Metro Weekly

Out on the Town: D.C. area entertainment picks, for the week of Jan. 26, 2017

 

FILM

A DOG’S PURPOSE
Animal rights activists are calling for a boycott of Lasse Hallstrom’s drama about a reincarnated dog (Josh Gad) who discovers the meaning of life through bonds with his humans. They’re upset by alarming footage that shows a german shepherd being aggressively manhandled by his trainer during the filming of a stunt. As a result, the movie’s official premiere was cancelled. It’s all too bad, because Hallstrom is an amazing director — My Life as a Dog, The Cider House Rules — and this looked like a really sweet and entrancing film. Before you decide to boycott, read producer Gavin Polone’s apology in The Hollywood Reporter (in which he also shifts blame on the incident to the American Humane Society). Opens Friday, Jan. 27. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com.

BEATLEMANIA, LET IT BE
Next week, the Library of Congress screens Beatlemania on American Bandstand, a compilation from 1964 with footage and discussion of the Fab Four and other musicians of their era (Thursday, Feb. 2), and Let It Be, Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s 1970 documentary that shows the Beatles in the studio (Friday, Feb. 3). Both films start at 7:30 p.m. Packard Campus Theater, 19053 Mount Pony Rd. Culpeper, Va. Free. Call 202-707-9994 or visit loc.gov/avconservation.

MOONLIGHT
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One of those rare and extraordinary cinematic experiences that pulls you deeply into its narrative, the Golden Globe-winning Moonlight artfully guides viewers towards an emotional payoff without once feeling manipulative or artificial. It is an extraordinary achievement in this cut-and-paste era of cinema, a time when movies fail to ignite so much as a spark of genuine, earned emotion. The ’80s-set story of a young boy who comes to terms with his identity and sexuality in a harsh South Florida neighborhood refuses to lazily cleave to its genre. There isn’t an off performance in the film, which employs a solely African-American cast — come Oscar time, Moonlight could be the one film to give Hollywood a credible reason to break its too-white image without resorting to tokenism. Now playing. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com. (Randy Shulman)

RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER
The most successful video game film franchise ever draws to a close, with Milla Jovovich returning as humanity’s only hope against the undead hordes. Opens Friday, Jan. 27. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com.

ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY
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Disney has solemnly sworn to release a Star Wars film every year from now to eternity and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is good but not great. Apart from a magnificently orchestrated 30 minute climactic battle that pulls out all the stops, it’s nowhere near as fun or engaging as last year’s Force Awakens. Narratively, it fills a few gaps, and fully and finally explains one key plot point from A New Hope that has plagued super-fans for decades. We now know why, how and who. Now playing. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com. (RS)

TONI ERDMANN
Germany’s official entry for Best Foreign Language Film at this year’s Oscars, Maren Ade’s sweet, lighthearted film follows an eccentric, fun-loving father who dons a wacky disguise as a last-ditch effort to make his daughter — a workaholic corporate executive — lighten up and enjoy life. Sandra Huller and Peter Simonischek star. Opens Friday, Jan. 27. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com.

STAGE

AS YOU LIKE IT
Rosalind, banished to the Forest of Arden, disguises herself as a rustic shepherd and discovers Orlando in one of Shakespeare’s best comedies. Gaye Taylor Upchurch directs a production starring Lindsay Alexandra Carter, Lorenzo Roberts, Dani Stoller, Michael Glenn, and Tom Story. Now in previews. Opening is Sunday, Jan. 29, at 7 p.m. Runs to March 5. Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $35 to $75. Call 202-544-7077 or visit folger.edu.

CHARM
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Given the profound message about the significance of transgender visibility in Philip Dawkins’s impactful, often hilarious drama, it’s of immeasurable benefit to director Natsu Onoda Power’s production that she chose to cast the utterly charming genderfluid B’Ellana Duquesne in the leading role. Duquesne inhabits the part with tremendous grace and fierceness, brandishing the requisite charisma to win over her charges onstage and in the audience. Closes Sunday, Jan. 29. Atlas Performing Arts Center, Lang Theatre, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20 to $60. Call 202-399-7993 or visit mosaictheater.org. (André Hereford)

COPENHAGEN
Theater J presents Michael Frayn’s Tony-winning play about the historic 1941 meeting between German physicist Werner Heisenberg and Danish physicist Niels Bohr, friends and colleagues who found themselves working for opposing sides in the war to develop the atom bomb. Eleanor Holdridge directs Tim Getman, Michael Russotto and Sherri Edelen. To Jan. 29. The Aaron and Cecile Goldman Theater, Edlavitch DCJCC, 1529 16th St. NW. Tickets are $19.13 to $64.13. Call 202-777-3210 or visit theaterj.org.

CYMBELINE
One of the later-era, lesser-regarded plays in Shakespeare’s oeuvre, Cymbeline is also one few theater companies stage. Theatre Prometheus’ production puts a lesbian love story at the play’s center, as well as casting more women in its roles. To Jan. 29. Anacostia Arts Center, 1231 Good Hope Rd. SE. Tickets are $20. Call 202-631-6291 or visit theatreprometheus.org.

HOODED, OR BEING BLACK FOR DUMMIES
Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm’s irreverent play follows a book-smart prep-schooler and a street-savvy drop-out from inner-city Baltimore, as the two spend the night in a holding cell. Serge Seiden directs a world-premiere Mosaic Theater production of the final play in the three-part series Clamorous Encounters: Coming of Age in America, billed as “likely the most urgent and pressing play in Season Two.” In previews. Opens Monday, Jan. 30, at 7:30 p.m. To Feb. 19. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20 to $60. Call 202-399-7993 or visit mosaictheater.org.

LIZZIE THE MUSICAL
Yes, that Lizzie, the little Borden girl who was tried for brutally murdering her parents with an axe in Massachusetts in 1892 though later acquitted. Pinky Swear Productions revives the tale in a riot grrrl-steeped show created by Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer, Tim Maner, and Alan Stevens Hewitt. A feminist tale of sex, rage and murder that shows how little agency women had in Borden’s time. To Feb. 5. Anacostia Playhouse, 2020 Shannon Place SE. Tickets are $35. Call 202-241-2539 or visit pinkyswear-productions.com.

MACK, BETH
Helen Hayes-nominated playwright Chris Stezin offers a spin on Shakespeare’s ultimate power couple, retooled for the cyber age. Matt Ripa directs this modern twist on the classic tale of greed and unbridled ambition. Featuring Jennifer J. Hopkins and Andrew Kelleras as a high-achieving couple in a present-day tech business. To Feb. 11. Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church St. NW. Tickets are $45 to $45. Call 202-265-3768 or visit keegantheatre.com.

ROE
Originally commissioned by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, playwright Lisa Loomer’s drama focuses on the two women at the heart of the landmark 1973 case that legalized abortion: Sarah Weddington, the young, brilliant attorney who argued the case, and Norma McCorvey, the complex, single woman seeking an end to an unwanted pregnancy. Bill Rauch directs a large cast including Jim Abele, Sarah Jane Agnew, Kenya Alexander, Mark Bedard, Zoe Bishop, Sara Bruner, Catherine Castellanos, Gina Daniels, Pamela Dunlap, Richard Elmore, Susan Lynskey, and Amy Newman. To Feb. 19. Kreeger Theater, 1101 6th St. SW. Call 202-488-3300 or visit arenastage.org.

SOMEONE IS GOING TO COME
Scena Theatre presents an emotionally powerful drama featuring two-time Helen Hayes Award winner Nanna Ingvarsson, David Bryan Jackson, and Joseph Carlson. Robert McNamara directs Jon Fosse’s poetic play about passion, paranoia and jealousy, as a strange couple moves into an isolated, run-down house to be left alone, never fully believing they’ll get their wish. To Feb. 5. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20 to $35, or $10 in previews. Call 202-399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org.

TITANIC: THE MUSICAL
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Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer has retooled composer/lyricist Maury Yeston and writer Peter Stone’s large-scale musical to make it both intimate and immersive, improving our understanding and appreciation of its themes, proving there are both relevant and uplifting things to take away from it. Schaeffer worked with Paul Tate dePoo III to effectively conjure the ocean liner through the ingenious use of gangplanks and bridges, used by actors as the ship’s various decks. With a cast of 20, most actors do double, triple, even quadruple duty, juggling both major and minor roles, and having so many actors in constant motion helps convey the feeling of being on a bustling ocean liner. Titanic ends with a reprise of the moving hymn “Godspeed Titanic,” sung in full throttle unison by the entire cast, positioned to fill the room. If tragedy can produce an uplifting moment, this is most definitely it. Closes Sunday, Jan. 29. The Max, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets are $40 to $89. Call 703-820-9771 or visit signature-theatre.org. (Doug Rule)

MUSIC

AKUA ALLRICH
A D.C. native and Howard University alum, jazz vocalist and composer Akua Allrich blends traditional, modern and African jazz styles and sings in the manner of many of today’s leading soul/pop divas — when not channeling her idol, Nina Simone. She performs another hometown show in support of 2015’s Soul Singer, which includes original, lilting jazz tunes as well as inspired covers, including the work song “Rosie” and Ann Peebles’ soul hit “I Can’t Stand the Rain.” Sunday, Jan. 29, at 8 and 10 p.m. Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Tickets are $25, plus $12 minimum purchase. Call 202-337-4141 or visit bluesalley.com.

ANGELA WINBUSH
R&B singer Angela Winbush started her career as a backup singer for Stevie Wonder before forming the duo René and Àngela. She produces all of her own material as well as for others, including the Isley Brothers, Janet Jackson and Stephanie Mills. Friday, Jan. 27, and Saturday, Jan. 28, at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Tickets are $60, plus $12 minimum purchase. Call 202-337-4141 or visit bluesalley.com.

BSO SUPERPOPS: A TRIBUTE TO OL’ BLUE EYES
Vocalists Ann Hampton Callaway, Tony DeSare and Frankie Moreno join the BSO in a tribute to Frank Sinatra led by Jack Everly. Thursday, Jan. 26, at 8 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Also Friday, Jan. 27, and Saturday, Jan. 28, at 8 p.m, and Sunday, Jan. 29, at 3 p.m. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore. Tickets are $33 to $99. Call 410-783-8000 or visit bsomusic.org.

CHAISE LOUNGE
The D.C.-based jazz and swing band has been a staple at hip bars around the area, along with more storied venues such as the Kennedy Center and Blues Alley, as well performing with Natalie Cole and Dizzy Gillespie. Chaise Lounge will bring swing standards as well as original tunes, including those from its most recent album Gin Fizz Fandango. Friday, Jan. 27,, at 8 p.m. Amp by Strathmore, 11810 Grand Park Ave. North Bethesda. Tickets are $25 to $35. Call 301-581-5100 or visit ampbystrathmore.com.

ESCORT
Escort is a full-fledged disco orchestra in which up to 17 musicians and singers perform original, funky, old-school dance music, co-written and produced by Eugene Cho and Dan Balis. “A lot of the house records were sampling old disco records,” Cho says. “We started to think, ‘Why don’t we make our own records that are in that spirit?'” Parisian-born Adeline Michele eventually signed on as the band’s lead singer, carrying out “the strong disco tradition of the diva. Adeline is definitely up there as an amazing diva.” Both live and on record — especially on the band’s most recent set, 2015’s Animal Nature — Michele has the voice and the charisma to play the role. Friday, Feb. 3. Doors at 7 p.m. U Street Music Hall, 1115A U St. NW. Tickets are $20. Call 202-588-1880 or visit ustreetmusichall.com.

GREENSKY BLUEGRASS
A five-piece, string-based jam band from Kalamazoo, Michigan tours in support of Shouted, Written Down & Quoted, the passionate, romping set — its sixth — released last fall. Tickets only remain for Thursday, Feb. 2, the first of a three-night run. Doors at 7 p.m. 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $26.50. Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com.

HARLEM GOSPEL CHOIR SINGS ADELE
The celebrated vocal ensemble goes well beyond its norm of singing church standards to offer a concert covering the world-conquering hits of British phenom Adele. Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 8 p.m. The Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW. Tickets are $22 to $45. Call 202-588-5595 or visit thehowardtheatre.com.

IRVING BERLIN: A SIMPLE MELODY
Though less well-known than fellow musical theater/American Songbook giants George and Ira Gershwin and Cole Porter, Irving Berlin wrote several of Ethel Merman’s biggest standards (including “There’s No Business Like Show Business”), the unofficial second National Anthem “God Bless America,” the Bing Crosby holiday classic “White Christmas,” plus “Cheek to Cheek,” “Puttin’ On The Ritz,” “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm” — the list goes on and on. Abel Lopez leads a cast of six in this latest InSeries cabaret, written by Bari Biern. Weekends to Jan. 28. Source Theatre, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets are $22 to $42. Call 202-204-7763 or visit inseries.org.

KC JUKEBOX: RAVISHMENT
Mason Bates, the Kennedy Center Composer-in-Residence, continues his reinvention of the classical music concert experience. Named after one of two works to be performed by composer and vocalist Lisa Bielawa, Ravishment will be conducted by Fawzi Haimor and anchored by a performance of The Second Quartet by John Adams in celebration of the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer’s 70th birthday. Also on the bill is Carrot Revolution, a work by one of Adams’ students, Gabriella Smith, plus an eerie electronica piece by Chris Cerrone and a dreamy whimsical work by David Hertzberg. All set within a warehouse-type top floor space, the concert is followed by a dance party featuring DJ Moose. Monday, Jan. 30, at 7:30 p.m. Kennedy Center Atrium. Tickets are $20. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

LUKAS GRAHAM
Lukas Forchhammer is the frontman in this up-and-coming Danish trio that creates neo-pop/funk in the mold of Bruno Mars. The band is up for three Grammys, including best record and song for its album “7 Years.” Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 8 p.m. Fillmore Silver Spring, 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Tickets are $27.50. Call 301-960-9999 or visit fillmoresilverspring.com.

NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC
Few openings in the piano concerto repertoire equal the mounting tension in the work that established Rachmaninoff’s fame, his Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor. The 26-year-old Chinese Haochen Zhang, 2009 winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, joins Strathmore’s resident orchestra for a program led by Piotr Gajewski also including Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8 in G Major. Saturday, Jan. 28, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 29, at 3 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $34 to $78. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.

NICHOLAS RODRIGUEZ
The star of Arena Stage’s Carousel heads to Signature Theatre for a one-man revue as part of their popular annual Cabaret Series. A triple-threat performer who, among other plaudits, has earned a GLAAD Media Award (for a recurring role on ABC’s One Life to Live) and a Helen Hayes Award (Oklahoma!), Rodriguez will share his love of ’70s music, from disco to folk and Bossa Nova to Broadway. Tickets remain only for the performance Saturday, Feb. 4, at 2 p.m. Ark Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets $35 to $350. Call 703-820-9771 or visit signature-theatre.org.

PASSPORT TO THE WORLD CONCERT SERIES
Virginia’s Creative Cauldron offers its seventh annual festival celebrating the music and dance of various cultures, with performances throughout the month by artists representing a broad spectrum of genres: jazz to Latin, opera to klezmer. Presented in collaboration with the Folklore Society of Greater Washington, the series is curated by Lynn Veronneau and Ken Avis of jazz fusion quartet Veronneau. Remaining performances include: Words and Music, a talented vocal ensemble, offering a fun-filled concert of love songs through the ages with “Jukebox Romance,” on Friday, Jan. 27, at 7:30 p.m.; the Dave Kline Band, a D.C.-based, world music-inspired four-piece band with electric violin and electric guitar plus bassist and drummer, on Saturday, Jan. 28, at 7:30 p.m.; a concert featuring Dave Chappell, Anthony Pirog, John Previti, and Barry Hart, musicians featured in the new documentary Anacostia Delta: Home of the World’s Great ‘Unknown Guitarists’, on Sunday, Jan. 29. ArtSpace Falls Church, 410 South Maple Ave. Tickets are $10 to $20 per performance. Call 703-436-9948 or visit creativecauldron.org.

PRESSENDA CHAMBER PLAYERS
The Washington Conservatory presents a concert by its new Ensemble-in-Residence performing celebrated chamber works by Johannes Brahms (the Piano Quintet in F Minor) and Joseph Haydn (String Quartet in C Major). Pressenda features Aaron Berofsky and Kathy Judd on violin, Amadi Azikiwe on viola, Tobias Werner on cello and Victor Asuncion on piano. Saturday, Feb. 4, at 8 p.m. Congregational Church, 1 Westmoreland Circle. Bethesda. Tickets are free, donations welcome. Call 301-320-2770 or visit washingtonconservatory.org.

RHETT MILLER
The frontman and main songwriter beyond the alt-country quartet the Old 97’s stops for a show in support of his latest solo album, his seventh, 2015’s The Traveler. Joe Purdy opens. Friday, Feb. 3. Doors at 6:30 p.m. The Hamilton, 600 14th St. NW. Tickets are $20 to $39.75. Call 202-787-1000 or visit thehamiltondc.com.

RINDE ECKERT
As part of her Voices recital series, Renee Fleming presents the Kennedy Center debut of a Grammy-winning, boundary pushing singer. Inspired by the “jongleur” minstrel tradition, “RIN: Tales from the Life of a Troubadour” finds Eckert accompanying himself in song and story using a whole slew of instruments, including piano, guitar, accordion, ukulele, banjo, even flute, chime, and all manner of percussion. Friday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m. Kennedy Center Family Theater. Tickets are $29. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

THE FOUR BITCHIN’ BABES
Hormonal Imbalance v2.5: A Mood Swinging Musical Revue features highlights from more than 25 years of a comedic music ensemble featuring Sally Fingerett, comedic singer Deirdre Flint and former The Hags singer Debi Smith, plus as revolving fourth member either Nancy Moran or founding Babe Megon McDonough. In an interview with Metro Weekly a few years ago, Smith summed up the Babes’ songwriting and performing: “We look at life, as it’s happening, usually in a comedic way — [and] through a wacky viewfinder.” Saturday, Jan. 28, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave. Alexandria. Tickets are $35. Call 703-549-7500 or visit birchmere.com.

THE INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS FEAT. NICKI BLUHM
A five-piece band that originated nearly a decade ago in Massachusetts among students at the Berklee College of Music returns to the area a year after the release of latest album Ladies & Gentleman. Friday, Jan. 27. Doors at 7 p.m. 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $25. Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com.

THE SHEATLES
This Friday, Jan. 20, popular lesbian all-covers party-rock band Wicked Jezabel performs at one of its regular haunts in Falls Church. But next Friday, Jan. 27, many of the same women along with a few others will take to the venue to introduce a new covers band, an all-female tribute to the Beatles. Friday, Jan. 27, at 9:30 p.m. JV’s Restaurant, 6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church. Tickets are $12. Call 703-241-9504 or visit jvsrestaurant.com.

TROMBONE CONCERTO
Soloist Craig Mulcahy, the NSO Principal Trombone, offers the orchestra’s first performances of Christopher Rouse’s Trombone Concerto, which won the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Music. NSO Music Director Christoph Eschenbach leads a program also featuring Beethoven’s lighthearted Symphony No. 8 in F Major and Tchaikovsky’s moving Serenade for Strings in C Major. Thursday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, Feb. 4, at 8 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Tickets are $15 to $99. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

VIRGINIA OPERA: DER FREISCHUTZ
Drawing from German folk legend, Carl Maria Von Weber’s compelling and emotional piece is the first of the country’s great Romantic operas. A supernatural tale of young love and the struggle between good and evil, the Virginia Opera offers a production performed in English with supertitles. Saturday, Feb. 4, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 5, at 2 p.m. George Mason University Center for the Arts, 4373 Mason Pond Drive, Fairfax. Tickets are $54 to $110. Call 888-945-2468 or visit gmu.edu/cfa.

DANCE

JANE FRANKLIN DANCE
The Big Meow is a work specially adapted for young audiences from the children’s book by Baltimore’s Elizabeth Spires about an orange tabby taunted by neighborhood felines for his outsized roar. Emily Crews, Carrie Monger, Matthew Rock, Amy Scaringe, Brynna Shank, and Rebecca Weiss perform the work featuring music by local composers Mark Sylvester and Jonathan Matis, with a surf guitar medley arranged by John Kamen and Mark Merella. Saturday, Jan. 28, at 3 p.m. Theatre on the Run, 3700 South Four Mile Run Dr. Arlington. Tickets are $13 in advance, or $15 at the door. Call 703-933-1111 or visit janefranklin.com.

MARIINSKY BALLET
Alexei Ratmansky’s charming, contemporary take on the classic Russian fairy tale The Little Humpbacked Horse, set to a modernist score by Rodion Shchedrin, is a showcase of personality, humor and creativity. Performances begin Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 7:30 p.m. Runs to Feb. 5. Opera House. Tickets are $49 to $150. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

PILOBOLUS
Washington Performing Arts and CityDance co-present the return of the popular, Connecticut-based athletic dance troupe and the D.C. premiere of Shadowland, an innovative, evening-length multimedia piece following the dreamlike world of a young girl. As seen in a performance last month on Late Night with Stephen Colbert, the dancers use their bodies to form shapes projected as shadows on screens in front of them, and all set to a rhythmic original score by American composer David Poe. Saturday, Jan. 28, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 29, at 2 p.m. GW Lisner, The George Washington University, 730 21st St. NW. Tickets are $25 to $45. Call 202-994-6851 or visit lisner.org.

SWAN LAKE
Seventeen years after its premiere, Kevin McKenzie’s take on the lavish, romantic Swan Lake remains the quintessential ballet in the company he leads. It’s the focus of this year’s annual engagement at the Kennedy Center by American Ballet Theatre and its roster of powerhouse dancers, currently led by Misty Copeland. Tickets remain only for the two performances Saturday, Jan. 28: at 1:30 p.m., featuring Veronika Part, James Whiteside and Cory Stearns in the lead roles, and at 7:30 p.m., with Isabella Boylston, Alban Lendorf and Thomas Forster. Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are $59 to $199. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

COMEDY

 

FORTUNE FEIMSTER
One of the funniest alums of the Chelsea Lately comedy family, Fortune Feimster returns to the Arlington Cinema N’ Drafthouse. The North Carolina native has been out as a lesbian from her very first TV appearance as a contestant on NBC’s Last Comic Standing. Feimster told Metro Weekly a couple of years ago that she had no qualms about regular ribbing by Chelsea Handler for her laidback physical style and appearance. “I’ve always had a good sense of humor, and I’ve never taken myself too seriously, so I don’t mind acting or looking ridiculous.” Friday, Jan. 27, at 10 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Arlington Cinema N’ Drafthouse, 2903 Columbia Pike, Arlington. Tickets are $22. Call 703-486-2345 or visit arlingtondrafthouse.com.

EXHIBITS

ARTIST’S CHOICE
Works by 37 members in the Capitol Hill Arts League are featured in this juried exhibition, including: Mary Ellen Abrecht, Kasse Andrews-Weller, Ken Bachman, Paula Cleggett, Fierce Sonia, Vince Iannacchione, JoAnn Lamicella Laboy, Ohana Murao, Hernan Murno, Ann Pickett, and Judy Searles. Closes Wednesday, Feb. 1. Gallery in Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 545 7th St. SE. Call 202-547-6839 or visit chaw.org.

BOEING MILESTONES OF FLIGHT HALL
The National Air and Space Museum’s central exhibition space reopened July 1 after a major two-year renovation sponsored by Boeing, or the museum’s 40th anniversary to the day. John Glenn’s Mercury “Friendship 7,” Charles Lindbergh’s “Spirit of St. Louis,” the Gemini IV capsule, and SpaceShipOne are among the museum’s most iconic artifacts that are once again on view, but in a new streamlined way along with digital enhancements meant to give a deeper understanding of how spaceflight and aviation have affected all Americans’ lives. New to the hall is the Apollo Lunar Module and the studio model of the Starship Enterprise from the original Star Trek series, among other additions. Now open. National Air and Space Museum, Independence Ave at 6th St. SW. Call 202-633-2214 or visit airandspace.si.edu.

DELIMITATIONS
Organized in conjunction with the Goethe-Institut and its exhibit 2,000 Miles: Divided Land, Common Humanity featuring multimedia narratives and satellite imagery of the U.S.-Mexico border, this exhibit presented by the Embassy of Mexico documents a 2,400-mile-long, site-specific art installation tracing the border that existed between Mexico and the United States in 1821. Today that boundary, developed two decades before Mexico ceded a large chunk of territory including much of what became the American West, only exists on paper in the form of documents and antique maps. By making that border visible through their installation, artists Marcos Ramírez Erre and David Taylor show what Mexico lost and highlight the fact that the U.S. and Mexico have a complicated but shared history and common interests. They suggest that erecting a border wall, for instance, would threaten that. Closes Saturday, Jan. 28. Mexican Cultural Institute, 2829 16th St. NW. Visit instituteofmexicodc.org.

LOCAL COLOR BY THE SEVEN PALETTES
Since 2012, a group of mostly local, mostly retired women have collaborated to collectively increase their artmaking and pursue their passions beyond the realm of mere hobby. Sara Becker, Nancy Brown Butler, Helen Gallagher, Caroline Orrick, Ann Rossilli, Elizabeth “Penny” Smith, and Maureen Ward will highlight some fruits of their cooperative labor in an exhibition presented by the Bethesda Urban Partnership, Inc., and on display to Saturday, Jan. 28. Gallery B, 7700 Wisconsin Ave., Suite E, Bethesda. Call 301-215-7990 or visit galleryb.com.

MICHAELA PILAR BROWN: THINGS GET LOST
Heirloom objects and personal photography are used by a multidisciplinary artist to offer a surreal counter-narrative to American history re-centered on black female subjectivity. Michaela Pilar Brown is a graduate of Howard University whose work hasn’t been seen in D.C. in 15 years. Closes Saturday, Jan. 28. Honfleur Gallery in Anacostia Arts Center, 1241 Good Hope Road SE. Call 202-631-6291 or visit honfleurgallery.com.

PERVERSION THERAPY
Through paintings, performance objects and multimedia installations, Perversion Therapy is intended as a celebration of queer bliss and domestic deviance in direct response to the anti-LGBT history and attitudes espoused by the president-elect and members of his cabinet — specifically, conversion therapy. The exhibit features works by interdisciplinary artists Eames Armstrong and John Moletress. Through Feb. 4. Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint, 916 G St. NW. Tickets are $15 to $30. Call 202-733-6321 or visit culturaldc.org.

THE ENIGMATIC EDGAR A. POE IN BALTIMORE & BEYOND
Selections from the Susan Jaffe Tane Collection offers rare materials from what is arguably the finest private Poe collection in the world, giving viewers a chance to see him at work and up close. See The Raven in Poe’s own handwriting and first editions of his writings in books, newspapers and magazines from the 1800s. To Feb. 5. George Peabody Library, 17 E. Mt. Vernon Place, Baltimore. Call 410-234-4943 or visit peabodyevents.library.jhu.edu.

TURQUOISE MOUNTAIN
The Smithsonian’s Freer|Sackler Museums of Asian Art toasts the rich heritage of Afghanistan with stunning ceramics, jewelry, jali, rugs and more made by young artisans working in a former slum in the country’s capital. Subtitled “Artists Transforming Afghanistan,” the exhibition is named after a decade-old British nonprofit that has helped revive Afghanistan’s proud cultural legacy by turning Murad Khani in Old Kabul into a vibrant cultural and economic center. Closes Jan. 29. Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Call 202-633-4800 or visiting asia.si.edu.

ABOVE & BEYOND

DANA PERINO, GREG GUTFELD, LARRY GATLIN
“Short Stories by Short People” is an evening of discussion about current political events with Fox News personalities Dana Perino, Greg Gutfeld and Larry Gatlin. Best known as a country singer and leader of country group the Gatlin Brothers, Gatlin will offer commentary as well as play music. Saturday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m. Warner Theatre, 513 13th St. NW. Tickets are $35 to $45. Call 202-783-4000 or visit warnertheatredc.com.

LILLIAN HELLMAN FESTIVAL FREE PROGRAMMING
Leading up to its production of Watch on the Rhine, Arena Stage offers free programming designed to explore and celebrate iconic playwright, author and political activist Lillian Hellman. Still to come: A screening of the 1977 film Julia starring Jane Fonda, Vanessa Redgrave and Jason Robards, adapted from Hellman’s Pentimento: A Book of Portraits by Alvin Sargent and directed by Fred Zinnemann, on Friday, Jan. 27, at 8 p.m.; a reading by Howard University students of The Children’s Hour, Hellman’s best-known and most-produced work, a drama set in an all-women’s boarding school, on Saturday, Jan. 28, at 8 p.m.; a panel discussion, “Beyond Gender: Inspiring Generations of Female Writers,” featuring contemporary female playwrights inspired by Hellman, on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 4 p.m.; a one-night-only staging directed by Amelia Powell of Another Part of the Forest, a biting prequel to The Little Foxes, on Friday, Feb. 3, at 8 p.m.; a community-wide reading of Pentimento, in which members of the public are invited to read anywhere from a few sentences to a few pages from Hellman’s 1973 memoir, on Saturday, Feb. 4, from 1 to 4 p.m.; and a panel discussion, “Hellman: The Radical,” on Sunday, Feb. 5, at 5 p.m. The Kogod Cradle in the Mead Center for American Theater, 1101 6th St. SW. Free but reservations are required. Call 202-488-3300 or visit arenastage.org.

JOHN CLEESE
The British comedy legend stops by Strathmore for a screening of Monty Python & the Holy Grail, the 1975 cult classic by the comedy troupe he co-founded. After the screening, Cleese will discuss his life and career and conduct an audience Q&A, where he will be seeking “absurd and/or ridiculous questions only, please.” Friday, Jan. 27, at 8 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $55 to $165, or $250 for VIP with premium seating and access to a special meet and greet. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.

PRETTY BOI DRAG BRUNCH
Reviving the art of drag kings in D.C., Pretty Boi Drag, co-founded by former DC King Pretty Rik E, now offers a monthly all-inclusive brunch experience with live music from hip-hop DJ Tezrah, in addition to drag performances. Sunday, Feb. 5, from noon to 3 p.m. Acre 121, 1400 Irving St. NW. Tickets, including an entree and bottomless mimosas, are $40. Call 202-431-4704 or visit prettyboidrag.com.

SUGARLOAF CRAFTS FESTIVAL IN CHANTILLY
The annual Sugarloaf Crafts Festival is considered one of the top craft experiences in the country, attracting about 170,000 visitors to Maryland’s Montgomery County Fairgrounds every October. But in the past few years the festival has grown into a touring entity and returns for a biannual event at Virginia’s Dulles Expo Center, with more than 250 artisans from around the country offering one-of-a-kind handcrafted gifts in various media — including functional and decorative pottery, sculpture, glass, jewelry, fashion, leather, wood, metal, furniture, home accessories and photography. Gourmet food samples, live music and interactive children’s entertainment will also be on tap. Friday, Jan. 27, and Saturday, Jan. 28, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 29, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dulles Expo Center, 4320 Chantilly Shopping Center Drive, Chantilly, Va. Admission is $8 per day online only, or $10 per day at the door. Call 800-210-9900 or visit sugarloafcrafts.com.

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