Spotlight

Athens Boys Choir Thursday at Phase 1

2010-03-17T02:56:00Z

Despite the name, this is really just a one-tran-band -- a Southern transsexual Jew to be exact. Otherwise named Katz, he’ll perform “a gender-deviant, multi-media, spoken-word, homo-hop show” alongside 8 Inch Betsy, an all-girl Chicago-based rock/pop/punk trio. Thursday, March 18, at 9 p.m. Phase 1, 525 8th St. SE. Tickets are $5 to $10. Call 202-544-6831 or visit phase1dc.com.

There's still plenty of money to be made, so count on even more Avatar

2010-03-15T02:34:41Z

The Hollywood Reporter says James Cameron is in talks with studios to bring a slightly longer version of Avatar to IMAX 3D theaters this summer, reports the New York Times in its Arts, Briefly column.

James Cameron is in discussions with Fox to work out a re-release of the film, possibly with additional scenes that were cut from the original. In New York on Thursday, Imax’s chief executive, Richard L. Gelfond, said that Mr. Cameron had about 40 minutes of extra material. Only about 10 minutes of film could be added, though, to keep under the 170-minute maximum length a movie can be released in analog Imax theaters.

Disney's Alice in Wonderland, which was again at No. 1 for its second weekend in release, replaced Avatar in most 3D Digital and 3D IMAX venues. Avatar's return to 3D theaters could gross it several hundred million dollars more to add to its already record-shattering box-office.

Technorati Tags: Avatar, Movies, New York Times

KenCen's Michael Kaiser converses with Terrence McNally

2010-03-15T02:00:00Z

Terrence McNally, the four-time Tony Award-winner, known for musicals (Kiss of the Spider Woman, Ragtime, The Full Monty) as well as plays (The Ritz, Love! Valour! Compassion!) gives insight into his multi-faceted career at the launch of his "Nights at the Opera play trilogy" -- The Lisbon Traviata, starring John Glover and Malcolm Gets, Master Class starring the incomparable Tyne Daly and his newest play, Golden Age -- in production over the next five weeks at the Kennedy Center. The center’s Michael Kaiser will conduct the interview. Monday, March 15, at 7:30 p.m. Kennedy Center Family Theater. Tickets are $15. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

The Washington Post has a superb story about McNally by Peter Marks in Sunday's edition. Read it here.

Pictured: Tyne Daly as Maria Callas. Photo by Joan Marcus.

Not My Label at Flashpoint's Mead Theater

2010-03-14T15:02:45Z

Ambassador Theater presents a staged reading of "Not My Label: A Journey of Discovery," written by and starring Rula. The monologue, in which Old World values meet New World realities, is based on her real-life traumatic events of being banished by her family and peers after revealing her true identity. Sunday, March 14, at 7 p.m., followed by a wine reception with Rula. Flashpoint's Mead Theater, 916 G St. NW. Tickets are $15 and can be ordered by visiting aticc.org.

Sake Tasting and Tour at The Textile Museum

2010-03-10T13:54:24Z

The Textile Museum offers an evening program focused on sake, the alcoholic beverage made from rice and a craft in Japan for millennia. Several varieties will be sampled, and then associate curator Lee Talbot will lead a tour of "Contemporary Japanese Fashion: The Collection of Mary Baskett." The exhibit pulls visitors into the fashion revolution begun by top Japanese designers Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo through the display of these dynamic garments from the wardrobe of Baskett, an art dealer and former curator at the Cincinnati Art Museum. Sake tasting and tour this Friday, March 12, 6 to 8 p.m. The exhibit runs through April 11. The Textile Museum, 2320 S St. NW. Tickets are $55, with advance registration required. Call 202-667-0441 or visit textilemuseum.org.

Humble Tripe at Phase 1

2010-03-10T13:52:54Z

The Durham, N.C.-based queer band has only been together a year, but it's already opened for the likes of Amy Ray, Bower Birds and other bands. Blending Americana, folk and rock, the five-piece now tours the East Coast in support of its debut album Counting Stars. Friday, March 12, at 9:30 p.m. Phase 1, 525 8th St. SE. Call 202-544-6831 or visit phase1dc.com or humbletripe.com.

Thom Bierdz soaps up at Books-A-Million

2010-03-07T13:41:58Z

Thom Bierdz, the gay star of The Young and The Restless, who plays the openly gay Phillip Chancellor III, reads from and signs copies of his book Forgiving Troy, which won the 2009 National Best Book Award for Autobiography and was a finalist of the Lambda Literary Award. The book chronicles the true story of Bierdz's mother's murder at the hands of his younger brother Troy. Sunday, March 7, from 3 to 5 p.m. Books-a-Million Bookstore, 11 Dupont Circle NW. Call 202-319-1374 or visit thombierdz.com.

Capturing Fire Queer Spoken Word Summit and Slam

2010-03-07T13:36:19Z

A first of its kind, this national summit and slam is open to all local and national GLBT performance artists. Spoken-word artists Andrea Gibson, Tara Hardy and Sonya Renee and music act The Good Asian Drivers perform at an opening ceremony, to be followed by two days of performance and writing workshops, panels and networking. The summit culminates in a poetry slam, at which a National Queer Slam Champion will be crowned among 30 competing page-to-stage poet performers by the audience. Among organizers of this event is Natalie E. Illum, a founder of the long-time, regular queer women's spoken-word event mothertongue. Sunday, March 7, to Tuesday, March 9. Tickets to single events are $10, or all-inclusive summit passes are $35. For more details, find Capturing Fire on Facebook.com or email capturingfire@gmail.com.

That Face at the Studio Theatre 2ndstage

2010-03-05T13:42:07Z

You cannot help but be impressed -- enormously, tremendously impressed -- by the playwriting skills of Polly Stenham. When she was just 19 years old, the Londoner scribbled out a sulphuric little piece entitled That Face. It took London by storm, making it all the way to the West End. And now it has a chance to stir up Washington, as Studio 2ndstage has mounted its own sharply honed production. It would be evil to reveal details of the plot, because the real enjoyment of That Face lies in discovery. The narrative swirls in a murk of initial uncertainty, and Stenham uses adroit misdirection to keep us off balance. By the time the pieces fall into place and That Face reveals its soul, the drama has burrowed deeply under your skin, where it keeps crawling for days. Smartly directed by Rahaleh Nassri and featuring a cast whose standouts include Patrick Thomas Cragin as a conflicted, tragically codependent young man, and the wonderful Eva Wilhelm, whose heartstopping portrayal of a woman barely clinging to the edge of sanity is by turns vicious, comic and deeply poignant. Hers is the kind of unforgettable performance by which theatrical legends are made. To March 14. Studio Theatre 2ndStage, 14th & P Sts. NW. Tickets are $25 to $35. Call 202-332-3300 or visit studiotheatre.org. FOUR STARS. Reviewed by Randy Shulman

See all the Oscar Nominees in a day-long marathon!

2010-03-05T13:37:44Z

With 10 nominees, AMC Theatre's annual daylong screening of all films nominated for Best Picture at Sunday's Academy Awards is more brutal this year. For example, Avatar screens in 3D just after the stroke of midnight Friday night/Saturday morning, and A Serious Man screens at 3 a.m. If you can stay up, you can see Up in 3D at 5 a.m. But that's awfully late/early! The rest of the nominees -- District 9, Inglourious Basterds, The Blind Side, An Education, Precious, Up In The Air - follow throughout the day, ending at 9:30 p.m. with The Hurt Locker - which means, yes, the marathon is book-ended by movies from two directors, a former husband and wife team, James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow. Talk about drama. See all 10 for just $45, a price that also includes unlimited refills on a free large tub of popcorn. Saturday, March 6. AMC Loews Georgetown 14, 3111 K St. NW. Call 202-342-6441 or visit amcentertainment.com/bps.

Handicap your own Oscars! Read Tim Plant's Oscar Picks column here.

The Bill Frisell Trio at The Barns at Wolf Trap

2010-03-03T12:57:16Z

A composer for film scores including Gus Van Sant's Finding Forrester and Psycho, Bill Frisell is a revered jazz guitarist known for his musical versatility, having worked with everyone from Elvis Costello to Loudon Wainwright III to Bono. Drummer Rudy Royston and violinist Eyvind Kang are the other two members of this trio. Wednesday, March 3, at 8 p.m. The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1645 Trap Rd., Vienna. Tickets are $27. Call 703-255-1900 or visit wolf-trap.org.

Susan Farrell Ballet returns to the Kennedy Center

2010-03-03T12:56:04Z

The celebrated Susan Farrell Ballet presents two mixed repertory programs, including George Balanchine’s Haieff Divertimento and Jerome Robbins’ Afternoon of a Faun. Wednesday, March 3, through Sunday, March 7, at 7:30 p.m. Also Saturday, March 6, and Sunday, March 7, at 1:30 p.m. Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. Tickets are $29 to $84. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

Susan Farrell Ballet returns to the Kennedy Center

2010-03-03T12:56:04Z

Ani DiFranco pays a visit to the 9:30 Club

2010-03-01T01:42:51Z

DiFranco's most recent release, 2008's Red Letter Year, is happier, brighter and lighter than her previous output, which was more commonly angry, blistering and bruising. She's still got fire inside her, but where this folk-rocker once stormed, now she's more apt to swing. Opening for the openly bisexual DiFranco is Erin McKeown, a folk-pop and standards artist whose music has always been colored by swing. McKeown, who hails from Fredericksburg, Va., but lives in Massachusetts, released her last album, 2009's Hundreds of Lions, on DiFranco's Righteous Babe Records label. Tuesday, March 2. Doors at 7 p.m. Nightclub 9:30, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $40. Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com.

Intersections - A New America Arts Festival

2010-02-26T13:53:46Z

The Atlas Performing Arts Center's first festival features a multi-disciplinary, multi-ethnic and multi-generational line-up of more than 30 artists and cultural institutions from all over the metropolitan area. Among activities on tap: an Arena Stage production of Gospel Truth, about music artist Marva Hicks; a world premiere from Washington hip-hop artist Christylez Bacon; autobiographical stories from Speakeasy DC; the Washington Savoyards' production of Scott Joplin's rarely performed opera Treemonisha; actor Kathleen Gonzales' one-woman, multi-character tale about her family in Haiti; and a concert from legendary folk singer and activist Tom Chapin. NYC's Symphony Space, the Folger Shakespeare Library and Politics and Prose Bookstore will host literary events spotlighting diverse authors. The festival runs every weekend to March 7. At the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets range in price from $5 to $40; EasyPasses to all events cost $150 to $300. Call 202-399-7993 or visit intersectionsdc.org for a complete schedule.