Randy Shulman: May 2009 Archives

Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin and Buddy Miller -- “Three Girls and Their Buddy” -- offers a night of graceful songs and stories from each of these four country/folk stars’ memorable careers. They’ve all frequently appeared on each other’s albums, so expect a lot of group jams and duets – a definite concert for the memory books. Sunday, May 31, at 8 p.m. Wolf Trap, 1645 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $22 to $42. Call 703-255-1900 or visit www.wolf-trap.org.

Dominion Stage closes its 59th season with Paul Rudnick’s Jeffrey, the 1993 award-winning romantic comedy about an actor/waiter who tries to swear off sex for fear of HIV only to fall for an HIV-positive man. Scott Olson directs a cast of locals, including Keith Miller, Daniel McKay, Matthew Randall and Ray Bracken in this production, an official affiliated event with Capital Pride. Opens Friday, May 29, at 8 p.m. Running weekends through June 13. Gunston Arts Center – Theater One, 2700 S. Lang St. Arlington. Tickets are $17. Call 703-683-0502 or visit www.DominionStage.org.

This weekend, walk – like an Egyptian, of course – to Virginia if you want to see this ‘80s band. Yep, Susanna Hoffs and sisters Debbi and Vicki Peterson are still burning – and chances are, the group’s first hit is eternally seared into your brain every time a hard week announces itself. Just another “Manic Monday” may be ahead, but first, a spirited Saturday. Saturday, May 23, at 9 p.m. The State Theatre, 220 North Washington St., Falls Church. Tickets are $35. Call 703-237-0300 or visit www.thestatetheatre.com.

Recent GLAA Award-honoree Alan Sharpe’s brand-new drama, inspired by recent, real-life tragedies, focuses on a 12-year-old boy who commits suicide due to the pressures of relentless homophobic bullying. The African-American Collective Theater will present two staged readings of the play as fundraisers for the group’s activities among the black GLBT community. Sunday, May 24, at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. The Warehouse Theater, 1021 Seventh St. NW. Tickets are $15 Call 202-745-3662 or visit www.warehousetheater.com.

Constellation Theatre Company presents this play from gay horror novelist Clive Barker, subtitled “A Mysterious Quest for the Divine.” The title character embarks on a journey of self-discovery in hopes of escaping the malevolent angel that haunts him. The comically macabre fantasy mixes the surreal and the supernatural and features a large ensemble of strange characters, including a clown, a witch, a flying man, a ring of international spies and a gang of female bandits. Featuring original music performed live by Tom Teasley. Opens Thursday, May 21, at 8 p.m. Through June 14. Source, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets are $20. Call 202-204-7741 or visit www.ConstellationTheatre.org.

After challenging audiences to think outside the box with the post-war Peter Grimes and an Americanized Siegfried, the WNO returns fully to the fold with season-closer Turandot (TWO STARS). Suggesting a piece of Chinese puppet theater come to life, this is a visually striking production filled with color, dance and tableaux. For newcomers, it's a highly accessible opportunity to experience Puccini’s remarkably complex score which still manages to pack an emotional punch that puts Andrew Lloyd Webber to shame. Though not the most innovative of productions, this would have been stellar but for the uneven singing. The greatest disappointment is tenor Dario Volonte in the role of Calaf, the suitor willing to risk all to win the hand of Princess Turandot. Though Volonte has a pleasing virility to his tone and technically sang well, he is regularly lost in the orchestra. He may look the part, but his lack of power takes the oomph out of Calaf’s eagerness for Turandot. Maria Guleghina, by comparison, sounds like she's working through a bullhorn. It's a distracting disparity, not helped by Guleghina’s occasional troubles with pitch and tone. The overall best singing of the night comes from Sabina Cvilak as the ill-fated servant girl Liu. Cvilak sings with full, sweet tone and an almost ghostly wistfulness that nearly stole Turandot’s (much louder) thunder. Morris Robinson delivers a nicely resonant Timur and Robert Baker a suitably decrepit Emperor, but the three clowns Ping, Pang and Pong -- Nathan Herfindahl, Norman Shankle and Yingxi Zhang, respectively --lack vocal and theatrical cohesion. Overall, a crowd-pleaser. Thursday, May 21, at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, May 24, at 2 p.m.; Wednesday, May 27, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, May 30, and Monday, June 1, at 7 p.m.; and Thursday, June 4, at 7:30 p.m. Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are $25 to $300. Call 202-295-2400 or visit www.dc-opera.org. (Kate Wingfield)

Keane’s Tim Rice-Oxley went to school with Coldplay’s Chris Martin, and even declined Martin’s early offer to join the soon-to-be-huge band. Instead, with Keane, Rice-Oxley set out for more modest success making its own dramatic and lush keyboard-based pop. Last year the band surprised everyone by adding guitars to the mix on its third studio set, Perfect Symmetry. Tuesday, May 19, 7:30 p.m. D.A.R. Constitution Hall, 1776 D St. NW. Tickets are $44. Call 202-628-1776 or visit www.dar.org/conthall.

The Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District is hosting its inaugural house tour to showcase this emerging neighborhood on the east end of downtown, in a benefit for Strive DC, a life-skills and job-training organization. Included in the tour are units in 555 Mass, The Sonata and Madrigal Lofts. The final stop will be a tea reception in CityVista’s private park, Vista Green. Sunday, May 17, from noon to 5 p.m. Tickets are $20. Call 202-661-7590 or visit www.mountvernontriangle.org.

Before it's available to all on the PBS Independent Lens series, take advantage of another of D.C.'s stellar cultural offerings: Ask Not. This new documentary explores the effects of the so-called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Alex Nicholson and Jarrod Chlapowki, both of whom appear in the film, will be on hand to talk about their experiences under the policy. Today, Sunday, May 17, at 3 p.m., at the D.C. Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW. Free. For more information about Ask Not, visit www.communitycinema-dc.org. For information about the screening, call the DCJCC at 202-518-9400.

The theme at this sixth annual event is “Gay Hollywood,” and will feature live and silent auctions, dinner, a raffle, presentation of the group’s annual Harmony Awards and a performance by the chorus. Bishop Gene Robinson will also be honored. Tonight, Saturday, May 16, at 7 p.m. J.W. Marriott Hotel, 1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $150. Call 202-293-1548 or visit www.gmcw.org.

This 16th annual event, this year called “Fire & Ice,” will include food, live music and dancing. It kicks off with a VIP reception and dinner on Friday, May 15, at 7 p.m. The main event begins at 8 p.m. Corcoran Gallery of Art, 500 17th St. NW. VIP tickets are $1,000. Main event tickets are $250. Business attire required. Call 202-797-3543 or visit www.wwc.org/fireandice.

This New York electro-pop act and performance group, led by Warren Fischer and Casey Spooner, just released its third full-length artist album, Entertainment. It’s a satisfying album, but not nearly as novel or captivating as 2005’s Odyssey. Entertainment was written over a two-year-period alongside producer Jeff Saltzman, who has worked with The Killers and The Sounds – an obvious ploy for some mainstream success that has eluded this cult favorite, especially known for its high-production live shows, such as the one set for this Sunday, May 10, doors at 7 p.m. Nightclub 9:30, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $20. Call 202-265-0930 or visit www.930.com.