FILM

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY

A brilliant meditation on man and the mysterious universe, Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 visionary saga features a thoughtful, spare script by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke and Oscar-winning special effects by visual effects pioneer Douglas Trumbull (Close Encounters of the Third Kind). The AFI screens 2001: A Space Odyssey in its original 70mm format, struck from original negative elements, for a week-long run in honor of its 50th anniversary. Multiple screenings per day through July 12. Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Tickets are $15 general admission. Call 301-495-6720 or visit afi.com/Silver.

DIRTY DANCING

The wildly successful 1987 romantic comedy starring Jennifer Grey and the late Patrick Swayze is the opening film in the fourth annual Georgetown Sunset Cinema series. “Movies That Rock,” the theme of this year’s series, presents five films voted on by the public, including Pitch Perfect, Footloose, Dreamgirls, and Grease. The screenings take place in a grassy park along the banks of the Potomac River, with the panoramic Key Bridge as backdrop. Everyone is welcome to bring a blanket, food and water or soft drinks — but no chairs and no alcohol. Tuesday, July 10 at the intersection of Water Street and Cecil Place NW. The area opens at 6:30 p.m., and the screening starts at sunset, around 8:30 p.m. Call 202-298-9222 or visit georgetowndc.com/sunset-cinema.

SORRY TO BOTHER YOU

Rapper Boots Riley has apparently crafted an absurd but enjoyable sci-fi fantasy comedy about a telemarketer who discovers a magical key to business success, but in the process learns his corporate bosses are harboring a macabre secret. It all takes place in an alternate-universe Oakland, starring Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Armie Hammer, Terry Crews, and Danny Glover. Opens Friday, July 6. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com. (Rhuaridh Marr)

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THE CAKEMAKER

A shy young German baker falls in love with a married Israeli businessman, who is a frequent visitor to Berlin — until one day he isn’t, after becoming the victim of a car crash. Israeli filmmaker Ophir Raul Graizer focuses on what happens after the baker travels to Jerusalem seeking answers into the death of his late lover. Keeping his secret to himself, the baker quickly befriends the man’s widow (Sarah Adler) and becomes involved in her life in a way far beyond his original plan. The Cakemaker is “a blend of old-school melodrama, contemporary identity politics, and buttery gastroporn,” writes Variety. Partially subtitled. Opens Friday, July 5. Landmark’s E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. Call 202-452-7672 or visit landmarktheatres.com.

WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?

Mike Nichols adapted Edward Albee’s acid-laced stage masterpiece for screen, casting Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, the most famous couple of the era, as a warring married couple who bare their fangs over cocktails with a pair of guests. Landmark’s West End Cinema returns the 1966 Oscar-winning classic to the big screen as part of its Capital Classics series. Wednesday, July 11, at 1:30, 4:30, and 7:30 p.m., 2301 M St. NW. Happy hour from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 to $12.50. Call 202-534-1907 or visit landmarktheatres.com.

STAGE

AIN’T TOO PROUD

The Kennedy Center presents a new musical about The Temptations, a group that churned out 42 Top 10 hits, including 14 No. 1’s. Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys) directs and Sergio Trujillo (Memphis the Musical) choreographs a production featuring classics everyone knows — from “My Girl” to “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” to “Just My Imagination.” To July 22. Eisenhower Theater. Tickets are $59 to $159. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

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CAMELOT

Alan Paul, the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s resident musical director, takes on Lerner and Loewe’s classic about the powerful love triangle in King Arthur’s court. Ken Clark plays the King, while Nick Fitzer is Lancelot, both in love with Queen Guinevere, played by Broadway star Alexandra Silber. Local legends Ted van Griethuysen and Floyd King are also featured in a show with choreography by Michele Lynch, who won a Helen Hayes Award for her work on STC’s Kiss Me, Kate. Extended to July 8. Sidney Harman Hall, Harman Center for the Arts, 610 F St. NW. Call 202-547-1122 or visit shakespearetheatre.org.

ON THE TOWN

Three sailors romp around New York in 1944. Olney Theatre Company revives this early musical that features an exuberant score by Leonard Bernstein. The original show grew out of a ballet that Jerome Robbins had worked on with Bernstein, further developed by the writing and lyricist team of Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Olney’s starry cast includes Evan Casey, Rhett Guter, Sam Ludwig, Donna Migliaccio, Tracy Lynn Olivera, Bobby Smith, and Rachel Zampelli, with Robbins-inspired choreography by Tara Jeanne Vallee. The company’s artistic director Jason Loewith helms the show. To July 20. Mainstage, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, Md. Call 301-924-3400 or visit olneytheatre.org.

OTHER LIFE FORMS

D.C. playwright Brandon McCoy wrote this romantic comedy about two very different roommates and their attempts at finding love online. Keegan Theatre premieres the play with a cast including John Loughney, Josh Sticklin, Aidan Quartana, Brianna Letourneau, and Shanta Parasuraman. Closes Saturday, July 7. 1742 Church St. NW. Tickets are $35 to $45. Call 202-265-3768 or visit keegantheatre.com.

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THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE (AND OTHER SONGS)

Virginia’s Hub Theatre presents Marc Acito’s play with songs about the unlikely yet real-life relationship between singer Marian Anderson and Albert Einstein. The two titanic figures on a quest to unlock life’s mysteries. Opens Friday, July 6 and runs through July 29. The John Swayze Theatre in the New School of Northern Virginia, 9431 Silver King Court, Fairfax. Visit thehubtheatre.org.

MUSIC

BRITNEY SPEARS

Billed as the last time ever to see the pop star’s famed record-breaking Las Vegas show Britney: Piece of Me — which kicks off a limited tour with two shows at the Theater at MGM National Harbor. Thursday, July 12, and Friday, July 13, at 8 p.m. 7100 Harborview Ave., Oxon Hill, Md., Oxon Hill, Md. Call 844-346-4664 or visit mgmnationalharbor.com.

CARBON LEAF

A five-piece from Richmond, Carbon Leaf has toured with the Dave Matthews Band, O.A.R., and Blues Traveler, while drawing its own fans to its slightly unusual blend of bluegrass and rock, officially pegged as “ether-electrified porch music.” The band tours in celebration of its 25th anniversary. Saturday, July 14. Doors at 6:30 p.m. The Hamilton, 600 14th St. NW. Tickets are $30 to $35. Call 202-787-1000 or visit thehamiltondc.com.

CREATIVE CAULDRON CABARET

The 9th annual summer cabaret series at ArtSpace Falls Church launches this weekend with pianist Alex Hassan and tenor Doug Bowles in “Two for a Song,” a performance of Tin Pan Alley Hits and American Songbook Standards, on Friday, July 6, and Saturday, July 7, at 8 p.m. Next weekend brings two chiefly musical theater-themed cabarets: Katherine Riddle offers a tribute to the hardworking ingenue in “More Than Just A Pretty Face,” on Friday, July 13, at 8 p.m.; and Creative Cauldron regular soprano Susan Derry performs a feisty evening of theater standards, unexpected gems, and the occasional pop song in “Days and Dazed,” on Saturday, July 14, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, July 15, at 7 p.m. ArtSpace Falls Church, 410 South Maple Ave. in Falls Church. Tickets are $18 to $22 per show, or $55 for a table for two with wine and $110 for four with wine. Call 703-436-9948 or visit creativecauldron.org.

FOO FIGHTERS W/THE STRUTS

Twenty-three years into their run, Dave Grohl and company continue to be as powerful a force in rock as ever — and the Virginia-reared Grohl is still regarded as the nicest, humblest frontman in the business. After kicking off as the debut headlining act at I.M.P.’s newest venue last fall, the Anthem on the Wharf, the band returns with its new Concrete and Gold Tour. The British glam rock band the Struts opens. Friday, July 6. Doors at 5:30 p.m. Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Md. Tickets are $60 to $125. Call 800-551-SEAT or visit merriweathermusic.com.

HALSEY

It’s surprising when you stop and think about how quickly Halsey has risen to the upper echelon of the music industry — two years after breaking onto the scene with the Chainsmokers, she’s already headlined a stadium tour, which stopped at Capital One Arena last fall. The bisexual New Jersey native returns to the area for what is sure to be a starry concert under the stars in support of her latest album, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom. Special guest Jessie Reyez opens. Sunday, July 15, at 8 p.m. The Filene Center at Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $40 to $80. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit wolftrap.org.

JAZZ IN THE GARDEN: BLACK MASALA

The National Gallery of Art offers free outdoor concerts immediately after work every Friday through late August. Bands offering a range of jazz styles, from swing to Latin to ska, perform amidst the museum’s collection of large-scale sculptural works while patrons enjoy food and drink, including beer, wine, and sangria, as sold by the Pavilion Cafe and outdoor grill. The 2018 series continues with a special post-4th of July toast from D.C.’s nine-piece Balkan and funk brass band Black Masala — which includes members of Thievery Corporation — on July 6, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Sculpture Garden, between 7th and 9th Streets NW. Call 202-289-3360 or visit nga.gov.

JAZZ ON JACKSON PLACE: ADI MEYERSON

Born in the U.S. and raised in Israel, Meyerson is a rising talent in New York City. She comes to Washington as the second concert in the monthly summer series hosted by the White House Historical Association and presented by Burnett Thompson Music in the courtyard of the historic Decatur House. Thursday, July 12, at 6:30 p.m. Decatur House, 748 Jackson Place NW. Visit whitehousehistory.org.

MAKING MOVIES

Mixing psychedelia, experimental rock, son cubano, cumbia, and African Yoruba rhythms, this Afro-Cuban indie-rock band tours in support of I Am Another You, which NPR heralded as “lyrically and sonically one of the best albums of the year.” Strathmore presents the free concert as part of its Live from the Lawn summer series. Wednesday, July 11, at 7 p.m. Gudelsky Gazebo, 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda. Tickets are free. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.

NSO: HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN

Steven Reineke leads a magical evening under the stars for Potter fans, with the third installment of J.K. Rowling’s series screening on projections overhead as the orchestra plays John Williams’ score. Fans are even encouraged to dress up as their favorite characters. Friday, July 6, and Saturday, July 7, at 8:30 p.m. Filene Center at Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $40 to $65. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit wolftrap.org.

WHY IS EARTHA KITT TRYING TO KILL ME?

Subtitled A Love Story, the new one-act opera by composer Jeffrey Dennis Smith and librettist David Johnston offers a zany, rhythm-driven romp through the darker side of love — focused on a mysterious and unlikely murder suspect. Performances, each followed by an audience talk-back, are Saturday, July 7, at 8 p.m., Sunday, July 8, at 2 p.m., Friday, July 13, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, July 14, at 8 p.m. Presented by Urban Arias in Signature’s Ark Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets are $47. Call 703-820-9771 or visit urbanarias.org.

WHITE FORD BRONCO

“D.C.’s all ’90s party band,” cheekily named after O.J. Simpson’s notorious failed getaway car, sings through that decade’s songbook in all styles of popular music. The five-member ensemble is comprised of singer/guitarist Diego Valencia, singer Gretchen Gustafson, guitarists Ken Sigmund and McNasty and drummer Max Shapiro. Saturday, July 14. Doors at 8 p.m. Rock and Roll Hotel, 1353 H St. NE. Tickets are $25. Call 202-388-ROCK or visit rockandrollhoteldc.com.

DANCE

DAKSHINA

Daniel Phoenix Singh’s dance company presents two programs as part of its 15th annual Festival of South Asian Arts. Madhavi Mudgal, one of the leading classical dancers of India and a highly renowned exponent of the Odissi style, brings her namesake dance company to town for an evening that kicks off with a performance by Nadhi Thekkek of the San Francisco-based bharatanātyam dance company Nava Dance Theatre. Saturday, July 7, at 7:30 p.m. The next night features New York-based artist Mesma Belsare and a performance incorporating her experiences as a visual artist and actor into her work as a dancer in the classical bharatanātyam style. The performance, on Sunday, July 8, at 5 p.m., opens with a Bharatanātyam Duet from the North American-based husband-and-wife couple Tanya and Puneet Panda. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20 to $35 each performance. Call 202-399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org.

BEYOND

A new full-length dance opera utilizing a mix of dance, acting, and aerials and telling a mesmerizing, fantastical tale of other worlds. Beyond features an all-female cast of heroines led by Luna the astronaut, on an interplanetary journey that takes her to the very edge of life. Saturday, July 7, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, July 8, at 7 p.m. Dance Place, 3225 8th St. NE. Tickets are $15 in advance, or $25 at the door. Call 202-269-1600 or visit danceplace.org.

COMEDY

CHRISTIAN FINNEGAN

A regular performer at the DC Improv, the stand-up veteran is also an accomplished TV writer and performer — known from Chappelle’s Show, The Jim Gaffigan Show, and as one of cable TV’s first great “talking head” comedians, not to mention many appearances on MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Finnegan is currently polishing up a new show entitled My Goodness, a comedic look at what it means to be a good person. He’ll take the show to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival next month. Thursday, July 12, at 7:30 p.m., Friday, July 13, and Saturday, July 14, at 7:30 and 9:45 p.m., and Sunday, July 15, at 7 p.m. DC Improv, 1140 Connecticut Ave. NW. Tickets are $17 to $22, plus a two-item minimum. Call 202-296-7008 or visit dcimprov.com.

THE SECOND CITY: GENERATION GAP

The full title of the latest show from Chicago’s famed troupe created especially for the Kennedy Center is Generation Gap…Or, How Many Millennials Does It Take to Teach a Baby Boomer to Text Generation X? Expect a satirical crash course spanning miscommunications, careers, dating, and more in a two-act, interactive spin on what the troupe calls “the age-old battle of the ages.” To Aug. 12. Theater Lab. Tickets are $49 to $59. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

VIVICA A. FOX: EVERY DAY I’M HUSTLING

In her new book, the actress relates stories from her early life all the way through to today. Known from supporting roles in the blockbusters Kill Bill and Independence Day, as well as more recently on Empire, Fox, host of Lifetime’s Vivica’s Black Magic, will share some of her secrets to success and sign copies of her book, presented in collaboration with Solid State Books. Friday, July 13, at 7 p.m. Lang Theatre in the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $25 to $37. Call 202-399-7993 or visit inseries.org.

WIT: SUMMER ESCAPE

The Washington Improv Theater is D.C.’s answer to comedy star-making groups such as Chicago’s Second City and L.A.’s Groundlings. Over the next month, the troupe offers a hodgepodge of summer-themed sketches, with each performance featuring different WIT ensembles, including three music-driven exercises: iMusical, presenting audiences with the opportunity to choose-your-own-disaster, resulting in the cast improvising an instant world-ending musical; Heavy Rotation, featuring a cast performing a School of Rock-inspired “improvised rock comedy”; and Karaoke Storytellers with a show that is part-VH1 Storytellers, part-Saturday Night Live audition, and part musical, all built around improvised characters delivering monologues and interpreting a song karaoke-style. Performances begin Friday, July 6. Runs to Aug. 5. Source, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets are $15 in advance, or $18 at the door. Call 202-204-7770 or visit witdc.org.

MUSEUMS & GALLERIES

BASELITZ: SIX DECADES

The Hirshhorn presents the first major U.S. retrospective since 1996 of one of Germany’s greatest living artists, featuring more than 100 works, from iconic paintings to wood and bronze sculptures, highlighting every phase of Georg Baselitz’s career. The occasion is the 80th birthday of the figurative artist, who came of age in post-war East Germany and is best known for large-scale, expressive paintings, often with subjects painted upside down. Through Sept. 16. Second Floor Galleries, Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW. Call 202-633-1000 or visit hirshhorn.si.edu.

CLARA CORNELIUS: CASURA OBSCURA

An installation of screen-printed banners bursting with color, pattern, and energy fills the tiny outdoor space that has become known as Takoma Park’s Pump House Pop-Up Gallery. Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center created the gallery with funding from the city government. The works in the exhibition are a combination of photographic and cut paper patterns, assembled in such a way as to transform what might be considered ordinary images and objects into something magical. Through Aug. 18. Hilltop Road between Maple and Geneva Avenues, Takoma Park. Call 301-608-9101 or visit pyramidatlanticartcenter.org.

CULTIVATING AMERICA’S GARDENS

An examination of gardening in the U.S., from early horticulture practices to Victory gardens to the romance of the American lawn. Co-presented by the Smithsonian Libraries, Smithsonian Gardens, and the Archives of American Gardens, this traditional museum exhibition — about gardens but not any kind of garden tour — looks at gardening’s history in America broken down into seven main segments. It starts with the creation of botanical gardens in the 18th Century — as one example of how the early focus on “Gardening for Science” was brought to fruition — and ends with today’s increasing concern over organic and sustainable practices, or “Gardening for the Environment.” Whether the genetically modified, chemically enhanced plant breeding days of the last century or so are truly on the way out — and with them, the focus on “Gardening as Enterprise” — certainly longgone are the large, showy private gardens of the Gilded Age and a “Gardening to Impress” outlook. On display through August. Smithsonian Libraries Exhibition Gallery, National Museum of American History, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Call 202-633-2240 or visit library.si.edu/exhibition.

JOANNE KAUFMAN: CONTAINMENTS

The Washington Studio School presents a series of 11 large-scale abstract works that explore what painting does, and does not, manage to contain — formally, conceptually, aesthetico-historically — within the space of a canvas. Kaufman, a Washington-area painter and WSS faculty member, took inspiration from Agnes Martin, Paul Klee, and daily news for the paintings. On display to July 15. Main Gallery of the Washington Studio School, 2129 S St. NW. Call 202-234-3030 or visit washingtonstudioschool.org.

KATIE PUMPHREY: FIVE MORE MINUTES, PART I AND II

Through large-scale paintings and installations, the Baltimore artist explores the tension between calm and chaos — specifically, the anxiety, excitement, panic, and even monotony that comes from just five more minutes of doing something. Through mid-July, Pumphrey’s works on the theme will be on display in both Georgetown and Alexandria as part of a two-part exhibition at two galleries. Part I is on display to July 21, ending with a closing reception. Susan Calloway Fine Arts, 1643 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Call 202-965-4601 or visit callowayart.com. Part II is on display to July 22. The Athenaeum, 201 Prince St., Alexandria. Call 703-548-0035 or visit nvfaa.org. For additional events and details about the two-part exhibition, visit katiepumphrey.com/fivemoreminutes.

KRISTAL MCLAUGHLIN: KONTROLLED KHAOS

A self-taught abstract artist, the D.C.-based McLaughlin is the latest to be featured in the gallery space at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. With a master’s in psychology, McLaughlin aka Ms. Bald-Du styles her art as therapy and approaches her sketches on paper, to a certain extent, as a way to make sense or take control of the chaos of life. Closing Reception, with the artist plus the serving of light fare, wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages, is Saturday, July 7, from 7 to 9 p.m. Center Art Gallery, 2000 14th St. NW. Call 202-682-2245 or visit thedccenter.org/centerartgallery.

MARK BRADFORD: PICKETT’S CHARGE

Referred to as the most significant living American painter by the Hirshhorn, this gay African-American artist certainly works on a scale commensurate with that kind of stature. Take, for example, his huge, 400-foot installation created for his debut at the Smithsonian’s modern art museum as well as in D.C. A timely, commissioned “cyclorama” of eight large, site-specific collages, Bradford was inspired by Paul Philippoteaux’s same-named masterpiece depicting the loss of the Confederate Army at the Battle of Gettysburg. Covering the curved walls of the Hirshhorn’s third level inner circle, the work presents 360-degrees of abstracted historical narrative using Bradford’s signature practice of collage, juxtaposed with reproductions of the 19th-century original in a way that intentionally disrupts, messes up, and confuses. The end result is a work that invites reconsideration of how narratives about American history have been shaped and contested. To Nov. 12. Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW. Call 202-633-1000 or visit hirshhorn.si.edu.

NO SPECTATORS: THE ART OF BURNING MAN

The Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery has turned over its entire building to present the first major national exhibition focused on Burning Man, in particular the annual Nevada desert event’s maker culture and creative spirit. In fact, the exhibition even extends “Beyond the Renwick,” with six sculptural works from Burning Man installed nearby on Pennsylvania Avenue west of the White House as well as on Connecticut Avenue and other major corridors. The full exhibition is on view through Sept. 16, while half of it will remain up until Jan. 21, 2019. Renwick Gallery, Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street NW. Free. Call 202-633-1000 or visit renwick.americanart.si.edu.

OUTBREAKS: EPIDEMICS IN A CONNECTED WORLD

To mark the 100th anniversary of the Great Influenza, the Smithsonian debuts an exhibition on epidemiology and human health. From HIV to SARS to Ebola, Outbreaks shows how viruses can spread from animals to people, why some infectious diseases become pandemics, and the collaborative ways many have been stopped or curtailed. Today, pandemic diseases remain one of the greatest threats to individuals and society, due to an increasingly interconnected, increasingly mobile, increasingly urbanized and industrialized global world. Ongoing to 2021. National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Call 202-633-1000 or visit mnh.si.edu.

PICTURES OF THE YEAR: 75 YEARS OF THE WORLD’S BEST PHOTOGRAPHY

The Newseum celebrates one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious photojournalism competitions with a show featuring just a sampling of the more than 40,000 award-winning images in the archives of Pictures of the Year International. Tracing the evolution of photojournalism from World War II to today, the images on display depict the people and events that have defined the times, capturing war and peace, disaster and triumph, and the social and cultural shifts that have shaped the past 75 years. Founded in 1944 at the University of Missouri, POYi recognizes excellence in photojournalism as well as multimedia and visual editing. To Jan. 20, 2019. Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $22.95 for general admission. Call 888-NEWSEUM or visit newseum.org.

PORTRAITS OF THE WORLD: SWITZERLAND

Once a year, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery plans to showcase one portrait created by a foreign artist in an exhibition designed around that work, via a series intended to highlight the global context of American portraiture. The inaugural exhibition focuses on “Femme en Extase (Woman in Ecstasy),” a portrait of Italian dancer Giulia Leonardi by Swiss painter Ferdinand Hodler, complemented by a selection of works from the gallery’s collection featuring American dancers, notably Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Ted Shawn, and Ruth St. Denis. To Nov. 12. 8th and F Streets. NW. Call 202-633-8300 or visit npg.si.edu.

REMEMBERING VIETNAM: 12 CRITICAL EPISODES IN THE VIETNAM WAR

The National Archives offers a framework for understanding the decisions that led to the Vietnam War, its consequences and legacy. More than 40 years since its end, the complexity of the conflict is still being unraveled — in part by historians pouring over newly declassified documents, some of which factor into this exhibition of more than 80 original records. To Jan. 6, 2019. Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery, Constitution Avenue between 7th and 9th Streets NW. NW. Call 202-357-5000 or visit archivesfoundation.org.

SURREALISM

A juried 40th Anniversary Exhibit featuring works by members of The Washington Calligrapher’s Guild, an organization devoted to artistic writing and textual design. This year’s theme takes inspiration from the famous 20th century movement known as surrealism, in which writers, poets, and artists sought to express themselves free from conscious control of reason and convention. Many of the chosen entrees are for sale through the Strathmore Mansion Gift Shop. Opening Reception is Thursday, June 21, from 7 to 9 p.m. On display to July 29. 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.

THE GREAT MYSTERY

Baltimore’s American Visionary Art Museum is letting its curiosity run wild in its 21st year-long exhibition curated by founder and director Rebecca Hoffberger. Partly inspired by Albert Einstein, who once referred to the concept of life as “the Great Mystery,” the show celebrates mysteries big and small, the ultimate source of artistic creativity, scientific inquiry and social progress. On display are works by 44 visionary artists, research scientists, astronauts, mystics and philosophers. On exhibit through Sept. 2, 2018. American Visionary Art Museum, 800 Key Highway. Baltimore. Tickets are $20 for Preview Party, $15.95 for regular daily admission. Call 410-244-1900 or visit avam.org.

THE SWEAT OF THEIR FACE: PORTRAYING AMERICAN WORKERS

Nearly 100 portrayals of laborers by some of the nation’s most influential artists reveal how American workers have shaped and defined the nation in a multifaceted Smithsonian exhibition further exploring the intersections among work, art, and social history. Paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, mixed-media, and photographs factor into this fully bilingual show, with works by Winslow Homer, Dorothea Lange, Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, Lewis Hine, and Ben Shahn. To Sept. 3. National Portrait Gallery, 8th and F Streets. NW. Call 202-633-8300 or visit npg.si.edu.

BRUNCH

LA BOUM

Launched seven years ago at L’Enfant Cafe, the incredibly popular boozy brunch/day party known as La Boum has only gotten bigger and boum-ier in recent years — even earning a nod as one of Bravo TV’s “Top 5 Raging Brunches in the U.S.” The self-billed “revolutionary-style brunch” welcomes patrons of all genders and sexual orientations for a multi-course dinner and four hours of drinking, dancing to a DJ, and doing “everything they weren’t allowed to do under pure parental supervision as young adults.” Yet you have to be very grown-up and plan ahead in particular for Saturday brunch. Abigail, 1730 M St. NW. Tickets are $32.50 to $35 per person, plus 20-percent gratuity and drinks. Call 240-286-4286 or visit laboumbrunch.com.

SIR SUNDAYS AT SAX

Penn Quarter’s Moulin Rouge-inspired restaurant Sax offers movement-based spectacles, including aerial stunts, hip-hop group routines, pole performances, and burlesque, to add excitement beyond the food. And male burlesque is the showcase every Sunday during brunch, as a group of male professional dancers, aerialists, and bodybuilders perform full-length shows, accompanied by unlimited mimosas delivered by by table service studs. Sundays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sax Restaurant & Lounge, 734 11th St. NW. Tickets are $50 to $65 including appetizers and unlimited mimosas. Call 202-737-0101 or visit sirmaleburlesque.com.

ABOVE AND BEYOND

FORD’S THEATRE’S HISTORY ON FOOT

A local actor offers the guided tour Investigation: Detective McDevitt, portraying Detective James McDevitt, a D.C. police officer patrolling a half-block from Ford’s Theatre the night President Lincoln was shot. Written by Richard Hellesen and directed by Mark Ramont, the 1.6-mile walking tour revisits and reexamines the sites and clues from the investigation into the assassination. Tours are offered approximately three evenings a week at 6:45 p.m. Ford’s Theatre, 511 10th St. NW. Tickets are $17. Call 202-397-7328 or visit fords.org.