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WEDNESDAY: Today is Saint Patrick's Day, in case you forgot, and its status as a Wednesday prevents you from celebrating. Probably. Hey, who knows where you work.
Anyway, you can honor the Irish more soberly with Irish Book Day, wherein volunteers stand at your Metro stop and hand you copies of Irish literature for free. For a list of the stops they'll be at, visit Solasnua.org.
IT'S HARD NOT to love the Landless Theatre Company. Despite a small budget and size, the theater swings big and — a few hiccups aside — the current musical adaptation of "High Fidelity" is hardly without charm.
The beloved movie and book is about Rob, an aging music geek who thinks in lists and struggles with romance. Showing at DC Arts Center, "High Fidelity" closes Sunday, so, in the spirit of the show, The Top Five Reasons to See "High Fidelity":
1) Stephen Gregory Smith's full-voiced performance as Rob is compelling — though the need of a head-mic in this small theater, could be questioned. Keep an eye out for Josh Speerstra's utterly disarming portrayal of Dick, Rob's shy employee.
Continue Reading "Another Mixed Taped: Landlless Theatre Company's 'High Fidelity'" »
THIS WEEKEND: D.C. Arts Center always does something unexpected. This weekend, they're reviving "My Comic Valentine," a Fringe-type show that sticks characters from retro romance comic books on a stage. It's cheesy and silly, but it's an effective, cheap way to woo your hipster crush.
» D.C. Arts Center, 2438 18th St. NW; Thu.-Sun., Feb. 11-14, $17; 202-462-7833. (Woodley Park)
Photo courtesy Rotogravure Theatre
Updated Feb. 8, 1 p.m., via Sonic Circuits, the promoter for the concert: "Sorry folks, due to the current travel conditions & limited metro service tonight's show has been canceled. We'll try to reschedule Mountains in the near future."
IT STARTS WITH a low, quiet drone. Soon, a gentle guitar arpeggio starts to sing, followed by a whoosh of synths and the most subtle percussive ticks tip-toeing through the tulips of sound.
A flowery mood has been set, a deep sonic meditation has started and ... then a guy yells, "Dude, gimme another PBR."
And just like that the ambiance is bulldozed, and the momentary attention paid to the band on stage is quickly diverted to texting, babbling and the arhythmic clicking of beer bottles.
These are just some of the issues that musicians playing ambient/instrumental/experimental music face on a nightly basis, especially when playing rock clubs instead of, say, art galleries, where decorum demands a certain amount of respectful silence.
New York City's Mountains and Stockholm, Sweden's Tape are going through the ups and downs of presenting their wordless soundscapes in live settings with a short American tour that stops at Bossa in D.C. on Feb. 8.
But even though the two bands share similar musical roots, the way they attack concerts is entirely different.
Continue Reading "Noisy Ambiance: Mountains & Tape at Bossa in D.C." »
D.C. STAGE PRODUCTIONS are steeped in complexity this spring, exploring prejudice, family discord and societal fault lines; even the musicals are murky, even murderous. Thankfully, there's a frothy French farce to lighten the mood. But those who like their comedies dark will find much to enjoy.
'HIGH FIDELITY': LISTMANIA
Composer Tom Kitt's musical version of "High Fidelity" — based on the Nick Hornby novel — may have bombed on Broadway, but supposedly, it was meant to be performed in an intimate setting ... like the D.C. Arts Center in Adams Morgan. Stephen Gregory Smith stars as Rob, the list-making record shop owner, in Landless Theatre's production.
» D.C. Arts Center, 2438 18th St. NW; Feb. 18-March 14, $25. (Woodley Park-Adams Morgan)
'THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA': AN AMERICAN IN FLORENCE
Molly Smith directs Arena Stage's production of "Light in the Piazza," the 2005 musical based on Elizabeth Spencer's novella and the 1962 film. The story centers on a naïve young American named Clara who is wooed by a charming, handsome Italian (Fabrizio, naturally), but dark family secrets and questions about Clara's true nature threaten to derail the romance.
» Arena Stage, 1800 S. Bell St., Arlington; March 5-April 11, $55-$74; 202-488-3300. (Crystal City)
SATURDAY: D.C.'s beloved giant panda Tai Shan (known to all as Butterstick), is leaving for China. Because secretly the Chinese government is trying to break us through cute deprivation.
Even though the San Diego Zoo is practically swimming in pandas, they won't give us any. We're going to be left baby panda-less. It's a travesty. We were promised hope and change! What about "we will take away your panda" says "hope and change" to you, BARACK OBAMA?
Anyway, Tai Shan is leaving, and the zoo is throwing him a farewell party. Go learn all about pandas and wave goodbye to the not-so-little bear.
» National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW; Sat., Jan. 30, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. free; 202-633-4800. (Woodley Park)
Photo by Meghan Murphy/Getty Images
SUNDAY: In a performance for the National Zoo's Wild Side Stage children's series, CityDance enchants the savage beasts — and the animals, too — with its adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's "Jungle Book." This show will be paired with a series of activities in the Reptile Discovery Center. But we promise no face-to-face with Kipling's treacherous Kaa.
» National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW; ages 3 and up, Sun., Jan. 24, 11 a.m. & 1 p.m., $7; 800-551-7328. (Woodley Park-Zoo)
Photo courtesy CityDance
ONGOING: The Zoo Lights — low-impact LED ones — are still glowing at the National Zoo. Come to say goodbye to Tai Shan the panda; stay to say hello to the lit-up bestiary.
» National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW; Fri. & Sat., Jan. 1 & 2, $8; 202-397-7328. (Woodley Park-Zoo)
SATURDAY: The artsy Etsy crowd is conspiring once again to make you give non-generic Christmas gifts, convening for a holiday shopping market to sell you all manner of dinosaur jewelry, purses made from old books and T-shirts with mustaches on them.
Skeptical? Here's an experiment. When that girl on Metro asks where you got that shirt, see how much better she responds when you say "this little craft fair on Columbia Road" than when your answer is "Target."
See? Just trying to help.
» Design Within Reach, 1838 Columbia Road NW; Sat., Dec. 19, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., free; 202-265-5640, Craftmutiny.com. (Woodley Park)
Photo courtesy Tina Seamonster
ONGOING: Those scamps at Landless Theatre are up to their tricks again. To celebrate the season, the company presents "Carrie Potter" (10 p.m.), a Cap Fringe punk musical that mashes up J.K. Rowling and Stephen King, and "A Christmas Twist" (7:30 p.m.). Chicago's Illegitimate Players originally produced the Dickens-meets-Dickens story of wee Oliver Twist adrift at the holidays.
» D.C. Arts Center, 2438 18th St. NW; shows open Fri., Dec. 11 and run through Jan. 2, "Carrie Potter" $15; "A Christmas Twist" $25; 202-462-7833. (Woodley Park)
Photo by Amanda Williams Photography
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