Hot Picks of the Week: Dragula returns, Strathmore’s Holiday Market, SeoulSpice, and more!
Everything from a Native American cinema showcase to Deborah Cox with the National Philharmonic to Gladys Knight and Smokey Robinson at MGM National Harbor.
Native Cinema Showcase
As part of its Native American Heritage Month programming, the National Museum of the American Indian presents an annual film festival highlighting works by Indigenous filmmakers from the Western Hemisphere and Arctic. A total of 47 films representing Native nations in 13 countries make up this year’s showcase, which will be presented virtually. The overarching thematic focus is on films with messages of strength and resilience, or, to quote the official description, showing, “Native people boldly asserting themselves through language, healing, building community, and a continued relationship with the land.” Feature titles include Waikiki (USA), The Song of the Butterflies (Peru/Colombia), and What Happened to the Bees? (Mexico), plus several thematic shorts programs. The showcase includes a series of pre-recorded panel discussions with Native filmmakers and writers available to watch anytime, including “A Different Lens,” which focuses on “how women and two-spirited people tell Indigenous stories through their own lens,” and “The Land Speaks,” looking at how Indigenous filmmakers are using film to tackle environmental crises. Friday, Nov. 12 through Thursday, Nov. 18. For the full schedule, visit www.nmai.si.edu.
The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula Season 4
Set back a full year by the pandemic, the Boulet Brothers — drag performers Dracmorda, or Drac for short, and Swanthula, or Swan, who are partners in life and drag — have returned with a new full season of their alternative drag reality show, which is similar in spirit and setup, but wildly different in style, to RuPaul’s Drag Race. The drag represented on The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula is more in line with the looks you might find in the theater or goth scene. “I feel like we’re giving a safe home for outcasts and freaks,” Drac told Metro Weekly last year. Season 4 launched last month with 11 contestants vying for the title of World’s Next Drag Supermonster and a cash prize of $100,000. New episodes premiere every Tuesday on the AMC Network horror streaming service Shudder. Visit www.shudder.com or www.bouletbrothersdragula.com.
The Bodyguard with Deborah Cox
Four years ago, Deborah Cox toured around the U.S. as the star of Alexander Dinelaris’ musical adaptation of The Bodyguard, the 1992 blockbuster film starring the late Whitney Houston. The powerhouse diva is not exactly reprising the role of Rachel Marron at the moment, but she is the featured vocalist for the National Philharmonic’s “Musical Celebration of the Film The Bodyguard” — so, you know, close enough. Cox will be the “Queen of the Night” in this symphonic tribute to what still ranks as the best-selling soundtrack album of all-time, as well as the best-selling album by a female artist of all-time, and also the best-selling album of its decade. Cox will be joined by vocalist Rayshun LaMarr in a program featuring choreography by Shalyce Hemby and spearheaded by Luke Frazier, the organization’s new Principal Pops Conductor. Friday, Nov. 12, at 8 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, Md. Tickets are $20 to $89. Call 301-493-9283 or visit www.nationalphilharmonic.org.
Strathmore’s Museum Shop Holiday Market
This year sees the return of Strathmore’s one-stop shop for finding unique, artsy holiday gift ideas. Eight area museums and cultural organizations will be represented at the 31st Annual Museum Shop Holiday Market selling memorabilia and merchandise, including the Phillips Collection, Hillwood Museum & Gardens, the International Spy Museum, the Textile Museum, Brookside Gardens, the Jewish Museum of Maryland, and Strathmore itself. Each museum is given its own space, often its own room, in Strathmore’s historic Mansion. That’s enough for most shops to display as much as 40 percent of their normal inventory. Thursday, Nov. 11, through Saturday, Nov. 13, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Free, but suggested donation is $10. Call 301-581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.
Gladys Knight and Smokey Robinson
Two heavyweights from Motown Records’ heyday in the 1960s are the chief draws among the November lineup at the Theater at MGM National Harbor. First up, this Friday, Nov. 5, is Gladys Knight, the seven-time Grammy-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Famer dubbed the “Empress of Soul.” Two weeks later, on Saturday, Nov. 20, it’ll be the “Quiet Storm” that is Pure Smokey, as in Robinson. The night before, Friday, Nov. 19, MGM presents contemporary soul man Anthony Hamilton. Meanwhile, the day after Thanksgiving — Friday, Nov. 26 — brings Tropicaliente III, a party with some of the greatest Tropical Salsa artists, including Gilberto Santa Rosa, Tito Nieves, and Joey Vega. The Theater at MGM National Harbor is at 7100 Harborview Ave., Oxon Hill, Md. Ticket prices vary. Call 844-346-4664 or visit www.mgmnationalharbor.com.
Tuesdays With Morrie
On a whim, a sports reporter in Detroit decides to visit his former university sociology professor back in Massachusetts — which becomes not only the best decision he’s ever made, it also leads him to writing the best-selling memoir of all time. Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie captures the wisdom that Morris Schwartz imparted to his former student over a series of visits while in the ALS-induced senescence of his life. Two decades after Albom adapted the work for the stage with the help of playwright Jeffrey Hatcher, Theater J offers a production starring acclaimed local actors Michael Russotto as Schwartz and Cody Nickell as Albom, which can be streamed for viewing at home for those who are not yet ready to attend live performances at the Goldman Theater in the Edlavitch DCJCC — where it’s also being offered with a socially distanced section on select dates. Director Jenna Place made sure to “focus on the living and not the dying” in her approach to the work and its lessons on life and love that has added resonance in the wake of the pandemic. Performances begin Wednesday, Nov. 10. Runs through Dec. 5. Theater J is at 1529 16th St. NW. Tickets are $35 to $70. Call 202-777-3210 or visit www.theaterj.org.
A Chorus Within Her
After months of interviews over Zoom, social media surveys, and collaborative writing sessions, a group of women theatermakers — poets, choreographers, and actors — are ready to unveil what they’re calling a devised “choreopoem,” capturing women’s experiences during the pandemic. Presented by Theater Alliance with direction by Alina Collins Maldonado and choreography by Tiffany Quinn, A Chorus Within Her is further described as “part ritual [and] part airing of difficult truths” revealing how women writ large “survived the past year…and how we collectively move forward from here.” Gabrielle Brant Freeman, Glenis Redmond, Christine Sloan Stoddard, and Carmin Wong devised the work along with the acting ensemble who will bring the 75-minute performance to life: Kathleen Akerley, Jasmine Brooks, Ezinne Elele, Siani Nicole, Anna Schafer, and Elizabeth Ung. Performances to Nov. 14. Anacostia Playhouse, 2020 Shannon Place SE. Tickets are $25 to $35. Call 202-241-2539 or visit www.theateralliance.com.
Gilbert Gottfried
Gilbert Gottfried is one of the most recognizable voiceover performers in Hollywood — known for work as varied as the original voice of the Aflac Duck to the parrot Iago in Disney’s 1992 Aladdin to the “cybird” Digit in the PBS Kids Go! show Cyberchase. Yet Gottfried’s voice had been his calling card long before all the voiceover work materialized. In fact, he developed his unmistakable style of speaking in an exaggeratedly shrill voice in the years following a one-season stint as a seldom-seen cast member on Saturday Night Live in 1980. By the end of that decade, as a regular guest on Late Night with David Letterman and in supporting roles in blockbusters including Beverly Hills Cop II and Look Who’s Talking II, Gottfried had turned into a squinting, screeching, scene-stealing funnyman. In recent years he’s made a name for himself with his popular Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast, while also keeping up with standup. And next weekend, he’ll make his debut at Virginia’s historic State Theatre. Friday, Nov. 12. Doors at 7 p.m. 220 North Washington St., Falls Church. Tickets are $37.50 with fee, plus an extra $12 with dining reservation for two; or $48 for a Gold Circle ticket with front-row seats but no dining reservations available. Call 703-237-0300 or visit www.thestatetheatre.com.
Dance Place’s Embark Gala
It’s been 41 years since Carla Perlo co-founded one of the city’s leading presenters of dance and movement theater. Dance Place will celebrate its anniversary with an annual gala, which this year will also serve as an early farewell tribute to Christopher K. Morgan, the organization’s gay executive artistic director for the past four years. (Morgan is departing to head the new Center for Native Arts and Cultures in Portland, Oregon. The evening includes performances by Dance Place’s current Artists in Residence Tariq Darrell O’Meally and Britta Joy Peterson, national artists slowdanger and Gesel Mason, and artists in the Dance Place Youth Performing Company. This year’s gala will be presented next weekend in two reduced-capacity gatherings in the theater for the performance, and outdoors on the 8th Street Arts Park for drinks and hors d’oeuvres. The second night also offers a free livestream for those unable to attend in person and will also include special commentary, interactive moments, and opportunities to chat live with other viewers as well as participate in the silent auction. Friday, Nov. 12, and Saturday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. 3225 8th St. NE. Tickets are $100 to $175 per night, with sponsorships available, ranging in price from $250 to $2,500. Call 202-269-1600 or visit www.danceplace.org.
SeoulSpice
SeoulSpice, the local Chipotle-like fast-casual restaurant popular for the Korrito, a Korean-style burrito, is about to open its fifth location — and they’re doing all they can to lure everyone to come check it out. When it opens next Friday, Nov. 12, in downtown’s Penn Quarter neighborhood, the new 2,000-square-feet outpost will give away one free entrée to each customer walking through the door all day long — or until supplies last. The only hitch, as far as hitches go, is you have to actually physically be there to order and participate in the offering, so don’t try to order online or for delivery — and don’t expect to get the deal by visiting the original location in NoMa or subsequent offshoots in Tenleytown, College Park, or in Bethesda’s Westfield Montgomery Mall. You also can’t pile on your freebie, as the special giveaway excludes ordering an extra protein as well as “The Egg” and avocado toppings when building your order from the menu. But there’s no purchase necessary, so there’s no excuse not to give the growing chain’s healthy twist on Korean comfort food a try. Because to try it is to like it. Friday, Nov. 12, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (or while supplies last). SeoulSpice Penn Quarter is located at 439 7th St. NW. Visit www.seoulspice.com.
McLean Antiques Show & Sale
More than 30 antique dealers from all over the East Coast will participate in the return of this annual show in McLean. Proceeds from the show, now in its 45th year, benefit the James C. Macdonald Scholarship Fund and its awards to young performing artists who are high school students in McLean. Shoppers will find American, Continental, and Asian antiques, decorative accessories, furniture, folk art, porcelain, silver, paintings, prints, linens, and Oriental carpets and rugs, jewelry, vintage clothing, fine glassware, inkwells, steins, bronzes, rare books, and more. In addition, an onsite café will sell snacks, beverages, and lunch options. Saturday, Nov. 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 14, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean. Tickets are $10 and good for both days. Call 703-790-0123 or visit www.www.aldentheatre.org.
Cross-Stitch Like a Queen
Forget your grandma’s quaint and homespun “Bless This Home.” With the help of a new drag queen-produced book you can learn to make your own framed fabric wall hanging with the edgier and timelier message “Not Today, Satan.” Or, if you’d prefer, “Don’t Get Bitter, Get Better,” “All Tea, All Shade,” or “Black Trans Lives Matter.” Or learn to cross-stitch the Pride flag or a disco ball, among other colorful patterns inspired by or connected to the queer community and developed by designer David Hastings, known around Brooklyn as drag entertainer Dottie Salami, one-half of the Salami Sisters. Cross-Stitch Like a Queen: 25 Fun and Fabulous Patterns Celebrating Drag and the LGBTQIA+ Community (Ulysses Press, $13.98 on Amazon) is Hastings’ new crafts resource guide that aims to help the LGBTQ community in at least two ways: by inspiring more queers to get crafty and take up cross-stitch as a hobby, and by donating a portion of proceeds from the book to The Trevor Project. Visit www.ulyssespress.com.
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