7 minute read
What’s on Washington
WHAT’S ON
WASHINGTON
LIVE MUSIC RETURNS TO THE NGA SCULPTURE GARDEN The National Gallery closes out the summer with outdoor concerts in the Sculpture Garden. The series not only revisits jazz, but offers the expanded musical genres of mariachi and brass. Remaining concerts are Thursdays, Aug. 12 (Baltimore Jazz Collective--jazz) and 26 (US Army Brass--classical, patriotic), and Sept. 9. (Flor de Toloache--mariachi). Concerts start at 6 p.m. (gates at 5 p.m.). All concert-goers over the age of two need a free pass for admission. Passes become available two weeks in advance of the concert date. tickets.nga.gov/events.
Photo: Courtesy of the National Gallery of Art
OPERA IN THE OUTFIELD’S CINDERELLA
After a three-year hiatus, this free community event on Saturday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m. (rain or shine), allows fans to lounge in the outfield and watch an opera broadcast of Cinderella, Rossini’s charming take on the classic rags-to-riches story. The 5 p.m. pre-show family entertainment includes the broadcast of Mo Willems’s first opera, Elephant & Piggie present SLOPERA!: A Bite-Sized Opera. The evening’s activities will also include performances by local artists, photo opportunities, arts and crafts and chances to win prizes. Patrons wishing to sit on the outfield grass will receive a free wristband, which will be distributed near the Family Picnic Area (at sections 141–143) beginning at 5 p.m. Outfield grass will be firstcome, first-served. OperaintheOutfield.org.
EN VOGUE AT THE BIRCHMERE AND THE FILLMORE
En Vogue is an American R&B/pop vocal group. Formed in Oakland, California, in 1989, En Vogue reached No. 2 on the US Hot 100 with the single “Hold On”, taken from their 1990 debut album Born to Sing. En Vogue has sold more than 30 million records worldwide to date, and is often considered one of the best female vocal groups of all time.[The group has won seven MTV Video Music Awards, three Soul Train Awards, two American Music Awards, and received seven Grammy nominations. At The Birchmere in Alexandria, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 7:30 p.m.; and at the Fillmore in Silver Spring, Friday, Aug. 13, 8 p.m. envoguemusic.com.
En Vogue--Rhona Bennett, Cindy Herron-Braggs and Terry Ellis
FLYING CIRCUS HOT AIR BALLOON FESTIVAL
On August 21 and 22, there are hot air balloon launches in the early morning, 6 to 9 a.m. and late afternoon, 6 to 8 p.m. Gates open at 6 a.m. and you’re invited to take a ride or just come out to see the balloons close-up. Festival admission is $10. Rides are $150 to $250 for the approximately one-hour ride. You negotiate directly with the balloon pilots. The Flying Circus Aerodrome is 14 miles SE of Warrenton and 22 miles NW of Fredericksburg, just off Route 17, at 5114 Ritchie Road (Route 644) in Bealeton, VA. (about 60 miles from DC). flyingcircusairshow.com.
Balloons aloft in the early morning hours. Photo: Vern Wells
DC JAZZFEST AT THE WHARF
TONI STONE AT ARENA
History is filled with trailblazers and Toni Stone was one of them. Considered a pioneer, she was the first woman to play baseball in the Negro Leagues, also making her the first woman to play professionally in a men’s league in the 1950s. Against all odds, Stone shattered expectations and created her own set of rules in the male-dominated sports world. Based on Martha Ackmann’s book Curveball: The Remarkable Story of Toni Stone, award-winning playwright Lydia R. Diamond tells the story of Stone’s journey of perseverance and resilience just to do what she loved the most—play baseball. Arena Stage, Sept. 3 to Oct. 3. arenastage.org. Toni Stone will be simulcast at Nat’s Park on Sept. 26. Details tba. The citywide 17th annual DC JazzFest will take place from September 1 to 5, with over 20 concerts, interviews and exclusive events featuring international superstars and homegrown talent. Their signature event, DC JazzFest at The Wharf takes place over Labor Day weekend. Festival experiences will include in-person and live stream performances, up-close-and-personal “Meet the Artist” conversations, and the DCJazzPrix international jazz band competition Finals live at Union Stage. Single day pass, $89 to $189. dcjazzfest.org.
OUTDOOR WELLNESS SERIES AT KENILWORTH PARK
Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens is offering the Kenilworth neighbors and the community at large the experience of outdoor wellness at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens with WELLderness, a free outdoor wellness series. Try for the first time or continue your practice of yoga, photography, tai chi, forest bathing, painting, dog pack walks, and live music through October 2021. Ward 7 and 8 residents are invited to pre-register and retreat across the street, before sessions open to all. The gardens are at 1900 Anacostia Ave. SE. Register at kenaqgardens.org/events.
The East of the River Drum Band performs on Sept. 4, 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Photo: Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
THE AMEN CORNER AT SHAKESPEARE
From Sept. 14 to 26, James Baldwin’s The Amen Corner returns to Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW, to complete its original run cut short by the pandemic. In a 1950s storefront church in Harlem, Pastor Margaret rails at her congregation and her teenaged son for their vices. Surrounded by a choir of powerhouse singers belting songs of redemption, Margaret must face the music herself when memories of her own troubled past return. The Amen Corner premiered at Howard University in the 1950s. Tickets are $35 to $120. shakespearetheatre.org.
Photo: Scott Suchman
MY FATHER, MY MARTYR, AND ME BY FARGO TBAKHI
This electric and groundbreaking solo show-inpoetry weaves the autobiographies of the playwright, his father and RFK assassin Sirhan Sirhan to examine the criminality often automatically layered onto Palestinians, and ultimately begs the question: in the face of decades of colonization, erasure and fear, how can we love each other better. $50 to $68. The Mosaic Theater Company at the Atlas, 1333 H St. NE, Sept. 10 to Oct. 3. mosaictheater.org.
Fargo Tbakhi. Photo: Lisa Maynard UPENDING 1620: WHERE DO WE BEGIN
Upending 1620: Where Do We Begin?, opening Aug. 6 at the National Museum of American History, is an exhibition that examines the early encounters between Wampanoag peoples and English colonists, and the important legacies of those encounters over the next 400 years. Those initial meetings became the subject of powerful yet changing myths, when later Americans reimagined the English Pilgrims as “founders” of the US nation. Exploring the evidence that upends these myths highlights Wampanoag experience and persistence through the centuries, and invites a fuller understanding of the colonists’ views and motivations as well. Objects on display include fragments of Plymouth Rock, a family chest used by a member of the Mayflower party, a 1998 Day of Mourning protest banner, a Wampanoag wood splint burden basket, and a handmade Narragansett drum. americanhistory.si.edu.
The Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore, MD, has opened Women Behaving Badly: 400 Years of Power and Protest. The exhibition, on view through Dec. 19, 2021, links heroines of the past with modern trailblazers, celebrating women throughout history who broke rules, transgressed boundaries, and insisted upon recognition of their human rights. Approximately 75 prints, photographs, and books illustrate female power and courage over five centuries into the modern era when women were actively engaging to effect social change. Masks required. Get free passes at artbma.org.
DINNER UNDER THE STARS IN ANNAPOLIS
The first block of West Street in the heart of downtown Annapolis is closed to traffic on Wednesday evenings in the summer, through Sept. 15, 5 to 10 p.m., and filled with tables reminiscent of the open-air cafes in France, Spain and Italy. Treat yourself to an evening with family and friends under a canopy of white lights while enjoying live music and art demonstrations. Reservations are strongly suggested at dinnerunderthestars.org/reservations.
Photo: Inner West Street Association, Annapolis
