Spotlight: Upcoming events in D.C. — February 22-28
THE ARTISTIC TABLE
Marjorie Merriweather Post’s gift for bringing art to everyday dining inspired the latest exhibition at Post’s former estate Hillwood, featuring table settings from a handful of contemporary interior designers. Timothy Corrigan, Barry Dixon, Charlotte Moss, Alex Papachristidis, P. Gaye Tapp, Hutton Wilkinson, and Josh Hildreth look to Post and her finest table settings to curate a feast for the eyes. The exhibition includes a selection of historic tablewares from Hillwood’s collection along with the designer’s own contemporary treasures. To June 10. Hillwood Estate, 4155 Linnean Ave. NW. Suggested donation is $18. Call 202-686-5807 or visit HillwoodMuseum.org.
THE DARK CRYSTAL
Fathom Events offers a rare return to the big screen of Jim Henson’s fantasy adventure — and the demand is so strong, they’ve added additional dates and theaters for the run. The 1982 epic, co-directed with Frank Oz (Little Shop of Horrors), screens with a brand-new featurette including an interview with Jim’s daughter Lisa Henson, who reflects on the making of the film and its legacy. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release The Dark Crystal on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and digital on Tuesday, March 6. Screenings are Sunday, Feb. 25, and Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 2 and 7 p.m., Saturday, March 3, at 2 p.m., and Tuesday, March 6, at 2 and 7 p.m. Area theaters including Regal Gallery Place (701 7th St. NW), Potomac Yards Stadium (3575 Jefferson Davis Highway in Alexandria), and Ballston Common 12 (617 N. Glebe Road in Arlington). Visit fathomevents.com.
PEEPSHOW
The latest work from dog and pony dc is “a fanciful and absurd pastiche of interactive theatrical forms created, designed, and performed by an entirely non-male-identifying ensemble of artists.” One scene in the devised production features wrestlers reviewing the history of feminism, while another sees singers adapting Broadway showtunes to confront the complexities of the male gaze. A third of five total scenes is a ballet, inspired by both synchronized swimming and K-pop, conveying the modern woman’s complicity in her own oppression. Directed by Rachel Grossman. Remaining performances are Thursday, Feb. 22, and Friday, Feb. 23, at 8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 24, at 3 and 8 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 25, at 2 and 7 p.m. Woolly Mammoth Rehearsal Hall, 641 D St. NW. Tickets are $20 to $25, or $40 in a voluntary “Men Give Back” promotion. Call 202-393-3939 or visit dogandponydc.com.
AUBREY LOGAN
If you’ve heard this vocalist’s work as a member of Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox, then the jazzy yet thoroughly contemporary pop sound of Impossible will come as no shock. To everyone else, mentioning that Logan won the Montreux Jazz Festival Competition in 2009 — the same year she was also a finalist on American Idol — adds extra meaning to the title of her solo debut album, a quirky and fun cross-genre jazz/pop/neo-soul blend. Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 8 and 10 p.m. Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Tickets are $31, plus $12 minimum purchase. Call 202-337-4141 or visit bluesalley.com.
BILLY OCEAN
To mark its fifth anniversary, the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club has enlisted the Trinidadian-born British artist whom those of a certain age will remember for ’80s hits “Caribbean Queen” and “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car.” WPGC morning show host and comedian Joe Clair serves as emcee. Wednesday, Feb. 28, and Thursday, March 1, at 8 p.m. Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, 7719 Wisconsin Ave. Tickets are $60 to $75, plus $10 minimum purchase per person. Call 240-330-4500 or visit bethesdabluesjazz.com.
KELELA
The 34-year-old artist creates captivating, otherworldly electro-R&B that register as a blend of Bjork and Janet Jackson. Certainly she’s a sonic soulmate to her contemporary and collaborator Solange. Metro Weekly‘s Sean Maunier put Kelela’s debut Take Me Apart at No. 3 on his list of 2017’s best albums, calling it “a mature and sober reflection on love and modern relationships, carried by an artist with an impressive vocal range and hypermodern arrangements that probe and tug at the boundaries of pop and R&B.” Thursday, March 1. Doors at 7 p.m. 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $30. Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com.
Photo: Carrie Schneider
KYLE ABRAHAM/ABRAHAM.IN.MOTION: DEAREST HOME
The gay MacArthur “Genius Grant” winner returns with his company to the University of Maryland for a showcase of movement, in its most vulnerable and intimate state, through a series of solo and duet performances focused on loving, longing, and loss. Audience members are given a choice: experience the pure movement in silence, or don headphones and layer on a rich soundscape. Friday, Feb. 23, and Saturday, Feb. 24, at 8 p.m. Kogod Theatre at the Clarice, University Boulevard and Stadium Drive. College Park. Tickets are $25. Call 301-405-ARTS or visit theclarice.umd.edu.
CHERISH THE LADIES
A group formed over thirty years ago as a means to showcase the brightest female musicians in the male-dominated Irish-American folk scene, which took its name from a traditional Irish jig. Joanie Madden, on flute and tin whistle, leads the group of multi-instrumentalists also including Mary Coogan, Mirella Murray, Grainne Murphy, Deirdre Connolly, and Kathleen Boyle. Cherish The Ladies are accompanied by step dancers. Wednesday, Feb. 28, and Thursday, March 1, at 8 p.m. The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1635 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $25 to $30. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit wolftrap.org.
DIET CIG W/ THE SPOOK SCHOOL
The New York punk duo of female guitarist and vocalist Alex Luciano and thrashing drummer Noah Bowman made a show of canceling a concert last fall at a small Pennsylvania Christian college after learning of the school’s discriminatory policy against LGBTQ students. Diet Cig’s strong pro-queer stance is further reflected in its current tour featuring main support from an LGBTQ-focused four-piece from Edinburgh, Scotland. Meanwhile, The Spook School, formed in 2012 and comprised of guitarist and vocalist Nye Todd (who identifies as trans), guitarist Adam Todd, bassist and vocalist Anna Cory, and drummer Niall McCamley, has an arsenal of Buzzcockian noisy-pop songs, many with empowering lyrics for the gender and sexually non-binary or non-conforming. “Fuck you, I’m still alive,” the band shouts in unison at the top of its new, third set, Could It Be Different? You can almost hear the crowd screaming live right along with them. Wednesday, Feb. 28. Doors at 7 p.m. Rock and Roll Hotel, 1353 H St. NE. Tickets are $18. Call 202-388-ROCK or visit rockandrollhoteldc.com.
ANDY BOROWITZ
Before he became a longtime New Yorker writer and bestselling author, Borowitz created the Will Smith-helmed TV sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and also wrote the screenplay to Pleasantville. He offers standup on a tour cheekily named “Make America Not Embarrassing Again.” Tickets remain for the show Saturday, Feb. 24, at 10:30 p.m. Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. Tickets are $55 to $100. Call 202-888-0050 or visit thelincolndc.com.
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