Washington City Paper (March 27, 2015)

CITYPAPER Washington

politics: d.c. Jail contract resurfaces 7

food: tripping with local eateries 23

Free Volume 35, no. 13 WashingtonCityPaPer.Com marCh 27–aPril 2, 2015

Sam Gilliam’s art is more relevant than ever, but don’t call it a comeback. 14 By Kriston Capps • Photos by Darrow Montgomery

2 march 27, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

INSIDE

14 return to splendor

Sam Gilliam’s art is more relevant than ever, but don’t call it a comeback.

By kriston capps photographs By darrow montgomery

4 chatter district line

7 Loose Lips: Bowser battles the council 10 City Desk: Eagles make their home in D.C. 11 Gear Prudence 12 Savage Love 13 Straight Dope 21 Buy D.C.

d.c. Feed

23 Young & Hungry: Food tourism comes to the District 26 Grazer: Nachos go head-to-head 26 Underserved: Don’t Be Bitter, Baby at Wisdom

arts

31 A Torah of Mystery: How a crooked Maryland rabbi’s story inspired a new play 33 Arts Desk: Find your best local comic with our flowchart.

33 One Track Mind: John Aulabaugh’s response to Mike Brown’s killing 34 Theater: Klimek on The Originalist at Arena Stage and Passion Play at Forum Theatre 35 Curtain Calls: Lapin on Freedom’s Song at Ford’s Theatre and Croghan on Blithe Spirit at the National Theatre 36 Film: Olszewski on Serena and Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter 38 Speed Reads: Paperny on Trouble Sleeping

city list

41 City Lights: Keyshia Cole sings above the drama.

41 Music 47 Dance 48 Theater 49 Film

51 showtimes 53 classiFieds diversions 54 Dirt Farm 55 Crossword

on the cover

Photograph by Darrow Montgomery

“

these are wealthy people who don’t like being told what to do.

—page 23

”

washingtoncitypaper.com march 27, 2015 3

CHATTER Go the Distance

in which readers show love for eugene “thunder” hughes and continue to debate the streetcar

ington Post columnist Clinton] Yates and other observers commenting on the streetcar have indeed only spoken on H Street, not Benning (a particularly shocking oversight for Yates, a D.C. native). I’m pulling for the streetcar down H and Benning to actually run and hopefully eventually to extend down to Minnesota Avenue metro station, which is also next door to the Department of nts e EugEnE “ThundEr” Employment Services and new housing developv e / m o .c itypaper ment at Benning and Minnesota. The X2 is alc n o t g in ash w o t hughEs and his 14th ways packed by the time it gets to H, thus it’s o g , s ket clear to me that another transportation opTo buy tic street nW Youth tion is needed to lessen some of the stress/ boxing gym,which has weathered deusage of that line.” SWdc countered, “how cades of change on the corridor, were about another X2. what about 2 more X2s. at the center of last week’s cover (“Tiunderstand how mush less expensive that tle Bout,” March 20) by Chris Opfer. would be. true it’s crowded, but anothArturo Sandoval commented, “This er X2 would serve the same purpose (if is a great article. I’ve long been curinot better) - but I like the streetcar…” loki5586 disagreed with the column’s ous about the yellow building on this premise: “Eye roll… Can we stop with block of 14th and the older man in the 2015! . .C this childish fallacy as ‘streetcars as dewheelchair I’ve seen outside the place.

D f o per’s Best in City Pa velopment device’? I mean, for gods sake, Kudos to Mr. Hughes for his decades rs e n in 0W ng over 30 can streetcar fans be any less transparent. of commitment to the city’s at-risk Celebrati You want to encourage development there? kids!” Brenda Jones wrote, “A very touching story of a man who has unlimGreat, give a 5 year commercial property and ited compassion for youth/people ‘in-need’ sales tax moratorium along that corridor. Based and has the courage to take a stand. I hope on current city reciepts, it would cost the District this new administration will offer resourcabout 20-25 million over the 5 year period, and dees and support to continue this needed facilivelopment would flourish like wildfire... But no...we ty for those ‘in-need’ of guidance and resources.” had to spend 200 million dollars on a poor transit syscrease es will in th c ri P 4 Commenter Big Daddy pointed out that, according tem that sometimes moonlights as a weak ‘kinda sorta’ 2 h rc a M to the Office of Tax and Revenue, Hughes owes more economic engine. Use the economic development tools that om itypaper.c shingtonc www.wa than $42,000 in property taxes: “Why not do like the Cenwe know work, that have been used time and again and are altral Union Mission -- take the money and be free to operate ways successful, rather than building some shiny thrice without the threat of tax sale.” While Hughes says his tax bill priced machine for the blinkered urbanist crowd.” Check Streetcar That’s Desired. In his Housing Complex colis related to the loss of the gym’s nonprofit status, an overout Wiener’s column online to read the other 45—and —Sarah Anne Hughes umn, Aaron Wiener made the case that while H Street NE sight he’s seeking to rectify, it’s true Central Union Mission counting—comments. left 14th Street NW in part to secure its financial future. After may not need the troubled streetcar to succeed, Benning Road Want to see your name in bold on this page? Jump into the comdoes. “Pretty spot on article,” commented Spirit Equality. selling the building for $7 million in 2013, the shelter moved “Benning definitely could use the development that has traments at washingtoncitypaper.com. Or send letters, gripes, clarifito the old Gales School near Union Station. Luxury condos ditionally sprouted up along new streetcar lines. And [Washcation, or praise to mail@washingtoncitypaper.com. and retailer Shinola will soon occupy the building.

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6 march 27, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

DISTRICTLINE

Streetcar may be

flawed and ill-fated,

but it’s not “fatally flawed": washingtoncitypaper.com/go/streetcarflaw

Loose Lips

Jailhouse Block

Muriel Bowser gets her first real fight with the D.C. Council The snow stopped just last week, but it’s felt like spring for months at the Wilson Building. After months of watching the D.C. Council knock around lame duck Vince Gray before he headed into forced retirement, the relationship between the D.C . Council and new Mayor Muriel Bowser has seemed downright simpatico to LL. Somehow, Bowser has managed to stretch the honeymoon phase with her old colleagues into two months. The mayor managed to avoid any snow response belly-flops, then the Council lined up behind her to stand up to congressional Republicans on marijuana legalization. Last week, Bowser changed the mayoral position on budget autonomy and backed the 2013 referendum, making the Council’s lawsuit against her moot in the process. Get a room, you thirteen!

But there’s trouble in paradise. Take Tuesday, when Bowser declared that she wouldn’t be captive to councilmembers’ whims right after leaving her breakfast with them. Later, Council Chairman Phil Mendelson shot back that Bowser had some explaining of her own to do.

Now that’s more like it! Blame the agita on the dispute over who will be the next health provider for inmates at D.C. Jail. Bowser wants Corizon, a Tennessee-based corporation that handles corrections health care across the country, to take over the $66 million contract. Gray wanted the same, but failed in the face of opposition from the Council, whose members pointed to the company’s record of provoking lawsuits from the inmates it ostensibly serves. The fight to succeed where her predecessor failed could give Bowser her first major dispute with the Council.

The trouble for Corizon’s opponents

Darrow Montgomery/File

By Will Sommer

Contract Killer? Phil Mendelson didn’t support the Corizon contract award when Vince Gray submitted it late last year. is that the company has what’s supposed to be the golden ticket in the eyes of the good government types: a bid chosen by the District’s Office of Contracting and Procurement. After a year-and-a-half bidding process, Corizon won out over the jail’s current health provider, nonprofit Unity Health Care.

That hasn’t stopped At-Large Coun-

cilmember David Grosso, who normally opposes the Council power to approve or disapprove contracts so strongly that he abstains from votes on even the most banal ones. Anticipating Bowser’s resubmission of the Corizon contract, Grosso stepped forward as the face of the opposition with a letter asking her not to send it to the Council.

Grosso’s letter makes a Corizon takeover

of the jail’s health care system sound grim.

Citing a flood of lawsuits over Corizon’s treatment of inmates, Grosso counts 660 legal cases against the company as a reason to suspect the District will end up liable for much more than whatever it will save by switching to Corizon. (During a Council hearing, Corizon CEO Woodrow A. Myers argued that the seemingly high number

washingtoncitypaper.com march 27, 2015 7

DISTRICTLINE of lawsuits is caused by the company’s involvement in so many prisons.)

Corrections activist Alex Friedmann, the managing editor of Prison Legal News, calls Corizon’s reputation in prisons “abysmal.” One reason why, according to Friedmann, is the incentive for a for-profit corrections operator to spend as little as possible on its inmates.

“The problem with that is, hey, sometimes people need to go to the hospital,” Friedmann says.

Mendelson didn’t support the Corizon contract award when Gray submitted it late last year. Now that Bowser has submitted the contract, he and the rest of the Council have 45 days to vote on it, or it’ll be considered rejected.

“It’s not hard to find lots and lots of articles about public disagreements over quality of care, whether it’s a lawsuit or a state terminating the contract,” Mendelson says.

Mendelson also worries that ditching Unity for Corizon will mean eliminating the

system set up by Unity to provide care to inmates after they leave the jail. He wants to see the contracting consideration start over (so do nearly 500 people who signed a Change.org petition in favor of a new procurement process).

“Folks are trying to make this an issue about Unity,” Mendelson says. “And I believe that this is an issue first about a major change in public policy that could have significant consequences, both for the District’s pocketbook in terms of lawsuits, and public health.”

Corizon, which didn’t respond to LL’s request for comment, defended itself earlier this month in a letter to Grosso. Corizon accused the at-large councilmember of attempting to “impugn the integrity” of the contracting process, then pointed out the irony in the Council’s most reluctant contract reviewer interfering with their approval. As for Unity’s vaunted health care system, Corizon CEO Myers cited a 2012 city-funded study that found

just a “casual continuity of care” for postjail Unity inmates.

No councilmembers who opposed Gray’s contract approval have publicly switched to supporting Bowser’s. Neither have the councilmembers who have been sworn in since then. Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen tells LL that he hasn’t decided how he’d vote on the contract yet, but, like his colleagues, was suspicious of the company’s record for attracting lawsuits.

It’s not clear whether Bowser has any more support than her lame duck predecessor. But that doesn’t mean the company’s supporters aren’t trying. Liberal blog ThinkProgress, which has been all over Corizon’s attempt to secure the jail contract, reports that Bowser supporter and businessman Max Brown has been urging councilmembers to support the new contract. “Smarter people than me—independent procurement folks—made the determination that the Corizon proposal was the

best,” says Brown, who has been hired by Corizon to advocate on its behalf.

For its part, Corizon has bought web ads and launched a website aimed at pressuring the Council to approve the contract.

On Tuesday, Bowser said she resubmitted the Corizon contract after her staff reviewed the Gray-era award and approved it.

“The executive has done kind of its end of the contracting process,” Bowser says.

Bowser conceded that she’ll have to rebid the contract if the Council doesn’t approve it (for now, Unity is still running healthcare at the jail). Still, the mayor insisted she wouldn’t rebid the contract just so Unity would have another shot at it.

“If people have an affinity for the contract vendor, it’s not our job to hardwire the process so they get selected again,” CP Bowser says.

Got a tip for LL? Send suggestions to lips@ washingtoncitypaper.com. Or call (202) 650-6925.

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DISTRICTLINE City Desk

Tomorrow’s history today: This was the week it snowed on the first day of spring.

The Eagles Have Landed

Eagles near an MPD facility

D.C. Department of the Environment says the MPD nest has been there for at least four years. The nest at the National Arboretum was spotted in January, and it’s possible that there are already two-week-old eaglets inside—the birds were seen performing a swooping mating flight last fall. (The area near the nest has been blocked off to pedestrians, as nesting eagles require privacy from overeager hu-

Photo by Dan Rauch, DDOE

For the first time in 70 years, a pair of bald eagles is nesting at D.C.’s National Arboretum. Two other pairs of eagles are also preparing for (or are already raising) eaglets in the city: There’s one nest near the Metropolitan Police Department’s training facility in Bellevue and another on the west campus of St. Elizabeths near Congress Heights. Not much is known about the latter nest yet, but Dan Rauch from the

mans.) Eagles returned to the District in 2000 after a 53year absence, Rauch says, nesting about four miles south of the Arboretum. We’ll know more about the three nesting pairs sometime in April, when U.S. Park Police helicopters will fly over the nests. In the meantime, let’s go over the pros and cons of the eagles’ chosen sites.

—sarah anne Hughes

National Arboretum

Pros: It’s unclear why eagles hadn’t settled at the arboretum sooner, says Rauch, because it’s an ideal place to nest. It’s close to the Anacostia River, a necessity for fishing, and has a selection of mature trees to pick from for nesting. (A typical nest is between five to six feet in diameter, and two to three feet tall.)

Cons: The arboretum is bordered by Bladensburg Road and New York Avenue NE, two extremely busy and noisy roads. Rauch says eagles “seem to be acclimating better in urban areas” and are able to “handle more and more ambient noise and disturbances.”

St. Elizabeths

Pros: The nest is located on the west side of the redeveloped St. Elizabeths campus, where the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Coast Guard are headquartered. The area is surrounded by a security fence, with guards at the entrances, making it a clear win for privacy enthusiasts. The eagle is also on DHS’s seal, so it seems appropriate.

Cons: Why live in the security state that is St. Es’ west campus when you could live on the D.C.-owned east campus, which is home to a beautiful Gateway Pavillion, summer farmers market, and winter ice slide?

MPD

Pros: In addition to the safety of living near police officers, the neighborhood is very welcoming of eagles. The Bald Eagle Recreation Center is about half a mile away, while the Eagles Crossing Apartments are just a short walk from there. There’s also no longer a webcam pointed at the nest, as there was in 2013, which means the couple has some privacy.

Cons: Beyond the noise (sirens, barking police dogs, etc.), there’s always the possibility that some busybody will switch that camera back on.

1300 BLOCK OF H sTreeT Ne, marCH 24. BY DarrOW mONTGOmerY 10 march 27, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

TATTOO PARADISE ADAMS MORGAN, DC

Gear Prudence: I’ve recently noticed at the bike racks in my office building a few bikes that don’t look like they’ve moved at all for a few weeks.

There’s enough rack space for bike commuters, but it still seems wrong that people have just left their bikes at the office. How long should I wait before asking the building to remove them?

—Slight Transgressions On Racks At Garage Everyday Dear STORAGE: Out of sight, out of mind.

It’s easy to imagine a scenario where someone suffered a mechanical malady, left a bike locked up in the work garage with the intention of addressing it, and then promptly forgot about it.

Or maybe a coworker is using the work garage to hide a bicycle whose purchase wouldn’t be welcomed by a bike-fatigued spouse. “Another bike? Are you fucking kidding me?” is a conversation worth avoiding. However, a bike should not be left fallow and certainly not on a rack to which one has no specific individual claim.

I say one week. Any bike that definitely hasn’t been moved in seven days should be reported as abandoned and removed/exploded (or however your workplace handles such things). The building managers will likely leave a note prior to cutting the lock, so the owner will have a chance to intervene. And if —GP he doesn’t, oh well. Use it or lose it.

Gear Prudence: Biking is my main form of transportation. Sometimes I come dangerously close to being struck or knocked off my bike. This shakes me up, but it doesn’t stop me from riding. I know there’s not much to be done after the fact, but how do you mentally get back on the bike after something really bad almost happens?

—Seeking Helpful Observations Or Knowledge Dear SHOOK: Unfortunately, it’s a sad fact of bicycling life that there are scary close calls and even worse than that, actual collisions. It’s hard to know exactly the extent to which someone will be affected, so generalizable advice is elusive. We all rebound differently, and while resiliency is virtuous, I hesitate to suggest to anyone that they “get over it” in a manner or at a pace that doesn’t feel right. So, it’s complicated.

After a close call (which, thankfully, is exceedingly rare), I try to think about what happened without dwelling on it. Is there something I can do in the future to reduce the likelihood of it happening again? Try a different route? Use a hand signal? Take the lane?

My only advice is to try to put the past in the past and, to quote a wise Mancunian philosopher-poet, “Don’t look back in anger.” —GP Gear Prudence is Brian McEntee, who blogs at talesfromthesharrows.blogspot.com and tweets at @sharrowsdc. Got a question about bicycling? Email gearprudence@washcp.com.

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Is the Glass half full?

Is the Glass half empty? how about half off!

realdeal.washingtoncitypaper.com

SAVAGELOVE I found this in an online sex ad: “Straight guy with an addiction to massive cocks in my ass.”

This “straight guy” went on to mention his girlfriend. Can a person really identify as straight while wanting to be fucked by men?

I understand that straight guys can like ass play too, but it’s not like he wants to be pegged by his girlfriend or use a dildo on himself. He’s straight-up (heh-heh) looking for hung dudes to fuck his ass. —Jaded And Wondering, Dude’s Really On Pussy?

Can a person identify as straight while wanting to be fucked by men? Ha-ha-ha. Yes. I was pretending to be straight when I was 15, Pastor Ted “Meth and Man Ass” Haggard was pretending to be straight when he was 45, and Congressman Aaron Schock is still pretending to be straight.

As for the guy behind that online sex ad: He is most likely bisexual and rounding himself down to straight. There’s a much smaller chance he’s straight and it isn’t the massive cocks that turn him on, JAWDROP, but the boundary-shattering/identity-upending violation that being pounded by massive cocks represents. It could also be a “forced bi” thing, and he’s doing this to please a dominant girlfriend. Or—and this is a lot likelier than straight or forced bi—he’s a gay guy who pretends to be a straight guy online because the ruse attracts gay and bi guys turned on by the boundary-crossing/identity-upending violation that shoving their massive cocks up a straight guy’s ass represents.

Only way to know for sure: Ask him yourself. No guarantee you’ll get a straight answer, of course, but only he knows for sure what’s —Dan up with him.

My girlfriend can’t use hormonal birth control and “doesn’t like” condoms but wants sex.

What would you do? —Paternal Anxiety Upsetting Sexual Escapades I would fuck her in the ass, PAUSE, but only with her enthusiastic and sustained consent. And one day I would leave her, come out as gay, and get myself a boyfriend who likes condoms and start fucking him —Dan in the ass instead.

I recently started dating a girl who likes to be submissive. It’s more of a psychological thing than a pain thing. She opened up about her kink, and I was all for it, thinking myself the ultimate GGG lover. Thing is, I find being a Dom quite boring. I love getting her off, but I just can’t get into the role. I’m not sure if this is funny or horrible, but the other day, she was strapped to the bed and just as she was reaching a climax, I stopped. I uncuffed her, told her I was leaving the room, and ordered her not to take the blindfold off or touch herself. She loved

12 march 27, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

it, but I did it so I could go to the toilet and check my phone. I’d say something to her if I found it gross or it wasn’t working, but she enjoys it to the point where she has little interest in doing anything else. Even when regular intercourse takes place, there are still clear submissive overtones— to have vanilla sex at all, I basically have to lecture her first about her dirty ways to get her going. I like more “mutual” activities like 69ing, massages, etc. She seems open to it but then steers it back to her submissiveness. I enjoy sex with her, but this Dom/sub thing is a roadblock to me getting off. Am I just being self-centered?

—Dom Only On Demand

I would fuck her in the ass, PAUSE, but only with her enthusiastic and sustained consent.

All BDSM tops—all Masters, Mistresses, Pro-Doms, switches, vanilla-but-GGG partners of submissive types—occasionally check their phones, go to the toilet, take a snack break, etc., while their subs wait blindfolded or hooded back in the bedroom/ playroom/dungeon. The sub gets to tremble in anticipation; the Dom gets to relax for a second. So taking a quick toilet/phone break doesn’t mean you are a lousy Dom, DOOD, but I definitely see why you’re bored: BDSM isn’t your thing, you’re doing it for her, and she’s taking you for granted.

You’re being GGG (and indulging all her kinks); she’s not being GGG (she’s making it all about her kinks). Tell your girlfriend that she’ll have to lecture herself about her dirty ways when you two are having vanilla PIV sex, 69ing, or swapping massages, if that’s what it takes to get her going, because you don’t want to have to play at being dominant every time you have sex.

I suspect the Dom/sub play will feel like less of a roadblock, DOOD, if every sexual interaction with your girlfriend isn’t —Dan colored by it.

I love my girlfriend. However, she has an issue with things she considers “icky”—like sperm, saliva, sex when menstruating, and anal sex as well as the resulting santorum. She also regards

dressing up for sex and talking dirty as silly. She enjoys sex just fine, but it is pretty plain vanilla. Any advice on how to move her in a more experimentalist direction would be appreciated.

I am not looking to turn her into an anal fanatic or a sloppy blowjob queen, but rather for her to put aside her preconceived notions and give some things a try by embracing them fully.

—Wants It Less Tedious Anal isn’t for everyone and sloppy blowjobs aren’t for everyone, WILT, but a fear of all bodily secretions—with the convenient exception of her own vaginal secretions—isn’t just sex-negative, it’s childish. Let her know that, as much as you love her, this relationship won’t last if she can’t get a little more comfortable with human bodies and the stuff that leaks from them before, during, —Dan and after sex.

I want to thank you for your constant advice to explore fantasies, communicate desires, and get thorough consent in a sexy way. I’m a bi-ish college girl and used to be in a sexually unsatisfying long-distance relationship. Then I started saying, “What would Dan do?” Now I’m friendswith-BDSM-benefits with my ex—he buys me sexy lingerie and bath products while I remind him what a naughty boy he is—and I’m currently planning a super-hot threesome with a rugby player and his girlfriend! Yahtzee! And none of it would have happened without you!

—Satisfied Lady I feel conflicted about your letter, SL. Let’s say your ex suddenly violates the terms of your friends-with-BDSM-benefits arrangement and starts presenting you with unsexy PJs and dishwashing soap. Or let’s say that rugby player is a lousy lay who can’t find your clit and his girlfriend is a loony nut who keys your car in a fit of post-threesome jealousy. If I had previously taken credit for all the awesome sex you’re currently having and/or looking forward to—and that’s what I would be doing if I accepted your thanks without qualification—then I would have to take responsibility for the unsexy PJs, the dishwashing soap, the lousy-in-bed rugby player, the damage to your car, etc.

So instead of accepting your thanks, SL, I’ll just say this: I’m happy you’re happy, and I’m pleased my column was helpful, but the adventurous sex you’re having and/ or looking forward to now? You always had that in you. Reading my column may have helped you tap into your adventurous spirit, but the credit for your sex life—and the responsibility for your sex life—ultimately —Dan rests with you.

Send your Savage Love questions to mail@savagelove.net.

As far as I can tell, nations have stopped formally declaring war since the end of World War II. But can war only be declared between nations? With the rise in terrorist groups, could the U.S. or another country declare war against Al-Qaeda or Isis or some other group rather than another nation? Or is any declaration of war just plain irrel—Steve Mirro evant these days?

How quaint, Steve. You’re talking about war like it’s a card game played by Boy Scouts, with rules enforced by creepy grown men wearing khaki shorts. Back here in reality, though, the U.S. isn’t going to forgo its milk and cookies because it launches a missile at someone it wasn’t supposed to. Because that’s how the international system works: laws are only as strong as the willingness of the most powerful country, or group of countries, to back them up.

That said, you’re right: While formal declarations of war were never exactly required, they definitely used to be more common. Between 1800 and 1950, political scientist Tanisha Fazal has pointed out, approximately half of all interstate “wars”—protracted and intense armed violence involving two or more states—were declared. Since then, however, we’ve had about the same number of conflicts, but only three of them have been declared, and none of those by a so-called Great Power, like the U.S., the UK, China, France, etc.

So what accounts for the decline? At this point, declaring war is worse than irrelevant— it’s basically all downside and no upside. Even for powerful countries, international organizations like the UN can make it a pain in the ass to break the rules. This is especially true lately: in 1898 there were three codified laws of war; by 1998 there were 33. Certain strategies and weapons aren’t allowed, and the military must be trained to exacting specifications. Lack of compliance means the possibility of being tried for war crimes. (Under U.S. military law, declaring war also empowers the military to court-martial its private contractors; whether you see this as a benefit or a hindrance may depend on how cynical you are about things like the Abu Ghraib affair.) And a declared war affects countries not directly involved: neutral states must remain impartial in trade, commerce, and diplomatic relations; alliance obligations can be invoked.

As a result, states now tend to avoid saying the W-word even when dispatching roving groups of armed personnel to foreign lands.

Even though UN laws apply to “armed conflict,” which ought to override the declaration problem, the lack of labeling makes it harder to identify aggressive behavior and therefore trigger punitive action.

In this context, then, George Bush’s decision (OK, we all know it wasn’t his decision) to declare a legally confusing “War on Terror” was a well-calculated move. Congress, the only gov-

Slug Signorino

THESTRAIGHTDOPE ernmental branch technically empowered to declare war, never did so (though it did authorize military force). But the shocking visibility and scale of the 9/11 attack allowed the U.S. to justify belligerent military objectives that were both widespread and vague. In Bush’s words, the “war” wouldn’t end until “every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped, and defeated.”

The combined facts that (a) the United States in 2001 was the world’s undisputed leading power, (b) the attack scared our Western allies too, and (c) it marked a new era of warfare against organized yet transnational nonstate actors meant that the U.S. government had more or less free rein to respond however it wished. International law hadn’t adapted to deal with new, post-Cold War circumstances (and arguably it still hasn’t). For instance, since the object of aggression wasn’t a state, the U.S. used the umbrella term “terror” to justify attacking any terrorist, in any country, without warning. CIA agents used a drone to kill six men in Yemen in 2002. But Yemen didn’t recognize this act as armed conflict on its land, nor did it or the U.S. consider themselves at war with one another.

Another political benefit (and humanitarian nightmare) of waging quasi-war was made manifest in the November 2001 executive order titled “Detention, Treatment, & Trial of Certain Non-Citizens in the War Against Terrorism”—also known as the catastrophe of Guantanamo Bay. The order authorized the Defense Department to detain potential enemies of the state, citing as justification the national emergency then in progress. What this meant in practice, administration lawyers would later explain, was that the detentions would continue until all the terrorists in the entire world were captured or eliminated—i.e., as long the U.S. government felt like it.

The grim possibility here is that efforts to impose humanitarian law on the practice of war have been at least in part counterproductive: Where once they might have played by at least some of the rules, states now have a greater incentive to avoid them entirely. One wants to believe in progress, but it’s hard not to suspect that war can be made only so civilized, —Cecil Adams and no more.

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Have something you need to get straight? Take it up with Cecil at straightdope.com. washingtoncitypaper.com march 27, 2015 13

14 march 27, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

Maybe you’ve heard of Sam Gilliam.

Maybe you’ve seen his work, but it’s been a while. Right now, the art world is rediscovering the painter for the first or second or maybe third time.

Once again, the moment is just right. It’s been 10 years since his major retrospective at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Twenty years since he showed at a project space run by the Whitney Museum of American Art, a museum he once boycotted.

Thirty years since his first solo shows at the Corcoran and the Studio Museum in Harlem.

Forty years since he made the cover of Art in America.

Fifty years since his first show at the Phillips Collection.

But it’s been just two years since Rashid Johnson, the post-black conceptualist photographer and rising New York art star, curated an exhibit of Gilliam’s early work at a prominent Los Angeles space, David Kordansky Gallery. The show drew admiring writeups in W, Vogue, and the Wall Street Journal.

Then, last year, Kordansky devoted the gallery’s entire booth at the Frieze New York art fair to showing Gilliam’s work. Over this short span, a hot second in Gilliam’s career, the price of his paintings has doubled.

This is to say nothing of the National Medal of Arts he received in January. Secretary of

State John Kerry presided over the ceremony, which also honored Maya Lin, Kehinde Wiley, and other titans of culture. Gilliam received a Lifetime Achievement Award, the first ever bestowed by the program, for showing his work in embassies and diplomatic outposts in more than 20 countries.

No, Robert Colescott was not the first black artist to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale. That was Sam Gilliam.

An outpouring of love from New York, Los Angeles, and the State Department has revived Gilliam’s career, but also some of the misconceptions that have trailed it. A recent profile in the New York Times’ T Magazine showers Kordansky with praise, yet sums up Gilliam as a painter who never earned the recognition of his peers “in part because the art establishment didn’t know what to make of a black artist who refused to make work about race.”

No, Sam Gilliam was never so broke that he had to trade paintings for laundry detergent. Things never got that bad in D.C. (T Magazine ran with this colorful detail but retracted it.)

Maybe Gilliam did shed some tears, as T relates, when an ambitious young curator and an ascendent young photographer (Kordansky and Johnson) showed up at his studio, promising the one thing that has always eluded him. No, not success—the man’s got seven

honorary doctorates—but context.

Through his new Los Angeles show, Gilliam has landed paintings in the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Rose Art Museum, among other collections, both institutional and private.

Most of those museums already owned his work. But now, these museums and more are rushing to put it out on display. His paintings are now some of the most pressing artworks of the moment.

“It seems like an especially important moment to bring Sam back,” says Kurt Mueller, director at David Kordansky Gallery. “Because there’s so many young painters doing what’s called—my favorite term for is it zombie formalism—where they’re reconsidering painting as an object, or painting as a process, or painting as an installation. This is something that Sam was the leading edge of back in the ‘60s and early ‘70s.”

At 81, Gilliam may finally be shedding the Washington Color School label that has followed his work for most of his life. As much as he admires those Color School luminaries—most of whom are no longer living— their works and their goals never fully encapsulated his own. It was always possible to see the ways his work broke protocol. Now the world is looking.

While his paintings are finding new pur-

washingtoncitypaper.com march 27, 2015 15

chase in New York, Los Angeles, and beyond, Gilliam still credits Washington, D.C., for everything he’s accomplished.

“It was very ambitious,” Gilliam says, remembering the art scene he discovered in the District in 1962. “Things that could keep you up all night long.”

No, despite what you may have heard, Sam Gilliam is not a Washington Color School painter.

Gilliam came to the District by way of Louisville, Ky. where he spent his childhood and earned his education. He studied fine art at the University of Louisville, where he learned to paint in a figurative manner associated with the Bay Area movement. That’s also where he took classes with Johnny Unitas, the legendary Baltimore Colts quarterback, he says, beaming. Gilliam coached basketball while he taught sixth grade for a year in Louisville, and he’s a big fan of D.C. hoops, especially at the high-school level. He greatly admires Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (despite the fact that his Milwaukee Bucks swept the Washington Bullets in the 1971 NBA Finals).

In 1956, Gilliam served a two-year peacetime deployment for the U.S. Army in Japan, where he earned a badge as a sharpshooter.

When I ask him about his time there, the first thing he mentions is seeing a project by the artist Franz Kline in Tokyo. “Japan was very stimulating,” Gilliam says. “Meeting Japanese artists, young artists, who were following the Abstract Expressionist movement.

When I went back to Louisville, I wasn’t ready for a small town.”

He wasn’t necessarily ready for a career as an artist, either. He got his master’s degree in painting from the University of Louisville in 1961. The following year, he married Dorothy Butler, a city desk reporter for the Washington Post (the first black woman to work as a reporter there), and moved to the District. “I had come to the point that I wasn’t going to paint,” he says about his uncertain early years. “I didn’t think that painting led to anything.”

Upon arriving in D.C., he applied to teach at Howard University, where faculty, including David Driskell, Lois Mailou Jones, and James Porter, were building a hell of an art department in the early 1960s. Howard didn’t take Gilliam on, though. This makes sense, stylistically speaking, according to Jonathan Binstock. In his 2005 monograph on Sam Gilliam, Binstock speculates that the sullen Bay Area–style paintings that Gilliam was making back then didn’t mix with the highly animated black figurative work at Howard. Gilliam’s relationship with black art (or lack thereof) would be a theme underscored by critics throughout his career.

(Binstock, who curated Gilliam’s career retrospective while he was with the Corcoran in 2005, is now the director of the University of Rochester Memorial Art Gallery.)

“I would’ve chosen New York,” Gilliam says. He got a job teaching at McKinley High School instead. It didn’t much matter, or so it seemed: New York and D.C. were emerg-

ing as “simultaneous cities” back then, as he puts it. He maintained strong relationships with the artists he had met in Harlem when he visited Butler while she was studying journalism at Columbia University; his work appeared in the inaugural show at Harlem’s Studio Museum in 1968. But Gilliam put roots down in D.C. He quickly came to know the growing group of artists working under the Washington Color School banner.

These artists were his teammates.

“Tom Downing. Howard Mehring. I knew Gene Davis. I wasn’t a friend of his. Gene was rather elite,” Gilliam says. “There were a lot of artists. Washington became a camping ground for everyone that came from college that didn’t want to live in New York.”

In D.C., two figures emerged as special influences early in Gilliam’s career. One was Downing, the painter who made dots a thing. Downing had never earned the favor of the powerful art critic Clement Green-

16 march 27, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

berg, who had named Morris Louis and Kenneth Noland the deans of the Washington Color School. Crucially, Downing was never dogmatic about Greenberg’s precepts for how Color School art should work, neither in his own practice nor as a mentor to Gilliam. (Even in the 1960s, New York was telling D.C. how to act.)

“That became my ambition,” Gilliam says.

“Just to be a Washington artist.”

The other coach in Gilliam’s corner was Walter Hopps, a mercurial curator who left an outsized footprint in the District. “No single individual contributed more to Washington’s art scene from 1966 to 1972—and to Gilliam’s professional development during that period—than Walter Hopps,” Binstock’s monograph reads.

Hopps dragged Gilliam to California, his former home, where Gilliam drove Hopps all around the state. The curator brought him along for studio visits with legends in

the making like Sam Francis and Robert Irwin, introduced him to the Watts Writers Workshop in South Central Los Angeles, and toured with him the major printing studios in the Bay Area. “Walter didn’t really like Washington or the Washington Color School,” Gilliam says. Hopps championed Gilliam everywhere he went.

“Of all the artists working at the time, it was Sam Gilliam who earned [Hopps’] greatest respect and admiration,” Binstock says.

“Sam was a way forward in Walter’s mind.

He represented another phase in the conversation on Modernist art.”

In 1972, Hopps added Gilliam to a roster of heavyweight artists that included Richard Estes and Diane Arbus to represent the U.S. in the Venice Biennale. That same year, Hopps was fired from the Corcoran, officially for the unexplained absences that dogged his workdays (the same reason he’d been drummed out of the Pasadena Art Muse-

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um). According to Gilliam, the truth is that Hopps refused an order from a board member to fire a curator who didn’t wear a bra.

(Even in the 1970s, Corcoran trustees didn’t know how to behave.)

But before Hopps left, he helped usher Gilliam into the hall of fame. In September 1969, Hopps mounted a three-artist show at the Corcoran (with Rockne Krebs and Ed McGowin). In that exhibition, Gilliam debuted his “drapes,” in which the art-

ist suspended painted, unstretched canvas without any wooden support. The show included 10 of these slobberknockers, among them “Baroque Cascade,” a painting spanning 150 feet.

The drapes were a mondo breakthrough.

While Gilliam wasn’t the only artist exploring this mode (which Binstock refers to as “softness”), he nevertheless rocketed ahead of the rest with the dramatic drapes he produced in the 1960s and 1970s. This was Gilliam’s fast break.

18 march 27, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

“I stayed up all night,” Gilliam says.

“Those were amazing days.”

Yet for decades to follow, it seemed that somehow, despite the height of his accomplishment and all the praise he garnered for the originality of his work, Gilliam found himself alone. The art world had moved somewhere else, leaving him behind.

Three years ago, Gilliam moved into his current studio, a converted warehouse (and

former gas station) in 16th Street Heights where he works most days. For many years prior, he worked out of a second-floor space in a building he owned at 14th and U streets NW (the same one now occupied by the GoodWood furniture store). He held out on the U Street studio for as long as he could, says Annie Gawlak, Gilliam’s partner of the last 30 years and the proprietor of D.C.’s G Fine Art gallery.

But with property taxes and rents rising along the 14th and U street corridors, Gilliam sold the building in 2010. According to tax records, the building sold for $3.85 million: an awful lot of detergent. “He bought that building in the early 1970s for $60,000 and three paintings,” Gawlak says.

Gilliam might have retired as a lion in winter when he sold his former studio building in 2010. He has three daughters by his first wife, but they’d long since graduated college (he now has three grandchildren). He and Gawlak had moved from Mount Pleasant to Crestwood in 1996. (“Annie said she was going to leave me if she couldn’t get a place with trees,” he says.) His health had begun to decline: Gilliam suffers from chronic kidney disease, which he is currently managing with a strict hydration and dietary regime.

And he’d worked through hard times. Binstock tells a story in his monograph about how Gilliam once worked for six months in 1967 on little more than the promise of a check from an artist-in-residence program Hopps had arranged for him. Gilliam tells me that, for all the gains that black artists were making, even the best of them—Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden—rarely ever saw more than one of their paintings hanging in a museum.

When I ask Gilliam if it was hard making work as a black man, he fixes me with a look like I’m simple. “Yeah,” he says, with the same quiet kindness with which he says everything.

He has almost never addressed race as an artist: His paintings are concerned strictly with the formal qualities of painting. This is not to say he is apolitical: Gilliam and other artists pulled out of a 1971 show at the Whitney, “Contemporary Black Artists in America,” because the museum had not consulted with any black artists. And he was fully invested in debates about the direction of museums in D.C. Above all, abstraction (and D.C.) had begun to fade from view when Gilliam was making his greatest strides.

“He took the hardest road. Choosing to be an artist, period, is a tough one. It’s a risky venture. Most will go unnoticed and unappreciated. How many people deserve the attention?”

Binstock says. “Given when he was working, it had nothing to do with him. It was hard for Lynda Benglis. It was hard for Eva Hesse. It was hard for Richard Tuttle. It was hard for all these artists.”

Binstock adds, “I think it was especially hard for Sam. African Americans, especially in the early 60s, just had fewer opportunities. There were greater obstacles in their path when it came to achieving success, recognition, building a career as an artist. It’s just a fact of American history.”

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By 2010, Gilliam’s paintings were in the collections of any museum you cared to name, but his gallery appearances had dwindled to small shows at the Marsha Mateyka Gallery in Dupont Circle—a fine gallery, but a long way from the blue-chip art world. His longtime Paris dealer, Darthea Speyer, shuttered her gallery in 2009; she died from complications of Alzheimer’s disease last year.

Most of the artists of the Washington Color School to which Gilliam’s name was inextricably linked had died.

“My life was as abundant as I could have made it,” Gilliam says. He forged on. “I’m just starting.”

He commissioned a design firm (Wnuk Spurlock Architecture) to convert the warehouse into an open, airy, 6,000-square-foot studio with high ceilings, storage space, and a wood shop.

He hired four assistants. He continued to paint, making series after series, just as he had on U Street, just as he had under Walter Hopps, just as he had beside Tom Downing.

“I used to paint by myself. I spent long hours doing it. I had lots of energy,” Gilliam says. Now? “I don’t have to teach and then paint. I don’t have to worry that much about paying bills. Now it seems a lot more fun.”

Most all of Gilliam’s ideas are represented in the 16th Street Heights studio in one form or another. It may be the largest repository of contemporary art in D.C. outside the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Kordansky and Johnson met with Gilliam at his studio in 2012.

“They were really blown away by everything they saw,” says Mueller. (Kordansky, who is traveling for personal reasons, could not be reached.) “Sam is a very protean artist. He’s amazing in that regard, his desire and ability to keep inventing new formal languages and approaches.”

Johnson curated a show of Gilliam’s first D.C. paintings, hard-edged abstractions painted between 1963 and 1966, works too early even for Binstock’s career retrospective. Mueller says that starting from the bottom is a deliberate strategy that Kordansky is taking to show artists of an older generation. The gallery is retelling Gilliam’s story from the hard start. “There’s 40-plus years of work. We’re only a couple of years in,” Mueller says. “We have quite some ground to cover. We want to take our time to do it thoughtfully and carefully.”

Gilliam’s next show with Kordansky, scheduled for next year, will focus on his bevel-edged, or “slice,” paintings of the 1960s.

The show will grace the gallery’s new 20,000square-foot space near Hollywood, a sizable expansion that Gilliam’s strong sales helped to build. It’s notable that these sales are all coming from his early works—not the drape paintings that curators and historians know from the pinnacle of his career. (The gallery did sell

one of Gilliam’s drapes to MoMA.) “Viewers either know Sam’s work and are very excited to see it again, or they don’t know it all, and are just blown away,” Mueller says.

“This was what [Gilliam] had been waiting for, for someone to come back and recognize what he had done and what he was doing.”

Gilliam’s rediscovery has allowed for his work to be seen in a brand new light.

At the Rose Art Museum, a wide-ranging show called “Pretty Raw: After and

Color School painter for a very long time. He certainly comes out of that tradition. He was certainly inspired by that tradition,” Binstock says. “But he introduced aesthetics, ways of making, that were completely anathema to Color School art. Sam’s painting was theatrical, architectural. It had nothing to do with drilling down deeper into a singular notion of what painting could be.”

“In Frieze New York, people would walk by the booth and say, who’s the artist?” Mu-

Around Helen Frankenthaler” matches Gilliam up with Lynda Benglis, an artist who explored “softness” by pouring latex paint in puddles. (For her part, Frankenthaler devised the canvas-staining technique adopted by the Washington Color School.) “Witness: Art and Civil Rights in the Sixties” at the Brooklyn Museum in 2014 included Gilliam, a painter who defied pretty much everyone’s expectations of a black artist by devoting his career to formalist experimentation.

Then there are the art fairs and their booths upon booths of zombie formalism. Walter Robinson, an art critic, coined the term: “‘Formalism’ because this art involves a straightforward, reductive, essentialist method of making a painting…. ‘Zombie’ because it brings back to life the discarded aesthetics of Clement Greenberg.” The ideas that gave rise to Gilliam’s work in the 1960s are back in fashion. Artists everywhere are discovering his discoveries.

“Sam’s been misperceived as a Washington

eller says. “They would assume in that question that they were made in the last year or two years. These were made over 40 years ago. You could just see their jaws drop.”

Gilliam was ahead of his time. “So much so,” writes critic Mark Rappolt, “that during the early 1980s, one of his draped canvases, commissioned for a state office building in Atlanta, was nearly thrown out by workers before it was installed—they had thought it was merely a drop cloth left behind by decorators.”

20 march 27, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

The National Gallery of Art is yet another museum that has recently scooped up paintings by Gilliam.

In February, the National Gallery took custody of more than 17,000 objects from the collection of the Corcoran following the decision by the Corcoran board of trustees to dissolve the museum and Corcoran College of Art + Design.

“The Corcoran was on its last legs in the

1960s. It had some great years, but it could never sustain itself,” Gilliam says. “I’ve been a big supporter of the Corcoran. I sort of built it.”

Last month, the National Gallery brought 6,000-plus artworks from the Corcoran into its own collection. What it does not take will be distributed among Washington-area museums—and possibly beyond.

“The NGA collections are highly selective and not subject to deaccession,” writes Harry Cooper, curator and head of department of modern art for the National Gallery, in an email. “As a result, in many cases we only have one or two works by a given artist. But many artists deserve a broader representation which reflects their changing careers. Such is the case with Sam Gilliam.”

Among the accessions announced by the National Gallery are a handful of works by Gilliam, including three paintings: “Shoot Six,” “Certain,” and “Scrub.” One of these, “Shoot Six,” is a hard-edged painting much like the series shown by Johnson in Los Angeles.

That adds to the Gilliam painting the National Gallery already owns (a 1969 drape painting called “Relative”), plus another four promised to the museum

by Dorothy Butler Gilliam, according to Cooper. He says that he is still reviewing the remaining works from the Corcoran collection, including “Light Depth,” a standout drape painting.

All in all, the National Gallery now owns four paintings and 14 works on paper by Gilliam, and it stands to gain others. It should consider putting these and more on view (and not merely in the planned Corcoran Legacy Gallery). The museum has a poor record of showing work by people of color. It has organized just one exhibit by a living African-American artist in its nearly 75-year history (Kerry James Marshall’s excelsior D.C. solo debut in 2013). Right now, the market interest in Gilliam’s work is strong, whereas the research—Binstock’s excellent monograph withstanding—is still incomplete.

“There is growing interest in AfricanAmerican artists who came up in the 1960s and 1970s and remained true to abstraction despite pressures to embrace subject matter driven by politics or identity,” Cooper writes.

“Gilliam is among the best of these.”

Foremost in Gilliam’s mind, he says, is the dearth of the kinds of alternative institutions in D.C. that “made art part of the street” back in his heyday (which might be coming up again). “Something has to happen to revive this place,” he says.

Gilliam helped to form both the Washington Project for the Arts and DC Arts Center— both of which are doing well today. Those places were instrumental to the way he found success as a painter again and again.

“I couldn’t have done it any other way unless I’d been here,” Gilliam says. “WashingCP ton was a place you became known.”

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Tour de Forks Local restaurants host trips around the world

In 2006, Sona Creamery co-owners Genevieve and Conan O’Sullivan got engaged in front of a castle in Ireland once owned by one of his ancestors.

A year later, they returned to County Cork, Ireland to get married in one of the country’s smallest churches.

And for their eighth anniversary this September, they’ll return again—with 28 strangers.

This time, it’s all about their love of cheese. They’ll lead a five-day tour throughout southern Ireland, visiting creameries, meeting cheesemakers, and hosting cooking classes using cheeses they find along the way. (They’ll also visit the Old Jameson Distillery in Dublin, of course.) The group will stay in the same hotel the O’Sullivans did when they got engaged and married.

Their personal connection to the country isn’t the only reason the Sona couple chose Ireland for the trip.

The Irish were responsible for helping to kickstart the small-batch artisanal cheese movement in the 1970s when the industry was dominated by big brands, Genevieve O’Sullivan explains. Every year, the couple plans to host another artisan cheese tour to different countries around the world, including cheesemaking superpowers like France, Italy, and Spain.

The O’Sullivans are among a handful of D.C.-area restaurateurs and chefs who are looking to not just transport people through food, but literally transport them to the source. Sure, it’s an excuse for restaurant folks to travel, but these tours are just as much about bringing attention to certain types of cuisine and fostering cultural exchange in a way that’s not always easy from the dining room. From Ireland to India to

Lauren Heneghan

By Jessica Sidman

Cuba, there are a number of locally led culinary trips in the pipeline this year.

“We’re really about education here, whether it’s the wine, the cheese, the cheesemaking,” Genevieve O’Sullivan says, explaining why they wanted to host these tours. The Capitol Hill restaurant already holds a number of classes, and they’ll soon have an exhibition cheesemaking operation.

(They’re still awaiting the health department’s OK.) “For us, this is an opportunity to actually go and really get as in depth as we can.”

Unlike other restaurants that partner with professional tour companies, the O’Sullivans are organizing the whole trip themselves. The group will be about the same size as the one they had at their wedding, so they’ve done similar planning before. “There’s more food involved this time,” Genevieve O’Sullivan says.

Tickets will cost $1,750, including accommodations and most meals but not airfare. But for the O’Sullivans, and others who’ve led similar international food tours, it’s not the most lucrative business venture. Sona has already randomly selected one couple from its rewards program to go for free, and the O’Sullivans plan to make just enough that they can cover their own trip.

The cost of other locally led tours to more far-flung corners of the world reach up to nearly $5,000. Indique and Bombay Bistro chef and co-owner K.N. Vinod partnered with Vancouverbased Indus Travels, which recruits chefs for culinary trips to different parts of the world, to help lead a group of eight on a 12-day tour of southern India in 2012. He’s looking to do something similar again this November and hopes to have the details finalized in the next month or so.

The previous India trip cost around $4,000 and included pretty much everything but the flight.

The higher price tag tends to attract an older crowd, Vinod found,

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DCFEED(cont.) and his small group consisted mostly of retirees. Vinod worked with Indus Travels to create the itinerary, which included tours of the markets, a visit to a cashew processing plant, and many cooking demonstrations. Aside from the typical list of sites and attractions, the group also made a pitstop at Vinod’s sister’s house for lunch one day.

While Vinod was compensated for his time

by Indus Travels, he was much more interested in being a culinary ambassador. He says the tour is one small way that he can help Indian cuisine get the exposure it deserves. “People think of Indian cuisine as chicken tikka masala, and the menus are so predictable. You go to any Indian restaurant, you close your eyes and you know what the menu is for the most part,” he says. “India’s got so much to offer.”

In the future, he’s interested in hosting a trip just for chefs.

For similar reasons, two D.C. restaurants— Cuba Libre and Busboys and Poets—host tours to Cuba. For Cuba Libre chef and partner Guillermo Pernot, it’s an opportunity to show people what Cuban food is really like beyond his restaurants. “A lot of people think that Cuban food is what you can get on Calle Ocho in Miami. That is, food that is over 50 years old basically,” says the Argentine-born chef, whose wife is Cuban. “That food came in with the revolution, and it stayed there and it got bastardized in Miami by the abundance of food, by the lack of culinary skills.”

Pernot traveled to Havana in 2011 to visit his sister-in-law, who was doing research there for a book about her family, and met a number of chefs. He came back with the idea to host some of these chefs in America for a culinary exchange, but the visas and paperwork took a long time to arrange. “Time really moves very slowly in Cuba,” Pernot says.

“In the meantime, I said, ‘Why don’t we take a trip with a bunch of Americans who cannot go to Cuba by themselves?”

Within 24 hours of announcing the trip, it sold out. In April 2012, Pernot—along with an official Cuban government tour guide—led a group of 18 on a five-day trip that included markets, art exhibitions, mojito classes, rum tastings, cigars, an organic greenhouse, Ernest Hemingway’s villa, and lots of restaurants. It wasn’t always easy, even with the help of professional guides: “These are wealthy people that don’t like to be told what to do,” Pernot says. “It was like herding cats.”

Because of the extensive planning involved, Cuba Libre didn’t host trips during the last two years. The logistics of organizing a tour in Cuba can be tricky: “Everything is done by handshake,” Pernot says. “There’s not really a contract or anything like that, and Cubans change their minds constantly. So it was difficult to do it again.”

But Pernot was able to bring four Cuban chefs to his restaurants in D.C. and Philadelphia for a “pop-up paladar” series throughout 2012. (Paladares are mostly family-run restaurants, rather than state-operated ones, and often exist in people’s homes.) Now, Pernot is ready to bring a group back to Cuba this year. Although a trip was already in the cards, the loosening relationship between the U.S. and Cuba was incentive to go sooner rather than later. Although Cuba Libre hasn’t yet started promoting the date, Pernot is planning a trip for June.

Meanwhile, Busboys and Poets is teaming up with Global Exchange, an international human rights organization “dedicated to promoting social, economic, and environmental justice around the world,” for a tour of Cuba that begins April 26. (The $2,000 tour includes airfare from Miami and at least one meal per day.) Owner Andy Shallal says he’s long been fascinated by Cuban arts and culture as well as the connection that Langston Hughes, the inspiration for Busboys and Poets’ name, has to the country. (The poet and playwright lived there in the 1930s.) The back room at the Takoma location is named after Cuban poet Nicolás Guillén, a contemporary of Hughes.

This will be the second Busboys and Poets trip to Cuba with Global Exchange. A group of 20 mostly locals went in 2012 for a tour that involved meeting writers, poets, artists, dancers, and others helping to shape the cultural landscape of the country. “Eating was definitely at the top of the agenda,” Shallal adds.

Cuba is not Busboys and Poets’ first international destination. Shallal says about eight years ago, the restaurant organized a trip to Senegal to retrace slave routes.

Then in 2010, Shallal hosted a journey to Eatonville, Fla., the namesake of his 14th Street NW restaurant. In addition to plenty of dining, the group participated in the Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities.

Going forward, Shallal would like to host tours in places critical to the civil rights movement, such as Selma, Ala. He’s also interested in the idea of chartering a bus to take people from U Street NW to Harlem and back as a way to talk about the impact that the D.C. corridor had on the Harlem Renaissance.

“I always feel like it’s important to delve deeper into the cultural connections that we talk about,” Shallal says. “For us to just have a painting of Eatonville is very one dimensional.” But to go and stay with locals, eat the food, and walk the streets? “It was very much CP an immersion.”

Eatery tips? Food pursuits? Send suggestions to hungry@washingtoncitypaper.com.

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Nacho MaMa’s Nachos Underserved Nachos are already the mutt of greasy drunk foods with their American-Mexican roots. So it’s only appropriate that restaurants pile on other forms of fusion. From nachos that taste like an everything bagel with the works to nachos with a Mediterranean kick, here are some unconventional takes on this Tex-Mex classic around the D.C. area.

—Jessica Sidman

The best cocktail you’re not ordering What: Don’t Be Bitter, Baby with Bluecoat Gin, Cynar, and Giffard Apricot Liqueur

Where: Wisdom, 1432 Pennsylvania Ave. SE Price: $11

DGS DelicateSSen 1317 Connecticut Ave. NW

The restaurant makes bagel chips from the rounds it imports from famed Montreal bagelry St-Viateur then loads them up with bits of house-smoked salmon, horseradishsour cream sauce, mashed avocado, capers, radish, peppers, and cilantro.

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Housemade potato chips are the foundation for these “American nachos,” which are topped with chili, red onion, tomatoes, jalapeños, and, of course, American cheese sauce.

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This Greek version of nachos gets its crunch from fried pita dressed with braised lamb, cucumber-pepperoncini salsa, feta cheese, and dill yogurt.

Price: $9

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Multiple locations At a glance, this dish may resemble your standard nachos with corn tortilla chips, black beans, chipotle sauce, salsa fresca, and guacamole. But the cheese is made with a blend of cashew and sunflower seeds, and the taco meat is actually seitan.

The vegan snack is further dolled up with roasted corn, green onions, cilantro, and pickled jalapeño peppers.

Price: $6.95

What You Should Be Drinking This three-ingredient cocktail, which shares its name with classic breakup language, aims to be a stepping stone of sorts toward more bitter drinks like the negroni. Wisdom proprietor Erik Holzherr thinks the flavor gets a bad rap amongst the younger crowd. “People who appreciate bitter have a mature palate,” he says.

“Maybe I’m stereotyping, but the typical twentysomething will see bitter and avoid it.” It’s hard to blame them. Just look at the word’s synonyms: unpleasant, vicious, harsh, and rancorous. The bitter in Don’t Be Bitter, Baby comes from Cynar, an Italian artichoke liqueur, and there’s nothing rancorous about it. Rather, it provides a necessary backbone to the drink, which also contains Bluecoat Gin and Giffard apricot liqueur from France. “You need bitter to balance a cocktail. Even if you don’t like it, it adds complexity,” Holzherr says. The drink was created by his protégé bartender, Tania Morgan.

Why You Should be Drinking It Don’t Be Bitter, Baby is the right elixir to start a night of drinking, or finish an evening full of indulgent eating. That’s because Cynar’s bitter flavor leaves behind dryness, making you want to drink more, hence its role as the perfect let’s-get-started order. Equally, Cynar can play the role of a digestif by settling the stomach after a beast of a meal. You’re also ordering it because a gin cocktail is a must when visiting Wisdom. Holzherr’s nickname is “The Gintender,” and he’s carefully curated a selection of about 100 gins. Don’t Be Bitter, Baby doesn’t need anything too fancy, though. That’s why Holzherr taps into Bluecoat, which doubles as the bar’s house gin. It’s smooth enough not to overpower the delicate, fresh flavor of the —Laura Hayes apricot liqueur.

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CPARTS

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A Torah of Mystery

How a playwright adapted the story of a crooked Maryland rabbi for the stage After three false starts, Renee Calarco decided that the main character of her new play would not be Rabbi Menachem Youlus. It’s not that the real-life Youlus and the fraud he perpetrated aren’t fascinating subjects, but Calarco’s questions are not about him.

They’re about the people he hurt.

In 2012, the self-styled Jewish Indiana Jones pleaded guilty to charges of wire and mail fraud stemming from his falsified tales of personally rescuing Torah scrolls that had been hidden during the Holocaust. One scroll, Youlus claimed, he recovered from beneath floorboards in Auschwitz, another from a mass grave in Ukraine. In fact, the Maryland-based Youlus obtained the scrolls from U.S. sellers who told no such stories of their origins.

Youlus’ lies enticed buyers to purchase the scrolls at enormously inflated prices. In the 2010 Washington Post article that revealed his scheme, Youlus claimed he was on a mission to restore the scrolls to rightful ownership; indeed, dozens were rededicated in temples throughout the greater Washington area. Youlus was sentenced to 51 months in prison and is still incarcerated.

In the world premiere of G-d’s Honest Truth, now playing at Theater J, audiences will see a fictitious story inspired by Youlus’ crimes. The play is told from the point of view of a couple who decides to purchase a Torah scroll they believe was rescued from a concentration camp by a Youlus-esque rabbi named Dov. This is Calarco’s first play rooted in true events. Usually, when writing a play, Calarco starts with characters, allowing plot points to arise from human desires and conflicts.

She’s always been a writer, but she came to writing for theater by way of acting and improvisation. “Improv is really just playwriting without the laptop,” says Calarco, speaking on a February rehearsal day. But with a true story, the real events prescribe the course the plot must take, so she needed more structure.

“I ended up writing little beats for this play on sticky notes and sticking them all over the wall and moving them around,” Calarco says. “I sort of got stuck for a while in the morass of the structure.” To untangle her thoughts from the facts of the case, she returned to what she finds most compelling: people.

“I realized that the thing I found really interesting was the people that believed [Youlus],” Calarco says. “There were some people who tried to find a greater meaning in

C. Stanley Photography

By Sophia Bushong

Jew Never Know: The expensive holy scrolls had a fake backstory. the lie, to learn from it in some way. That’s when I thought, OK, that’s the way into the play.”

G-d’s Honest Truth’s main character, Roberta, came to Calarco first, and Roberta’s husband Larry came shortly thereafter. At a rehearsal four weeks from opening night, the actors, guided by director Jenny McConnell Frederick and stage manager Karen Currie, read through all the scenes that had been revised since the day before—cuts and additions that Calarco woke up at 4:30 a.m. to make. Page 86, Currie announces, is a placeholder. A single bold line at the top of the page reads “Something Goes Here.”

Intense discussion follows the reading of the revised pages, every line subject to scrutiny. In one scene, Roberta, played by Naomi Jacobson, claims she just doesn’t understand why any woman wouldn’t call herself a feminist.

Calarco wonders if that line is bothering anyone. “I hate it,” Jacobson says. Calarco admits the line has been nag-

ging at her too, and in the end, it’s cut. Feminism, everyone agrees, is too important a subject to be mentioned casually and not developed. But more than that, Jacobson contends, the thought doesn’t jive with the Roberta that lives on all the other pages of the script. The line wasn’t Roberta’s voice speaking; it was the playwright’s. Afterward, Calarco says she is still “discovering in rehearsal the logic of the story, where the gaps are.”

For a writer like Calarco, there’s no substitute for the process of rehearsing a full production. She might think a script is in good shape, but until a cast and crew try to bring it to life, she won’t know whether what’s on the page works in real life. McConnell Frederick takes the same approach. As producer of the Source Festival and co-artistic director of Rorschach Theatre, she has shepherded many new plays from concept to production. Helming the collaborative process means striking the right balance between washingtoncitypaper.com march 27, 2015 31

CPARTS Continued

spending time working the script and getting a cast ready to play in front of a paying audience. “In most cases,” McConnell Frederick says, “we’ll come to a lockdown date where it’s asked that the script not change after that.” In the case of G-d’s Honest Truth, a month prior to opening, that date is still TBD. “In the next few weeks,” McConnell Frederick says, “barring some major revelation.” She may sound too blithe for the demands of the deadline, but it’s a process she knows well.

Still, if past Calarco plays are any measure, the collaborative process is likely to proceed even after the curtain rises. Creative thought doesn’t stop at 8 p.m. on opening night; the audience, too, is a collaborative partner. In 2012, Theater J produced the world premiere of Calarco’s The Religion Thing, the mainstage anchor of the inaugural Locally Grown Festival (this year’s iteration includes G-d’s Honest Truth). After the D.C. run ended, The Religion Thing was produced by a company in New York. It turned out that the version of the play D.C. audiences enjoyed was just a draft. One night at the end of the Theater J run, Calarco sat in the middle of the house instead of in her usual vantage point at the back. She got a whole new read on the audience’s reaction to the play. “The only way I can describe it is that I felt them lean back a little bit instead of lean forward,” she says. “I felt... they weren’t

buying what I had written in this particular section of the play and was like, ‘Oh man, now I think I get it.’” Calarco ended up changing a character in response. “I wasn’t being fair,” she says. The scene “was saying something about the character that was not true.”

Fairness is a word that arises frequently in conversation with Calarco. It seems to be fundamental to her technique as a playwright, which has led her to make G-d’s Honest Truth about more than a crooked rabbi who took advantage of people in the community.

“It’s about faith in all it’s forms,” she says. “Faith in a story that’s too good to be true—it happens to all of us.”

As for her main characters, Larry and Roberta, “They are all of us. I feel like if I can be fair to and understanding of these fictional characters, that will translate to, I hope, the real people who had to deal with this.”

And what of Youlus, the real con man who inspired her in the first place? Does she feel responsibility to him?

“No, no,” she says, and starts to laugh. “Other than in the way that I think any writer feels responsible for their characters. I want him to be believable and human and loveable and hateful. You want them to be fully formed.”

“I think I would have been reticent to take on this project if Renee had portrayed [Dov] as a 100 percent villain,” says McConnell Frederick. “I think what she’s done in the

script is make it as complex as it was in life. We see him do some really wonderful things. Even this fraud leads to some really beautiful consequences.”

Achieving that depth and complexity of character is no easy feat. Collaboration helps ensure that different points of view are all authentically represented.

In one of the last revisions the cast read at the rehearsal last month, Larry and Roberta are arguing in the car. They have come to realize their Torah is probably a fake, but should they reveal what they know? Larry and Roberta have fundamentally different instincts about whether such a revelation is good for the community as a whole.

In the ensuing discussion, some actors say they still don’t entirely follow Larry’s argument. The fight in the script takes place in a car, and the actors chime in with “I know when I’m driving and someone distracts me”-type anecdotes. These conversations, as the scene’s written beat for beat, feel like what it’s really like when a couple argues, trying not to careen off the road.

It’s a lot of feedback for everyone to internalize. “Are we missing something?” Calarco asks McConnell Frederick, staring at her laptop.

“I don’t know,” McConnell Frederick replies, “I think CP I have to live with it a little.”

VISIT US AT CFA.GMU.EDU

Tod Ellison and Friends

BBC Concert Orchestra

MOMIX

Classic Broadway

Keith Lockhart, conductor; Charlie Albright, piano

Alchemia

SUNDAY, APRIL 12 AT 4 P.M. Sought-after music director and conductor Todd Ellison returns to the Center for the Arts bringing the classics of his world – Broadway! Joined by some of Broadway’s finest singers, Ellison and his Friends will entertain you with songs from favorite shows such as Damn Yankees, Les Misérables, West Side Story, Hello, Dolly! and much more. You’ll feel like you’re in New York City! $46, $39, $28 ff

FRIDAY, APRIL 24 AT 8 P.M.

FRIDAY, MAY 1 AT 8 P.M. SATURDAY, MAY 2 AT 8 P.M. It’s MOMIX! Known for their athletic virtuosity, outstanding innovation, inventive props, and vibrant, sometimes outrageous, costumes, MOMIX is bringing a new work: a visually arresting theatrical experience full of whimsy, beauty, and intrigue about the art of alchemy. “The mad and marvelous troupe has all of the mesmeric power of a magic show.” (Globe and Mail) $48, $41, $29

Ravel: Le Toubeau de Couperin, Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major, Walton: Crown Imperial, Vaughn Williams: Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1 in E minor, Britten: Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell Under the baton of principal conductor Keith Lockhart, also the conductor of Boston Pops, BBC Concert Orchestra performs music of British and French composers and is joined by pianist Charlie Albright. “Its style is gutsy…the ensemble is solid.”

(Los Angeles Times) $60, $51, $36

ff = Family Friendly performances that are most suitable for families with younger children

TICKETS 888-945-2468 OR CFA.GMU.EDU 32 march 27, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

Located on the Fairfax campus, six miles west of Beltway exit 54 at the intersection of Braddock Road and Rt. 123.

CPARTS Arts Desk

One trAck MinD

Bounce around to this new

Louis Weeks track and pretend it’s summer:

washingtoncitypaper.com/go/weeks

ComiC Debrief

Are you schooled on D.C.’s thriving comic-creator scene?

John Aulabaugh

Of Sins Present and Past Standout Track: No. 8, “Awake,” a smooth alt-country groove from John Aulabaugh’s debut LP, Of Sins Present and Past, which drops March 31. With its twangy, soulful swagger, the track brings to mind Lucero, using reverb-tinged guitars, retro keys, and slinky violin to craft a cool, seductive sound.

“Any fan of the Flobots will hear a little of ‘Handlebars’ in the intro to this song,” Aulabaugh says. “Utilizing Jason Roberts, Norah Jones’ guitarist, was a treat, and he brought that whole Tarantino movie sound to the song.”

Musical Motivation: Aulabaugh, who recently moved from his home in Fairfax to South Chicago, penned “‘Awake” after being shaken by Mike Brown’s killing and the subsequent protests in Ferguson. “I started seeing these horrific images showing police abuse,” he says. “It cut way too close to home.” The album’s violinist, Jessy Greene, has recorded tracks with Ben Harper, which further fueled Aulabaugh’s creative process. “I spent an entire weekend listening to [Harper’s] music and being inspired,” he says. “‘Call It What It Is (Murder)’ changed my whole perspective. I had to pay tribute, so ‘Awake’ was born.”

Perks of Being a Wallflower: The new LP was produced by the Wallflowers’ keyboardist, Rami Jaffee. He’s worked with a slew of big-name acts like the Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam, whose original drummer Dave Krusen contributed percussion to the album. “When you get minds like that together, there really is something magical that goes on,” Aulabaugh says. “The whole sixth sense is a —Carey Hodges player himself.”

If you are, kudos. If not, you’ve got plenty of opportunities to educate yourself. From local comic conventions like the Small Press Expo, Smudge Expo, and Awesome Con to an active network of cartoonists and illustrators, D.C.’s making big moves in the world of comic books.

Prosperous as it is, the local zine scene can be overwhelming to beginners who don’t know where to start. If you’re not quite sure what you should be reading, here’s your chance to brush up on some of what our local comic book creators have to offer. (They can all be viewed for free online or purchased at one of Big Planet Comics’ four locations or Fantom Comics in Dupont Circle.) Use our flowchart to —Tim Regan draw (heh) your own map to comic bliss.

I want to read something...

Weird

Informative

Funny

What do you want to learn?

Whatever happened to our punk scene?

How weird?

Really weird

Kinda weird

You into anthropomorphic food?

Curls, by Carolyn Belefski

What’s up with pro wrestling?

I love when food thinks it’s people!

A new skill!

DC Punk,

by Evan Keeling

How so?

Only a little.›››

Why I Love Nic Cage, by Team KK

Cooking?

Cute or unbearably cute?

Hug it Out, by Pierce McLain Warm my frigid heart.

Yeah!

Creep me out.

Plastic Farm,

by Rafer Roberts

Nah. Actually, let’s go back to learning.

Make me laugh.

Howzit Funnies, by Andrew Cohen

Banchan in Two Pages, by Robin Ha

Crafting?

Make me puke rainbows.

Billy the Pop, by Cole Goco

I’m so crafty!

Cosplay Paper Dolls,

by Holli Mintzer

Cuddles and Rage, by Liz and Jimmy Reed

Listen to “Awake” at washingtoncitypaper.com/ go/awake. washingtoncitypaper.com march 27, 2015 33

TheaTer

Deliberations of the Cross A supreme Antonin Scalia and a passionate passion play

Passion Play

By Sarah Ruhl Directed by Michael Dove At Forum Theatre to April 11

By Chris Klimek There’s a depressing irony at the center of The Originalist, Arena Stage playwrightin-residence John Strand’s smooth, easily digested, genially middlebrow work of (recent) historical fiction about Antonin Scalia, the Supreme Court’s longest serving and most divisive associate justice: The energetic young woman of color just can’t hang with the cranky old white guy.

This is not what you want to hear, probably, any more than it’s what I want to write. But “the notes are the notes,” as Strand’s Scalia declares in the first minute of the show’s 105, elucidating both his passion for opera and his strict constructionist view of the Constitution. (Sound designer Eric Shimelonis punctuates the show with selections from Puccini, Mozart, and five other Scalia-approved composers from antiquity.)

Ed Gero, a venerable artist whose physical resemblance to Scalia was more than casual to begin with, told the New York Times he spent more than a year researching the part.

The justice even allowed the actor to join him for lunch in his chambers last December after Gero watched the court hear oral arguments.

The performance that’s emerged from all that homework is a magnificent theatrical recreation of the jurist whose acerbic wit and flair for dramatic oratory is esteemed among even that half of the country (in Strand’s ballpark math) that detests him. Gero is, well, supreme. If The Originalist were a feature-length monologue—like Thurgood, the Laurence Fishburne-starring biography of Justice Thurgood Marshall that played the Kennedy Center in 2010—it might’ve been a masterpiece. And let me be clear, to quote Scalia’s least favorite chief executive: It’s good. But Gero’s Scalia must share the stage, and the foil Strand has given him is more a

punching bag that the “sparring partner” the script protests too much that she is.

Suspend for a moment your disbelief that Scalia might allow a young black woman who characterises her precise strain of liberalism as “flaming” to become his Jiminy Cricket—a premise that “taxes the credulity of the credulous,” as the justice quipped in one of his more notable recent dissents. Kerry Warren’s performance as Cat, the idealistic Harvard Law grad who interrupts her way into a gig as

Passion Play’s extraordinary cast brings dreamy Easter parables to life.

Courtesy Photography by C. Stanley

The Originalist

By John Strand Directed by Molly Smith At Arena Stage to April 26

her boss to add a few conciliatory words to his scorched-Earth dissent allowing that “one’s political opponents are not monsters” and that the case stirred “passion by good people on all sides.” There’s plenty more empathy where that came from, all you homosexual sodomites and homosexual-sodomite-friendly not-monsters!

And what does Scalia get out of this exchange? The pleasure of initiating a liberal, city-dwelling lady jurist into the mysteries of firearms, for one thing. Just when it seems The Originalist couldn’t feel any more like a buddy cop movie in which the constant bickering nurtures a deep mutual affection, Strand throws in a scene of Scalia and Cat bonding at a shooting range. (Justice Elena Kagan says Scalia has taken her hunting with him on several occasions, so there may be some precedent for this.)

The pleasant-but-slight impression we’re left with is that of a long episode of The West Wing. Like a lot of Aaron Sorkin’s work, it’s glib and careful to flatter its audience for being sharp enough to keep up, and it practically rolls over and presents its belly to be rubbed for

his clerk, just doesn’t have the moves to carry the interludes when Gero is in the wings.

In Warren’s defense, Strand hasn’t given her much to work with: Everything about her character feels schematic and pat, especially her easy-to-guess vulnerability and the easy-toguess tragedy in her past that makes her (temporary) abhorrence of firearms personal. She’s not bad, but she is badly overmatched. Broad, blond Harlan Work fares better as Brad, a truebelieving toady who envies Cat’s intimate professional rapport with his hero. ”You’re a toy,” he tells her. “You amuse him.”

The play pivots on United States v. Windsor, the landmark 2013 gay rights decision in which the court ruled 5-4 that restricting a federal interpretation of marriage to heterosexual couples was unconstitutional. Scalia, of course, was the most vocal member of the minority. The stakes of that case were huge, but the piece of it at issue in The Originalist is small potatoes: It comes down to Cat lobbying

34 march 27, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

depicting a social conservative as a man of loyalty and decency. Very well, then: Attaboy!

The Originalist is a warm, deeply conventional “well-made play” that assures us the sharpest minds on each side of the ideological divide are listening to one another respectfully and working late into the night to do the right thing. “His mind works in arias,” Cat rhapsodizes once her boss has fully charmed her. Arias, as she must know, have room for only one voice.

Passion Play, MacArthur Fellow Sarah Ruhl’s trio of echoing backstage dramas set during rehearsals for Easter pageants in three distinct eras, is so animated with emotional intelligence and rich in imagistic concern that it made my brain’s reflexive attempt to work out exactly what it all means feel petty and small and, well, unimaginative.

First performed a decade ago at Arena Stage, Ruhl’s prismatic triptych gives us more

or less the same set of personalities working their way through more or less the same sequence of events in Northern England circa 1575; in Oberammergau, Bavaria, Germany, in 1934; and in Spearfish, S.D., circa 1969-74.

Its narrative patterns include a Pontius Pilate (Jon Hudson Odom) jealous of his more popular brother (Benjamin Cunis) who plays Jesus; and a Virgin Mary (Laura C. Harris) who gets knocked up via torrid affair with a castmate. (This problem wouldn’t seem to come to a head during the passion play-within-theplay unless rehearsals go on for months, but chalk that one up to the dream logic that holds sway throughout.) Shayna Blass imbues her three Marys Magdelene with soulful conviction; Jonathan Feuer turns in a funny performance as a director who functions as a walking parody of pretentious artists. Tonya Beckman’s handful of scenes as the reigning monarchs of each era are literally showstopping. If you don’t already know the play, I’d advise against opening your program until afterward, lest you spoil a few surprises.

Forum Artistic Director Michael Dove has taken an wonderfully low-fi approach to the staging. (He shares credit for the scenic design with Andrew Cissna.) The playing space is a paneled wood surface with scaffolds stacked high with paint cans at either end of the Round House Theatre Silver Spring’s hangarlike black box. The two halves of the audience gaze out at one another across the stage, each half unconsciously competing with the actors for the other half’s attention. (It’s always fun to watch a rapt audience watch a play.) At the top of each act, stagehands wheel out racks of designer Chelsey Schuller’s justslightly otherworldly costumes and the actors pull them on in front of us, emphasizing the theatricality of the enterprise. And what actors: The 11-member cast is the strongest and most harmonious I’ve seen this year. No one is weak, and several—everyone I’ve named so far, plus Matt Dewberry, who plays a friar, an Englishman abroad, and a sympathetic Veterans Affairs psychiatrist—are extraordinary.

There’s an intermission between each of the three acts; a necessity in a performance that taxes the glutes, if not the attention span, at a runtime of 220 minutes. It feels like the right length. You can’t sprint through a dream; you have to float. In its final third, the piece acquires a contemporary urgency, casting the superb Odom as a Vietnam veteran who finds it impossible to reconnect with his wife (Harris) and daughter (Megan Graves) upon his return from combat. Odom and company have earned what his character never could: an unconditional victory. CP Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW. $90–$110.

(202) 554-9066. arenastage.org.

Forum Theatre, 8641 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. $30–$35. (240) 644-1390. forum-theatre.com.

TheaTerCurtain Calls Killing lincoln (AgAin)

Freedom’s Song fails to reckon with the causes of the Civil War.

Come to see Angela Lansbury, stay for the strong ensemble.

Joan Marcus

A century and a half after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, Ford’s Theatre has murdered him again. Perhaps it’s asking too much of the District’s preeminent middle school field trip venue to attempt some interpretation of American history that’s not just pablum. But by now, we as a nation should be able to move beyond Civil War musicals like Freedom’s Song, a creaky, toothless revue that doesn’t seem to know which side of the MasonDixon line is right.

The show is a 90-minute compendium of bits from Frank Wildhorn’s 1999 Broadway musical The Civil War, previously staged in full at Ford’s in 2009. This new cut-and-paste version by Richard Hellesen and Mark Ramont feels like the musical theater equivalent of a secondhand costume shop. Symbols, not characters—a runaway slave, a soldier’s wife—recite not dialogue, but verbatim passages from Lincoln speeches in between the Broadway songs.

Lincoln’s words are the new hook for the anniversary; the program notes call this “a unique perspective.” But it’s not, really, when the speeches remain embalmed in the time he originally spoke them. A braver show might have discovered modern resonance in a line like, “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.”

Director Jeff Calhoun, who also helmed the 2009 production and has a long working relationship with Wildhorn, places more than a dozen cast members in constant rotation on a slanted set with rear-screen projection of quotes and body counts. There are the Union and Confederate soldiers performing exaggerated Broadway fight-dances with their bayonets. Trumpet marches play for the North; fiddle tunes for the South.

Separately, a chorus of slaves sing strangely upbeat hymns, thumping their chains in rhythm, alone on the stage. One of them, the closest thing Freedom’s Song has to a protagonist, escapes his invisible master and ultimately joins the Union army. He’s played magnificently by Kevin McAllister, whose dulcet bass singing is the show’s highlight.

There’s never an explicit line drawn between the fighting and the slave-owning; not by the slaves and certainly not by the Confederates, even though they sing several jaunty ditties about their loyalty to Dixie (the less said about the number “Old Grey Coat,”

Scott Suchman

Freedom’s Song: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War

By Frank Wildhorn, Gregory Boyd, and Jack Murphy Adapted by Richard Hellesen and Mark Ramont Directed by Jeff Calhoun At Ford’s Theatre to May 20

the better). Nameless Union and Confederate generals, privates, and wives deliver wetblanket tunes about loss, love, and the senselessness of war. But that’s not the same thing as reckoning with the specific causes of this war, and the absence of context is a downright irresponsible dramatic decision.

Following the trend of popular American history dramas that simply ignore Reconstruction, Freedom’s Song recites the Emancipation Proclamation as though the document ended racism. In one of the concluding scenes, a Confederate general—who previously sang about his desire to fight for the South from beyond the grave—solemnly surrenders to McAllister’s black Union soldier. All is forgiven?

Ah, but then a shot rings out on the sound-

track as a spotlight trains on the roped-off Ford’s balcony that floats ghost-like over all. The cast turn their heads in deference, and we remember why we’re really here: to pretend everything he fought for was in the past. —Andrew Lapin

A hAppy medium Blithe Spirit

By Noël Coward Directed by Michael Blakemore At the National Theatre to March 29 It’s a tale as old as time: Boy meets girl; boy loses girl;, boy gets girl back from the dead via séance. Blithe Spirit, Noël Coward’s

oft-produced and -adapted ghost comedy, was first staged almost 75 years ago. At times it comes dangerously close to beating some of its well-worn ghostly tropes, well, to death.

But the touring version currently running at the National Theatre manages to breathe new life into the play, largely due to the vivacious addition of Angela Lansbury to the cast.

Lansbury’s small but pivotal turn is in the role of Madame Arcati, a muddled, mystical medium who cavorts across the stage and delivers zingers that would put the Dowager Countess to shame. Arcati can summon long dead spirits and blustery “elementals,” but Lansbury’s true and astonishing power is her ability to bring the house down with just a few words and a knowing glance.

The circumstance that serves as an excuse to have Arcati chew the scenery on stage is an invitation from novelist Charles (Charles Edwards), who has invited the psychic and a few guests to his home to get some wacky color for his next book. His suspect motives are rewarded when he instead winds up with his ex-wife Elvira (Melissa Woodridge), summoned back from the dead with no intention of leaving the world of the living for a second time. Only Charles can see and hear the spirit, which leads to as many predictable “wacky” misunderstandings as you might expect. Most of these jokes—and there are a lot of them—run along the lines of Charles sharply disapproving of something Elvira is doing, which his perpetually put-upon wife Ruth (Charlotte Parry) takes to be an insult directed at her.

Still, the jokes not tied to the “I see dead people, but no one else does” bit generally find their mark. Witty, dry, and relentlessly posh British witticisms are delivered rapid-fire throughout the show; it’s the same addictive core that lies at the heart of Downton Abbey—and, yes, if you’re wondering whether you recognize Charles, it’s almost certainly from his turn as Michael Gregson on that very show.

Director Michael Blakemore has imbued this version of Blithe Spirit with remarkably vivid and hilarious moments of physical comedy, many revolving around the almost-mute but scene-stealing maid, Edith, who manages to turn an act as simple as clearing away breakfast dishes into a side-splittingly complex affair. Other tricks hiding in the play’s arsenal include a deceptively simple looking set (designed by Simon Higlett) that changes moods in an instant from sunny mid-morning to dramatic midnight séance, and conceals elements for a shockingly explosive finale.

Blithe Spirit marks Lansbury’s return to the National Theatre almost 58 years since making her pre-Broadway debut there.

The show would already be a no-brainer to see if only to catch Lansbury’s show-stealing performance—but the sharp-tongued wit and ghoulish humor that preside over the entire night make the show unmissable.

—Riley Croghan

washingtoncitypaper.com march 27, 2015 35

Film

Seek and Ye Shan’t Find

Neither a timber heiress nor a Japanese office drone gets what she’s looking for.

Serena Directed by Susanne Bier Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter Directed by David and Nathan Zellner

By Tricia Olszewski Jennifer Lawrence can ugly-cry like a champ. And when paired with Bradley Cooper—well, her contribution to their heat in Silver Linings Playbook won her an Oscar. (All right: The spunk, charm, and all-around relatability she gave Tiffany may have been a factor, too.) Just try to look away when either cranks his or her blue eyes to high beam. Collectively, they’re an embarrassment of “It.” But none of this can save Serena, a Depression-era film that tends toward melodrama.

Cooper plays George Pemberton, a North Carolina timber baron with a curious accent who sees Serena (Lawrence) at an equestrian show, says hello, and tells her they should be married. Boom, it’s done.

Turns out the bride comes from a logging family herself, so she immediately starts speaking her mind—in between smooching and thrusting, of course. And there is a lot of smooching and thrusting. For a while, it seems as if the two emerge from their cottage only to give orders, and then it’s back to admiring each other. George has some baggage, in the form of a servant he knocked up.

But when he starts explaining the situation to Serena, she cuts him off with—no joke—“It doesn’t matter! Our love began the day we met. Nothing before exists!”

(One imagines that director Susanne Bier had to do many takes before Lawrence could say those lines without breaking.)

Serena is ultimately a potboiler, with scripter Christopher Kyle adapting only the bare bones of a Ron Rash novel. You get plot turns instead of character development, with the corrupt George turning sensitive and the emotional Serena turning into a rabbit-cooker as their marriage wears on and the honeymoon phase wears off. A shady dude named Galloway (Rhys Ifans, actually the most magnetic he’s ever been) looms nearby, always. Things

get bloody, yet the soundtrack oddly recalls the kind of sweeping strings you hear during family-friendly movies that include a dog.

The film, which was shot after Silver Linings Playbook wrapped, originally had Darren Aronofsky attached to direct, with Angelina Jolie starring. It’s difficult to imagine what the Black Swan and Requiem for a Dream helmer would have done with this paint-by-numbers material—would hallucinations and opium have been involved? Paranoia amped to foil-hat levels? If Kyle, who wrote Jolie’s 2004 bomb Alexander, was already signed then, it’s understandable why she jumped horse.

Serena also leans way heavy on a panther metaphor, to the point where one tragic scene will probably make you laugh. Admittedly, Law-

Cooper might have seemed like he’d elevated his game after the abomination that is The Hangover series, but since Serena comes after impressive turns in Silver Linings, American Hustle, and American Sniper, he looks disappointingly mediocre. (And really: What the hell is that accent supposed to be? And where does it drop off to in the second half of the film?)

This dusty attempt to cash in should have sat on the shelf like so many missteps of other big stars. But to anyone who believes Lawrence and Cooper are now a bit overexposed— ya think?—here’s some schadenfreude. Turns out they’re not perfect after all.

When darkness enshrouds you so thoroughly that the only thing you feel is your plunge to the proverbial rock bottom, sometimes the best way out is to crash through and take craziness one level deeper. Last year’s Wild, for example, lightly fictionalized the story of Cheryl Strayed, an inexperienced outdoorswoman who nevertheless decided to hike the Pacific Crest Trail—all 2,663 miles of it, all alone—after the death of her mother, the demise of her marriage, and the dead end her drug use and indiscriminate sex promised. The result was sanity.

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter isn’t so much a fictionalized telling of a real situation as it is a fantasy of what turned out to be a pedestrian one. But the main character is despondent as Strayed was: Kumiko (Oscar nomi-

Will they ever leave their cottage?

rence is still impressive here, expressing complex emotions and subtly icing over when her character realizes George may not be her source of eternal happiness. (Hint: Contrary to her earlier proclamation, a love child always matters.)

36 march 27, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

nee Rinko Kikuchi) is a 29-year-old office drone living in a cramped, bleak apartment in Tokyo. Her mother hounds her about marriage and says she might as well move back home.

Kumiko, on whom Kikuchi plasters an expression of pure misery, interacts with the world in a frustratingly awkward way only found in movies and maybe mental hospitals: People talk to her, and she’s unresponsive, uncommunicative, usually staring at her feet. “Say something!” you’ll want to yell. It’s really fucking irritating.

But I guess that’s how director David Zellner pictures depressives.

Zellner wrote the script with his brother, Nathan Zellner, after hearing a tall tale about a Japanese woman who was found dead in snowy North Dakota woods in 2001. The rumor alleged that her destination was Fargo, and that her mission was to find the buried treasure depicted in, yes, Fargo, which she believed was a documentary. (Be careful with those “based on a true story” intros, filmmakers!) The Zellners became obsessed with fleshing out what was probably a one-paragraph blurb in the local newspaper.

When it was discovered weeks later that the woman was searching for nothing but a place to kill herself, the Zellners remained fixated on their original idea.

The fruits of their brainstorm are alternately puzzling, dreamlike, angering, and heartbreaking. You don’t know exactly what led to Kumiko’s passivity and unhappiness— though mom and her boss are clues—nor why she felt compelled to walk frigid Midwest roads wearing nothing warmer than a bright red hoodie, saying the treasure is her “destiny.” A cacophonous soundtrack, from piercing, static radio frequencies to Inception-like rumble, dominates parts of scenes, suggesting that what’s going on in Kumiko’s head is not very good.

Yet when random Americans like a dotty old woman who serves as a Fargo homage (“I like crafts, too,” she says when Kumiko impatiently shows her a hand-sewn map.

“Only I do doilies!”) try to deter Kumiko, you’ll wish she spoke English so she could cut off their it’s-too-cold or it’s-not-real arguments and insist they just point her in the right direction already. She may be detached from reality, but once Kumiko finally kicks her old life to the curb, that void quickly fills with backbone.

Whether Kumiko finds the riches is a detail the Zellners leave to viewer interpretation—it’s not a typical open ending, but one that has no wrong answer. Considering that the filmmakers glued you to the screen with a sullen, silent, and completely charismafree heroine in nearly every scene, the treasure turns out to be not just a plot point, but CP Kumiko itself.

Serena opens Friday, March 27 at Bethesda Row Cinema.

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter opens Friday, March 27 at E Street Cinema.

D.C.’s awesomest events calendar.

Peter Martins, Ballet Master in Chief with the New York City Ballet Orchestra

washingtoncitypaper.com/ calendar

washingtoncitypaper.com

20th-CENTURY CLASSICS

Serenade

(Tchaikovsky/Balanchine)

Agon

(Stravinsky/Balanchine)

Symphony in C (Bizet/Balanchine)

21st-CENTURY CHOREOGRAPHERS

Symphonic Dances (Rachmaninoff/Martins)

This Bitter Earth (Washington, Richter/Wheeldon)

Pictures at an Exhibition (Mussorgsky/Ratmansky)

Everywhere We Go

GW LISNER PRESENTS

GILBERTO

GIL

LILA

APRIL 24 | 8PM

DOWNS

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

MAY 1 | 8PM

Rebecca Krohn and Adrian Danchig-Waring in Everywhere We Go, Photo © Paul Kolnik

(Stevens/Peck)

April 7–12 | Opera House The Kennedy Center’s Ballet Season is presented with the support of Elizabeth and Michael Kojaian.

General Dynamics is the proud sponsor of the 2014-2015 Ballet Season.

Visit lisner.gwu.edu or call 202.994.6800 for more information or to purchase tickets. /GWLISNER

@GWLISNER

LISN_1415_6

washingtoncitypaper.com march 27, 2015 37

BooksSpeed ReadS Survival of the WitneSS Trouble Sleeping

By Abdul Ali New Issues Poetry & Prose, 73 pps.

THE PIGEONING

Robin Frohardt’s The Pigeoning is a darkly comedic and heartfelt story that uses stealth puppeteers, live original music and lo-fi special effects to describe the divide between man and nature and the illusion of safety and control in the context of the end of the world.

“Resisting it is strictly for the birds.”

—The Village Voice

MAR 27 & 28 / 8PM / DOME THEATRE

DOM LA NENA

Presented in Partnership With IDB Cultural Center Dom la Nena will perform songs from her new album Soyo.

With lyrics in both English and Portuguese, the album is collection of songs that showcases both her masterful cello playing and delicate vocals.

“A sound that is both gentle and haunting.”

—National Public Radio

SAT APR 4 / 8PM / DOME THEATRE

www.artisphere.com

1101 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22209 Free parking weekdays after 5pm + all day on weekends Two blocks from the Rosslyn Metro Follow us: @Artisphere Like us: ArtisphereVA 38 march 27, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

African-American poet Lucille Clifton wrote in 1991, “come celebrate/with me that everyday/something has tried to kill me/and has failed.”

Trouble Sleeping, the debut book of poems by local poet Abdul Ali, is the contemporary answer to Clifton’s call. It’s the sleepless night spent thinking of things that failed to kill but still torment.

Thoughts of death, mental illness, a New York City childhood, family, silence, pop culture, and racialized violence all haunt Ali’s sleepless poems. The collection, which won the 2014 New Issues Poetry Prize, is punctuated by black pages with only “(blink)” printed on them, and these serve as brief yet potent pauses between dreams, nightmares, and flashbacks.

There is a blink page even before the first poem, indicating that we’re already in the middle of a tumultuous night. “How to Begin a Short Film” a vivid snapshot of New York City life, hints at the heartbreak of 9/11, the urban routines of family, and noisy commutes up and downtown. But “next thing you know,” writes Ali, there’s “the slurred speech of your mother/ after an argument: I should have aborted you.”

While the speaker’s voice is tired of these emotional storms, it’s unable to rest. Two poems in the first section deal directly with insomnia through halting fragments. The stream of unconsciousness reads: “dear God can I have one hour one hour an hour of peace/silence this violent river in my head.”

At its best, this pleading voice conjures a real panic, but parts of the free verse poem rely on repetition that has less impact (“my mind’s on fire/ there’s a fire truck tossin’ & turnin’turnin’ & tossin’”).

In the second batch of poems, night horrors turn to daylight and the stuff of dreams becomes reality. This is the most powerful string of poems in the collection, and the one most haunted by the specter of death. “Elegy” is dedicated to Troy Davis, the black Georgia man convicted of murdering a police officer and executed despite significant public doubts about his guilt. In the string of five poems, Ali dreams of this injustice being sung out loud instead of confined to the page, wishing “to teach [his] daughter/that

black doesn’t equal death.” The voice in this section is not resigned to violence; the speaker comes across as trembling and commanding. But despite this underlying hope, there’s the sense that with every blink, another black man is lost: “Always, they begin/as units of prayer/in sleep/watery images/then I wake/ seeing them/crowded together in a headline/ Officers in Bronx Fire 41 Shots,/And an Unarmed Man is Killed.”

Another blink is the gateway to a different set of dreams. The poems in the middle of the collection are about childhood, with references to Def Jam, Michael Jackson, Double Dare, Run–D.M.C., and ’90s fashion. For Ali, these enjambments of pop and politics are all part of the same sleepless night.

While for much of the book, blinks are like breaths before waking up to the same horrors, they are also the unit of measurement for other things.

In one poem, a young daughter changes before the speaker’s eyes (“with each blink you grow an inch taller”) and in another, the speaker notices the silence between children and parents (“each blink is a ten-minute film”).

Whether between poems or inside them, the blinks represent the starting and stopping of the passage of time, making the book feel paced at the speed of life.

Clifton imbued her work with a sense of hope and a then-radical use of idiomatic and black vernacular. Ali’s poems also display a kind of resilience, but through culture and music: He references jazz, George Gershwin, and the subway conductor “who wishes he were a DJ,/announcing each stop like he’s Isaac Hayes.” The book’s foreword by poet Thomas Sayers Ellis refers to this as Ali’s “serious cultural catalog of looking as a form of activism.” By turning his lens to urban neighborhoods sometimes referred to as the “inner city,” Ali designates these locations and cultures as the sites of full black lives rather than places that only contain social problems.

The collection ends with a prayer: “this body is too tired from unsleep, please, Lord, let me down... way down, a little bit, easy.

Let me down easy. Amen.” It could be a wish for death or for sleep, and either is a resolution that allows the poet to rest in peace. It’s a satisfying and breathy ending, something tangible for a collection that constantly wonders whether it has impact beyond the page.

Here Ali has certainly achieved it: I found myself closing my eyes after this last line to —Tanya Paperny savor the hymn.

Ali reads at Busboys and Poets 14th & V on May 17.

Whether you call it moonshine, white lighting, hooch or white whiskey, it was on full display Wednesday, March 18 when Eastern Market hosted Washington City Paper’s Distilled Craft Spirits Festival. Twelve distilleries from throughout the region provided tastes of their products and also partnered with local

mixologists including Founding Farmers’ Shaleah King while, All New Genetically Altered Jug Band provided a soundtrack for the evening. Don’t miss Distilled Craft Spirits Festival’s entire photo gallery on the Washington City Paper Facebook page.

Want to learn more about upcoming Washington City Paper events? washingtoncitypaper.com/events washingtoncitypaper.com march 27, 2015 39

40 march 27, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

CITYLIST Music

SearCh LISTIngS aT waShIngTonCITYpaper.Com Folk

CITY LIGHTS: FRIDAY

Friday

MontPelier ArtS center 9652 Muirkirk Road, Laurel. (301) 377-7800. The Sweater Set. 8 p.m. $25. arts.pgparks.com.

MEEK MILL

Rock

AMP by StrAthMore 11810 Grand Park Ave., North Bethesda. (301) 581-5100. 9 Songwriters Series.

7:30 p.m. $20. ampbystrathmore.com. blAck cAt 1811 14th St. NW. (202) 667-4490. Big Data, On & On, Chappo. 8:30 p.m. $16–$18. blackcatdc.com. the hAMilton 600 14th St. NW. (202) 787-1000.

Moonshine Society. 10:30 p.m. Free. thehamiltondc. com. The Weight, Carolyn Wonderland. 8:30 p.m. $20–$25. thehamiltondc.com. rock & roll hotel 1353 H St. NE. (202) 388-ROCK. The Districts, Pine Barons. 9 p.m. $12. rockandrollhoteldc.com.

StAte theAtre 220 N. Washington St., Falls Church.

(703) 237-0300. The Machine Performs Pink Floyd. 9 p.m. $20–$23. thestatetheatre.com.

U Street MUSic hAll 1115 U St. NW. (202) 5881880. MisterWives, BØRNS. 7 p.m. (Sold out) $15. ustreetmusichall.com.

ElEctRonic 9:30 clUb 815 V St. NW. (202) 265-0930. BROODS, Erik Hassle. 6 p.m. (Sold out) 930.com.

U Street MUSic hAll 1115 U St. NW. (202) 5881880. Detroit Swindle, Shawn Q. 10 p.m. $10. ustreetmusichall.com.

Jazz blUeS Alley 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. (202) 3374141. Kevin Eubanks. 8 p.m. & 10 p.m. $30. bluesalley.com.

BluEs Zoo bAr 3000 Connecticut Ave. NW. (202) 2324225. Swamp Keepers. 9 p.m. Free. zoobardc.com.

THIS WEEKEND!

Music .........................41 Dance ....................... 47 Theater ...................... 48 Film ...........................49

Meek Mill raps at the decibel level of someone aggressively bashing down a remote control’s volume increase button.

But the Philadelphia native’s amplified sound isn’t born of anger— it’s just his emotional intensity.

On more than one occasion, his career has been delayed due to legal issues (he just got out of jail in December), so Mill rhymes as if every bar might be his last. Thankfully, his court-mandated etiquette classes haven’t dulled his fiery delivery. That fervor can be heard on the plodding “Levels,” the belligerent “House Party,” and the noisy manifesto “Dreams and Nightmares.” The latter track set the tone for his 2012 debut album of the same name and incites spirited scream-alongs at his live performances. With Mill’s next album scheduled for release this year, the Rick Ross affiliate is eager to share this energy with fans at every opportunity. Echostage is a huge venue, but Mill’s voice—and passion—will easily fill the building to its breaking point. Meek Mill performs with Lil Tay and Uptown Killa at 9 p.m. at Echostage, 2135 Queens Chapel Road NE. $36.80–$60.

—Julian Kimble (202) 503-2330. echostage.com.

JESSICA LANG DANCE Jessica Lang, artistic director Sat, Mar 28 at 8pm GW Lisner Auditorium

“A master of visual composition” – Dance Magazine

Jessica Lang Dance is made possible through the ArtsCONNECT program of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Washington Perfoming Arts dance series performances are co-presented with CityDance and are made possible by Reginald Van Lee.

GALLIM DANCE

Andrea Miller, artistic director Apr 16-17 at 8pm Lansburgh Theatre

The Brooklyn-based company makes its D.C. debut with choreography inspired by Israeli contemporary dance.

classical kennedy center concert hAll 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. NSO Pops with Lea Salonga and conductor Steven Reineke. 8 p.m. $20–$88. kennedy-center.org.

MAnSion At StrAthMore 10701 Rockville Pike, Rockville. (301) 581-5100. Matt Haimovitz. 7 p.m. & 9 p.m. $28.80–$32. strathmore.org.

DJ nights blAck cAt bAckStAge 1811 14th St. NW. (202) 667-4490. Bearzerk with DJs Dean Sullivan and Tommy Cornells. 10 p.m. $5. blackcatdc.com. dc9 1940 9th St. NW. (202) 483-5000. Discnothèque with DJs Sean Morris and Bill Spieler. 10 p.m. $2–$5. dcnine.com.

Vocal bArnS At Wolf trAP 1645 Trap Road, Vienna. (703) 255-1900. Cantus. 8 p.m. $35. wolftrap.org.

MUSic center At StrAthMore 5301 Tuckerman Lane, Bethesda. (301) 581-5100. Audra McDonald. 8 p.m. $35–$85. strathmore.org.

saturday Rock

AMP by StrAthMore 11810 Grand Park Ave., North Bethesda. (301) 581-5100. Yellow Dubmarine.

7:30 p.m. $20–$27. ampbystrathmore.com. dc9 1940 9th St. NW. (202) 483-5000. Incredible Change, Joseph and the Beasts, Jaguar Club. 8 p.m. $8. dcnine.com. fillMore Silver SPring 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. (301) 960-9999. Mat Kearney, Parachute,

JULIAN SANDS

A Celebration of Harold Pinter Sat, Apr 18 at 2pm & 8pm Lansburgh Theatre Directed by John Malkovich and interpreted by acclaimed actor Julian Sands (A Room with a View, Leaving Las Vegas), the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe Festival sensation offers an intimate exploration into Pinter’s poems and political prose.

TICKETS: WashingtonPerformingArts.org • (202) 785-9727 washingtoncitypaper.com march 27, 2015 41

Judah & the Lion. 8 p.m. $34.50. fillmoresilverspring.com.

classical

Gypsy sally’s 3401 K St. NW. (202) 333-7700. Covered with Jam. 9 p.m. $10–$14. gypsysallys.com.

Kennedy CenTer ConCerT hall 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. NSO Pops with Lea Salonga and conductor Steven Reineke. 8 p.m. $20–$88. kennedy-center.org.

The hamilTon 600 14th St. NW. (202) 787-1000.

Shartel and Hume. 10:30 p.m. Free. thehamiltondc.com. hill CounTry live 410 7th St. NW. (202) 556-2050.

Jamie McLean Band. 9:30 p.m. Free. hillcountrywdc.com.

Funk & R&B Kennedy CenTer millennium sTaGe 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. Samuel Prather and Groove Orchestra. 6 p.m. Free. kennedy-center.org.

ElEctRonic pyramid aTlanTiC arT CenTer 8230 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring. (301) 608-9101. Oa, Naked Roots Conducive, Nate Scheible & Patrick Cain, Weed Tree.

7:30 p.m. $10. pyramidatlanticartcenter.org.

Jazz Blues alley 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. (202) 3374141. Kevin Eubanks. 8 p.m. & 10 p.m. $30. bluesalley.com.

BluEs

DJ nights dC9 1940 9th St. NW. (202) 483-5000. Liberation Dance Party with DJs Bill Spieler and Shannon Stewart.

11:30 p.m. $2. dcnine.com. roCK & roll hoTel 1353 H St. NE. (202) 388-ROCK. DJ Lancedontdance. 5 p.m. Free. rockandrollhoteldc.com. u sTreeT musiC hall 1115 U St. NW. (202) 5881880. Bliss with Will Eastman, Nacey, and Yomimbi. 10 p.m. $10. ustreetmusichall.com.

Vocal roBerT e. parilla performinG arTs CenTer 51 Mannakee St., Rockville. (240) 567-5301. Herb Alpert, Lani Hall. 8 p.m. $25–$50. montgomerycollege.edu/pac.

Sunday Rock

The hamilTon 600 14th St. NW. (202) 787-1000.

Albert Cummings. 8:30 p.m. $15–$25. thehamiltondc.com.

9:30 CluB 815 V St. NW. (202) 265-0930. Taking Back Sunday, The Menzingers, letlive. 6 p.m. (Sold out) 930.com.

Zoo Bar 3000 Connecticut Ave. NW. (202) 2324225. Bruce Ewan. 9 p.m. Free. zoobardc.com.

fillmore silver sprinG 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. (301) 960-9999. Pennywise, A Wilhelm

CITY LIGHTS: SATURDAY

KEYSHIA COLE

R&B singer Keyshia Cole has been in the news lately, but it’s her personal life, not her forthcoming album, that’s got the rumor mill spinning. While she’s received attention for non-music-related behavior before—Cole has appeared on a series of BET reality shows since 2006—her media profile got worse last year when she was charged with assaulting another woman in the middle of the night at the home of rapper Birdman. But now, the Oakland-raised Cole, who is currently without a label, is bringing it back to her talent on tour—and as dramatic as her real life appears, her voice imparts the turmoil with earthy soulfulness, hip-hop swagger, and a light, catchy pop sensibility. Songs like “Should Let You Go” and “Heat of Passion,” with their hook-filled melodies and raw, straightforward lyrics, prove that Cole, a four-time Grammy nominee, has pop staying power. Now that she’s pledging to focus on her career, perhaps this fiery artist will use gigs like this to sing about relationship issues instead of blasting them on Instagram.

Keyshia Cole performs at 10 p.m. at Bliss Nightclub, 2122 24th Place NE. $20–$40. (202) —Steve Kiviat 808-8600. blissdc.com.

42 march 27, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

washingtoncitypaper.com march 27, 2015 43

---------3701 Mount Vernon Ave. Alexandria, VA • 703-549-7500

For entire schedule go to Birchmere.com Find us on Facebook/Twitter!

Tix @ Ticketmaster.com 800-745-3000

Reed TODD SNIDER Foehl 27 DAILEY & VINCENT

Mar 26

THE DAN BAND

28

Jean 10,000 MANIACS Megan & KFB 4 CLEVE FRANCIS 7&8 BRIAN CULBERTSON 10 KEIKO MATSUI Amy 11 AL STEWART Speace 12 SHAWN COLVIN Rachael Sage 13 TOWER OF POWER 14 ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA

Apr 3

‘One Size Fits All’ in its entirety & more Zappa music!

15

2461 18th St., NW Washington, DC 202-667-5370

“Where the Beautiful People go to get

Ugly.”

“One of the 25 best bars in America” - Playboy Magazine

A Very Special SOLO Evening with

JOAN ARMATRADING 17&18 THE AVERAGE WHITE BAND

DREW GIBSON

In the

21

!

THE WATERBOYS 23 THEMARSHALLTUCKERBAND 24 FREDDIE JACKSON 25 BODEANS w/BOB MALONE 26 ALAN DOYLE ‘So Let’s Go Tour’

An Acoustic Evening with

28

29

Redheads always drink 1/2 price Shiner Bock!

MARC ROBERGE

LIVE MUSIC EVERY NIGHT Thu: Ladies Night (No Cover For Ladies)

Patrick Alban & Noche Latina Latin & World Beats

Fri: The Chris O’Leary Band Harmonica Driven Blues

Madam’s House Party On The Second Floor-Featuring DJ India 10:00pm

Sat: Jr. Cline & The Recliners WILL DOWNING DR. RALPH STANLEY

Rythmn & Blues

Saturday Opening Act: Rico Amero

May 1 2

with Family & Friends feat. NATHAN STANLEY

and the CLINCH

MT BOYS

Soulful Blues

7:00pm - 9:00pm Madam’s House Party On The Second Floor-Featuring DJ India 10:00pm

DELBERT McCLINTON 9 GARY TAYLOR 14 TODD RUNDGREN

Sun: The Good Thing Band

8

Old School Funk

Mon: One Nite Stand Reggae, Funk & R&B

‘GLOBAL TOUR 2015’

15 16 17 18

IRIS DEMENT IAN TYSON RISING APPALACHIA BOB JAMES

Tue: The Johnny Artis Band Rock, R&B & Reggae

Wed: The Human Country Jukebox Band featuring JACK GREGORI from the

!

‘75th Anniversary’

JOHNNYSWIM 21 ALEX BUGNON ‘Byrdland’

Open Mic-8pm Second Floor

19

Tribute to Donald Byrd feat. TOM BROWNE & ELAN TROTMAN

ERIC ROBERSON DOWN TO THE BONE

22&23 28

Sun, Tues & Thurs

Second Floor: Drunkaoke (Karaoke with Two Drink Minimum)

www.madamsorgan.com

44 march 27, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

CITY LIGHTS: SUNDAY

CHRIS MARKER’S LEVEL FIVE One part video game, one part art composition, and one part narrative film, filmmaker Chris Marker’s Level Five tells the story of the Battle of Okinawa through the guise of virtual reality. Though it was created in the late 1990s, the movie only became available to American audiences last year and presents a mysterious sci-fi universe. The film focuses on Laura, a woman trying to complete her lost lover’s video-game version of the World War II battle.

You don’t see any other characters, though—just loops of footage of Japanese cultural ceremonies, obscure films, and early versions of the web. When Laura puts on the virtual reality mask, she’s bombarded with a series of images, and you see the discomfort in her eyes.

It foreshadows the constant image saturation we now experience daily—be thankful we’re free from those claustrophobic masks. The film shows at 4 p.m. at the National Gallery of Art, 6th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Free. (202) 737-4215. nga.gov. —Caroline Jones Scream, Teenage Bottlerocket. 7:30 p.m. $26.50. fillmoresilverspring.com.

Vocal

roCK & roll Hotel 1353 H St. NE. (202) 388-ROCK. Hanni El-Khatib, Savants. 8 p.m. $15. rockandrollhoteldc.com.

Kennedy Center MillenniuM Stage 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. Midwest Young Artists Voices Rising. 6 p.m. Free. kennedy-center.org.

Jazz

Monday

BlueS alley 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. (202) 3374141. Kevin Eubanks. 8 p.m. & 10 p.m. $30. bluesalley.com.

BoHeMian CavernS 2001 11th St. NW. (202) 2990800. Joel Harrison Trio. 7 p.m. & 8:30 p.m. $15–$20. bohemiancaverns.com. Joel Harrison’s Mother Stump Band. 7 p.m. & 8:30 p.m. $15–$20. bohemiancaverns.com.

countRy Hill Center at tHe old naval HoSpital 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. (202) 549-4172. Dead Men’s Hollow. 4 p.m. $5–$20.

Folk BarnS at Wolf trap 1645 Trap Road, Vienna.

(703) 255-1900. Art Garfunkel. 8 p.m. (Sold out) $75. wolftrap.org.

classical ClariCe SMitH perforMing artS Center Stadium Drive and Route 193, College Park. (301) 4052787. Common Tone: Chelsey Green and The Green Project. 7 p.m. Free. claricesmithcenter.umd.edu. pHillipS ColleCtion 1600 21st St. NW. (202) 3872151. Marc Coppey, cello, and Ran Dank, piano. 4 p.m. $15–$30. phillipscollection.org.

Rock

dC9 1940 9th St. NW. (202) 483-5000. Good Graeff, the Duskwhales. 9 p.m. $10. dcnine.com. u Street MuSiC Hall 1115 U St. NW. (202) 5881880. Halsey, Young Rising Sons, Olivver. 7 p.m. (Sold out) $15. ustreetmusichall.com. Halsey & Young Rising Sons, Olivver. 7 p.m. (Sold out) ustreetmusichall.com.

ElEctRonic BlaCK Cat 1811 14th St. NW. (202) 667-4490. Twin Shadow. 7:30 p.m. $22–$25. blackcatdc.com.

Jazz BoHeMian CavernS 2001 11th St. NW. (202) 2990800. Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra. 8 p.m. & 10 p.m. $10. bohemiancaverns.com.

Folk BarnS at Wolf trap 1645 Trap Road, Vienna.

(703) 255-1900. Art Garfunkel. 8 p.m. (Sold out) $75. wolftrap.org.

I.M.P. PRESENTS Merriweather Post Pavilion • Columbia, MD

JUST ANNOUNCED!

FLORENCE + THE MACHINE ................................... JUNE 9 CDE PRESENTS 2015 SUMMER SPIRIT FESTIVAL FEATURING

MARCHSHOWS THIS WEEK’S STEEZ PROMO PRESENTS James Murphy (DJ Set) ............................................................................................. F 27 Robin Schulz w/ Le Youth • Seba Yuri • Presa ......................................................W 18 APRIL STEEZ PROMO PRESENTS ALL GOOD AND SIMON•POSFORD PRESENT EOTO w/ ELM ill.Gates • Bunk Buddha ................................................................Sa 21 SHPONGLE: The Shpongletron 3.1 w/ Phutureprimitive ........................................... W 1 ALL GOOD PRESENTS

Tribal Seeds w/ The Movement & Leilani Wolfgramm ............................................. Th 2 Galactic (F 3 - w/ Chopteeth • Sa 4 - w/ Too Many Zooz Band) .................... F 3 & Sa 4 Benjamin Booker w/ Olivia Jean ............................................................................... Su 5 Gregory Alan Isakov w/ Jolie Holland ....................................................................... M 6 Delta Rae w/ Greg Holden ............................................................................................ F 10 The Ting Tings w/ KANEHOLLER Early Show! 6pm Doors ................................. Sa 11 Dan Deacon w/ Prince Rama & Ben O’Brien Late Show! 10pm Doors .............. Sa 11 Martin Sexton w/ Brothers McCann Early Show! 6pm Doors ............................ Sa 18 Randy Rogers Band Late Show! 10:30pm Doors ................................................ Sa 18 Manic Street Preachers ............................................................................................M 20 ALL GOOD PRESENTS

Hurray For The Riff Raff w/ Son Little ................................................................. Tu 21 Kodaline w/ Gavin James ........................................................................................... Th 23 AN EVENING WITH

They Might Be Giants 14+ to enter ......................................................................... F 24

TALES FROM THE SEA

Iration w/ Stick Figure & Hours Eastly Early Show! 5:30pm Doors .................. Sa 25

U STREET MUSIC HALL PRESENTS

Duke Dumont w/ Will Eastman Late Show! 10:30pm Doors.............................. Sa 25 Houndmouth ................................................................................................................ Su 26 Spandau Ballet All 2/9 Spandau Ballet tickets honored. ................................... Tu 28 Toro Y Moi w/ Vinyl Williams ...................................................................................... W 29 The Wombats w/ Life in Film & Cheerleader ......................................................... Th 30

MAY Joe Pug w/ Field Report (solo) ......................................................................................Sa 2

MANY MORE SHOWS ON SALE!

9:30 CUPCAKES

930.com

The best thing you could possibly put in your mouth Cupcakes by BUZZ... your neighborhood bakery in Alexandria, VA. | www.buzzonslaters.com

9:30 CLUB PRESENTS AT U STREET MUSIC HALL LILLYWOOD and the Prick

9:30 & BRINDLEY BROS. PRESENT

w/ French Horn Rebellion ............... W APR 1 Reptar w/ Breathers & Sun Club ........... Th 2 Raury w/ Ace Cosgrove ............................ F 3 Cody Simpson ....................................... Sa 4

The Last Bison w/ Neulore ................ Sa 11 Priests w/ Protomartyr & The Gotobeds .Th 16 Kitty, Daisy & Lewis w/ Gemma Ray ... F 17 Joey Fatts w/ A$ton Matthews............. M 20 Footwerk.............................................. Th 23

ERYKAH BADU • ANTHONY HAMILTON and more! ..SAT AUGUST 8 For full lineup, visit merriweathermusic.com.

On Sale Friday, March 27 at 10am

feat.

Kix • Europe • Queensrÿche and more!............................... MAY 1 & 2

Two-day and Single-day tickets on sale now. For a full lineup, visit m3rockfest.com.

DC101 KERFUFFLE

FEATURING

Incubus • The Offspring • Panic! at the Disco • Dirty Heads and more! .......MAY 3 For a full lineup, visit dc101.com

Florida GeorGia line w/ Thomas Rhett & Frankie Ballard ........................MAY 9 Kenny Chesney w/ Jake Owen & Chase Rice ................................... MAY 27 FEATURING

Kendrick Lamar • Calvin Harris and more! MAY 30 & 31

For a full lineup, visit sweetlifefestival.com

The Decemberists w/ Father John Misty ..................................................... JUNE 4 Hozier w/ The Antlers ................................................................................................. JUNE 20

Fall Out Boy | Wiz Khalifa w/ Hoodie Allen & DJ Drama .............................. JUNE 27 Sam Smith .....................................................................................................................JULY 24 My Morning Jacket w/ Jason Isbell ..................................................................JULY 26 Willie Nelson & Family and Old Crow Medicine Show ........ AUG 19 Darius Rucker w/ Brett Eldredge • Brothers Osborne • A Thousand Horses... AUG 22 Death Cab For Cutie w/ very special guest Explosions in the Sky ..........SEPT 13 • merriweathermusic.com • 930.com

Echostage • Washington, D.C.

JUST ANNOUNCED!

OF MONSTERS AND MEN w/ Highasakite.................... MAY 5 On Sale Friday, March 27 at 10am

Atmosphere w/ B Dolan • deM atlaS • DJ Adatrak ................................................MAY 2 TV On The Radio w/ Bo Ningen ..........................................................................MAY 19 Hot Chip w/ Sinkane ...................................................................................................... JUNE 5 Tame Impala w/ Kuroma ....................................................................................SAT JUNE 6 Belle and Sebastian w/ Alvvays...................................................................... JUNE 11 Interpol ............................................................................................................................JULY 28 Twenty One Pilots w/ Echosmith....................................................... SEPTEMBER 8 Stromae ............................................................................................................. SEPTEMBER 16 2135 Queens Chapel Rd. NE • Ticketmaster

• Buy advance tickets at the 9:30 Club box office

JUST ANNOUNCED!

DAR Constitution Hall • Washington D.C.

ABC’S NASHVILLE IN CONCERT

FEATURING

Clare Bowen • Chris Carmack • Charles Esten and more!.. MAY 3 On Sale Friday, March 27 at 10am. For full lineup, visit abc.com/nashvilletour.

Ticketmaster

Pimlico Race Course • Baltimore, MD

ARMIN VAN BUUREN w/ Childish Gambino........... SAT MAY 16 All day event! For more info, visit preakness.com/infield.

1215 U Street NW, Washington, D.C.

JUST ANNOUNCED!

D A U G H T R Y .................................................................................................. SAT MAY 2 NEKO CASE .......................................................................................JUNE 15 On Sale Friday, March 27 at 10am

Amanda Fucking Palmer ...................................................... APRIL 4 Rhiannon Giddens w/ Bhi Bhiman ................................................................... APRIL 12

AN EVENING WITH

RICK SPRINGFIELD STRIPPED DOWN An intimate solo performance of music & storytelling

w/ Tad Kubler of The Hold Steady ......................................................................... APRIL 19

The Idan Raichel Project ................................................................................ APRIL 22 Lisa Lampanelli .................................................................................................... MAY 29 First Night Sold Out! Second Night

RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C.

20th Anniversary Blowout!

Buddy Guy • Gary Clark Jr. • Heart • and more! For full lineup, visit 930.com ... JULY 4

Added!

The Tallest Man on Earth ................................................................................. JUNE 1

AEG LIVE PRESENTS

Jim Jefferies ....................................................................................... SAT NOVEMBER 7 • thelincolndc.com •

U Street (Green/Yellow) stop across the street!

Ticketmaster

Tickets for 9:30 Club shows are available through TicketFly.com, by phone at 1-877-4FLY-TIX, and at the 9:30 Club box office.

9:30 CLUB BOX OFFICE HOURS are 12-7PM Weekdays & Until 11PM on show nights. 6-11PM on Sat & 6-10:30PM on Sun on show nights.

9:30 CUPCAKES The best thing you could possibly put in your mouth.

Cupcakes by BUZZ... your neighborhood bakery in Alexandria, VA. www.buzzbakery.com

PARKING: THE OFFICIAL 9:30 parking lot entrance is on 9th Street, directly behind the 9:30 club. Buy your advance parking tickets at the same time as your concert tickets!

HAPPY HOUR DRINK PRICES

AFTER THE SHOW AT THE BACK BAR!

930.com

washingtoncitypaper.com march 27, 2015 45

World Kennedy Center MillenniuM Stage 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. Very Be Careful. 6 p.m. Free. kennedy-center.org.

Tuesday

1811 14TH ST NW

www.blackcatdc.com

www.bethesdabluesjazz.com

@blackcatdc UPCOMING SHOWS

JUNE 17 & 18 JUST ANNOUNCED AND ON SALE NOW

MAR 26 LIEUTENANT (FEAT. NATE MENDEL OF FOO FIGHTERS) MAR 27

GREGORY PORTER

BIG DATA

TWO SHOWS!

MAR 27 BEARZERK DANCE PARTY MAR 28

BURLESQUE (21+)

MAR 28 GAY//BASH!!

DANCE NIGHT / DRAG SHOW

MAR 30

TWIN SHADOW

MAR 31

JARED & THE MILL

APR 4

KILL LINCOLN

APR 7

WAXAHATCHEE

APR 8

DIARRHEA PLANET

APR 10

DIAMOND RUGS

APR 11

JON SPENCER

APR 12 APR 15

BLUES EXPLOSION JEREMY ENIGK

ANA TIJOUX

EVERY WEEKEND AT 7PM

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

TEN FORWARD SICK SAD WORLD

M F 27

ROMULAN ALE SPECIALS

R

H

FRANK SOLIVAN & DIRTY KITCHEN PLUS BUMPER JACKSONS

S 29

FEUFELLOT A P R TED EFANTIS CHUCK REDD

W1 TH 2

I

L

SATURDAY APRIL 4

HAROLD MELVIN’S BLUE NOTES W8

THE CHRIS GRASSO TRIO W/ SHARON CLARK THURSDAY APRIL 9

THE FABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS FEAT. KIM WILSON

PLUS THE CATHY PONTON KING BAND FRIDAY APRIL 10

THE CHUCK BROWN BAND S 12

MICKEY BASS AND THE MANHATTAN BURN UNIT W 15 JIM KWESKIN AND GEOFF MULDAUR SA 18 THE SOUL CRACKERS W/ TOMMY LEPSON SUNDAY APRIL 19

JUNIOR WALKER’S ALL STAR BAND

EPISODES PER WEEK MYSTIK SPIRAL DRINK SPECIALS

THURSDAY APRIL 23

FREDA PAYNE

NOW OPEN at 5pm M-F! F 24

CLUB NOUVEAU TWO SHOWS!

TH 30

DAVE DAMIANI, SPENCER DAY AND MAYA SYKES

SA 2

BE’LA DONA

M

RED ROOM & LUCKY CAT PINBALL

C

SA 28 JOE CLAIR ALL STAR COMEDY BLOWOUT | TWO SHOWS!

A HAPPY HOUR "HAPPY" HOUR 1 STAR TREK:TNG TWO DARIA EP. PER WEEK

A

A Y

TAKE METRO!

7719 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, MD (240) 330-4500

TO BUY TICKETS VISIT TICKETFLY.COM

Two Blocks from Bethesda Metro/Red Line Free Parking on Weekends

WE ARE LOCATED 3 BLOCKS FROM THE U STREET/CARDOZO STATION

46 march 27, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

rock

BlaCK Cat BaCKStage 1811 14th St. NW. (202) 667-4490. Jared & the Mill. 7:30 p.m. $13–$15. blackcatdc.com. dC9 1940 9th St. NW. (202) 483-5000. The Suffers, Aztec Sun. 9 p.m. $10. dcnine.com. gypSy Sally’S 3401 K St. NW. (202) 333-7700. John Kadlecik & The DC Mystery Cats. 8 p.m. $15. gypsysallys.com.

Jazz Kennedy Center MillenniuM Stage 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. Senri Oe. 6 p.m. Free. kennedy-center.org.

country Hill Country live 410 7th St. NW. (202) 556-2050.

Whitey Morgan & The 78’s. 9:30 p.m. $12–$15. hillcountrywdc.com.

Folk BarnS at Wolf trap 1645 Trap Road, Vienna.

(703) 255-1900. Art Garfunkel. 8 p.m. (Sold out) $75. wolftrap.org.

classical Kennedy Center ConCert Hall 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. Joshua Bell. 8 p.m. $45–$115. kennedy-center.org.

Vocal 9:30 CluB 815 V St. NW. (202) 265-0930. Jessie Ware.

6 p.m. (Sold out) 930.com.

Wednesday rock Kennedy Center eiSenHoWer tHeater 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. DC-CAPITAL STARS: A Tribute to Rock n’ Roll. 7:30 p.m. $35–$45. kennedy-center.org. u Street MuSiC Hall 1115 U St. NW. (202) 5881880. LILLYWOOD and the Prick. 7 p.m. $25. ustreetmusichall.com.

ElEctronic u Street MuSiC Hall 1115 U St. NW. (202) 5881880. Bakermat (DJ set). 10 p.m. $15. ustreetmusichall.com.

Jazz Kennedy Center MillenniuM Stage 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead. 6 p.m.

Free. kennedy-center.org. tWinS Jazz 1344 U St. NW. (202) 234-0072. Nicole Saphos. 8 p.m. & 10 p.m. $10. twinsjazz.com.

World 9:30 CluB 815 V St. NW. (202) 265-0930. SHPONGLE: The Shpongletron 3.1, Phutureprimitive. 7 p.m. $28.

930.com.

CITY LIGHTS: MONDAY

VERY BE CAREFUL

Performances by L.A.-based Vallenato quintet Very Be Careful quickly turn from musical events into dance parties. So when the group hits D.C. for two shows, one at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage and one at Bossa Bistro, stop by the latter one for a livelier experience. Vallenato, a Colombian folk genre similar to cumbia, is characterized by its use of accordion and rhythmic percussion—practically ordering the listener to move in time to the music—but Very Be Careful doesn’t just cleave to its Colombian musical roots. The band’s live sets incorporate a variety of influences, giving each show an unpredictable DIY feel, whether it’s a big festival like Glastonbury or a smaller, more intimate affair. Expect an energetic show full of moving bodies, hypnotic songs, and a party-like atmosphere that might make you forget it’s all going down on a Monday night. Very Be Careful performs with Son Cosita Seria at 8 p.m. at Bossa Bistro, 2463 18th St. NW. $10.

(202) 667-0088. bossadc.com.

—Caroline Jones

ThursDay Rock

9:30 cluB 815 V St. NW. (202) 265-0930. Tribal Seeds, The Movement, Leilani Wolfgramm. 7 p.m. $18. 930.com.

Black caT BacksTage 1811 14th St. NW. (202) 667-4490. Single Mothers, Dirty Nil. 7:30 p.m. $12. blackcatdc.com. Single Mothers, Dirty Nil. 7:30 p.m. $12. blackcatdc.com.

FillMore silver sPring 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. (301) 960-9999. New Found Glory, Turnstile, This Wild Life, Turnover. 7:30 p.m. $30. fillmoresilverspring.com. rock & roll hoTel 1353 H St. NE. (202) 388-ROCK. Kodak to Graph, Big Wild, LanceNeptune. 8 p.m. $12. rockandrollhoteldc.com. u sTreeT Music hall 1115 U St. NW. (202) 5881880. Reptar. 7 p.m. $18. ustreetmusichall.com.

Funk & R&B gyPsy sally’s 3401 K St. NW. (202) 333-7700.

Turkuaz, The Fritz. 8:30 p.m. $12–$15. gypsysallys.com.

ElEctRonic u sTreeT Music hall 1115 U St. NW. (202) 5881880. Clark, Nosaj Thing. 10 p.m. $15. ustreetmusichall.com.

Jazz BeThesda Blues and jazz 7719 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda. (240) 330-4500. Chuck Redd. 8 p.m. $20. bethesdabluesjazz.com. kennedy cenTer MillenniuM sTage 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead. 6 p.m.

Free. kennedy-center.org.

WoRld sixTh & i hisToric synagogue 600 I St. NW. (202) 408-3100. DhakaBraka. 8 p.m. $25. sixthandi.org.

S H AW - H O WA R D METRO ACCESS OFF GREEN + YELLOW LINE

620 T ST. NW WASHINGTON DC, 2001 202.803.2899 THEHOWARDTHEATRE.COM

Vocal

VALET PARKING + SELF PARKING ON INTERSECTION OF 7TH & T ST FULL DINNER MENU EVERY SHOW NIGHT

JUST ANNOUNCED

Warner TheaTre 513 13th St. NW. (202) 783-4000.

Libera. 8 p.m. $28–$58. warnertheatre.com.

Dance

adriane Fang and gesel Mason PerForMance ProjecTs Gesel Mason Performance Projects presents two pieces that highlight house music and the evolution of “twerking.” Fang collaborates with choreographers Wally Cardona and Nancy Bannon to create new work. Dance Place. 3225 8th St. NE. March 28, 8 p.m.; March 29, 7 p.m. $15-$30. (202) 269-1600. danceplace.org. aMerican BalleT TheaTre The New York-based company presents a mixed repertory show featuring works by Balanchine, Tudor, and Cornejo on March 24 and 25. From the 26 through the 29, they perform Cinderella, with music by Sergei Prokofiev and choreography by Frederick Ashton. Kennedy Center Opera House. 2700 F St. NW. March 27, 7:30 p.m.; March 28, 7:30 p.m.; March 28, 1:30 p.m.; March 29, 1:30 p.m. $25-$109. 202-467-4600. kennedy-center.org. david neuMann ADI’s Incubator presents I Understand Everything Better, a new performance by Neumann that combines elements of theater and dance and draws inspiration from classical Japanese culture.

American Dance Institute. 1570 East Jefferson St., Rockville. March 27, 8 p.m.; March 28, 8 p.m. $16.25$31.25. (855) 263-2623. americandance.org. george Mason dance coMPany annual gala The university’s dance company perform works by professional choreographers Andrea Miller, Alejandro Cerrudo, and Ulysses Dove, at this annual presentation. Before the March 28 performance, the university hosts a gala dinner honoring New York City Ballet legend Jacques d’Amboise. George Mason University Center for the Arts. 4400 University Drive, Fairfax. March 27, 8 p.m.; March 28, 8 p.m. $15-$25.

(703) 993-2787. cfa.gmu.edu. jessica lang dance The acclaimed modern dance company blends classic and contemporary styles with elaborate design elements. GW Lisner Auditorium.

730 21st St. NW. March 28, 8 p.m. $25-$38. (202) 994-6800. lisner.org. russian naTional BalleT TheaTre The traditional ballet company from Moscow tells the story of Cinderella through movement and Prokofiev’s engaging score. Hylton Performing Arts Center. 10960 George

4/27 O-TOWN

5/4 RATA BLANCA

5/10 COMEDY AT THE HOWARD: TOMMY DAVIDSON

9/14 THE REVEREND HORTON HEAT & THE ADICTS

4/10 INCOGNITO WITH SPECIAL GUEST MAYSA

5/27 THE SMITHEREENS

4/10 DEVIN THE DUDE & BACKYARD BAND

9/19 CHANTE MOORE

UPCOMING SHOWS FRIDAY MARCH 27TH

SATURDAY MARCH 28TH

CELEBRATING 40+ YEARS OF EWF

THE BLACK & WHITE EDITION

THE EARTH, WIND & FIRE TRIBUTE SHOW FRIDAY MARCH 27TH LATE SHOW

TEMPTATION PRESENTS:

WERQ OUT! DJ TWIN SATURDAY MARCH 28TH

KENNY LATTIMORE

4/8 4/9

MORGAN HERITAGE BALTSOUNDMANAGEMENT PRESENTS: LYQUIN & AWTHENTIK 4/10 LATE- HIP HOP LIVS PRESENTS DEVIN THE DUDE & BACKYARD BAND 4/11 BRINDLEY BROTHERS PRESENT: DAVE BARNES & MATT WERTZ JON MCLAUGHLIN 4/11 LATE- MIXTAPE

LATE SHOW

RAWKUS

SUNDAY MARCH 29TH

BRENCORE ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS:

A TRIBUTE TO THE MUSIC OF MOTOWN THURSDAY APRIL 2ND

DAVID CHOI

TESS HENLEY / MY SILENT BRAVERY 4/12 FAYCEZ U KNOW MUSIC GROUP PRESENTS: A SPRING MUSIC AFFAIR FEAT. THE SOULFUL SOUNDS OF HALIMA PERU, SCOTT “LAROC” CARTER & KEENEN “KO” IVOR 4/16 COMEDY AT HOWARD NEMR 4/17 ALICE SMITH

PRODUCED BY JILL NEWMAN PRODUCTIONS

4/17 LATE- THE CHERRY FUND PRESENTS: GRAVITY DJ PAULO & DJ TWIN

THE WORLD FAMOUS HARLEM GOSPEL CHOIR

FRIDAY APRIL 3RD

ONE MORE TIME

THE TRIBUTE TO DAFT PUNK

SATURDAY APRIL 4TH

RED BARAAT’S

FESTIVAL OF COLORS SATURDAY APRIL 4TH LATE SHOW

NORTHEAST GROOVERS

30TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW 4/19 MICHELLE BLACKWELL 15TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW 4/20 MONOPHONICS 4/24 JARABE DE PALO 4/25 KEITH SWEAT: ALBUM RELEASE SHOW 4/30 SHEILA E. 5/1 ILOVEMAKONNEN 5/2 LEE FIELDS & THE EXPRESSIONS + TROUBLE FUNK (BIG TONY’S BIRTHDAY & FUNK PARADE CELEBRATION)

EVERY SUNDAY !

ADMISSION GE TS YOU ENTRY TO SHOW & ALL YOU CAN EAT SOUTHERN STYLE BUFFE T

washingtoncitypaper.com march 27, 2015 47

Mason Circle, Manassas. March 27, 8 p.m. $34-$56.

(703) 993-7759. hyltoncenter.org.

TheaTer

Blithe Spirit Angela Lansbury stars as Madame Arcati in this revival of Noel Coward’s spooky comedy about a séance that conjures up a ghostly ex-wife and leads to complete chaos. National Theatre. 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. To March 29. $48-$98. (202) 628-6161. nationaltheatre.org.

Blue Viola UrbanArias presents this operetta about a junk dealer who steals an instrument from a famous classical musician, only to discover that the product is a fake. Artisphere. 1101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. To March 29. $26-$28. (703) 875-1100. artisphere.com.

Freedom’S Song Abraham Lincoln’s life and words come to life in this musical that tells the stories of individuals’ highs and lows throughout the Civil War. Ford’s Theatre. 511 10th St. NW. To May 20. $27-$69.

(202) 347-4833. fordstheatre.org. g-d’S honeSt truth Roberta and Larry, a devoted Jewish couple, have the opportunity to rescue a Holocaust torah and give it to their synagogue. Renee Calarco’s new comedy, inspired by the true story of Rabbi Menachem Youlus, examines how communities deal with scandals past and present. Theater J. 1529 16th St. NW. To April 19. $10-$65. (202) 518-9400. theaterj.org.

the iSland This South African play, devised by Athol Fugard, John Kani, and Winston Ntshona, explores the physical and psychological torture suffered by black political prisoners during Apartheid through the guide of a performance of Antigone. MetroStage. 1201 N. Royal St., Alexandria. To April 26. $50-$55. (703) 5489044. metrostage.org. laugh Mabel, a wealthy orphan, is sent to live with a calculating aunt who aims to steal her fortune by setting Mabel up with her son. Their courtship flounders but reveals a love of movies and ultimately results in a Hollywood-style romance. Wayne Barker designed original music for this world premiere of Beth Henley’s play. Studio Theatre. 1501 14th St. NW. To April 19. $20-$78. (202) 332-3300. studiotheatre.org. lightS riSe on grace An African-American young man and a daughter of Chinese immigrants fall in love in an inner-city high school. They reconnect after six years, during which the man is swallowed by the system, and struggle to figure out their altered relationship in Chad Beckim’s new play about love, faith, and family. Woolly Mammoth Theatre. 641 D St. NW. To April 26. $40-$68. (202) 393-3939. woollymammoth.net. man oF la mancha Don Quixote’s epic journey past windmills and monsters comes to life in this classic musical that features songs like “I Really Like Him” and “The Impossible Dream.” Sidney Harman Hall. 610 F St. NW. To April 26. $20-$110. (202) 547-1122. shakespearetheatre.org.

CITY LIGHTS: TUESDAY

JARED & THE MILL Its cultural influence spans the world, but the American Southwest doesn’t have a single distinct sound. Since 2011, Phoenix, Ariz., natives Jared Kolesar, Michael Carter, Chuck Morriss III, Larry Gast III, Josh Morin, and Gabe Hall-Rodrigues have come together as Jared & The Mill to play their musical approximation of the desert: a blend of rock, blues, country, and bluegrass. The accordion-accented string band quickly went from playing bars and coffeeshops for crowds of a few dozen people to opening for major acts like Zac Brown Band, the Killers, and the Bee Gees’ Barry Gibb. Songs like the newly released “Hold On” highlight tight, upbeat harmonies and celebrate the group’s love for the people and places they know back home. Now, as the band traverses the U.S. on its spring tour, its members bring that same intimate passion to the Black Cat, which they’ll fill with sing-along vocals and a few previews of their forthcoming EP. Jared & The Mill performs at 7:30 p.m. at the Black Cat Backstage, 1811 14th St. NW. $13–$15. (202) 667—Morgan Hines 4490. blackcatdc.com.

48 march 27, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

UPTOWN BLUES

w/

Open Mic Blues JaM Big Boy LittLe every Thursday

Fri. Mar. 27 Swamp KeeperS Band Sat. Mar. 28 Bruce ewan The Red haRmonica King Fri. Apr. 3 over the Limit Sat. Apr. 4 Big Boy LittLe Band Fri. Apr. 10 SooKey Jump BLueS Band Sat. Apr. 11 SmoKin’ poLecatS Sundays miKe FLaherty’S

dixieLand direct Jazz Band

WOLFTRAP.ORG

(across from the National Zoo)

LIGHTS RISE ON GRACE Two teenagers from opposing communities fall in love and face adult consequences for their youthful indiscretions. From that synopsis, audiences might think Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company is getting ready to present a new production of Romeo and Juliet. Actually, the company is staging an entirely new work, Lights Rise on Grace, which shares some overlapping themes with Shakespeare’s tragedy. Chad Beckim’s world premiere centers around Grace, the daughter of Chinese immigrants who falls in love with Large, a young black man. Though their relationship progresses quickly, it’s halted by Large’s sudden disappearance. When he returns six years later, the couple attempts to pick up where they left off, but a third party who befriends both of them confuses the situation. Emotional turmoil ensues, and as the characters discover that they can’t leave their pasts behind, the play turns from a passionate love story to a study of an unconventional family that forms in the least expected place. The play runs March 30 to April 26 at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, 641 —Caroline Jones D St. NW. $35–$68. (202) 393-3939. woollymammoth.net.

The OriginalisT Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith directs the world premiere of John Strand’s drama about cantankerous Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia. Helen Hayes Award winner Edward Gero stars as Scalia, who spars with a stubborn, liberal law clerk as they prepare for an important case. Arena Stage. 1101 6th St. SW. To April 26. $70-$110. (202) 488-3300. arenastage.org.

PassiOn Play Sarah Ruhl’s extravagant play jumps from Elizabethan England to Weimar-era Germany to America in the ‘80s as different groups of people act out the annual story of Christ’s resurrection. Michael Dove direct’s Forum’s production. Forum Theatre at Silver Spring Black Box Theatre. 8641 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. To April 11. $30-$35. (240) 644-1390. forum-theatre.org. simPly sOndheim Signature Theatre celebrates 25 years of producing musicals by Stephen Sondheim with a new review directed by Eric Schaeffer and featuring six favorite Signature vocalists. Signature Theatre. 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. To April 19. $75-$90. (703) 820-9771. signature-theatre.org. sOOn In this world premiere by composer and lyricist Nick Blaemire, all of earth’s water is due to evaporate in a few months, which sends aimless 20-something Charlie into hibernation on the couch. Her mother, friend, and boyfriend try to encourage her to take advantage of what time is left but she soon reveals past events that have kept her confined physically and emotionally. Signature Theatre. 4200 Campbell Ave.,

Arlington. To April 26. $39-$94. (703) 820-9771. signature-theatre.org. swing Time—The musical Enjoy the music of Benny Goodman, Glen Miller, and Duke Ellington in this comedic wartime musical set during a war bond radio drive broadcast. Arleigh & Roberta Burke Theater at the U.S. Naval Heritage Center. 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. To June 24. $19-$49. (202) 573-8127. swingtimethemusical.com.

Film

TRIVIA EVERY M O N D AY & W E D N E S D AY

HORSE

600 beers from around the world Downstairs: good food, great beer, $3 PBR & Natty Boh’s all day every day

*all shows 21+

W/ RIVER WHYLESS

MON, MAR 23

DISTRICT TRIVIA

STARTS AT 730PM NO COVER

(FORMER MEMBERS OF THE BAND, RICK DANKO & LEVON HELM BAND)

NO COVER DOORS OPEN AT 7PM SHOW STARTS AT 8PM

W/ CAROLYN WONDERLAND FRIDAY MAR

WED, MAR 25

DISTRICT TRIVIA

STARTS AT 730PM NO COVER

UNDERGROUND COMEDY NO COVER DOORS OPEN AT 7PM AND SHOW STARTS AT 8PM

WED, APRIL 1

W/ STEEL TOWN HORNS AND LIONIZE

SCIENCE COMEDY

DOORS OPEN AT 7PM SHOW AT 830PM S AT, M A R 2 8

DISTRICT TRIVIA

STARTS AT 730PM NO COVER

ALBERT CUMMINGS DUMPSTAPHUNK

FRI, MAR 27

MON, MAR 30

27

SAT, MAR 28

THURS, MAR 26

DOORS OPEN AT 8PM SHOW STARTS AT 10PM $15 COVER

26

WEIGHT

TUES, MAR 24

LAST RESORT COMEDY

cOllins Al Pacino stars as an aging n danny rock star who gets a second chance to reconnect

n

FEATHERS

THURSDAY MAR

HOT NIGHT PRODUCTIONS

deli man This nostalgia-filled documentary tells the story of Texas deli owner Ziggy Gruber interspersed with tales from iconic New York deli’s like Katz’s, Carnegie, and the Stage. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information)

LIVE

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

$3 PBR & NATTY BOH ALL DAY EVERY DAY

an hOnesT liar This new documentary focuses on the life of the Amazing Randi, a magician and skeptic who brought down con artists and faith healers over a career spanning 50 years. (See washingtoncitypaper. com for venue information)

with his estranged family in this warm tale of forgiveness. Co-starring Christopher Plummer, Jenifer Garner, and Annette Bening. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information)

APR 10

A virtuosic evening of French music

202-232-4225 zoobardc.com

CITY LIGHTS: WEDNESDAY

Premier men’s vocal ensemble

POULENC TRIO

3000 Connecticut Avenue, NW

$10 BURGER & BEER MON-FRI 4 P M -7 P M

MAR 27

CANTUS

FRI, APRIL 3

JBOOG

W/ INNA VISION & WESTAFA

SAT, APRIL 4

MUDDY WATERS 100TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION FEATURING COMMANDER CODY, BOB MARGOLIN & THE NIGHTHAWKS

TUES, MAR 31

LAST RESORT COMEDY NO COVER DOORS OPEN AT 7PM SHOW STARTS AT 8PM

1523 22nd St NW – Washington, DC 20037 (202) 293-1887 - www.bierbarondc.com @bierbarondc.com for news and events

THEHAMILTONDC.COM washingtoncitypaper.com march 27, 2015 49

Hard When a businessman (Will Ferrell) n Get is wrongfully convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to jail, he recruits his neighbor (Kevin Hart), who he assumes has served time, to teach him how to survive in the big house. (See washingtoncitypaper. com for venue information)

Fri & Sat, March 27 & 28 at Midnight!

Girl like Her A bullied high school student n arecruits her friend to help her document the

Buy Advance Tickets Online

rough treatment she’s received from a former friend and classmate. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information)

tickets.landmarktheatres.com

GOOdBYe tO laNGUaGe 3d Jean-Luc Godard’a latest film uses 3D effects and tells the story of a married woman, the single man she falls in love with, and the events that force them apart. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information)

AREYOUAWINNER?

tHe GUNMaN Sean Penn stars as an aging international operative who must outsmart his opponents and take off across Europe in this thriller based on the novel The Prone Gunman by Jean-Patrick Manchette. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information)

PROvEIt!

A lovable alien on the run befriends an n HOMe adventurous young girl and learns a series of lessons about making mistakes and being different in this animated flick featuring the voices of Jim Parsons, Jennifer Lopez, and Rihanna. (See washingtoncitypaper. com for venue information) iNSUrGeNt In the second film in the Divergent series, Tris and Four are chased by the leader of the Erudite faction and have to consult their pasts in order to protect their loved ones in the future. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information) kUMikO: tHe treaSUre HUNter Academy n Award nominee Rinko Kikuchi plays an office

Visit washingtoncitypaper.com/promotions and enter to win anything from movie tickets to spa treatments!

worker whose vivid imagination helps her escape her

mundane life in this comic adventure directed by David and Nathan Zellner. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information) Newlyweds George and Serena launch n SereNa a timber empire in North Carolina in the 1920s.

As the enamored couple learns more about each other however, their comfortable life begins to crumble.

Starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information) SeYMOUr: aN iNtrOdUctiON Ethan Hawke n directs this documentary about Seymour Bernstein, a piano teacher, artist, and consummate New Yorker. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information) WOMaN iN GOld Helen Mirren stars as Maria n Altmann, a Holocaust survivor who takes her fight to reclaim a portrait of her aunt that was stolen by the Nazis all the way to the Supreme Court, in this film inspired by a true story. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information) WreckiNG creW Like the Funk Brothn tHe ers, who provided the backing music for many Motown groups, the Wrecking Crew recorded the instrumentals for West Coast artists like the Beach Boys, Byrds, and Monkees. This documentary examines the group’s impact on the music industry and pays tribute to those who helped create the iconic “West Coast Sound.” (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information)

Film clips are written by Caroline Jones.

You can also check out our current free events listings and sign up to receive our weekly newsletter!

ACADEMY AWARD® NOMINEE

ACADEMY AWARD® WINNER

BRADLEY COOPER JENNIFER LAWRENCE

FASCINATING,

“

marked by courageous performances and exquisite production values.” – Guy Lodge, VARIETY

LAWRENCE BRINGS HER ‘A’ GAME,

“

giving us a performance of fierce, bladed intensity.

Featuring tension, violence, sweeping mountain locations, and jazz-age costumes that are duly removed for sizzling scenes of a sexual nature.”

– Peter Bradshaw, THE GUARDIAN

“IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCES,

striking production design and lustrous cinematography.”

– Mark Adams, SCREEN

SOME LOVES CAN NEVER LET YOU GO www.serenafilm.com

EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT STARTS

FRIDAY, MARCH 27

50 march 27, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

CITY LIGHTS: THURSDAY

DAKHABRAKHA

When you introduce a group of curiously dressed punk-influenced folk musicians to a group of muddy moshers, it’s a match made in weirdo heaven. That’s what happened when the experimental Ukrainian band DakhaBrakha debuted at Bonnaroo in 2014, and since receiving a warm welcome at the festival, the ever-inventive group has been making a name for itself with its impressive physical presence and mesmerizing music. Comprised of professional folklorists, DakhaBrakha keeps to its traditional roots in terms of aesthetics, too: The three female singers wear long, flowing white dresses and tall, furry black hats, and founder and experimental theater director Vladyslav Troitskyi dons an intricate embroidered vest. Their cultural heritage keeps the musicians centered, but the four also derive inspiration from Indian, African, and Arab folk music. When the band performs at Sixth & I, no one will judge you if you can’t sing along to songs like “Sukhyi Dub” or “Buvayte Zdorovi,” but you’ll likely go home resolving to learn for next time.

DakhaBrakha performs at 8 p.m. at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St. NW. $25. (202) —Jordan-Marie Smith 408-3100. sixthandi.org.

SHOWTIMES March 27-april 2, 2015 Times currenT as of 4 p.m. Wednesday

REPERTORY AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center

Royal Shakespeare Company: Love’s Labour’s Won (NR) 160 mins.

Thu. 7:00

8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring (301) 495-6700

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre: Titus Andronicus (NR) 185 mins.

Wed. 2:00

All About Eve (NR) 138 mins.

Sat. 7:15; Thu. 7:10

Song of the Sea (PG) 93 mins.

Fri.-Mon. 11:00; Tue. 11:00; Thu. 11:00

Bombshell (1933) (NR) 96 mins.

Sat. 1:10; Tue. 5:15

Still Alice (PG-13) 99 mins.

Fri.-Mon. 11:15, 3:45; Tue. 3:45, 11:15; Wed. 11:15; Thu. 11:15, 3:45

The Intimate Stranger (1956) (NR) 80 mins.

Sun. 11:10; Mon. 9:30 It Follows (R) 97 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 1:00, 3:00, 5:05, 7:25, 9:30; Sun. 1:10, 3:10, 5:10, 7:25, 9:30; Mon. 1:00, 3:00, 5:05, 7:25, 9:30; Tue.-Wed. 12:10, 2:10, 7:25, 9:30; Thu. 1:00, 3:00, 7:25, 9:30 The Letter (1940) (NR) 95 mins.

Fri. 5:15; Sun. 3:00; Tue. 7:15 Lost Horizon (1937) (NR) 132 mins.

Sat. 11:00; Sun. 7:30 Mildred Pierce (1945) (NR) 109 mins.

Sun. 11:00; Mon. 7:10 My Name is Salt (NR) 92 mins.

Sat. 5:15 The New Wilderness (NR) 94 mins.

Sat. 3:10 The Night of the Hunter (NR) 93 mins.

Fri. 7:15; Wed. 6:30; Thu. 9:50 Rain (1932) (NR) 92 mins.

Sat. 11:05; Mon. 5:15; Thu. 5:15 Red Dust (1932) (NR) 83 mins.

Sun. 1:00; Tue. 9:15 The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (PG) 122 mins.

Fri. 11:20, 1:45, 4:15, 7:05, 9:25; Sat. 1:45, 4:15, 7:05, 9:25; Sun. 12:20, 2:50, 5:20, 7:45; Mon.-Thu. 11:20, 1:45, 4:15, 6:45, 9:10 Stranger on the Prowl (Imbarco a mezzanotte) (NR) 82 mins.

Sat. 11:10; Wed. 9:15 Tommy (1975) (PG) 111 mins.

Fri. 9:15; Sat. 10:00 The Wind (1928) (NR) 88 mins.

Sun. 5:30

DISTRICT Angelika Pop-Up at Union Market 550 Penn St. NE (571) 512-3313 Deli Man (PG-13) 91 mins.

Fri. 11:30, 1:30, 3:30, 5:30; Sat.-Sun. 11:30, 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 7:30, 9:30; Mon. 11:30, 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 7:30; Tue. 11:30, 1:30, 3:30; Wed.-Thu. 11:30, 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 7:30 It Follows (R) 97 mins.

Fri. 1:00, 3:00, 5:00; Sat. 1:00, 3:00, 5:00, 7:15, 8:00, 9:15, 10:00; Sun. 1:00, 3:00, 5:00, 7:15, 8:00, 9:15; Mon. 1:00, 3:00, 5:00, 8:00; Tue. 1:00, 3:00, 5:00, 7:15, 8:00; Wed. noon, 3:00, 5:00, 7:15, 8:00; Thu. 1:00, 3:00, 5:00, 8:00 Royal Opera House: Der fliegende Hollander (NR) 140 mins.

Tue. 7:00

Whiplash (R) 105 mins.

Fri.-Mon. 1:30, 5:45; Tue. 1:30, 5:45; Wed. 5:45; Thu. 1:30, 5:45

Home (PG) 96 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 11:00, noon, 4:40, 9:20; Sun. 11:00, noon, 4:40; Mon.-Thu. noon, 4:40 Home 3D (PG) 96 mins.

Fri.-Thu. 2:20, 7:00 Kingsman: The Secret Service (R) 129 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 1:20, 7:10; Mon. 4:20; Tue.-Thu. 1:20, 7:10 The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (PG) 122 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 1:30, 4:20, 7:20, 10:15; Sun. 1:30, 4:20, 7:20; Mon.-Thu. 12:05, 2:55, 5:45, 8:30

Avalon Theatre 5612 Connecticut Ave. NW (202) 966-6000

D.C.’s awesomest events calendar. washingtoncitypaper.com/ calendar

Ballet 422 (PG) 72 mins.

Fri.-Tue. 1:45, 6:00 The Cinema Club - Washington D.C. (NR) Sun. 10:30 Merchants of Doubt (PG-13) 96 mins.

Fri.-Tue. 3:45, 8:00 The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (PG) 122 mins.

Fri.-Tue. 1:30, 4:30, 7:30; Wed. 1:30, 4:30; Thu. 1:30, 4:30, 7:30

washingtoncitypaper.com

2301 M St. NW (202)419-3456

Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem (NR) 75 mins.

Wed. 8:00

“

Grey Gardens (1975) (PG) 95 mins.

Fri. 2:20; Sat.-Sun. 2:20

Woman in Gold (PG-13) 110 mins.

Wed.-Thu. 2:30, 5:15, 8:00

It Follows (R) 97 mins.

Fri. 3:00, 5:00, 7:20, 9:30; Sat. 3:00, 5:00, 7:20, 9:30; Sun. 3:00, 5:00, 7:20

E Street Cinema

West End Cinema

Jaws (PG) 124 mins.

Fri. 2:00, 7:00; Sat.-Sun. 2:00, 7:00 Monty Python and the Holy Grail (PG) 89 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 7:40, 9:40; Sun. 7:40 Timbuktu (Le chagrin des oiseaux) (PG-13) 97 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 4:20, 9:20; Sun. 4:20 Whiplash (R) 105 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 4:40

AMC Loews Theatres Georgetown 3111 K St. NW (202) 342-6441 Furious 7 (PG-13) 137 mins.

Thu. 8:00, 9:00 Furious 7: The IMAX Experience (PG-13) 137 mins.

Thu. 7:00, 10:15

- Indiewire

“Their story has taken decades to reach the screen.

555 11th St. NW. (202) 452-7672

IT HAS BEEN WORTH THE WAIT.

An invaluable record of a kind of rock golden age.”

‘71 (R) 100 mins.

Fri. 2:20, 7:20, 9:50; Sat. 11:15, 7:20, 9:50; Sun. 11:15, 7:20, 9:40; Mon.-Thu. 2:20, 4:50, 7:20, 9:40 Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (PG) 103 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 11:59 Danny Collins (R) 106 mins.

Fri. 1:45, 4:30, 5:00, 7:45, 10:15; Sat. 10:35, 1:45, 4:30, 5:00, 7:45, 10:15; Sun. 10:35, 1:45, 4:30, 5:00, 7:25, 9:45; Mon.-Thu. 1:45, 4:30, 7:25, 9:45

A FANTASTIC STORY.”

- Chris Vognar, The Dallas Morning News

AMC Mazza Gallerie

The Room (R) 91 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 11:59

The Divergent Series: Insurgent (PG-13) 119 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 10:50, 4:35, 10:20; Sun. 10:50, 4:35; Mon.Thu. 3:05, 8:40 Get Hard (R) 100 mins.

Fri. 12:30, 3:00, 5:30, 8:00, 10:30; Sat. 10:00, 12:30, 3:00, 5:30, 8:00, 10:30; Sun.-Thu. 12:30, 3:00, 5:30, 8:00 The Gunman (R) 115 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 4:20, 10:05; Sun. 4:20; Mon. 1:30; Tue.Thu. 4:20

A WELL-NIGH IRRESISTIBLE TREAT FOR AFICIONADOS OF MUSIC.” “A KILLER DOCUMENTARY.

The Imitation Game (PG-13) 114 mins.

Fri.-Mon. 1:00, 6:45; Tue. 1:00

Porco Rosso (Kurenai no buta) (PG) 102 mins.

Sat.-Sun. 10:30

The Divergent Series: Insurgent 3D (PG-13) 119 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 1:40, 7:30; Mon.-Thu. 12:15, 5:50

“A treasure trove of witness-at-creation anecdotes and enduringly potent ‘60s pop classics.

- Joe Leydon, Variety

An Honest Liar (NR) 92 mins.

Fri.-Mon. 3:50, 9:30; Tue. 3:50

Home 3D (PG) 96 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 4:40, 7:00

Deli Man (PG-13) 91 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 10:00, 12:20, 2:50, 5:20, 7:50, 10:10; Sun. 10:00, 12:20, 2:50, 5:20, 7:50; Mon.-Thu. 12:20, 2:50, 5:20, 7:50

HHHH

“

- Jim Farber, New York Daily News

Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (NR) 105 mins.

Fri. 2:05, 4:35, 7:05, 9:35; Sat.-Sun. 11:35, 2:05, 4:35, 7:05, 9:35; Mon.-Thu. 2:05, 4:35, 7:05, 9:35

Cinderella (PG) 112 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 10:30, 11:40, 2:20, 5:00, 7:40, 10:25; Sun. 10:30, 11:40, 2:20, 5:00, 7:40; Mon.-Thu. noon, 2:55, 5:40, 8:20

- Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

Illuminating, witty and comprehensive.”

Get Hard (R) 100 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 5:00, 7:30

5300 Wisconsin Ave. NW (202) 537-9553

A SING-ALONG, JOYFUL DOC. A must to see and listen to.”

THE BEACH BOYS • ELVIS • FRANK SINATRA THE BYRDS • SIMON & GARFUNKEL PHIL SPECTOR • THE MONKEES

THERE WAS ONE BAND BEHIND THEM ALL

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (PG) 122 mins.

Fri. 1:10, 4:00, 7:10, 9:45; Sat. 10:30, 1:10, 4:00, 7:10, 9:45; Sun. 10:30, 1:10, 4:00, 6:50, 9:25; Mon.Thu. 1:10, 4:00, 6:50, 9:25 Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) (PG) 124 mins.

Sat.-Sun. 1:00 What We Do in the Shadows (NR) 86 mins.

Fri. 1:15, 3:30, 5:45, 8:00, 10:10; Sat. 10:45, 1:15, 3:30, 5:45, 8:00, 10:10; Sun. 10:45, 1:15, 3:30, 5:45, 8:00, 10:00; Mon. 1:15, 3:30, 10:00; Tue.-Thu. 1:15, 3:30, 5:45, 8:00, 10:00 Wild Tales (Relatos salvajes) (R) 122 mins.

Fri. 1:30, 4:10, 7:00, 9:40; Sat. 10:40, 1:30, 4:10, 7:00, 9:40; Sun. 10:40, 1:30, 4:10, 7:00, 9:30; Mon.Thu. 1:30, 4:10, 7:00, 9:30

EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT STARTS FRIDAY, MARCH 27

Woman in Gold (PG-13) 110 mins.

Tue. 7:15, 9:45; Wed.-Thu. 1:15, 4:15, 7:15, 9:45 The Wrecking Crew (PG) 95 mins.

Fri. 2:30, 5:00, 7:30, 9:55; Sat.-Sun. noon, 2:30, 5:00, 7:30, 9:55; Mon.-Thu. 2:30, 5:00, 7:30, 9:55

MAGPICTURES.COM/THEWRECKINGCREW

washingtoncitypaper.com march 27, 2015 51

SHOWTIMES (Continued) Times currenT as of 4 p.m. Wednesday Regal Gallery Place 707 7th St. NW (202) 393-2121 Cinderella (PG) 112 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 11:45, 12:50, 2:30, 4:00, 5:15, 7:05, 8:05, 10:55; Mon. 11:45, 12:50, 2:30, 4:00, 5:15, 8:05, 9:55, 10:55; Tue.-Wed. 11:45, 12:50, 2:30, 4:00, 5:15, 7:05, 8:05, 9:55, 10:55 The Divergent Series: Insurgent 3D (PG-13) 119 mins.

Fri. 12:40, 3:50, 6:50, 7:50, 9:50; Sat.-Mon. 12:40, 1:40, 3:50, 6:50, 7:50, 9:50; Tue. 12:40, 1:40, 3:50, 7:50, 9:50; Wed. 12:40, 1:40, 3:50, 6:50, 7:50, 9:50 The Divergent Series: Insurgent (PG-13) 119 mins.

Fri. 11:50, 2:50, 5:50, 8:45, 10:50, 11:30; Sat. 11:50, 2:50, 4:50, 5:50, 8:45, 10:50, 11:30; Sun.-Wed. 11:50, 2:50, 4:50, 5:50, 8:45, 10:50 Focus (R) 104 mins.

Fri.-Wed. 11:40, 2:20, 5:00, 7:45, 10:20 Furious 7 (PG-13) 137 mins.

Thu. 7:00, 7:30, 8:00, 8:30, 9:00, 9:30, 10:00, 10:30, 11:00 Get Hard (R) 100 mins.

Fri.-Sat. noon, 1:00, 1:50, 2:40, 3:40, 5:20, 6:20, 7:15, 8:00, 8:55, 9:45, 10:40, 11:20; Sun. noon, 1:00, 1:50, 2:40, 3:40, 5:20, 6:20, 7:15, 8:00, 8:55, 9:45, 10:40; Mon.-Wed. noon, 1:00, 2:40, 3:40, 5:20, 6:20, 8:00, 8:55, 10:40; Thu. noon, 2:40, 5:20, 8:00, 10:40 A Girl Like Her (PG-13) 93 mins.

Fri.-Wed. 11:35, 2:10, 4:40, 7:30, 10:10 The Gunman (R) 115 mins.

Fri.-Wed. 1:15, 4:10, 7:10, 10:15 Home (PG) 96 mins.

Fri. 12:30, 2:00, 3:00, 5:30, 8:15, 9:30, 10:45; Sat. 11:30, 12:30, 3:00, 5:30, 8:15, 9:30, 10:45; Sun.Mon. 12:30, 2:00, 3:00, 5:30, 8:15, 9:30, 10:45; Tue. 12:30, 2:00, 3:00, 5:30, 8:15, 10:00, 10:45; Wed. 12:30, 2:00, 3:00, 5:30, 8:15, 9:30, 10:45; Thu. 11:30, 4:30, 9:30 Home 3D (PG) 96 mins.

Fri. 11:30, 4:30, 7:00; Sat. 2:00, 4:30, 7:00; Sun.Wed. 11:30, 4:30, 7:00; Thu. 2:00, 7:00 Kingsman: The Secret Service (R) 129 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 12:20, 3:45, 6:55, 10:05; Sun. 12:35, 3:45, 6:55, 10:05; Mon.-Wed. 12:20, 3:45, 6:55, 10:05 Run All Night (R) 114 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 4:20, 10:00; Mon. 1:20, 4:20, 7:15, 10:00; Tue. 1:20, 4:20; Wed. 1:20, 4:20, 7:15, 10:00

MARYLAND

Royal Opera House: Der fliegende Hollander (NR) 140 mins.

Sun. 11:00

Home 3D (PG) 96 mins.

Fri. 11:30, 12:30, 2:00, 3:00, 4:30, 5:30, 6:00, 7:00, 8:05, 9:30, midnight; Sat. 11:30, 12:30, 2:00, 3:00, 4:30, 5:30, 7:00, 8:05, 9:30, midnight; Sun. 11:30, 12:30, 2:00, 3:00, 4:30, 5:30, 7:00, 8:05, 9:30; Mon.-Thu. 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, 9:30

Serena (R) 109 mins.

Fri. 2:00, 4:40, 7:20, 9:50; Sat.-Sun. 11:20, 2:00, 4:40, 7:20, 9:50; Mon.-Thu. 2:00, 4:40, 7:20, 9:50

Kingsman: The Secret Service (R) 129 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 4:20, 7:55, 11:05; Sun.-Thu. 4:20, 7:55, 11:00

Seymour: An Introduction (PG) 84 mins.

Fri. 1:50, 4:20, 7:00, 9:30; Sat.-Sun. 11:00, 1:50, 4:20, 7:00, 9:30; Mon.-Thu. 1:50, 4:20, 7:00, 9:30

Run All Night (R) 114 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 5:45, 11:00; Mon.-Thu. 1:15, 4:15, 7:10, 10:10

Still Alice (PG-13) 99 mins.

Fri. 2:10, 4:50, 7:30, 10:05; Sat.-Sun. 11:30, 2:10, 4:50, 7:30, 10:05; Mon.-Thu. 2:10, 4:50, 7:30, 10:05

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (PG) 93 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 11:15; Mon.-Wed. 1:25, 4:05, 6:40, 9:20; Thu. 1:25, 4:05, 6:40

What We Do in the Shadows (NR) 86 mins.

Fri. 2:20, 5:00, 7:50, 10:00; Sat. 11:40, 2:20, 5:00, 7:50, 10:00; Sun.-Thu. 2:20, 5:00, 7:50, 10:00 Wild Tales (Relatos salvajes) (R) 122 mins.

Fri. 1:20, 4:05, 6:55, 9:40; Sat.-Sun. 10:40, 1:20, 4:05, 6:55, 9:40; Mon.-Thu. 1:20, 4:05, 6:55, 9:40

Majestic 20 & IMAX 900 Ellsworth Drive, Silver Spring (301) 565-8884 American Sniper (R) 134 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 8:35; Mon.-Wed. 2:00, 5:15, 8:25; Thu. 2:00 Chappie (R) 120 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 10:45; Mon. 1:55; Tue.-Wed. 1:55, 4:45, 7:35, 10:40 Cinderella (PG) 112 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 10:55, 12:05, 12:15, 1:45, 2:50, 3:15, 4:35, 5:35, 7:20, 8:20, 10:25, 11:10; Sun. 12:05, 12:15, 1:45, 2:50, 3:15, 4:35, 5:35, 7:20, 8:20, 10:25; Mon.Thu. 12:05, 12:15, 1:45, 2:50, 3:15, 4:35, 5:35, 6:15, 7:20, 8:20, 9:15, 10:25 The Divergent Series: Insurgent 3D (PG-13) 119 mins.

Fri.-Thu. 12:10, 3:10, 6:10, 9:10 The Divergent Series: Insurgent An IMAX 3D Experience (PG-13) 119 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 10:00, 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00; Mon. 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00; Tue. 1:00; Wed. 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00; Thu. 1:00, 4:00 The Divergent Series: Insurgent (PG-13) 119 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 10:40, 11:40, 1:40, 2:40, 4:40, 5:40, 7:40, 8:40, 10:40, 11:40; Sun. 10:40, 1:40, 2:40, 4:40, 5:40, 7:40, 8:40, 10:40, 11:40; Mon.-Thu. 1:40, 2:40, 4:40, 5:40, 7:40, 8:40, 10:40 Do You Believe? (PG-13) 115 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 10:10, 1:15; Mon.-Thu. 1:15 Focus (R) 104 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 11:20, 2:05, 4:55, 7:50, 10:30; Mon.-Thu. 2:05, 4:55, 7:50, 10:30

Bethesda Row Cinema

Furious 7 (PG-13) 137 mins.

Thu. 7:10, 8:00, 8:30, 9:00, 9:30, 10:00, 10:20, 11:15, 11:45, midnight

7235 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda (301) 652-7273

Furious 7: The IMAX Experience (PG-13) 137 mins.

Thu. 7:00, 10:15

‘71 (R) 100 mins.

Fri. 1:15, 3:50, 6:40, 9:35; Sat. 10:55, 1:15, 3:50, 6:40, 9:35; Sun.-Tue. 1:15, 3:50, 6:40, 9:35; Wed. 1:15, 3:50, 6:40; Thu. 1:15, 3:50, 6:40, 9:35

Get Hard (R) 100 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 11:45, 12:15, 12:45, 1:50, 2:20, 3:05, 3:45, 4:50, 5:15, 6:15, 6:45, 7:35, 8:00, 8:30, 9:05, 9:35, 10:15, 10:50, 11:45; Sun. 11:45, 12:15, 12:45, 1:50, 2:20, 3:05, 3:45, 4:50, 5:15, 6:15, 6:45, 7:35, 8:00, 8:30, 9:05, 9:35, 10:15, 10:50; Mon.-Wed. 12:45, 2:20, 3:45, 5:15, 6:45, 8:00, 9:35, 10:50; Thu. 12:45, 2:20, 3:45, 5:15, 6:45

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (NR) 115 mins.

Wed. 7:00, 9:30 Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem (NR) 115 mins.

Fri. 1:40, 4:30, 7:15, 9:55; Sat.-Sun. 11:05, 1:40, 4:30, 7:15, 9:55; Mon.-Tue. 1:40, 4:30, 7:15, 9:55; Wed. 1:40, 4:30, 9:55; Thu. 1:40, 4:30, 7:15, 9:55 The Imitation Game (PG-13) 114 mins.

Fri. 1:30, 4:15, 7:10, 9:45; Sat.-Sun. 10:50, 1:30, 4:15, 7:10, 9:45; Mon.-Thu. 1:30, 4:15, 7:10, 9:45

Home (PG) 96 mins.

Fri. 10:30, 11:00, noon, 1:00, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30, 4:00, 5:00, 6:30, 7:30, 9:00, 10:00, 11:30; Sat. 10:30, 11:00, noon, 1:00, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30, 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, 6:30, 7:30, 9:00, 10:00, 11:30; Sun. 10:30, 11:00, 11:40, 1:00, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30, 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, 6:30, 7:30, 9:00, 10:00; Mon.-Wed. noon, 1:30, 2:30, 4:00, 5:00, 6:30, 7:30, 9:00, 10:00; Thu. noon, 1:30, 2:30, 4:00, 5:00, 6:30, 7:30, 10:00

A Girl Like Her (PG-13) 93 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 11:50, 2:25, 5:05, 7:25, 9:50; Mon.-Thu. noon, 2:25, 5:05, 7:25, 9:50 The Gunman (R) 115 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 10:20, 1:55, 4:45, 7:45, 10:35; Mon.-Thu. 1:55, 4:45, 7:45, 10:35

52 march 27, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

Regal Bethesda 7272 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda (301) 718-4323 Cinderella (PG) 112 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 12:40, 1:30, 3:50, 4:30, 7:40, 10:25; Mon.Wed. 12:55, 1:30, 3:50, 4:30, 6:40, 7:40 The Divergent Series: Insurgent 3D (PG-13) 119 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 1:00, 4:00, 6:50, 9:50, 10:20; Mon.-Wed. 1:00, 4:00, 6:50 The Divergent Series: Insurgent (PG-13) 119 mins.

Fri.-Wed. 2:00, 4:50, 7:45

Get Hard (R) 100 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 11:30, 12:30, 2:00, 3:00, 4:30, 5:30, 7:00, 8:00, 9:30, 10:30 Run All Night (R) 114 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 10:45, 1:40, 4:20, 7:10, 10:00Home (PG) 96 mins.

Fri. 9:00, 9:35, 11:00, noon, 1:30, 2:30, 4:15, 5:00, 6:40, 7:20, 9:00, 9:50, 11:30, 12:10; Sat. 9:15, 10:00, 11:10, noon, 1:30, 2:30, 4:15, 5:00, 6:40, 7:20, 9:00, 9:50, 11:30, 12:10; Sun.-Mon. 9:00, 9:35, 11:00, noon, 1:30, 2:30, 4:15, 5:00, 6:40, 7:20, 9:00, 9:50; Tue. 9:35, 11:00, noon, 1:30, 2:30, 4:15, 5:00, 6:40, 7:20, 9:00, 9:50; Wed. 9:00, 9:35, 11:00, noon, 1:30, 2:30, 4:15, 5:00, 6:40, 7:20, 9:00, 9:50; Thu. 9:35, 11:00, noon, 1:30, 2:30, 4:15, 5:00, 6:40, 7:20, 9:00, 9:50 Home 3D (PG) 96 mins.

Fri. 10:10, 12:50, 3:20, 6:00, 8:20, 10:40; Sat. 10:30, 12:50, 3:20, 6:00, 8:20, 10:40; Sun.-Thu. 10:10, 12:50, 3:20, 5:50, 8:20, 10:40 Kingsman: The Secret Service (R) 129 mins.

Fri. 10:35, 1:40, 4:50, 7:50, 10:45, 1:00; Sat. 10:40, 1:40, 4:50, 7:50, 10:45, 1:00; Sun.-Wed. 10:35, 1:40, 4:50, 7:50, 10:45; Thu. 10:35, 1:40, 4:50 Nfinity Champions League 2 (NR) 150 mins.

Thu. 7:00 Run All Night (R) 114 mins.

Fri. 1:35, 4:40, 7:25, 10:05, 12:45; Sat. 10:55, 1:55, 4:40, 7:25, 10:05, 12:40; Sun.-Tue. 11:10, 1:55, 4:40, 7:25, 10:05; Wed. 11:10, 1:55, 4:40, 9:40; Thu. 9:15, 12:05, 2:50 The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (PG) 122 mins.

Fri. 10:00, 1:10, 4:05; Sat. 10:10, 1:10, 4:05; Sun.Thu. 10:00, 1:10, 4:05

Ballston Common 671 N. Glebe Road, Arlington (703) 527-9466

Furious 7 (PG-13) 137 mins.

Thu. 7:15, 8:00, 9:30, 10:00

The Breakfast Club 30th Anniversary (R) 130 mins.

Tue. 7:30

Get Hard (R) 100 mins.

Fri.-Sun. noon, 2:30, 5:00, 7:30, 8:15, 10:10, 10:30; Mon.-Wed. 2:10, 5:00, 7:30

Cinderella (PG) 112 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 12:40, 1:30, 2:10, 3:30, 4:10, 4:50, 6:50, 7:30, 9:30, 10:30; Sun.-Wed. 12:40, 1:30, 2:10, 3:30, 4:10, 4:50, 6:50, 7:30; Thu. 12:40, 1:30, 2:10, 3:30, 4:10, 4:50, 6:50, 9:30

The Gunman (R) 115 mins.

Fri. 1:50, 4:40, 7:50, 10:35; Sat. 1:50, 7:50, 10:35; Sun. 1:50, 4:40, 7:50, 10:35; Mon.-Wed. 1:50, 4:40, 7:50 Home (PG) 96 mins.

Fri. 11:40, 12:20, 1:40, 4:20, 7:00, 8:00, 9:30; Sat. 11:40, 12:20, 1:40, 4:20, 4:30, 7:00, 8:00, 9:30; Sun. 11:40, 12:20, 1:40, 4:20, 7:00, 8:00, 9:30; Mon.Wed. 1:40, 4:20, 7:00, 8:00 Home 3D (PG) 96 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 2:45, 5:10; Mon.-Wed. 2:30, 5:10 Kingsman: The Secret Service (R) 129 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 12:30, 3:40, 7:20, 10:15; Mon.-Wed. 12:45, 3:40, 7:20 The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (PG) 122 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 1:20, 4:10, 7:10, 10:00; Mon.-Wed. 1:20, 4:10, 7:10

VIRGINIA AMC Courthouse 2150 Claredon Blvd., Arlington (703) 998-4262 American Sniper (R) 134 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 12:40, 4:15, 7:30, 10:40 Chappie (R) 120 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 10:20, 4:00, 10:15 The Divergent Series: Insurgent 3D (PG-13) 119 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 10:15, noon, 1:00, 2:45, 3:45, 5:45, 6:45, 8:45, 9:45 The Divergent Series: Insurgent (PG-13) 119 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 11:00, 1:45, 4:45, 7:45, 10:45 Fifty Shades of Grey (R) 125 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 1:15, 7:15

Classic Music Series: Led Zeppelin (NR) 90 mins.

Mon. 7:30 Focus (R) 104 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 1:50, 4:30, 7:20, 10:00; Sun.-Wed. 1:50, 4:30, 7:20; Thu. 1:50, 4:30 Furious 7 (PG-13) 137 mins.

Thu. 7:00, 7:30, 8:00, 8:30, 9:00, 9:30, 10:10, 10:40, 11:10, 11:40 The Gunman (R) 115 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 2:00, 5:00, 7:50, 10:40; Sun.-Wed. 2:00, 5:00, 7:50; Thu. 2:00, 5:00, 7:50, 10:40 Home (PG) 96 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 1:00, 2:20, 3:20, 4:40, 5:40, 7:00, 8:00, 9:20, 10:20; Sun.-Wed. 1:00, 2:20, 3:20, 4:40, 5:40, 7:00, 8:00; Thu. 1:00, 2:20, 3:20, 4:40, 7:00, 9:20, 10:20 Home 3D (PG) 96 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 1:40, 4:00, 6:20, 8:40, 11:00; Sun.-Wed. 1:40, 4:00, 6:20; Thu. 1:40, 4:00, 8:40, 11:00 It Follows (R) 97 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 1:10, 4:20, 7:40, 10:50; Sun.-Wed. 1:10, 4:20, 7:40; Thu. 1:10, 4:20, 7:40, 10:50 Kingsman: The Secret Service (R) 129 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 12:50, 3:50, 6:10, 7:10, 9:10, 10:10; Sun. 12:50, 3:50, 6:10, 7:10; Mon.-Tue. 12:50, 3:50, 7:10; Wed. 12:50, 3:50, 6:10, 7:10; Thu. 12:50, 3:50 Nfinity Champions League 2 (NR) 150 mins.

Thu. 7:00 The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (PG) 122 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 12:30, 3:10, 6:00, 9:00; Sun.-Wed. 12:30, 3:10, 6:00; Thu. 12:30, 3:10 The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (PG) 93 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 1:20, 3:40, 6:30, 8:50; Sun.-Thu. 1:20, 3:40, 6:30