October 2010 Archives

This is an evening-length event featuring solo performances from contemporary dancers Germaine Acogny, Kennedy Center Honoree Carmen de Lavallade, Dianne McIntyre, Bebe Miller and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar. Representing three mid-20th century generations, these history-making women are masters of dance rooted in African and African-American cultures. Monday, Nov. 1, and Tuesday, Nov. 2, at 8 p.m. Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Tickets are $40. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

For a chance to win tickets to Interpol, please fill out the form below by no later than Monday, Nov. 1 at 11:45 a.m. Though their sound is steeped in British post-punk/new wave -- especially Joy Division -- the Brooklyn-based band does offer, as the New York Times put it, "an American sound that fortifies its brains with muscle." It's dark and dramatic, built on intricate and jangly guitars and Paul Banks' somber baritone. Fellow dark, new-wavey Brooklynites band White Rabbits opens, offering its visceral, even spooky tunes. Wednesday, Nov. 3. Doors at 7 p.m. D.A.R. Constitution Hall, 1776 D St. NW. Tickets are $40. Call 202-628-1776 or visit 930.com.

One of Shakespeare's most complex and fascinating characters is central to Richard III, arguably the bard's most entertaining history play. The Washington Shakespeare Company is a resident company of the new Artisphere complex in Arlington. Its productions are still housed in the same theater as before, though now it's been rechristened the Black Box. To Dec. 12. Artisphere Black Box, 1101 Wilson Blvd. Arlington. Tickets are $26.50 to $51.50. Call 703-875-1100 or visit artisphere.com or washingtonshakespeare.com.

Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture is the first major museum exhibition to focus on the questions of gender and sexual identity in the making of modern American portraiture, with an exploration of how the push for lesbian and gay civil rights has been reflected in art. Over the centuries artists whose sexuality differed from the norm rebelled by developing new visual ways to code, disguise and express their identities. Included in the exhibit are works by Thomas Eakins, John Singer Sargent, Romaine Brooks, Georgie O'Keeffe, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Catherine Opie. Through Feb. 13, 2011. National Portrait Gallery, 8th and F Streets. NW. Call 202-633-8300 or visit npg.si.edu.

Furious Dancing: The Art Exhibit is a group exhibit featuring 18 artists curated by Simone Jacobson and Sonja Kubota Johansson celebrating Alice Walker's new book, Hard Times Require Furious Dancing. Artists represented include Iana Cohen-Matteini, Tanekeya S. Word, Carrie Shiffrin and J. Ford Huffman. On display through Jan. 9, 2011. Busboys & Poets, 1025 5th St. NW. Call 202-387-POET or visit busboysandpoets.com.

Sam Shepard's claustrophobic, cowboy-tinged, Pultizer Prize-winning Fool for Love is unquestionably urged forward by anger, though in this Keegan Theatre production director Colin Smith plays too little with the silences available. When he does -- employing them beautifully at such key moments as the show's opening scenes and at the moment of Fool's greatest reveal -- we experience a gorgeous depth that allows the craft of the actors (Mark Rhea and Larissa Gallagher most notably) to shine cleanly through. We feel the tension build as in those brief seconds before a roller coaster breaks over the first drop. It's in those wonderful moments that we get to enjoy the entire ride, and not just all the screaming. To Nov. 7. Church Street Theater, 1742 Church St. NW. Tickets are $35. Call 703-892-0202 or visit keegantheatre.com. Read Tom Avila's full review here.

Just in time for Halloween -- take our new Outspoken poll! Is your favorite all-time scary movie The Exorcist? The zombie classic Night of the Living Dead? Or Something more recent, like The Blair Witch Project or Paranormal Activity? Weigh in and see what others had to say!

The Atlas Performing Arts Center, haunting the H Street Corridor, is screening creepy classic films all day on Halloween Sunday, Oct. 31, starting at 2 p.m. with Agnes Moorehead (Endora from Bewitched) in The Bat. It's followed at 3:30 p.m. by the Vincent Price classic, House on Haunted Hill and the original (non-musical) Little Shop of Horrors, about a man-eating plant, directed by Roger Corman and featuring Jack Nicholson as the dentist's patient at 5 p.m. Things wrap up with the camp classic The Brain That Wouldn't Die at 6:30 p.m. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $5 to each film, or $10 for a Halloween 4 Four Film Package. Call 202-399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org.

Landmark's E Street Cinema is hosting weekend midnight screenings of camp and cult classics through early November. This weekend brings the biggest cult classic of them all -- The Rocky Horror Picture Show. This 35th anniversary screening comes with a live cast, which suggests it may be even more interactive than usual. Also on tap this weekend is The Shining, Stanley Kubrick's chiller based on the Stephen King novel set in the off-season at a possessed hotel and starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. Whatever you do, don't spill the redrum! Tonight, Saturday, Oct. 30, at midnight. Landmark's E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. Call 202-452-7672 or visit landmarktheatres.com.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show - 20th Century Fox
Uploaded by Columbia-Pictures. - Full seasons and entire episodes online.

The newest theater in town -- the West End Cinema -- focuses on indie and international fare, as well as documentaries. It opens this weekend in the space formerly occupied by the Cineplex Odeon Inner Circle, a space that's been empty for a decade. Among the films on tap are Howl, starring James Franco as legendary gay poet Allen Ginsberg, put on trial for obscenity; and Gerrymandering, documentary about politicians doing everything they can to stay in power. West End Cinema, 2301 M St. NW. Call 202-419-FILM or visit westendcinema.com.

Guest theater choreographer Joshua Bergasse (national tour of Fame, regional productions of Carousel, West Side Story) contributes a new work for the kick-off to the Shenandoah Conservatory's dance season. The concert showcases new and encore works of jazz, ballet and modern dance, much of it choreographed by Shenandoah faculty. Saturday, Oct. 30, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 31, at 2:30 p.m. Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre at Shenandoah University, Winchester, Va. Tickets are $15. Call 540-665-4569 or visit ConservatoryPerforms.org.

Widely considered the foremost interpreter of the American Songbook, the Tony- and Grammy-winning Barbara Cook performs a one-night-only concert at the intimate Birchmere. The original Marian the Librarian in Meredith Wilson's The Music Man -- and Cunegonde in Leonard Bernstein's Candide -- Cook is sure to relate anecdotes from her recent stint on Broadway in Sondheim on Sondheim, her first show on the Great White Way in 23 years. She'll sing showtune standards accompanied by a band including musical director Andy Einhorn on keyboards, Peter Donovan on bass and Jim Saporito on drums. Friday, Oct. 29, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are $79.50. Call 703-549-7500 or visit birchmere.com.

Arena Stage's Molly Smith sets her production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's great American musical Oklahoma! in the robust world of territory life filled with a dynamic cast as rich and complex as the great tapestry of America itself. "Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'," "People Will Say We're In Love" and of course the title tune are all on tap in this ode to America's pioneer spirit, the first to christen Arena State's sparkling new complex. To Dec. 26. The Fichlander at Mead Center for American Theater, 1101 6th St. SW. Tickets are $75 to $105. Call 202-488-3300 or visit arenastage.org.

The prolific and uniquely gifted Brooks -- responsible for the occasional Metro Weekly cover illustration -- unveils an exhibit of all-new paintings. We the People is more blatantly political than typical Brooks, reflecting the political and economic turmoil that takes up the head space of those who are paying attention in today's troubled times. Opening reception is tonight, Friday, Oct. 29, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. On display through Nov. 28. Long View Gallery, 1234 9th St. NW. Call 202-232-4788 or visit longviewgallery.com.

An equestrian tradition since 1958, the Washington International Horse Show brings top horses and riders from the U.S. and abroad, including Olympic champions, to the nation's capital to compete for more than $415,000 in prize money and championship titles. Two performances are held daily except Sunday. Through Sunday, Oct. 31. Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW. Standard tickets are $15 to $30 each show. Call 202-628-3200 or visit verizoncenter.com.

After four years, soul/funk collective Robert Randolph and the Family Band finally released a new record, We Walk This Road. Produced by T Bone Burnett, the album features originals and covers of John Lennon, Prince, among others. Known for their electrifying live shows, Randolph and the Fam' are at the 9:30 Club this weekend for two party-filled nights, Friday, Oct. 29 and Saturday, Oct. 30, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25. The 9:30 Club is located at 815 V St. Call 202-265-0930. Visit www.930.com.

The Kennedy Center just dropped an additional casting announcement for their upcoming spring revival of Stephen Sondheim's Follies. Of course, the biggest news here is the addition of the legendary British belter Elaine Paige -- the original Eva Peron in Evita and the original Grizabella in Cats -- and the extraordinary Linda Lavin to the cast. But from our locally-trained eyes, the addition of Terrence Currier (long time ago a mainstay at Arena Stage and a member of the cast of the ill-fated Annie 2, and David Sabin (a longtime Shakespeare Theatre Company favorite) ain't nothin' to sneeze at. Of course, you all already know Bernadette Peters is starring in the production. If nothing else, the revival is shaping up to be pure bliss for theater lovers everywhere. Here's the announcement as it came in over the transom:

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts today announced additional casting and a two week extension for its revival production of Follies. The musical will feature Terrence Currier as Theodore Whitman, Rosalind Elias as Heidi Schiller, Florence Lacey as Sandra Crane, Linda Lavin as Hattie Walker, Jan Maxwell as Phyllis Rogers Stone, Elaine Paige as Carlotta Campion, Régine as Solange LaFitte, David Sabin as Dimitri Weismann, Susan Watson as Emily Whitman and Terri White as Stella Deems joining previously announced Bernadette Peters as Sally Durant Plummer. The production has been extended two weeks and will now run May 7 to June 19, 2011 in the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. Follies features a book by James Goldman and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and will be directed by Eric Schaeffer with choreography by Warren Carlyle. James Moore will serve as music director and will conduct the 28-piece Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. Tickets will go on sale January 30, 2011 at 12 p.m.

The wildly popular 17th Street High Heel Race is the highlight of Halloween for many Washingtonians, gay and straight. The blocks between JR.'s and Cobalt are closed to car traffic starting at 6 p.m., when towing begins -- and also when the crowd starts showing up to stake out good viewing spots. This Tuesday, Oct. 26, promptly at 9 p.m., followed by parties at Cobalt and JR.'s. Register to run at Cobalt, 1639 R St. NW. To volunteer, email heelvolunteer@aol.com. Visit cobaltdc.com.

The Kennedy Center lets the sun shine in on Hair, the 2009 Tony winner for Best Musical Revival, as it kicks off its national tour. A celebration of life, a love letter to freedom, and a passionate cry for hope and change, Hair defined one generation -- as the first great rock musical -- and Galt MacDermot's music and Gerome Ragni and James Rado's book and lyrics continue to inspire today. Diane Paulus directs with choreography by Karole Armitage. Opens Tuesday, Oct. 26. To Nov. 21. Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are $25 to $115. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

Remaining events in the 12th annual Jewish Literary Festival at the DCJCC include Jerry Muller discussing Capitalism and the Jews about the disproportionate success of Jews in capitalist economies, exploring the most plausible explanations for this striking phenomenon and examining the remarkable range of Jewish responses to capitalism, on Monday, Oct. 25, and a closing night program on Wednesday, Oct. 27, featuring Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, whose 36 Arguments for the Existence of God is a hilarious, heartbreaking and intellectually captivating novel exploring the rapture and torments of religious experience in all its variet. D.C. Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW. Call 202-777-3251 or visit washingtondcjcc.org/litfest.

Vocalist Karl Hyde talks, moans, whispers -- and oh yeah, sings -- in an always-captivating way, and his wordplay adds still more to the charm. But of course, it's Underworld's trance-based rock beats that make you move. The British duo of Hyde and guitarist Rick Smith first came to fame in the mid-'90s, with "Born Slippy" featured in the movie Trainspotting. On the new Barking, the men serve up more ravishing pop-focused dance-floor wonders in the style of 2002's "Two Months Off." No wonder, since they worked with guest electronica producers including D.C.'s own Dubfire (of Deep Dish), D. Ramirez and Paul van Dyk. Monday, Oct. 25. Doors at 7 p.m. Nightclub 9:30, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $45. Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com.

Kris Allen opens for alt-rock band Lifehouse, which might seem odd, since Allen was last year’s American Idol, besting Adam Lambert for the title. But Allen has had nearly as much success since as he has obvious personality -- which is to say, not much. Meanwhile, Lifehouse has scored several top 40 hits over the past decade, from “Hanging by a Moment” to “You and Me” to “Whatever It Takes.” The band has proven to have staying power. Sunday, Oct. 24, at 7:30 p.m. D.A.R. Constitution Hall, 1776 D St. NW. Tickets are $42.25 to $50.45. Call 202-628-1776 or visit dar.org/conthall.

Signature Theatre presents A Fox on the Fairway, a world premiere comedy from D.C. playwright Ken Ludwig (Crazy for You), which pays tribute to the great English farces of the 1930s and 1940s. Recalling the Marx Brothers' classics, the comedy stars Broadway's Jeff McCarthy (Urinetown, Side Show) and local favorites Holly Twyford (Little Dog Laughed) and Andrew Long (I Am My Own Wife) as it focuses on the stuffy denizens of two competing country clubs. John Rando directs. To Nov. 14. Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets $50 to $76. Call 703-820-9771 or visit signature-theatre.org.

One of Shakespeare's most complex and fascinating characters is central to the bard's most entertaining history play, Richard III. The Washington Shakespeare Company is a resident company of the new Artisphere complex in Arlington and it will occupy the new Black Box space. (So long, Clark Street, may you rest in peace.) In rep with Mary Stuart, to Dec. 12. Artisphere Black Box, 1101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. Tickets are $26.50 to $51.50. Call 703-875-1100 or visit artisphere.com or washingtonshakespeare.org.

Renowned and revered the world over as one of the greatest saxophone players of all time, David Sanborn has inspired countless other musicians while creating a body of work that spans the genres of rock, R&B, pop and jazz. His latest Decca Records release, Here & Gone, produced by Phil Ramone, features guests including Eric Clapton, Sam Moore and Joss Stone. Saturday, Oct. 23 and Sunday, Oct.24, at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Tickets are $60, plus $10 minimum purchase. Call 202-337-4141 or visit bluesalley.com.

The American Film Institute's annual scary cinema series at the Silver Theatre includes screenings this weekend of the "rom-zom-com" Shaun of the Dead, Dawn of the Dead, George Romero's dazzling, gory 1978 sequel to Night of the Living Dead, and a rare 35mm print of Dario Argento's Italian horror masterpiece Suspiria. Next weekend brings more screenings of Shaun of the Dead plus the 1922 German silent-film classic Nosferatu with musical accompaniment from D.C.'s Silent Orchestra. AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring. Tickets are $10 general admission; the Nosferatu screenings are $15. Call 301-495-6720 or visit afi.com/Silver to see full schedule and times.

Will Calhoun -- most recognized as the drummer for the rock band Living Colour -- has earned repeated praise for his fearless explorations of jazz, hip-hop, and world music. All About Jazz called the Grammy Award winner’s solo album Native Lands “proof that living in a diversity of musical worlds can create its own focus.” Calhoun will perform with a jazz ensemble of special guests, and will also participate in a conversation about percussion in the natural world. Saturday, Oct. 23, at National Geographic Live, 1600 M St. NW. Tickets are $20 for the general public, $18 for National Geographic members. Call 202-857-7700 or visit nationalgeographic.com/events.

The President and First Lady help open Arena Stage's sparkling new Southwest complex with a gala ceremony on Monday, Oct. 25, but first comes a public Homecoming this Saturday, Oct. 23, with free performances, events, demonstrations and tours. The festivities start with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:30 a.m., and conclude with a special performance featuring the cast from the new production of Oklahoma! and other special guests at 5:45 p.m. Other highlights include a Show Choir Spectacular featuring two local high schools, the Manzari Brothers, Washington Improv Theater, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and several cabaret shows with Arena Stage favorites. Saturday, Oct. 23, from 11:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mead Center for American Theater, 1101 6th St. SW. Call 202-488-3300 or visit arenastage.org.

Gay HGTV hunk David Bromstad -- last week’s Metro Weekly cover profile -- gives an interactive, 90-minute presentation on color and decorating at three Strosniders Hardware stores in Maryland this Saturday, Oct. 23: 9 a.m. at Strosniders Bethesda, 6930 Arlington Road; noon at Strosniders Silver Spring, 815 Wayne Ave.; and 3 p.m. at Strosniders Potomac, 10110 River Road. The events are free but tickets are required. Visit strosniders.com/bromstadticket.

Through early November, Landmark's E Street Cinema is hosting weekend midnight screenings of camp and cult classics. This weekend brings Albert Magnoli's 1984 Purple Rain starring Prince as "The Kid" in a semi-autobiographical film about a tortured musician. Apollonia and Morris Day also star in this film bolstered by the kind of popular soundtrack ("Let's Go Crazy," "When Doves Cry," "Purple Rain") that could turn the screenings into de facto sing-alongs. Friday, Oct. 22, and Saturday, Oct. 23, at midnight. Landmark's E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. Call 202-452-7672 or visit landmarktheatres.com.

Reel Affirmations presents two military-themed films on Friday, Oct. 22 -- A Marine Story, a drama starring Dreya Weber and Alex Everett, at 7 p.m., and Out of Annapolis, a documentary that tells the stories of eleven gay former sailors and Marines who attended Annapolis in the '70s, '80s and '90s, at 9:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 22. U.S. Naval Memorial Burke Theatre, 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $15 each or both plus a reception for $25. Call 202-547-1122 or visit reelaffirmations.org.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov inspired this legendary American group’s name and each performer has taken on a Russian persona. The Flying Karamazov Brothers offer amusing comedic skits, entertaining musical numbers and juggling feats. One of those don't dare miss it opportunities. Thursday, Oct. 21, at 8 p.m. The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1645 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $35. Call 703-255-1900 or visit wolf-trap.org.

The Flying Karamazov Brothers at Gel 2005 from Gel Conference on Vimeo.

Now in its fifth year, the cabaret Belly Horror features performance artists in what is billed as “a sinisterly sensual smorgasbord of belly dance, inspired by Halloween, B-movie monsters and burlesque theater.” Friday, Oct. 22, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are $29.50 Call 703-549-7500 or visit birchmere.com.

Young Jean Lee’s show is more jagged kinetic poem than traditional narrative, and it plays with stereotypes at a pace that is at once furious and carefully studied. It offends intentionally and without borders, simultaneously jabbing the media images of Asian Americans created by testosterone junkies like Quentin Tarantino and the global pop culture that has transformed both the Asian schoolgirl and the traditionally garbed Asian woman into fetish porn. Closes this Sunday, Oct. 24. Studio Theatre 2ndStage, 14th & P Streets NW. Tickets are $30 to $35. Call 202-332-3300 or visit studiotheatre.org.

Read Tom Avila's full Four Star review of the show.

The New Yorker calls the energetic Catie Curtis, part of Massachusetts' thriving lesbian folk scene, a "folk-rock goddess." She puts on a lovely show, and her loyal local fan base is legion. Thursday Oct. 21, at 7:30 p.m. Jammin' Java, 227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna. Tickets are $25. Call 703-255-3747 or visit jamminjava.com.

Robert Richmond directs Henry VIII, Shakespeare's final history play that reverberates with power struggles -- both political and personal -- as Henry's advisors, paramour Anne Boleyn, and Queen Katherine, vie for the favor of the King. Starring Ian Merrill Peakes in the title role. Costumes by William Ivey Long. To Nov. 21. Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $30 to $60. Call 202-544-7077 or visit folger.edu.

Kennedy Center presents the exclusive North American engagement of the Chekhov International Theatre Festival's productions of Three Sisters and Twelfth Night, the first the classic from Anton Chekhov, performed in Russian with English surtitles, the second the classic from William Shakespeare. British director Declan Donnellan, who founded the festival in Moscow, directs both productions. Three Sisters runs Tuesday, Oct. 19, and Wednesday, Oct. 20, at 7:30 p.m., while Twelfth Night runs Friday, Oct. 22, and Saturday, Oct. 23, at 7:30 p.m. Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. Tickets are $22 to $60. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

Jill Sobule is the original "I Kissed A Girl" pop singer -- which was, apparently, the first song with an overtly gay topic aired on pop radio. It's still the better one. After all, Katy Perry kissed us and then ran the other way. Not the gay-rights-supporting Sobule. Wednesday, Oct. 20, at 7:30 p.m. Jammin' Java, 227 Maple Ave. E. Vienna. Tickets are $15. Call 703-255-3747 or visit jamminjava.com.

The Folger Shakespeare Library presents an exclusive evening with English novelist Nick Hornby and singer/musician Ben Folds, featuring a reading from Hornby's novel Juliet, Naked and songs from the album Lonely Avenue, with lyrics by Hornby and music by Folds. Tuesday, Oct. 19, at 7:30 p.m. Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. 600 I St. NW. Tickets are $30. Call 202-544-7077 or visit folger.edu.

Festival highlights of this year's Jewish Literary Festival include Ruth Franklin, Senior Editor at The New Republic, discussing her book A Thousand Darknesses: Lies and Truth in Holocaust Fiction, on Tuesday, Oct. 19; Miryam Kabakov discussing her new book Keep Your Wives Away From Them in a presentation with the 16th Street J's Kurlander Program for Gay & Lesbian Outreach and Engagement (GLOE), on Wednesday, Oct. 20; and Judith Freidenberg discussing The Invention of the Jewish Gaucho: Villa Clara and the Construction of Argentine Identity, on Friday, Oct. 22. The festival runs to Oct. 27. Washington, D.C. Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW. Call 202-777-3251 or visit washingtondcjcc.org/litfest.

In lieu of a full festival -- that will wait until the spring -- Reel Affirmations presents a few film screenings this month, kicking off with Douglas Langway's award-winning BearCity, a romantic comedy about gay bear life in the Big Apple. The director and cast will conduct a Q&A after the screening (and will be at tonight's Bear Happy Hour at Town Danceboutique). Saturday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. Harman Center for the Arts, 610 F St. NW. Tickets are $15. Call 202-547-1122 or visit reelaffirmations.org.

Longtime standup comic Paula Poundstone, self-proclaimed "virginish" and "asexual," is these days usually the funniest person on NPR's amusing weekend news quiz show Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me! She appears Saturday, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m. at The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are $39.50. Call 703-549-7500 or visit birchmere.com.

Creator Joel Hodgson and members of the original cast of the award-winning cult television show Mystery Science Theater 3000 return for more movie riffing, this time in front a live audience. The focus is on the 1966 Japanese sci-fi thriller War of the Insects, also known as Genocide, a rarely seen and poorly dubbed film in which a plane carrying an atomic bomb is attacked by a new, mad scientist-developed strain of killer bees. Should be explosively, stingingly uproarious. Friday, Oct. 15, at 8 p.m. Lisner Auditorium, The George Washington University, 730 21st St. NW. Tickets are $25 to $35. Call 202-994-6800 or visit lisner.org.

Read our interview with Joel Hodgson here.

In an Italian villa in the 1920s, four Englishwomen — formerly strangers — open themselves to new possibilities and find unexpected pathways to self-discovery. Matthew Barber's stage adaptation of Elizabeth von Arnim's Enchanted April first appeared on Broadway a decade after the 1992 movie. Running through Oct. 16. Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center's Ina and Jack Kay Theatre, University of Maryland, University Boulevard and Stadium Drive. College Park. Tickets are $27. Call 301-405-ARTS or visit claricesmithcenter.umd.edu.

In Panther and Crane, Ibex Puppetry's Heather Henson carries forward the legacy of her father Jim Henson through her own vision, with a story of a young crane's journey of survival through Florida's ecosystem, both wild places and man-made landscapes. The show incorporates dance, puppetry, animation, and even kite work. Thursday, Oct. 14, through Saturday, Oct. 16, at 8 p.m. Also Saturday, Oct. 16, at 3 p.m. Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center's Dance Theatre, University of Maryland, University Boulevard and Stadium Drive. College Park. Tickets are $30. Call 301-405-ARTS or visit claricesmithcenter.umd.edu.

Angella Foster's commissioned piece "Speechless" uses movement, text, live music and video projections to tell the stories of families who care for special needs children who cannot speak. Using her cousin Taylor's story and interviews with her aunt as a starting point, "Speechless" gives a voice to the struggle to love, communicate with, and care for a silent child in a noisy world. Thursday, Oct. 14, and Friday, Oct. 15, at 6 p.m. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Tickets are free. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

The Austrian chillout electronica duo Kruder & Dorfmeister celebrates (as its new compilation puts it) Sixteen F**king Years of G-Stone Recordings, which includes new tracks and old hits since DJs Peter Kruder and Richard Dorfmeister teamed up in 1993. Monday, Oct. 11. Doors at 7 p.m. Nightclub 9:30, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $45. Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com.

Georgetown University presents a staged reading of Patricia Loughrey's Dear Harvey, with music by Thomas Hodges, that pays tribute to the first openly gay man elected to a major public office in the United States. Georgetown professor Susan Lynskey directs a cast of local professional actors plus Georgetown faculty, alumni and students in this production, timed for National Coming Out Day. Tonight, Monday, Oct. 11, at 7:30 p.m. The Gonda Theatre at the Davis Performing Arts Center on Georgetown University's main campus. Tickets are $5. Call 202-687-ARTS or visit performingarts.georgetown.edu.

"Memory of a time I did not know…" features works on paper by Miriam Morsel Nathan, Silver Spring resident and former director of the Washington Jewish Film Festival. Through pre-World War II photographs, images, monotypes and screen prints, Nathan seeks to make sense of and connect to her family's history. On display through Dec. 17. Ann Loeb Bronfman Gallery, Washington, D.C.'s Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW. Call 202-777-3208 or visit washingtondcjcc.org/gallery.

The American Century Theater has made it their business to present thoughtfully selected plays from the 20th century, offering a chance to experience contemporary theater before the dawn of the age of self-actualization and all the psycho-babble that goes with it. TACT takes us back to the kind of pared-down – yet dramatically rich – theater we see so little of today. It's so old it's new. Take, for example, this season's opener: Paddy Chayefsky's small, joyously irreverent urban-Jewish folktale, The Tenth Man. Though the revelations are tame by today's standards, Chayefsky's voice remains potent and thought-provoking, a tongue-in-cheek take on human nature suspended only enough to reveal a deep empathy with lost souls. Carefully crafted yet entertaining, witty but still tender, The Tenth Man is the kind of drama that, in its small way, re-calibrates the medium. To Oct. 16. American Century Theater's Gunston Theater II, 2700 South Lang St. Arlington. Tickets are $30 to $35. Call 703-998-4555 or visit americancentury.org.

Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Dance Company presents FACES: Blessed Unrest by Anita Ratnam, blending images of familiar faces with movement and music to convey emotions. Dakshina will open the performance with a signature repertoire of modern and fusion dances. Saturday, Oct. 9, at 7:30 p.m. Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. Tickets are $18.50 to $42.50. Call 202-328-6000 or visit thelincolntheatre.org or dakshina.org.

A star-studded, soul-stirring concert by Mavis Staples and Bettye Lavette -- two iconic R&B vocalists, both promoting new albums. This is a one-time joint performance, so it's certainly not to be missed. Saturday, Oct. 9, at 8 p.m. Lisner Auditorium, The George Washington University, 730 21st St. NW. Tickets are $25 to $45. Call 202-994-6800 or visit lisner.org.

Mavis Staples: First Lady of Freedom Songs from Tiffany Hopkins on Vimeo.

Ganymede Arts' production of Falsettos is stylish to a fault. Set up in the intimate, cabaret-scaled "Noi's Nook" in the back of Go Mama Go!, set designers Dan Van Why and Christopher McKenzie, and costumer Dennis Kitmore, have dressed William Finn and James Lapine's musical in a sophisticated palate of black, gray and bold turquoise. Unfortunately, the production as a whole does not measure up to its impeccably tailored trappings. While there are certainly some fine performances, there are too many frayed and ragged elements. Closes this Sunday, Oct. 10. Noi's Nook at Go Mama Go!, 1809 14th St. NW. Tickets are $30. Call 800-494-8497 or visit ganymedearts.org.

"Arcimboldo, 1526–1593: Nature and Fantasy" features 16 examples of the fantastic composite heads painted by Arcimboldo in their first appearance in the United States. Through Jan. 9, 2011. National Gallery of Art, Third Street at Constitution Avenue NW. Call 202-737-4215 or visit nga.gov.

In My Father, The Captain: My Life with Jacques Cousteau, the famed explorer's son, Jean-Michel, himself an award-winning documentary filmmaker, celebrates the centennial of his father's birth and offers an intimate look at family life. Friday, Oct. 8, at 7:30 p.m. National Geographic Society's Gilbert H. Grosvenor Auditorium, 1600 M St. NW. Tickets are $20. Call 202-857-7700 or visit nglive.org.

Following a sold-out debut last fall, the Velocity DC Dance Festival, presented by Dance/MetroDC, Washington Performing Arts Society and the Shakespeare Theatre Company, returns for three days of world-class dance, performed in two programs, each performed twice, and featuring, among others, the CityDance Ensemble, Edgeworks, Jane Franklin Dance, The Washington Ballet, Dana Tai Soon Burgess and Company, Edwin Aparicio and The Suzanne Farrell Ballet. Thursday, Oct. 7, Friday, Oct. 8, and Saturday, Oct. 9, at 8 p.m. Also Saturday, Oct. 9, at 2 p.m. Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW. Tickets are $18 for each performance. Call 202-547-1122 or visit velocitydc.org.

"What We Leave Behind" features works by encaustic collage artist Marty Ittner and painter Michele Cormier -- visually dense works referencing the discarded physical and emotional remnants of our busy lives. Through Oct. 30. Evolve Urban Arts Project, Pierce School Loft J, 1375 Maryland Ave. NE. Call 202-489-8160 or visit art.evolvedc.com.

Robbie Schaefer, the famed guitarist and songwriter from folk-rock band Eddie From Ohio and host of XM's "Robbie Schaefer's Stuck in a Real Tall Tree," entertains audiences with an energetic warmth and honesty in his music. Thursday, Oct. 7, at 8 p.m. The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1645 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $20. Call 703-255-1900 or visit wolf-trap.org.

In "Gotta Dance!" Jack Everly conducts the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Superpops in a vast exploration of music and movement, as dozens of dancers join the BSO to perform Celtic dance, tap, ballroom, tango, ballet and more. Thursday, Oct. 7, at 8 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Also Friday, Oct. 8, and Saturday, Oct. 9, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 10, 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.

Les Ballet Trockadero is a playful, entertaining company of professional male dancers who perform -- in tutus, tiaras and tights -- ballet and modern dance with a twist, offering traditional, classical ballet plus parody and slapstick. Wednesday, Oct. 6, and Thursday, Oct. 7, at 8 p.m. Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. Tickets are $22 to $65. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

D.C. native Todd Wright has supported acts including Lucy Woodward, the Pat McGee Band and Better than Ezra. Tonight, Wednesday, Oct. 6, at 8 p.m. Jammin' Java, 227 Maple Ave. E. Vienna. Tickets are $12. Call 703-255-3747 or visit jamminjava.com.

UPDATE: TONIGHT'S LIZZ WRIGHT SHOW HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO ARTIST ILLNESS. Refunds are available at place of purchase through 10/20. The Birchmere has rescheduled the show for Friday, February 11, 2011. Since the date is so far away, The Birchmere is refunding all tickets, and creating a new event for 2/11/11. Tickets for this new show will go on sale this Friday Oct. 8 at Noon through Ticketmaster.

A blues-fired R&B singer with a countrified bent and a gospel and jazz background, Lizz Wright boasts a smoky contralto and impresses with lyrical power, beautiful, elegantly crafted melodies and vocal subtlety. Any fan of Jill Scott, Angie Stone, even Melissa Etheridge or (early) k.d. lang, will find enormous pleasure here. Tonight, Wednesday, Oct. 6, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are $35. Call 703-549-7500 or visit birchmere.com.

New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman offers The Food Matters Cookbook: 500 Revolutionary Recipes for Better Living, recipes relying mostly on fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Tuesday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m. Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. 600 I St. NW. Tickets are $12, or receive two free tickets with online purchase of the book. Call 202-408-3100 or visit sixthandi.org.

Ease on down the road with Dorothy and her friends in The Wiz, a funked-up adaptation of L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz featuring music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls. Kingsley Leggs and Angela Robinson, stars of Broadway's The Color Purple, take on The Wiz/Uncle Henry and Glinda/Aunti Em, respectively. Center Stage's artistic director Irene Lewis directs. Opens tonight, Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. To Nov. 11. Center Stage, 700 North Calvert St., Baltimore. Tickets are $10 to $60. Call 410-986-4000 or visit centerstage.org.

Following two performances at the White House and a sold-out appearance at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, this bassist and vocalist returns to D.C. with her effervescent blend of jazz fusion, Brazilian samba, and a touch of hip-hop. Tonight, Sunday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m. Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. Tickets are $35. Presented by the Washington Performing Arts Society. Call 202-785-9727 or visit wpas.org.

Nature/Data is the first solo U.S. exhibition for New York-based Italian designer and architect Antonio Pio Saracino, with works executed in plywood, metal, carbon fiber and synthetics. Through Oct. 30. Industry Gallery, 1358 Florida Ave. NE, 2nd Fl. Call 202-399-1730 or visit industrygallerydc.com.

As a lesbian trio from Texas, sisters Phanie and Nina Diaz with Jenn Alva -- aka Girl in a Coma create noisy music inspired by the post-punk/new wave genre. They open for new British quirky techno band Foals. Sunday, Oct. 3, at 8 p.m. Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. Tickets are $15. Call 202-667-4490 or visit blackcatdc.com.

This charming, cute Canadian hip-hopper Drake is one of the genre's newest stars, part of the Lil Wayne family. His debut album Thank Me Later topped the main Billboard pop chart in June. As of press time, tickets still available to the show Sunday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m. D.A.R. Constitution Hall, 1776 D St. NW. Tickets are $61.70 to $66.85. Call 202-628-1776 or visit dar.org/conthall.

Shenandoah Conservatory Performances opens its season with the Tony Award-winning musical A Chorus Line, exploring the life of 17 dancers on their journey through an audition and past reflections of a life in dance. The musical won nine Tony Awards and was the recipient of 1976 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, The New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award and The Drama Desk Award. It became the longest running musical of its time with 6,137 performances. At the Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre on the campus of Shenandoah University in Winchester, Va. Performance dates are Saturday, Oct. 2 at 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 3 at 2:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $10 for students. Call 540-665-4569 or visit ConservatoryPerforms.org.

The Art of Peace Sitar concert featuring Alif Laila (pictured) is an annual concert commemorating Mahatma Gandhi's birthday and his contributions to peace. Saturday, Oct. 2, at 4:30 p.m. Westminster Church, 400 I St. SW. Call 202-247-1292 or visit dakshina.org.

Geckos: Tails to Toepads features more than 15 species of live geckos from all over the world. Through a series of computer and tactile interactives visitors can experience gecko night vision, magnify gecko toepads, listen to gecko sounds, and build a custom gecko for various environments. On display through Jan. 5, 2011. National Geographic Museum, 1145 17th St. NW. Exhibition is free. Call 202-857-7588 or visit ngmuseum.org.

Giant Day Gecko photographed by Bill Love

A robust spoof about an all-boy contemporary Christian singing group, Atlar Boyz, with music and lyrics by Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker and book by Kevin Del Aguila, includes plenty of gay appeal, not to mention a "sensitive" (read: gay) character. Patrick M. Doneghy directs this Dominion Stage production. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. Sunday matinee, Sunday, Oct. 10 at 2 p.m. Through Oct. 16. Gunston Arts Center, 2700 South Lang St. Arlington. Tickets are $15. Call 571-DS-SHOWS or visit dominionstage.org.

From the director of An Inconvenient Truth comes another film about America wasting a natural resource: the next generation. In Waiting for Superman, public schools are the focus of Davis Guggenheim's new documentary, which includes a look at D.C.'s own school system. Opens Friday, Oct. 1. Landmark's E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. Call 202-452-7672 or visit landmarktheatres.com.

It's so meta that The Social Network has a Facebook fan page. Aaron Sorkin adapts Ben Mezrich's 2009 book, The Accidental Billionaires, about the founding of Facebook. Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake, it's now just a question of how many of Facebook's 500 million members will leave their computers to see how the biggest time-suck in history began. Opens today, Friday, Oct. 1. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com.

Through early November, Landmark's E Street Cinema is hosting weekend midnight screenings of camp and cult classics, including, of course, Rocky Horror Picture Show -- "with live cast Sonic Transducers" -- next weekend, Oct. 8 and Oct. 9. Also on tap in future weeks: Poltergeist, Purple Rain, The Shining and Casablanca. But this weekend brings this John Waters' over-the-top classic Pink Flamingos, the one in which the late, great Divine actually eats dog poop. And then there's that chicken-sex scene. And who can ever forget Edie, the Egg Lady? For obvious reasons, it's NC17. Friday, Oct. 1, and Saturday, Oct. 2, at midnight. Landmark's E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. Call 202-452-7672 or visit landmarktheatres.com.

Born in New York, bred in Canada, the 21-year-old, part-Japanese R&B singer-songwriter Justin Nozuka writes playfully complex lyrics atypical of the norm, and he turned down major-label representation to do it his way. Rescheduled from August. Tonight, Friday, Oct. 1, at 9 p.m. The State Theatre, 220 N. Washington St., Falls Church. Tickets are $20. Call 703-237-0300 or visit thestatetheatre.com.

In his first concerts of the regular season, the NSO's new director Christoph Eschenbach conducts Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, one of classical music's most-heralded compositions. Joining Eschenbach and the NSO is soprano Marisol Montalvo, mezzo-soprano Yvonne Naef, tenor Nikolai Schukoff, bass-baritone John Relyea and the Choral Arts Society of Washington. Friday, Oct. 1, and Saturday, Oct. 2, at 8 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Tickets are $20 to $85. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

John Moletress directs this Factory 449 production of The Saint Plays, which incorporates six short plays, including two written for this cycle, by Erick Ehn. The production offers a theatrical journey that re-imagines the historical lives of the saints in a contemporary landscape. Weekends to Oct. 10. Church Street Theater, 1742 Church St. NW. Tickets are $22 to $25. Visit factory449.com.

Signature Theatre kicks off its fall season off with the first major production Chess in nearly 20 years and, while some elements feel just a bit undone, it's a bold choice that delivers genuine rewards. And if you've not seen the musical before, it may very well surprise you. For example, all the songs in Chess were written by Tim Rice and a couple of musicians by the names Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson -- better known as half of the band ABBA. The sound is unmistakable. Think carefully coordinated harmonies and big, showy instrumentals. More musically complicated than what has come to be thought of as a "rock musical" and bearing all of the regalia of the time when it was written, the project could have landed onstage like a Pet Rock. Fortunately, that's not the case. Chess is bright, engaging and full of queens (and kings and pawns and songs) that will, in fact, excite you.' FOUR STARS. Closes this Sunday, Oct. 3. Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets $55 to $81. Call 703-820-9771 or visit signature-theatre.org.

Read Tom Avila's full review here.

White Heat features passionate pieces from Sibelius and Tchaikovsky. James Ross conducts the University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra. Guest violinist James Stern. Tonight, Friday, Oct. 1, at 8 p.m. Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center's Dekelboum Hall, University of Maryland, University Boulevard and Stadium Drive. College Park. Tickets are $27. Call 301-405-ARTS or visit claricesmithcenter.umd.edu.

DC9's weekly electro-pop Liberation Dance Party presents the Norwegian troupe Casiokids Norwegian troupe, which sprung out of an idea of making electronic music more visual, but has developed further into being a collective of theatre blended with pop melodies often sung in their native language and influenced by Afro-beat, techno and out-and-out pop. Includes puppets! Yes, puppets! Friday, Oct. 1, at 9 p.m. DC9, 1940 9th St. NW. Tickets are $8. Call 202-483-5000 or dcnine.com.

The In Series's "pocket opera" provocative double-bill of William Bolcom & Arnold Weinstein's Casino Paridise and Leonard Bernstein's Trouble In Tahiti provides an evening of longing, illusion, gangsters and greed. Nick Olcott directs. Closes this weekend. Source, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets are $39. Call 202-204-7760 or visit inseries.org.