Elm Street's Robert Englund? When a secret government agency lets out a deadly chemo virus causing the reanimation of the dead, the first place to get hit is Rhino's, a hot underground strip club. As one of the strippers gets the virus, she turns into a supernatural, flesh-eating zombie, making her the hit of the club. Do the rest of the girls fight the temptation to be like the star stripper, even if there is no turning back? Also starring Roxy Saint and Ultimate Fighting Champion Tito Ortiz. At the Landmark E Street Cinemas.
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April 26, 2008

Fairfax Symphony Orchestra: Masterworks 5

HUDSON2006.jpgThe Fairfax Symphony Orchestra presents an all-orchestral evening tonight, April 26, in the Concert Hall at George Mason University's Center for the Arts, 4400 University Drive in Fairfax. Music Director William Hudson, nearing the end of his 36-year tenure with the FSO, will conduct works by Tchaikovsky ("Romeo and Juliet Overture"), Prokofiev (Excerpts from "Romeo and Juliet, Suites 1 and 2"), and Beethoven ("Symphony No. 5") in a program that focuses on the orchestra's virtuosity and versatility. The performance begins at 8 p.m., with a free pre-concert lecture at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 to $55. Call 1-888-945-2468 or click here.
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April 25, 2008

DCDD's Festivals

2008-04-17_concert_3390_4078.jpgThe D.C. Different Drummers Capitol Pride Symphonic Band closes out its year with Festivals tonight, April 25, and Saturday, April 26, at 8 p.m. Featured works include Armenian Dances by Alfred Reed, Elgar's Nimrod, the rousing Semper Fidelis by John Philip Sousa and, just for kicks, a smattering of Madonna. The concert marks a farewell for K. Scott Barker, stepping down after 10 years as DCDD Artistic Director. At the Lutheran Church of the Reformation, 212 East Capitol St. NE. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students and seniors and are available at www.dcdd.org or at the door.
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April 24, 2008

The Laramie Project

Laramie_intro.jpgIn November 1998, just four weeks after the murder of Matthew Shepard, nine members of the Tectonic Theater Project and Moisés Kaufman traveled to Laramie, Wyoming, to collect interviews that might become material for a play. The project lasted over two years, including six trips and over 200 interviews. When asked about this experience, Kaufman replied, “The experience of working on The Laramie Project has been one of great sadness, great beauty and, perhaps most importantly, great revelations – about our nation, about our ideas, about ourselves." The Metro Players of Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church, at 3401 Nebraska Ave. NW, present this powerful work on Friday, April 25 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, April 26 at 5 p.m. and on Sunday, April 27 at 2 p.m. Performances are free and open to the public. Not recommended for children under 12. For reservations, e-mail phouse@mmumc-dc.org or call 202-363-4900, Ext. 23.
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