August 2010 Archives

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s beloved Broadway musical celebrates its 50th anniversary this year with a week-long run at Wolf Trap’s Filene Center. Mandy Bruno stars as Maria and Burke Moses is Captain Von Trapp, with 10 D.C.-area teens cast as part of the youth ensemble chorus. Opens tonight, Tuesday, Aug. 31. Through Sunday, Sept. 5. Curtain at 8 p.m. Matinees Saturday, Sept. 4, and Sunday, Sept. 5, at 2 p.m. Wolf Trap, 1645 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $20 to $60. Call 703-255-1900 or visit wolf-trap.org.

Recently divorced and desperate to break her pattern of serial relationships, Elizabeth Gilbert packs her belongings into storage and begins a year-long, three-country quest to learn about herself through different cultures. Based on Gilbert's best-selling 2006 memoir, this film promises to transport you if not transform you. Director Ryan Murphy, creator of Glee and Nip/Tuck, leaves behind all the sarcasm and angst that these shows are renowned for to create a movie that's simply told and completely earnest. The film's star, Julia Roberts, is strongest when playing off the rest of the cast, ranging from the wonderful Viola Davis as her best friend to the talented Richard Jenkins as her biggest challenger. But Javier Bardem melts hearts with his sexy charm and his tenderness and vulnerability. He's clearly the champion of the film. FOUR STARS. Now playing at area theaters. Visit fandango.com.

Read Tim Plant's full review here.

Jesse Elliott leads this alt-country/indie-rock band These United States. With roots in D.C. and Lexington, Ky, it's said to be one of rock’s best kept secrets, putting on a great live show. And for one night only, it’s free. Monday, Aug. 30, at 6 p.m. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Tickets are free. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

Art Reactor Gallery is a new artist-run photo-focused gallery/workshop/studio space in Hyattsville presents its first curated exhibit. The Whole Plate Project focuses on photographs made using a variety of historic and contemporary materials but all in the “whole plate format,” defined as 6.5 inches by 8.5 inches and first used by Louis Daguerre in 1839. Scott Davis, Quinn Jacobson, Chris Rini, Heather Wetzell and Barry Schmetter are among the featured artists. Now to Sept. 10. Art Reactor, 5614 Baltimore Ave. Hyattsville, Md. Visit artreactor.org.

The National Museum of the American Indian's "Up Where We Belong: Native Musicians in Popular Culture" explores the many native artists who have had successful and influential careers in pop music over the past century, including Jimi Hendrix, Link Wray, Randy Castillo and Stevie Salas. On display through Jan. 2, 2011. National Museum of the American Indian, Independence Ave. at Fourth St. SW. Call 202-633-1000 or visit nmai.si.edu.

For those of you not joining the wolf pack at the Glenn Beck Rally for Teabagging, consider instead checking out the CITY Gallery, for which Jack Rasmussen of the American University Museum selected 22 area artists to exhibit for its First Annual Regional Juried Exhibition. Diana Derby, Sabine Carlson, Michael Fleischhacker, Cavan Fleming and Jennifer Cox are among the exhibiting artists. Hurry -- it closes today Saturday, Aug. 28. CITY Gallery, 804 H St. NE. Call 202-468-5277 or visit citygallerydc.com.

Aaron Posner directs Sarah Ruhl's 2010 Pulitzer Prize finalist and Tony-nominated In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play, kicking off Woolly Mammoth's 31st season. The play centers on a new medical device developed to pacify "hysterical" women, though has a shockingly different result. The cast includes the always-extraordinary Sarah Marshall, James Konicek, Kimberly Gilbert, Jessica Frances Dukes and Katie deBuys. Sets by Daniel Conway, costumes by Helen Huang. Now through Sept. 19. Woolly Mammoth, 641 D St. NW. Tickets range from $30 to $65. Call 202-393-3939 or visit woollymammoth.net.

The founding members of Lifehouse had their roots as a Christian band but made a smooth, quick, and profitable transition into alternative rock, forging several huge hits including "Hanging by a Moment," "Broken," "You and Me" and "Whatever It Takes." Fronted by Jason Wade, whose vocals convey both emotion and potency, the band's strikes a gentle balance between driving rock and emotionally-fortified ballads. The group recently released its fifth album, Smoke and Mirrors, and while it doesn't deviate from the band's formula, it doesn't hold a candle to the masterful, self-titled third album that includes several masterful compositions, including the "Better Luck Next Time," "Undone" and "Blind." Opening act is Kris Allen, the cuddly-cute crooner who won American Idol a few seasons back. Sunday, Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at DAR Constitution Hall. Tickets are $42.25 to $50.45 and go on sale Saturday, August 28 at 10 a.m. Call 703-573-7328 or click here.

Celebrated teenage violinist Joo Young Oh performs a recital called “Passion of the Violin,” featuring selections from Tartini, Saint-Saëns, Milstein and Sarasate. Saturday, Aug. 28, at 7:30 p.m. Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Tickets are $30. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

Until Labor Day, the Phillips Collection turns its popular monthly Thursday After 5 event, which mixes art and entertainment and offers food and cash bar, into a weekly affair. In addition to the museum's summer exhibitions, the museum offers an End of Summer White Party with music by Bluebrain on Aug. 26. And the contemporary jazz Bob Tublin Trio performs Sept. 2, when also Suzanne Hudson gives a lecture and book signing about painter Robert Ryman. Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. through Sept. 2. The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. Tickets are $12, or free for Phillips members; advance reservations encouraged. Call 202-387-2151 or visit phillipscollection.org.

Based in New York, Shen Yun Performing Arts seeks to breathe new life into traditional Chinese culture, blending beauty, energy and grace. Dancers dressed in dazzling costumes move in seamless, flowing patterns while a live orchestra and thunderous drums shake the stage, against stunning, otherworldly backdrops. Presented by New Tang Dynasty. Thursday, Aug. 26, through Saturday, Aug. 28, at 7:30 p.m. Also Saturday, Aug. 28, and Sunday, Aug. 29, at 1:30 p.m. Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are $79 to $150. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

Uke Fest 2010: The Ladies of the Uke highlights women who play the ukulele and features the Sweater Set, Victoria Vox, the Hula Honeys, the Riders and Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer. It's part of Strathmore's free Summer Concert Series in the Gudelsky Gazebo, preceded by a mini-street festival at 5:30 p.m. with mimes, clowns, acrobats and jugglers. Bring blankets or low-beach chairs. Food is available for purchase from the BBQ Shack. Wednesday, Aug. 25, at 7 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are free. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.

Tomorrow, Thursday, Aug. 26, brings Mommie Dearest, the camp biopic about Joan Crawford and starring Faye Dunaway, in a ravishing, rampaging over-the-top performance. It's one of those timeless camp classics of which we never tire. Next Thursday, Sept. 2, the series ends with Steel Magnolias, the Southern gem with a cast that goes down as smoothly like a mint julep (Dolly Parton, Olympia Dukakis, Shirley McLaine), tossing off one classic expression after another. All films are screened with food and drinks to add to the festivities. Thursday nights at 8 p.m. through Sept. 2, Atlas Performing Arts Center's Sprenger Theatre, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $6 each. Call 202-399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org for a full schedule.

Stages Baltimore and Club Hippo's popular Tuesday night Showtunes Video Madness present its 14th annual bus trip to next month's Broadway Cares Flea Market in Times Square. Bus trippers are on their own to do as they wish, whether going to the actual flea market and auction or just exploring Broadway or catching a matinee. The bus departs Baltimore on Sunday, Sept. 26, at 7:15 a.m., returning at approximately 10 p.m. Cost is $55 per person, and reservations are required. As of press time, only four seats remain. Call 410-488-5189 or visit stagesbaltimore.wordpress.com.

This ensemble, featuring the vibrant young bassist and composer Michael Feinberg, with Julian Shore, Daniel Platzman, Joe Santa Maria and Tivon Pennicott, continues to bring fresh ideas to life with music that incorporates jazz, hip hop and rock, as well as influences from his Middle Eastern and Eastern European heritage. Tonight, Monday, Aug. 23, at 6 p.m. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Tickets are free. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

"Cool" features two dozen local artists presenting their ideas about the term "cool," from hipness to temperature. Among those included in the exhibition are Baltimore-based artist Bob Allen, and D.C. artists Warren Williams and Sidney Lawrence. On display through Aug. 28. Gallery 10, 1519 Connecticut Ave. NW. Call 202-232-3326 or visit gallery10dc.com.

Lindsay Reishman Real Estate is hosting several monthly free moving viewings in Stead Park. Up tomorrow is the 2002 sleeper hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding, that kinda-sorta made a star out of its writer Nia Vardalos, who plays a Greek-American woman who falls in love with a non-Greek man (Sex and the City's John Corbett). Tuesday, Aug. 24, at 8:45 p.m. Stead Park Field, 1625 P St. NW. Free. Call 202-491-1275 or visit reishmanrealestate.com.

Scissor Sisters, the gay, glam-rock band, cheekily named after a lesbian sex act, shimmers all throughout its new all-dance album Night Work. Filled with passion and a strong sense of revelry, this is the band at its best, living up to its full potential. The pseudonymous Sisters -- Jake Shears, Babydaddy, Ana Matronic and Del Marquis -- succeed here in a way they hadn't before. The third time is definitely a charm. Will the concert to support it be the best yet from this always-great live band, too? Chances are very, very good. Monday, Aug. 23. Doors at 7 p.m. D.A.R. Constitution Hall, 1776 D St. NW. Tickets are $40. Call 202-628-1776 or visit dar.org/conthall.

Telling Stories: Norman Rockwell from the Collections of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg is the first major exhibition to explore the connections between Norman Rockwell's iconic images of American life and the movies -- specifically the films of Lucas and Spielberg, who found a kindred spirit in Rockwell and his belief that ordinary people can become unlikely heroes. On display through Jan. 2, 2011. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Sts. NW. Free. Call 202-633-1000 or visit americanart.si.edu.

Spotlighters Theatre seeks a Dramaturg for the 2010/2011 Season. Responsible for creating materials for Press Releases for Mainstage Productions during the season, and show synopsis and collateral material for specific show programs. This is a volunteer position. To review the 2010/2011 Season, click here. To inquire about the post, send an e-mail to Managing/Artistic Director Fuzz Roark at fuzz@spotlighters.org.

Explore the new restaurants of Mount Vernon Triangle by dining around the neighborhood tasting appetizers, entrees, drinks, and desserts from seven different eateries! Participating restaurants in the Taste of Mount Vernon Triangle are Busboys & Poets, Taylor Deli, Kushi, Mandu, Henry’s Café, Papa Johns, and Buddha Bar. Buy a master ticket for $15 in advance; $20 at the door to participate in this event, held Saturday, Aug. 21, from 2 to 5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance through PayPal at mountvernontriangle.org or on the day of the event at 5th Street Ace Hardware, 1055 5th Street NW. This event takes place rain or shine.

Yes, Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith -- aka Tears for Fears -- are still together. In fact, six years ago the '80s hitmakers ("Everybody Wants To Rule The World," "Shout," Sowing The Seeds of Love") regrouped to release a new set, Everybody Loves A Happy Ending. It may not have been a commercial success, but it was a splendid return to form, with stunningly complex music that channeled The Beatles (and David Bowie) more than ever before. Monday, Aug. 23. Doors at 7 p.m. Nightclub 9:30, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $45. Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com.

In the contemporary comedy The Savannah Disputation, a Pentecostal missionary gets more than she bargains for when she drops in on two Catholic spinsters and sparks a crisis of faith. Actually, "a theological showdown about what it means to truly believe." Closes this Sunday, Aug. 22. Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, Md. Tickets are $26 to $49. Call 301-924-3400 or visit olneytheatre.org.

A Metro Weekly Critic’s Pick when it screened at last year’s Reel Affirmations, this Swedish film focuses on a gay couple settling down in the suburbs, ready to make a family. When baby Patrik (Thomas Ljungman) turns out to be 15 instead of 1.5 years old, what was supposed to be two men and a baby turns into two queens and a homophobic juvenile delinquent. Sven (Torkel Petersson) hits the roof, and the bottle, and Göran (Gustaf Skarsgård) hits rock bottom, allowing Patrik to quickly pull at the threads binding the two together. Writer and director Ella Lemhagen is very measured with her pacing and deliberate with the film’s progression. The film takes its time in raising the stakes and developing the couple's relationship with Patrik, made more difficult as Sven and Göran have other homophobic sources to deal with. The picture-perfect neighborhood is slowly explored to reveal a secret behind every front door, proving that anyone can be a drama queen. Opens Friday, Aug. 20. Landmark’s E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. Call 202-452-7672 or visit landmarktheatres.com.

Read Tim Plant's full review here.

Johnny Blazes, Maggie Cee, Geppetta, M. Hanora, Rachel Kahn, Mylene St Pierre plus the local artist Natalie Illum explore gender, queerness and sexuality in this wide-ranging national touring show, incorporating burlesque, drag, spoken word, music, even puppets and props. The Femme Show looks at all aspects of femme identity -- it’s queer art for queer people, presented by In the Streets Productions. Friday, Aug. 20, at 8 p.m. The DC Center for the LGBT Community, 1318 U St. NW. Tickets are $10. Call 202-682-2245 or visit thedccenter.org or thefemmeshow.com.

A piece of theater that moves more like a troubadour's ballad than a rock musical, Studio Theatre's production of Passing Strange defies easy classification every chance it gets. Like an amazing concept album or a club show you talk about for years, Passing Strange has a life of its own. To its disservice, Studio's 2ndStage simply doesn't give it enough room to truly take shape. The space's close quarters don't suit the energy of its outstanding live band. Closes this Sunday, Aug. 22. Studio Theatre's 2ndStage, 14th & P Streets NW. Tickets are $38. Call 202-332-3300 or visit studiotheatre.org.

Read Tom Avila's full review here.

A protege of the legendary jazz master Dizzy Gillespie, Cuban-born Arturo Sandoval was granted political asylum in the U.S. 20 years ago. He's revered as one of the world's best jazz trumpeters and flugel horn players, as well as a renowned pianist and composer. Friday, Aug. 20, Saturday, Aug. 21, and Sunday, Aug. 22, at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Tickets are $43, plus $10 minimum purchase. Call 202-337-4141 or visit bluesalley.com.

In The Great Typo Hunt, Benjamin Herson and Jeff Deck humorously document their drive around the the U.S. fixing typos in public signage using markers, Wite-Out and chalk -- yes, really. Herson and Deck were even summoned to federal court for defacing a historic sign at the Grand Canyon, all in the name of grammatical accuracy. You go, guys! They'll be reading and signing on Thursday, Aug. 19, at 6:30 p.m. Borders Books & Music, 1801 K St. NW. Call 202-466-4999 or visit borders.com.

"Hometown Girl" Mary Chapin Carpenter returns to Wolf Trap (where she's performed 16 times) for the first time in five years, and for the first time since recovering from a "serious medical issue that necessitated significant rest." The folk-country star tours in support of her sumptuous new album, The Age of Miracles. Thursday, Aug. 19, at 8 p.m. Wolf Trap, 1645 Trap Rd., Vienna. Tickets are $25 to $42. Call 703-255-1900 or visit wolf-trap.org.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company presents this year's 20th annual "Free for All" production with 22 performances of Twelfth Night, more than double last year's number. Queer as Folk's Randy Harrison (and this week's Metro Weekly cover story), plays Sebastian as part of a cast that also includes Gregory Wooddell, Floyd King, Tom Story and Nancy Robinette. Alan Paul, who most recently gave us Signature Theatre's production of I Am My Own Wife, directs. Opens Thursday, Aug. 19, at 8 p.m. To Sept. 5. Harman Center for the Arts, 610 F St. NW. Tickets are free, distributed this year through an online lottery system, held daily. Call 202- 202.608.6350 or visit shakespearetheatre.org.

The folk-pop singer-songwriter Erin McKeownreleased her last album, 2009's Hundreds of Lions, on Ani DiFranco's Righteous Babe Records label, and opened for DiFranco earlier this year. She stops through D.C. for a free performance. Thursday, Aug. 19, at 6 p.m. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Tickets are free. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

On Thursday, Aug. 19, the Atlas Gay 101 Film Series presents Cabaret, Bob Fosse's 1972 film based on Kander and Ebb's musical and starring Liza Minnelli, Michael York and Joel Gray. Films are screened with food and drinks to add to the festivities. Thursday nights at 8 p.m. through Sept. 2, Atlas Performing Arts Center's Sprenger Theatre, 1333 H Street NE. Tickets are $6 each. Call 202-399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org for a full schedule.

The gender-bending Orlando, based on a Virginia Woolf novel, starred the late Quentin Crisp -- playing Queen Elizabeth! -- as well as Billy Zane and, of course, Tilda Swinton in one of her first roles, before she became an indie-film darling. Sony Pictures Classics is re-releasing Sally Potter's 1993 queer classic in a re-mastered edition. Now playing at Landmark's E Street Cinema, 555 11th Street NW. Call 202-452-7672 or visit landmarktheatres.com.

Signature Theatre presents the first major production of Chess, the 26-year-old rock musical with music by the men of ABBA, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, before they went on to create Mamma Mia! The lyrics are by Evita's Tim Rice, and book by Richard Nelson. Broadway's Jill Paice (Curtains, The 39 Steps), Euan Morton (Boy George in Taboo) and Jeremy Kushnier (Footloose) star in this musical about Cold War competition in love and chess and featuring the hit '80s song "One Night in Bangkok." (Buzz on the street is that the singing is out of this world.) In previews. Through September 26. Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets $55 to $81. Call 703-820-9771 or visit signature-theatre.org.

Bad Sports: How Owners Are Ruining the Games We Love rails against the arrogance of team owners of professional sports leagues, who care more about profit and prestige than athleticism and old-fashion fan fun. Sports columnist for The Nation and author of A People's History of Sports in the United States, the liberal Dave Zirin isn't one to mince words. Monday, Aug. 16, at 7 p.m. Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. Call 202-364-1919 or visit politics-prose.com.

Read New York Magazine's interview with Zirin here.

Daughter of soul singer Donny Hathaway and classically trained vocalist Eulaulah Hathaway, Lalah Hathaway is a contemporary R&B and jazz singer, now part of the storied Stax Records family. Fellow renowned contemporary soul singer Dwele also performs. Monday, Aug. 16, and Tuesday, Aug. 17, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are $75. Call 703-549-7500 or visit birchmere.com.

The National Theatre focuses its Summer Cinema 2010 on the films of Cary Grant, including Charade, Stanley Donen's 1963 romantic thriller co-starring Audrey Hepburn and Walter Matthau, and boasting a score by the incomparable Henry Mancini. Monday, Aug. 16, at 6:30 p.m. National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are free, and distributed 30 minutes prior to screening. Call 202-628-6161 or visit nationaltheatre.org.

"The voice of TOTO -- the magic of YES" is how this "super-group" of '80s-era classic rock is billed. TOTO vocalist Bobby Kimball and YES's Tony Kaye and Billy Sherwood join forces for new music as well as old. Tonight, Thursday, Aug. 12, at 8:30 p.m. The State Theatre, 220 N. Washington St., Falls Church. Tickets are $30 day-of. Call 703-237-0300 or visit thestatetheatre.com.

The original Madonna producer, responsible for "Holiday" -- and also notable for early dance-pop numbers from Whitney Houston -- Benitez was one of the first inductees into the Dance Music Hall of Fame. He spins for the weekly house party Red Fridays at U Street Music Hall, reviving some of the magic from his pioneering days several decades ago as an influential DJ at legendary New York clubs, including Studio 54. DJs Juan Zapata and Joe L. open. Friday, Aug. 13, starting at 10 p.m. U Street Music Hall, 1115A U St. NW. Tickets are $10. Call 202-588-1880 or visit ustreetmusichall.com.

Despite the time that's passed since Robert Lopez, Jeff Marx and Jeff Whitty first sent their profanity-spewing puppets on stage to deliver such toe-tappers as "The Internet is for Porn," "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" and that ode to loud sex "You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want (When You're Makin' Love)," Avenue Q is just as funny, surprising and good-naturedly shocking as ever. One of the most striking things about the show is its remarkable consistency. While some productions begin to show a little wear around the edges as they set up outposts or send touring companies to tromp around the country, the Tony Award-winning Avenue Q, at the Lansburgh Theatre on its final stop of a national tour, is as fresh as ever. Closes this Sunday, Aug. 15. Lansburgh Theatre, 450 7th St. NW. Tickets are $38 to $91. Call 202-547-1122 or visit shakespeare.org.

Read Tom Avila's full review here.

Yusef Najafi's Coverboy Confidential interview with Avenue Q's Rod and Nicky.

Tonight, Thursday, Aug. 12, brings Suddenly, Last Summer, the 1959 melodrama and mystery based on a play by Tennessee Williams, with a screenplay co-written by Gore Vidal, and a cast including Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn and Montgomery Clift. Yep, all that adds up to be pretty darn gay. Then, next week, Thursday, Aug. 19, brings Cabaret, Bob Fosse's 1972 film based on Kander and Ebb's musical and starring Liza Minnelli. Gay, gay, gay! All films are screened with food and drinks to add to the festivities. Thursday nights at 8 p.m. through Sept. 2, Atlas Performing Arts Center's Sprenger Theatre, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $6. Call 202-399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org for a full schedule.

Who doesn't crave a little KISS? The band, not the thing you do with tongues. Well... actually, KISS the band does things with tongues, if you're referring to leader Gene Simmons. KISS really does put on a show unlike any other group. They pioneered the artform (right behind Alice Cooper) and they're coming to Jiffy Lube Live on Saturday, August 21 to wreak hell and havoc with your senses and eardrums. If you don't have tickets yet, but were thinking of possibly going, has Live Nation got a deal for you. Today only, Tuesday, August 10, you can buy a Lawn 4-Pack for $40. That's right, 4 lawn tickets for $40. Do we need to repeat that one more time? (Thought not.) Lawn tix typically go for $26.50, so you do the math. Offer is valid while supplies last. Reserved seat prices range from $46.50 to $131. Visit livenation.com or call 1-877-598-8696. Now go don your Kabuki makeup (we'd be the drummer cat) and go get yourself good and KISSed.

Siblings Rufus and Martha Wainwright, spawn of Canadian folk legends Loudon Wainwright III and the late Kate McGarrigle, are jointly touring in support of new solo releases: Rufus's All Days Are Night: Songs for Lulu, an uncharacteristically austere album, focused on piano and voice; and Martha for a live, French-language tribute to Edith Piaf. Chances are good they'll perform together as well, just like old times. Tonight, Saturday, Aug. 7, at 8 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $46. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.

As part of the 11th Annual Mid City Dog Days of August Sidewalk Sale, the Studio Theatre hosts this annual sale featuring items from productions this season. In addition to costumes, these include: the three-panel glass door room divider and unique dollhouse from Moonlight, antique adding machines with custom stand from Adding Machine: A Musical, outdoor wooden bench from Reasons to Be Pretty, authentic collectibles from 1933 Chicago World's Fair from American Buffalo and the custom-made divans from Lypsinka in LEGENDS! Today, Saturday, Aug. 7, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Studio Theatre, 14th & P Streets NW. Call 202-332-3300 or visit studiotheatre.org.

Keegan Theatre's decision to punch up the summer season with Noises Off, packed with horseplay and good humor (including quirky double playbills) is as smart as the production itself. Michael Frayn's intentionally self-destructing door slammer features a play-within-a-play being performed very, very badly by an utterly undone troupe of second-rate English thespians, played by an ensemble of first-class Keegan Theatre actors doing a great job at being awful. FOUR STARS. To Aug. 22. Church Street Theater, 1742 Church St. NW. Tickets are $30. Call 703-892-0202 or visit keegantheatre.com.

Read Tom Avila's full review here.

For the documentary Winnebago Man, filmmaker Ben Steinbauer went in search of Jack Rebney, unintended star of one of the Internet's first viral videos and still the talk of Tinseltown: The four-minute hilarious, foul-mouthed outtakes reel from a 1988 shoot for a Winnebego ad. Showing through Thursday, Aug. 12. Avalon Theatre, 5612 Connecticut Ave. NW. Tickets are $10.50. Call 202-966-6000 or visit theavalon.org.

The modern family in Lisa Cholodenko's The Kids Are All Right is more than just funny. They're also quirky, endearing, flawed, and entirely believable. And, perhaps surprisingly, the least interesting thing about them is that two women form the center of it. It's hard to determine which is more powerful, the script that Cholodenko penned with Stuart Blumberg or the performances by Annette Bening and Julianne Moore. (And don't gloss over Mark Ruffalo as the "bio dad," the sperm donor.) The film works because the characters are fully realized, three-dimensional characters and Bening and Moore finesse the parts to near perfection. FOUR STARS. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com.

Read Tim Plant's full review here.

Arcade Fire produces swelling, ethereal, heartbreaking dramatic rock, with probing lyrics fraught with concerns over death and dreams, and existential questioning. Tonight, Friday, Aug. 6. Doors at 6 p.m. Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Md. Tickets are $32 to $48.50. Call 800-551-SEAT or visit ticketmaster.com.

Serenading Louis, Lanford Wilson's intimate examination of marriage -- entrapment -- in suburbia, Serenading Louie, from 1970, is building a reputation as a neglected masterpiece. Steven Scott Mazzola directs. To Aug. 21. American Century Theater's Gunston Theater II, 2700 S. Lang St., Arlington. Tickets are $26 to $32. Call 703-998-4555 or visit americancentury.org.

The new week-long DC Black Theatre Festival showcases the talents of individuals from the D.C. area's African-American theater community through 70 productions. There are at least two of queer interest: Aesthetics, Brave Soul Collective's collection of theater and spoken-word performances examining the subject of beauty by playwrights including Alan Sharpe, Dyron Holmes, Rashad Moody and Jared Shamberger, takes place Saturday, Aug. 7, at 12 p.m. at the Warehouse Theatre; and a reading of Purple Hearts, Jesse N. Holmes's new comedy about two gay half-brothers whose lives are forever changed as they fight over their late father's Purple Heart, takes place Sunday, Aug. 8, at 4 p.m. at Dance Place. The festival runs until Sunday, Aug. 8, at various venues. All shows are $15 in advance. Visit dcblacktheatrefestival.com for more information.

This Thursday brings 1950's Oscar-winning classic All About Eve, starring Bette Davis as an aging Broadway star whose biggest fan, played by Anne Baxter, becomes her biggest rival. The writing, performances, direction are all just about perfect -- it's one of those films where everything clicks (and continues to click more than 50 years later). Davis is wonderful, but this is an ensemble piece, and she steps back when necessary. Truly, it's Thelma Ritter and George Sanders who steal the film with their catty comments and wisecracks, but it's Celeste Holm you'll want to watch. Her performance is warm, nuanced and grounds the film in a strong humanity. Watch for Marilyn Monroe in her screen debut. The screenplay has produced some of the most famous lines of all time, including the unforgettable, "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night." All films are screened with food and drinks to add to the festivities. Thursday night, August 5, at 8 p.m. Atlas Performing Arts Center's Sprenger Theatre, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $6 each. Call 202-399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org for a full schedule.

Named after the Greek hero and his male travel companion Hylas, the gay Andrew Butler’s mixed-gender, mixed-sexuality band Hercules and the Love Affair offers club music smarter than it is silly, rounded out by real horns and strings. It can get a bit too smart, too refined for its own good, but any club connoisseur should take notice. The neo-disco band is expected to release a sophomore album this fall, so expect to hear previews. Tuesday, Aug. 3, at 8:30 p.m. Rock and Roll Hotel, 1353 H St. NE. Tickets are $16 to $18. Call 202-388-ROCK or visit rockandrollhoteldc.com.

Up Where We Belong: Native Musicians in Popular Culture explores the many native artists who have had successful and influential careers in pop music over the past century, including Jimi Hendrix, Link Wray, Randy Castillo and Stevie Salas. On display through Jan. 2, 2011. National Museum of the American Indian, Independence Ave. at Fourth St. SW. Call 202-633-1000 or visit nmai.si.edu.

The annual Screen on the Green on the National Mall concludes its summer run with Bonnie and Clyde, the 1967 classic starring Warren Beauty and Faye Dunaway as Depression-era bank robbers in love. With Geraldine Page and Gene Hackman. Directed with a ferocity by Arthur Penn, the movie is renowned for its bloodbath climax, a precursor to Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather. Monday, Aug. 2, at sunset (around 8:30 p.m.). National Mall, between 4th and 7th Streets NW. Free. Call 877-262-5866.