Washington City Paper (April 3, 2015) by Washington City Paper

CITYPAPER Washington

fooD: chefs get spring fever 25

politics: D.c. police’s Data Disaster 10

Free Volume 35, no. 14 WashingtonCityPaPer.Com aPril 3–9, 2015

A Long WAy From

Home

This winter was supposed to be different for D.C.’s homeless families. What went wrong?14 By Aaron Wiener

PhoTograPhs by DarroW MonTgoMery

2 april 3, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

INSIDE 14 a long way from home

This winter was supposed to be different for D.C.’s homeless families. What went wrong? By aaron wiener PhotograPhs By darrow montgomery

4 chatter District line

7 Distance Education: Long school commutes are hurting kids and parents 9 City Desk: How to get pothole justice 10 Loose Lips: The fallout from an MPD database screwup 12 Gear Prudence 13 Savage Love 23 Buy D.C.

D.c. feeD

25 Young & Hungry: The springtime farms race 30 Grazer: RAMMYS, by the numbers 30 Brew in Town: Tröegs Cultivator Helles Bock 30 Are You Gonna Eat That? Foieffogato at BLT Steak

arts

33 Unshaken Identity: Buh bye, pseudonym; hello, Lena Dunham blurb. 35 Arts Desk: D.C. theater cries Uncle. 35 One Track Mind: Waltz Brigade’s lovely, layered indie-folk 36 Theater: Lapin on Man of La Mancha and G-d’s Honest Truth 37 Curtain Calls: Klimek on Soon 38 Short Subjects: Gittell on While We’re Young and Olszewski on

Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles 39 Speed Reads: Ottenberg on All the President’s Menus

city list

41 City Lights: Raury brings ATL sounds to D.C. 47 Books 48 Galleries 49 Theater 51 Film

52 showtimes 53 classifieDs Diversions 54 Dirt Farm 55 Crossword

on the cover

Jeneil Lean and her daughter Photograph by Darrow Montgomery

“ ”

Now I’ve just got to wIN the softshell crab race. —Page 25

washingtoncitypaper.com april 3, 2015 3

CHATTER Who Arted?

AgAin At the end of the week we find ourselves thinking, god bless

in which one reader battles a city paper writer over art theory, and the rest of us look on, bemused.

TS E K C I T R ! GET YOIULE THEY LAS! T H ITY /events C A P NOW W A C LIMITEDshingtoncitypaper.com

a wild bunch of kids, but we knew enough of his reputation to kind of shut up as we walked by his front door: who knew what genius was happening behind that door....he had a mystique and we were reverent. Honestly, though, I never really knew anything about him...just that he was supposed to be important. Thank you, WCP, for this article and for shedding some light.” Leroy Payton wrote to share fond memories of being a student of Gilliam’s while at McKinley Technology Education Campus in Eckington: “It was so full of energy, vibrant, motivation and creativity. I will always be proud to have known and briefly studied under Mr. Gilliam.”

F O T S E B ETE! F . C D. go to wa

kets, our comments section. Where else can readTo buy tic ers weigh in on arcane questions of art theory, then actually get a response from the author? Reader Ryan McCourt took issue with the use of the term “zomJail Fail. One person who read last week’s bie formalism” in a quote in Kriston Capps’ cover story (“Return to SplenLoose Lips column (“Jailhouse Block”) dor,” March 27) on D.C. artist Sam was convinced that the District’s mayGilliam. In you case you skimmed over or and members of its Council are up to that part, art critic Walter Robinson no good in their handling of a controversaid he coined that phrase to describe sial D.C. Jail health-care contract. Why? ! 15 0 2 . .C est of D the bringing back to life of the discardBecause local politicians are themselves Paper’s B rs in City e n in W 0 0 ed aesthetics of Clement Greenberg. convinced they’ll end up behind bars and 3 r e v o g n Celebrati “Every time I see this nonsense repeatwant to make it a comfortable destination. ed, it looks more ridiculous than the last,” In response to a commenter’s question about wrote McCourt. “Greenberg’s ‘aesthetics’ Mayor Muriel Bowser’s motivation to advance the contract, the aptly-pseudonymed were never in need of resuscitation, and have Dancin’ to the Jailhouse Rock wrote, “Counnever been ‘discarded’ by any serious percil’s motivation is clear, considering how many of son in the art world. All of the artists he chamthem wind up at the Greybar Hotel. They want the pioned are still revered, still ‘blue-chip’... people e s a re ill inc best digs possible should they end up indoors for an who never understood Greenberg cannot be said to Prices w h 24th rc a M extended stay.” This theory falls apart, however, when have discarded something they never grasped in the fist om itypaper.c one considers that the main objection to the contract cenplace.” This quibble over terminology would have probshingtonc www.wa ters around Corizon’s alleged mistreatment of inmates. Betably passed without response or comment on most other sites, —Emily Q. Hazzard ter luck next time. but this is Washington City Paper you’re reading. We’re not most Gilliam’s work. I would not refuse to discuss an idea because I sites. Capps chimed in, and it started to look like we had a real Department of Corrections. Last week’s LL column condisagreed with some part of it. Your complaint is with Walter gentleman’s quarrel on our hands: “This is a silly comment.” tained a math error. There are currently 11 D.C. councilmem[Editor’s note: This is the art-writing equivalent of a roundhouse Robinson and the many people who consider his coinage usebers and one mayor, which is a total of 12, not 13, people. ful and influential. Not with me.” Let’s move on to those readkick to the face.] “Whether or not you agree with Walter Robers who remembered Gilliam’s influence on a more personinson’s assessment of Clem Greenberg’s has absolutely no bearWant to see your name in bold on this page? Send letters, gripes, al level. targetaldaniels reminisced: “My friends were artists ing on how I should use the quote. The notion of ‘zombie forwho rented space in Mr. Gilliam’s building in 1991. We were clarification, or praise to mail@washingtoncitypaper.com. malism’ came up as an important concern in discussing Sam

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DISTRICTLINE

pop

goes the pop-up:

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Distance Education

As D.C.’s school options improve, commutes are becoming more of a headache for families. Last week, thousands of D.C. families received the results of the MySchoolDC lottery, learning—after weeks of anxious anticipation—what their morning and afternoon commutes will look like next year. Transportation may not be the number one issue on parents’ minds as they make their choices— but perhaps it should be. Back in 1969, 48 percent of U.S. kids aged 5 to 14 usually got to school on their own steam—walking or riding a bike. These days, it’s more like 13 percent. Kids who get fresh air and exercise on their way to school arrive more ready to learn. Physical activity has been shown to improve attention span, classroom behavior, and academic achievement. Jennifer Hefferan, who runs the D.C. Department of Transportation’s Safe Routes to School program—the local chapter of a national effort to encourage active transportation— says when she started the job, the evidence of the benefits of physical activity was merely anecdotal. “You’d hear principals saying, ‘I love Walk to School Day because I don’t see kids in my principal’s office,’” she says. “Now there’s actual research supporting that.” Spanish researchers found that a walk to school of more than 15 minutes improved cognitive function, especially in girls. They noted that the plasticity of the brain during adolescence makes it an especially important time to stimulate cognitive function. Walking and biking can also help stem the childhood obesity epidemic and reduce the incidence of diabetes. The benefits don’t just accrue to kids, either. Nationally, 10 to 14 percent of morning rush hour traffic is attributable to school drop-offs, making everyone’s morning commute more hectic. Double-parking, chaotic merging, sudden U-turns, and blocked crosswalks outside of schools create hazardous conditions (and further discourage parents from letting their kids walk). Few District schools have parking facilities available for parents doing dropoff and pickup. Plus, any family that finds itself criss-crossing the city every morning and evening knows

Darrow Montgomery/File

By Tanya Snyder

Walking Blues: Most elementary-age kids live within walking distance to their in-boundary school, but many attend class elsewhere. how grueling travel routines eat up valuable hours of family time. “[My husband] Danny and I, every night, have to think about the next day,” says Alys Willman, whose two sons go to the Latin American Montessori Bilingual Public Charter School—but on two different campuses. “We have two kids who get out of school within 15 minutes of each other on opposite sides of the city, and they both have activities that they need to do, and everybody has to get home by 6. “And I’m usually sitting in a meeting in my office, texting different people just keeping track of where they are, making sure they got to where they’re supposed to go and that the bike attachment is where it needs to be and that the car is where it needs to be,” says Willman, who lives in Petworth and works downtown. “It’s a lot of mental energy.” Last spring, city leaders rejected a proposal to implement a citywide high school lottery without geographic preference. But that’s still the way it works for the 44 percent of the District’s schoolkids who attend charter schools, which are forbidden from expressing any preference for children who live nearby. (Charter school enrollment is around six percent nationally.)

A 2014 study by the 21st Century School Fund, a local nonprofit that works to improve D.C. public school facilities, found that although the vast majority of D.C. elementary school students lived within about a halfmile of a DCPS elementary school during the 2012-13 school year, these students traveled an average of about a mile to school every day. Only about 25 percent of D.C. students go to their in-boundary school. A mile is a long walk for a young child, but it might be doable for older kids. Unfortunately, the average distance grows to about a mile and a half for DCPS middle school students, while high schoolers commute on average more than two miles. Charter school students travel even farther. Most schools require the youngest kids to be accompanied to their classroom in the morning by a responsible adult, and the recent investigation of a Silver Spring couple for child neglect has everyone on guard about the oncenormal practice of having older kids accompany younger ones. That means that parents who want their kids to walk to school have to fit that walk into their own morning routine, before getting themselves to work on time.

For many, it’s more than they can manage. The constant shuffle of charter school sites makes transportation even more challenging. Last summer, Shining Stars announced a move from 13th Street and Florida Avenue NW to Petworth, then to Wisconsin Avenue when that deal fell apart, and then finally to a Metro-inaccessible location near the Maryland border. And last month, just days before the lottery application was due, D.C. Bilingual Public Charter School announced it was moving from Columbia Heights to Fort Totten. Many charter schools that incubated in dense and transit-rich corners of Northwest D.C. have found permanent homes in less-populated areas, often in Northeast, leaving parents to figure out new, complicated commute patterns. The Center for Inspired Teaching still lists its address as 1436 U St. NW on the front page of its website, though it moved in the fall to 200 Douglas St. NE. That’s also when Mundo Verde moved from the heart of Columbia Heights to North Capitol and P streets and LAMB opened its new location four miles from its Missouri Avenue NW campus, which remains open. Willman biked her older son to the Missouri Avenue campus all winter last year, even through polar vortices, as long as the sidewalks weren’t too icy. But not now that he’s on the other campus. “It got complicated when they moved him across the city and there was no safe way to bike there,” she says. “We would bike him to school over there if there was a safe route.” Willman and her husband bought their house in Petworth to be close to LAMB, thinking that since the school owned the building on Missouri Avenue, it would never move. It’s not just out of environmental do-gooderism that she’d rather bike than drive. “It’s just much more pleasant,” Willman says. “There’s something about when we’d get in the car, and they’d get in the backseat, they would start fighting. They’d argue about what music we were going to play on the radio. There was a different dynamic in this enclosed space than if they were out there with their hair blowing in the wind.”

washingtoncitypaper.com april 3, 2015 7

DISTRICTLINE Attending a school far from home brings other consequences. Parents note that it’s harder to arrange playdates with school friends who live scattered across the city. That can mean that extracurricular activities also require traveling distances too long to walk or bike. The competition for school sites can be so intense that charters sometimes move into locations that aren’t ready for an influx of young kids walking there every day. “When DC Prep moved in [to its Edgewood campus], there weren’t any sidewalks,” DDOT’s Hefferan says. “We program our sidewalk funding multiple years in advance. They moved in and said, ‘OK, where are our sidewalks?’ We got them their sidewalks in record time, but that still left a few school years when they weren’t there.” The District’s lack of school busing exacerbates the problem. DCPS only provides buses for students with special needs. A very small handful of charter schools provide some limited shuttles, but the nature of those schools’ citywide enrollment makes a comprehensive transportation system impossible. Subsidized WMATA passes for students take up some of the slack, but before sixth or seventh grade, few

8 april 3, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

parents are willing to let their kids ride transit alone. All D.C. schoolkids—public, charter, and private—are eligible for free bus trips and sharply reduced Metrorail fares. But on any given day only about 15,000 take advantage of it, out of more than 86,000 eligible students. The solution is not to shut down school choice. The blossoming of the charter school system, along with the improvement of many DCPS schools, has encouraged more people with options to stay in the District even after they have kids. A narrowing of choices could mean more of these families flee to the suburbs, and that just means more driving and less walking for everyone. Besides, at this time of year, Maryland and Virginia families with young kids start thinking about moving back to the District for the free full-day pre-K, which isn’t available in those states. The city’s pre-K lottery, which announced its round one results on March 27, creates its own set of headaches for parents hoping for a humane commute. Even parents who want to send their three- and four-year-old kids to their in-boundary DCPS school have to play the lottery. And public schools with popular

early childhood programs—like Maury Elementary in Capitol Hill, Stoddert in Glover Park, or Janney in Tenleytown—routinely end up unable to satisfy all the demand for seats, even within their boundaries. One little-known gem buried in former Mayor Vince Gray’s school boundary plan is a provision ensuring matter-of-right admission to in-boundary schools for pre-K in areas of higher poverty; 85 of the city’s 111 public schools meet the criteria. But while the physical boundary changes will take effect citywide in the fall (with Mayor Muriel Bowser’s “tweaks”) the pre-K provision will only be tested in five schools. Once they hit kindergarten, kids do have a right to attend their in-boundary schools. But if they’re happy and thriving where they are, parents are often reluctant to pull them out. Guaranteeing pre-K admissions beyond the pilot to all eligible schools in the city would be, above all, a signature social-justice achievement. After all, in most parts of the country, universal, full-day preschool is just a pipe dream, but it could become a reality for the D.C.’s neighborhoods most in need. As a

bonus, enacting that part of Gray’s proposal would also affirm a commitment to enrolling neighborhood kids in neighborhood schools and facilitate shorter, healthier commutes. When enrolling in a neighborhood school isn’t possible—and even when it is—parents can organize “bike trains” and “walking school buses” where distances are reasonable, allowing kids to walk or bike to school with supervision while freeing parents from having to do the commute with their kids every day. Charters could help create walkable commutes—and even facilitate the creation of school shuttles—by giving nearby students preference. That’s likely to be an unpopular proposal, though: The unlinking of geography and academic destiny is one of the selling points of charters’ citywide admissions. Education is complicated, and transportation isn’t most families’ primary concern when evaluating the system. But where unintended consequences have sprung up, like diminishing physical activity for kids and logistical hassles for parents, perhaps it’s time to recruit the schools themselves to become part CP of the solution.

DISTRICTLINE City Desk

Tomorrow’s history today: This was the week D.C. residents stood in line to collect free marijuana seeds

Fill Up Last week, the city declared war on blemished streets as it kicked off its Potholepalooza blitz for a sixth time. This spring, the District Department of Transportation is once again promising to fill potholes reported to the agency or 311 within 48 hours. (DDOT filled potholes in under two days about 50 percent of the time in fiscal year 2014.) But if your vehicle has already been the victim of pothole-related damage on the streets of D.C., take notice—you could be entitled to compensation through the Office of Risk Management. It’s a detailed process, but it’s worth knowing about as we slog through the early-spring pothole season. Here are the four steps to take if D.C.’s pockmarked streets have done a number on your ride. —James Constant

Courtesy DDOT

Make sure you have all necessary documents: police reports, documents showing ownership of the damaged vehicle at the time, mechanic’s estimates for the repairs, receipts for the repairs, and photos of the damaged vehicle.

2. 3. 1200 BLOCK OF BLOCK OF GOOD HOPE ROAD SE, mARCH 28. BY DARROW mONTGOmERY

Fill out the 3-page “Vehicular Property Damage” form, which can be found at orm.dc.gov. Mail copies of all the documents to this address: Office of Risk Management, Attn: Claims, 441 4th St. NW, Suite 800 South, Washington, D.C. 20001 Wait for a response from the city. If your claim is successful, they’ll notify you within 30 days and begin negotiations for a settlement on your damages. If your claim is denied, you can still file a civil action in D.C. Superior Court. washingtoncitypaper.com april 3, 2015 9

DISTRICTLINE

All-boys school gets OK from Ag:

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/go/boysschool

Loose Lips

Hey, Data Data

MpD’s botched database could have affected dozens of criminal cases It should have been a straightforward drunk driving case. The Jan. 21 trial should have been like one of the hundreds of other DUI cases the District’s Office of the Attorney General handles each year. But when the arresting officer took the stand, things started going wrong. In describing how he pulled over the driver, the cop started discussing details that had never been shared with the OAG. Worse, that meant they’d never been shared with the defense, either. That’s how the District found out it had a problem with I/LEADS, the Metropolitan Police Department’s arrest database that has been causing major headaches for District government lawyers. It’s designed to capture information about arrests that can then fulfill discovery obligations to defense lawyers. But according to both Attorney General Karl Racine and U.S. Attorney Ron Machen, I/LEADS has failed to export all the information about some cases. The system has been in place since 2012, which means nearly three years’ worth of cases have to be reviewed. Now both the District and the feds are struggling to determine how many cases could have been affected by the database’s flaws. The failures may have already impacted dozens of city cases, according to Racine, who compares the city’s case review to the epic 2011 slog over botched breathalyzer results. Just who’s to blame for the I/LEADS flop isn’t clear. In an interview with the Washington Post, MPD Assistant Chief Peter Newsham blamed the U.S. Attorney’s Office for not vetting I/LEADS data closely enough, while a March 16 letter sent by Machen to defense attorneys places the blame on MPD. (MPD spokeswoman Gwendolyn Crump referred questions about I/LEADS to prosecutors). Either way, the case has sent government lawyers scrambling to share potentially missed I/LEADS information with defense attorneys. First up: cases that are headed to trial soon. Racine says there’s a

chance that as many as 14,000 cases were affected, while Machen’s office says their federal workload is even heavier. I/LEADS is already having an impact in court, but not the kind its designers probably hoped for. Machen spokesman Bill Miller says no cases from his office have been dropped or overturned yet because of the missing data, and a review of cases ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan turned up no problems in his court. But a rough estimate from Racine puts the number of cases that have been dropped because of I/LEADS at more than a “handful,” less than a hundred, and somewhere around “dozens.” Racine admits, however, the casRacine Against Time: Nearly three years’ worth of cases have to be reviewed. es could have been dropped for other problems, too. “It’s unlikely that we’re talking about problems in the former Ward 5 councilmember, took in an email that Bowser’s administration is a plea last year for her role in funneling doing a “top to bottom” review on how it the thousands at all,” he says. To handle the load, OAG has hired defense more than $100,000 at Thomas’ request. makes appointments. This ain’t exactly Sulaimon Brown, attorney Habib Ilahi as a special counsel for The money, meant to go to drug prevenI/LEADS and forensics lab reviews. MPD tion for young people, went to the decid- or even the nepotism that swept the Wilhas also created a direct link to I/LEADS edly not youthful crowd at a 2009 inaugu- son Building after Vince Gray took over for OAG employees, so they can finally make ral ball. (A video of Del. Eleanor Holmes four years ago. And LL knows the mayor is sure they’re getting everything they need to Norton dancing to go-go hit “Da Butt” fig- all about “top to bottom” reviews. But how ured prominently in the case.) much of a review do you need to not hire out of the system. Somehow, a history of pillaging the city someone who stole city money? “It is a massive, massive job,” says OAG treasury didn’t stop Webster from getting a Heads hadn’t finished rolling down Pennspokesman Robert Marus. job in the Bowser administration. Webster re- sylvania Ave. NW just yet: Two days afStaffed in the Back turned to the District government as the di- ter Webster got the boot, LL confirmed that rector of operations for Serve D.C., Bowser’s Bowser Office of Veterans Affairs Director Is anyone left in the Executive Office of office on volunteerism. After LL started ask- Hugh L. Elmore is out of a job, too. the Mayor? Last week saw two Bowser ing around the mayor’s office if they had reAgain, Czin declined to comment on a perofficials head for the exits under myste- ally hired a noted crook, Webster found her- sonnel matter, while LL couldn’t reach Elmore. rious circumstances. There are some theories in city hall circles on self out of a job. First on the chopping block: Ayawna Bowser spokesman Michael Czin why Elmore is out less than three months into Chase Webster, who LL readers with a wouldn’t comment on what led to Webster’s a new administration. For now, though, there’s CP long memory will recognize as a former cro- exit. For her part, curiously, Webster insists only one big question: who’s next? ny to sticky-fingered ex-Councilmember that she never worked at Serve D.C. But Harry Thomas Jr. LL has an idea on why she got the boot—or Got a tip for LL? Send suggestions to lips@washWebster, the one-time chief of staff for rather, more than 100,000 ideas. Czin wrote ingtoncitypaper.com. Or call (202) 650-6925.

10 april 3, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

Darrow Montgomery/File

By Will Sommer

washingtoncitypaper.com april 3, 2015 11

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Tues, 4/7 at 6:30pm The Bullet Mary Louise Kelly Wed, 4/8 at 6:30pm When Paris Went Dark Ronald C. Rosbottom Thurs, 4/9 at 6:30pm The Royal We Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan Mon, 4/13 at 8:00pm An Evening of Humorous Readings Wed, 4/15 at 6:30pm The Art of Travel Four writers share their tips for trips. 1517 CONNECTICUT AVE. NW 202.387.1400 // KRAMERS.COM 12 april 3, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

Gear Prudence: This spring, when the weather gets warmer, I’m going to start commuting by bike. But I also said that last year and the year before that, and then I didn’t. My intentions are good—I ride on Bike to Work Day!—but I just can’t get myself to become a regular, consistent bike commuter. Do you have any suggestions? —Has Aspirations, But Irregularly Tries Dear HABIT: I suspect you have the basics of bike commuting covered: You have a bike and a job. And it also sounds like you have relatively positive feelings about your ability to get to work on a bike and some, albeit intermittent, experience doing so. But what you lack, and what it seems you seek, is the wherewithal to turn a one-day lark into an everyday occurrence. There’s a simple answer and more complicated answer. The simple answer goes like this: Freeze your SmarTrip card in a block of ice, throw your car keys into an aquarium tank full of piranhas, and delete the Uber app from your phone—then smash your phone Gallagher-style with an oversized mallet. Then ride your bike to work one day and then the next day and then the day after that and all other days following. By eliminating the choice of ever diverging from your bike commuting ways, you’ll have established a pattern of action and be quite committed to it, as you will have no alternatives. But this sounds more like a prison sentence than an avocation, and while Stockholm Syndrome may eventually lead to your loving to ride your bike to work, holding yourself hostage sounds far from healthy. But there’s a simpler way: Commute by bike when you feel like it. If you can make it work for you sometimes with positive results, you’ll find yourself making it work for you more often. And that’s where the riding habit comes from. In the beginning, prospective bike commuters tend to overthink things. What specialized bike commuting gear do I need? What’s the best route? Do I need a new bike? While there are certainly things you can do (and buy) that can make commuting by bicycle easier and more convenient, having more things isn’t the pathway to forming a habit. If you bike out of buyer’s remorse, or treat bike commuting as an exotic foray rather than just a way you get to work, it’s never going to become a regular thing. In short, ride when you feel good about riding and feel good about riding when you ride. If bike commuting can be integrated into your everyday life, even better. But don’t feel bad if you don’t turn your life upside-down just to ride a bike to —GP work everyday. That would be silly. Gear Prudence is Brian McEntee, who tweets @sharrowsDC. Got a question about bicycling? Email gearprudence@washcp.com.

SAVAGELOVE I think my husband is addicted to porn. I find porn in his browser history almost every single day. He says I’m the only one he wants, but I find that hard to believe knowing he watches nonstop porn before fucking me. He also parties every time he goes on a business trip. Needless to say, I also suspect he cheats. He says he would never cheat on me because he “doesn’t need to.” But what does that mean? I think he is a liar. Every time I even try to bring anything up with him, it is flung back in my face because I cheated on him. He has the ultimate trump card. In his eyes, he can do no wrong because it will never be as bad as me having slept with someone else early in our relationship. Anyway, my question is mostly related to porn: Why does he watch it? I feel as though I am not enough. I am 29 and attractive. What should I do? —Wife Is Feeling Entirely Yucky You should stop looking at your husband’s browser history. I have no way of knowing exactly what your husband means by “doesn’t need to [cheat],” WIFEY, but here’s the best-case scenario: You’re his only sex partner, he’s totally into you, but like all humans—including wife humans—he’s wired to desire a little variety and some novelty. No one is “enough” for anyone, and anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar. Which is not to say that everyone cheats (because not everyone does) or that cheating is okay (because it rarely is), but cheating is common enough that forgiving an isolated infidelity (or two) should be our default setting, not immediately lawyering up and filing for divorce. (And truly forgiving someone for cheating means not flinging it in her face during subsequent disputes.) Back to the best-case scenario: Your husband wants to have sex with other people (and so do you) but he doesn’t (and neither do you). Instead of cheating, WIFEY, your husband scratches that variety itch with porn. He pops into his favorite sites once or twice day, just like millions of other people, but he’s not cheating on you. (Unless you define view-

Sounds weird, I know, but it gets me so hot that sometimes I have to leave the room to masturbate! ing porn as cheating—in which case, good luck finding a man who won’t cheat on you.) I would advise you, again, to stop scouring his browser history for evidence of what you already know to be true—your husband is attracted to other people and sometimes looks at porn—and make up your mind to enjoy the effect porn has on your husband, i.e., it revs him up and stokes his desire for you. Now here’s the worst-case scenario: Your husband is cheating on you, perhaps during those business trips, and “doesn’t need to [cheat]” was an insincere blandishment. But absent some other compelling evidence of cheating—incriminating text messages, mysterious credit-card charges, brand-new STDs—you’re just going to have to take —Dan Savage him at his word. I have a question about the price of admission. I am a male in an eight-year het relationship. The sex is unquestionably amazing. The thing is, my

girlfriend made it clear at the beginning of our relationship that blowjobs were not gonna happen often. She’s done it a few times over the years, but I could see her heart wasn’t really in it. I love going down on her, but she only tolerates it on the way to penetrative sex. She says this is not open for debate, but I would like to talk about why she doesn’t like it. She’s said I don’t have an unattractive penis or anything like that, but the conversation quickly devolves into: “If you wanted blowjobs, you should’ve picked someone else.” I feel like we’re missing out on something—passionate and mutual oral sex—that could be great. —Wanting Into Some Head Pick someone else, WISH, but only if getting oral back in your life is more important to you than having this particular girlfriend in your life. She was up-front about her disinterest in oral sex—maybe she had early and unpleasant/traumatic experiences with oral, maybe she tried it and doesn’t like it—and just getting her to talk about it is unlikely to result in long sessions of passionate and mutual oral sex. If you can’t see yourself going without oral for the rest of your life, WISH, either get permission from this girlfriend to get oral elsewhere —Dan or get yourself a new girlfriend. I’m 31 and have been with my husband for eight years, married last year, everything’s great— sex life included. But I have started a flirtation with a guy who lives next door. He can see into our kitchen, and I caught him watching me one day, and this was a huge turn-on for me. Now I wear sexy clothes when I’m home alone, and we stare at each other longingly. Sounds weird, I know, but it gets me so hot that sometimes I have to leave the room to masturbate! If anything, this has improved my sex life with my husband, as I feel sexier than ever. But my real worry is this: Am I being unfaithful? I’m really guilt-tripping myself about it. But then I think, what am I doing wrong? I’ve never even spoken to the “other man,” I’m in my own home, and I don’t intend to sleep with the neighbor. Is it possible to enjoy this flirtation in a way that I don’t feel like I’m

betraying my husband? Do you think what I’m doing is risky? —Wondering If Next-Door Observer Wounds Spouse Let’s say you went to the beach to lie out because you get a secret thrill from getting checked out, WINDOWS, and then you took that sexual energy home and plowed it into your husband. That wouldn’t be a problem. Strangers at the beach make you feel attractive, feeling attractive makes you horny, feeling horny makes you wanna fuck the shit out of your husband. You win, your husband wins, and the strangers at the beach win. Everybody wins. There are two big differences between what’s going on in your kitchen and what went down on my hypothetical beach: proximity and regularity. You’re not going to see the same people at the beach again, WINDOWS, but your neighbor lives right next door. What happens when you finally and inevitably meet him face-to-face? Hopefully nothing, but the odds of something are much higher. And running into your neighbor and not being able to resist the temptation is not the only risk you’re running: You don’t know anything about this guy. Your innocent flirtation could be his dangerous obsession—and one day, you could wake up to find him standing at the foot of your bed. But perhaps the minimal risks—you should be able to keep your hands off him, he’s unlikely to show up at the foot of your bed—are worth the very real rewards, i.e., an improved sex life with your husband. This whole thing might seem less like “cheating lite” if you could tell your husband about how much you enjoy teasing the neighbor and how hot it makes you— for your husband. Then instead of retreating to masturbate alone in another room after showing off in the kitchen, WINDOWS, you can retire to your bedroom and fuck the shit out of —Dan your waiting husband. Send your Savage Love questions to mail@savagelove.net.

Is the Glass half full? Is the Glass half empty? how about half off! realdeal.washingtoncitypaper.com washingtoncitypaper.com april 3, 2015 13

A Long WAy From

Home

This winter was supposed to be different for D.C.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s homeless families. What went wrong? By Aaron Wiener Photographs by Darrow Montgomery

14 april 3, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

washingtoncitypaper.com april 3, 2015 15

Each backstory is diffErEnt. somE bEgin

with abuse. Others involve layoffs, or evictions, or pregnancies, or a falling-out with family. They’re stories of the Great Recession, or of inherited poverty, or of plain bad luck. But they all lead to the same place. Nikki’s story goes like this. She got her first apartment in 2008. But she was young, she was wild; she lost the apartment. She found another one. The rent, at $850 a month, was manageable. Then she was laid off. She got evicted. She and her daughter, now 17, went to stay with her mom. Her mom is on and off drugs. In the middle of the night, she kicked Nikki and her daughter out. They slept where they could. First, it was a picnic area behind the First District police headquarters on M Street SW. Then they’d split up, each crashing on a friend’s couch. It was hard on Nikki’s daughter. She’d never had it easy. Her father’s been incarcerated since she was three. She looked up to Nikki’s fiancé as a father figure, but he was murdered in 2011, in what Nikki says was a random incident. Her grades at Wilson High School have slipped badly. Nikki found another job, at the Costco in Wheaton. But Costco wouldn’t give her more than 20 hours a week. It cost her so much time and money to commute to work that she thought about quitting. She couldn’t afford to quit. Nikki and her daughter continued sleeping where they could. There was one place they couldn’t go. They’d stayed at the D.C. General family shelter once before, and Nikki’s daughter got very sick. “If I have any other option,” Nikki told me, “I make that my last.” That was in November. As the winter wore on, the options dwindled for Nikki, who asked me not to use her real name in order to protect her privacy. She sought city shelter. D.C. General was full. She and her daughter were placed in a room at the Quality Inn on New York Avenue NE. They’ve been there since Jan. 5. There are hundreds of families in the District like Nikki’s. Each has its own distinct history, but their disparate paths have led them to the same place. As of mid-March, there are 528 homeless families living in motels, for lack of another safe place to sleep and of space at D.C. General, where another 240 homeless families are living. In the winter of 2013–2014, a huge spike in the number of homeless families seeking shel16 april 3, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

ter took the city by surprise. Then, as now, the families had their unique backstories, but the spike resulted largely from broad economic factors. People like Nikki lost their jobs, and then their homes, in the aftermath of the recession. They bounced around among friends and relatives who offered a couch or air mattress. They ran out of options, and they sought shelter. The same thing was happening in cities around the country. Until the District changed its shelter practices at the end of January 2014, the number of families seeking shelter was more than double what it had been the previous winter. Overwhelmed and unprepared, the city scrambled to find a way to accommodate them all, as it’s required to do by law whenever the temperature drops below freezing. It tried putting them up in recreation centers; when a judge deemed that illegal, the District turned to motels. This winter, the city saw the crisis coming. A September report commissioned by the city government anticipated a 16 percent increase in the number of families requiring shelter. The administration of then-Mayor Vince Gray had been preparing. It launched an initiative to move families more quickly out of shelter and into housing. It tried to toughen up its requirements for families to get into shelter and to stay there. Administration officials confidently predicted that things would be under control by the time winter rolled around. Instead, the crisis has grown even worse. The September report predicted that 840 families would enter shelter this winter, up from 723 last winter. By early March, the actual number had already eclipsed the forecast, as families continued to pour into the shelter system. As of March 13, the figure stood at 904—and climbing. The city has only 369 permanent units of family shelter. Those 904 families have entered what’s known, figuratively, as the front door to shelter, the one families pass through when they have nowhere else to go. There are things the

city can do to manage the front door, but there are also factors out of its control, primarily the lack of affordable housing and of decent-paying jobs for residents without a college degree. The bigger problem this winter, however, has been the back door. The city has fallen well short of its targets for moving families from shelter to housing. And the families who do secure housing often discover it’s not so secure after all, and find themselves at risk of slipping back through the front door into shelter again. As a result, the District has once again been swamped by a family homelessness crisis it can’t control. Now, with winter behind them, city officials are left to grapple with the same challenge they confronted a year ago, without success: Unless things improve dramatically over the coming months, the District is hurtling toward yet another crisis when winter returns. For a snapshot of the factors that have brought the District to this point, you could do worse than the view from the sixth-floor conference room at the Department of Human Services headquarters on New York Avenue NE. Across the sea of surface parking stands a strip of retail that epitomizes the sweeping changes that have overtaken the city. On the left is the weathered Downtown Auto Repair, a reminder of the way the NoMa area used to look long before anyone called it NoMa. Then there’s the gleaming new 14story Hyatt Place hotel, followed by Covenant House, which serves homeless youth. One block behind Covenant House is 2M, a luxury apartment building that embodies the neighborhood’s dissonance. It features mostly high-end units, renting for as much as $3,000 a month, but also 59 apartments for residents who were displaced when the nearby Temple Courts low-income complex was demolished seven years ago as part of the city’s ill-fated New Communities Initiative to replace distressed public housing with mixed-income neighborhoods. Between Covenant House and

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2M sits the building that until this fall housed the Virginia Williams Family Resource Center. That building was the epicenter of last winter’s homeless crisis: It was where homeless families went to apply for shelter. In October, Virginia Williams moved back into its previous home, which had been renovated, a mile and a half to the northeast—out of sight from DHS, but hardly out of mind. The whiteboard at one end of the conference room is covered in scribbles when I pay a recent visit. They’re the work of Laura Zeilinger, whom Mayor Muriel Bowser picked to direct DHS two months earlier. (She would be confirmed by the D.C. Council on March 17.) As soon as I bring them up, Zeilinger tries to steer me away from them. “That’s not on the record, that whiteboard,” she says, although we didn’t agree beforehand to keep the contents of the office off the record. “That’s my brain dump to try to organize myself. You don’t get to report on it. That is not for publication.” For all her caution, her notes are largely what you’d expect to be on the mind of an incoming department head who’s inherited a mess and been tasked with turning it around. There are her scheduled interviews: “Kojo, City Paper, WaPo profile, Al Jazeera.” There’s a reference to her upcoming confirmation hearing. And then there are all the problems she’s facing. At the top, and underlined, is “TCP contract.” The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness is the organization that runs the troubled D.C. General shelter and oversees the rest of the city’s shelter operations. TCP has come under fire for a slew of allegations, including poor conditions at D.C. General, failure to pay certain housing subsidies, overbilling the city by more than $5 million, and an incident that’s also on Zeilinger’s priority list. “DCG Relisha Rudd,” reads a line on the whiteboard. Eight-year-old Relisha vanished from D.C. General a year ago, apparently kidnapped by a shelter janitor. Her disappearance has raised questions about TCP’s enforcement of safety procedures at the shelter. But her 18month stay at the shelter, with her mother, prior to being abducted also highlighted a troubling trend: the entrenched nature of family homelessness in the District. The median homeless family has been in so-called emergency shelter for 168 days, or nearly six months, according to DHS. The longest stay to date is four years. As a result, D.C. General has been full all winter, forcing the city to put families up in six motels. That’s the next item on Zeilinger’s list: “Motels: role clarity, accountability, financial controls.” The city doesn’t want to use motels: They’re expensive—DHS won’t reveal how much the city spends on them, but the cost this winter has run into the millions of dollars—and city officials worry that they’re cushy enough to cause families to seek shelter when they have other options. (Nikki’s story underscores the appeal of the motels: She paid a visit to Virginia Williams after learning that D.C. General was full and she’d be placed at a motel.)

But behind these issues—the maxed-out D.C. General, the ballooning motel population—is another one that, just as much as rising housing costs and falling employment opportunities, is responsible for this winter’s crisis. Under the “family homelessness” heading, Zeilinger has written: rapid rehousing providers rapid rehousing program rules/regs Rapid rehousing is the city’s main way of moving families from shelter to housing. An outgrowth of a similar federal program born out of the Obama administration’s stimulus package, rapid rehousing allows a homeless family to move into an apartment for steeply discounted rent. The family pays 30 percent of its income (including non-wage payments through Social Security and unemployment insurance) toward rent—the widely accepted standard of affordability—and the city covers the rest. But the subsidy is guaranteed for just four months. The city can extend it up to a year, or sometimes longer, but at some point it ends, and the family must pay its own way. The program conforms to the housingfirst model that’s become the new orthodoxy across the country. In the old system, homeless residents often had to overcome addiction or mental-health issues before they received housing. Backers of rapid rehousing and other housing-first programs, like Zeilinger, believe that reliable housing is essential to surmounting these problems. In theory, a family placed into rapid rehousing gains a degree of stability that makes it easier to find work, pay rent, and eventually get by on its own.

“We are sort of learning,” says Zeilinger. “You know, this is a relatively new intervention nationally, and the District has recently taken this very quickly to scale.” Last spring, with shelter exits into rapid rehousing and other programs not taking place quickly enough to free up space in D.C. General before winter struck, the Gray administration launched the 500 Families 100 Days program, which aimed to move that many families into housing in that timeframe. The initiative didn’t quite hit its goal, but through outreach to landlords, it did manage to speed up shelter exits, to 64 per month last summer. But when winter struck, city agencies were forced to devote their resources to sheltering families, and the trend reversed. The number of exits dropped to 56 in October, 35 in November, and 38 in December. (According to DHS, they picked up again in January and February.) “During 500 Families 100 Days, they had about 65 families moving out a month,” says Zeilinger. “We weren’t able to keep that up. Not only were we not able to keep that up, but I’ll tell you that since I’ve been here, we’ve had, on average, 10 families entering [shelter] every day that there’s an alert on [indicating hypothermia conditions and a legal right to shelter] and we’ve not been exiting anywhere near that number of people.” She says that while the city has invested in the social-service side of moving people out of shelter, “we are not putting the same kind of attention on the real-estate side” to help secure housing. Most housing advocates in D.C. support rapid rehousing in principle, but see the need

Many homeless families have found that the rapid rehousing program is neither rapid nor a guarantee of housing. One problem is the lack of affordable housing in the District.

It doesn’t always work out that neatly. Many homeless families have found that the program is neither rapid nor a guarantee of housing. One problem is the lack of affordable housing in the District. DHS tries not to place families into apartments they won’t eventually be able to afford on their own, and as a result, it’s been hard to locate a sufficient number of apartments. Some families that qualify for rapid rehousing struggle to find buildings that will accept them, because many have prior evictions or bad credit. Then there’s what happens at the end of the subsidy: Fearing they won’t be able to pay their own way and will end up back in shelter, many families are reluctant to take rapid rehousing in the first place.

18 april 3, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

for substantial changes. The program suffers from a conundrum. In order to keep families from becoming complacent with their subsidy and to encourage them to look for gainful employment, the city guarantees its subsidy for just four months. But landlords are wary of signing a yearlong lease with tenants who are exiting homelessness with no real assurance that they’ll be able to keep paying the rent beyond four months. Many of these families have fixed incomes from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits, which give just $428 a month to a family of three, provided the family hasn’t yet exhausted its 60 months of full benefits. (The city has recently begun assuring landlords that they’ll get a full

year of payments, although clarity surrounding the policy is lacking.) “As long as they are guaranteeing a fourmonth subsidy, they’re going to have trouble finding landlords to sign a 12-month contract with someone making $428 a month,” says Marta Beresin, an attorney with the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless. “Rapid rehousing needs to be fixed. It’s got huge problems.” Nikki keeps running into those problems. She’s been looking for a rapid rehousing apartment for months, to no avail. It doesn’t help that Costco laid her off last month. “They’re still sending me out to get apartments,” she says. “I’m still being denied because I have an eviction. I just keep hitting bump after bump.” Rapid rehousing does have its success stories. The managers at Patricia Chances’ apartment complex are constantly telling her that she’s one of them. The 47-year-old Chances grew up near the Navy Yard but moved to Maine in 1989 to get her associate degree. She settled in Boston, but returned to D.C. in a hurry in 2012 with her son, now 15, to escape a messy divorce. “Because of the situation, I kind of walked away with my son, and just left everything,” says Chances. “So once I got here, it was kind of a struggle, because we didn’t have anywhere to go. Well, we stayed with my brother, but it was the same mental controlling and abuse that I left.” Chances’ son went to stay with her niece, while Chances couch-surfed with friends and relatives. She slept in a couple of women’s shelters but disliked the experience and the separation from her son. “That’s when my niece said, ‘Go to Virginia Williams, they can help you with the shelter,’” Chances recalls. “And I kind of blew her off. And I finally couldn’t take it and said, ‘OK, I’m going.’ I had to humble myself quite a bit.” So she paid a visit to the building behind Covenant House, and she was approved for rapid rehousing in spring 2013. It took her three months to find her first prospective apartment through the program, but it fell through because she didn’t yet have her rapid rehousing approval letter. After another three months, she found herself in a “touch-and-go” situation with two apartments; neither worked out. Finally, three weeks later, she signed a lease. She and her son now live on Southern Avenue SE. “We feel safe,” she says. “We have our own laundry there. I mean, the neighborhood can be a little rowdy. But overall, it’s nice.” Chances and her son share a one-bedroom apartment that rents for $895 a month. Initially, she paid just $210 of that, and TCP covered the rest. Then she found a part-time job; her rent share increased to $235 a month. Finally she found full-time work taking reservations at the Dupont Circle Hotel. TCP’s subsidy dropped to $17 a month. Chances had to pay the rest, but she wasn’t complaining. “I was kind of happy about that,” she says. “It was showing me, you can do this, because you’re basically paying your rent. The last

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three months of the program, I was just like, OK, they can keep their $17.” She’s been such a reliable tenant that the building actually decreased her rent, ever so slightly, from $895 to $888 a month. Her only trouble is a balance of about $250 on her ledger, money that TCP owed but had inexplicably failed to pay, she says—a problem more than a few rapid rehousing participants have cited. In October 2014, a year after Chances moved into her apartment, the rapid rehousing subsidy ended. It’s exactly how the program is supposed to work. But Chances is something of an anomaly: Back in April 2014, when Chances was ready for her subsidy to begin phasing out, her case manager at the nonprofit Community of Hope, Yolam Anderson-Golhor, told her that her move away from the subsidy was the fastest Anderson-Golhor had ever seen. Anderson-Golhor, who’s been assisting rapid rehousing participants for nearly three years, says it’s basically impossible to make rent after only the guaranteed four months of subsidy. The average, in her experience, is just shy of a year. She estimates that threequarters of the families she sees are able to pay the full rent after exiting rapid rehousing, “but at the same time they’re still living in poverty” because they’re paying more than they can really afford. “It’s just, D.C. right now, the price of living and the price of rent is just crazy,” she says. “It’s skyrocketing. There’s a very limited number of apartments for under $800 in the city. Families can get housed, but they’re getting housed in these apartments that are $1,200, $1,300.” Nordika Burton, another client of Anderson-Golhor’s, has a more typical story. The 31year-old’s troubles began in 2008, when she had her second son. She stopped working in order to care for him, and she fell behind on her rent at her apartment off Stanton Road SE. “I left before they could evict me, because I didn’t want them to throw me and my kids out on the street,” she says. They went to stay with her father in Bowie, but that didn’t work out. They returned to D.C. and crashed with a friend of hers, but the friend wasn’t paying her rent and got evicted. They started sleeping in her car, which she parked near her work in Congress Heights, where she assists an elderly woman as a home health aide. “When the police saw us sleeping in the car, the next day I called Virginia Williams and told them what happened,” says Burton, who had tried to get into shelter before but was denied because it was too warm out. “And then they let us in. I told them the police were going to take my kids from me because we were sleeping in the car and didn’t have anywhere else to go.” In October 2013, they moved into D.C. General, where they stayed for 10 months. Burton describes the shelter as “hell on earth.” “It would get violent,” she says. “Before Relisha went missing, it was chaos. Constant, every day.” There were rats and roaches, and she witnessed rampant drug use around the

shelter. The close proximity of homeless men and the lax security made her feel unsafe. Her children’s behavior at school suffered. “I felt like I was in jail,” she says. “The kids were telling me all the time, ‘Mama, are we in prison?’ Because we have to walk through metal detectors, they have to search our stuff, we have to sign in.” Her first month at the shelter was a blur; she continued working full time and learned little about the process for exiting shelter. After two months, she was approved for rapid rehousing. She began applying for apartments, and shelling out lots of application fees. But she was repeatedly denied. It took her a while to realize why: Like so many homeless residents, she had bad credit because of the apartment she’d been forced to leave when her second son was born. The landlords she approached weren’t familiar with rapid rehousing. “They didn’t know anything about it,” she says. “Every apartment complex I went to, I had to explain to them what it was, what it was for, what I was going through. I constantly had to repeat my story over and over again. But half the time it really didn’t matter because most people just don’t want to help when it comes to low-income families or people in need.” She finally secured a two-bedroom apartment on E Street SE, near Southern Avenue, and moved there last August. The rent, at $1,200 a month, is higher than she’d like. She initially paid just $300 of it, but her share is now up to $1,000 a month. “It has its little problems, but it’s home,” she says. “It’s better than being in the shelter.” She’s working to avoid a return to shelter by updating her résumé and looking into obtaining a degree so she can stabilize her finances. But the danger of losing her job or apartment looms in her mind.

ry, there’s a cautionary tale. And it’s these tales that have kept the city from getting on top of its homelessness crisis. Jeneil Lean can’t pinpoint exactly when she became homeless. Was it when her mother abandoned her, at 9 years old, with her younger brother and sister, leaving them to fend for themselves in a basement for three months? Or when she was separated from her siblings and sent to live in a hospital for lashing out like a “caged dog”? Was it when, shortly after securing her first apartment with her young first son, it burned down in 2006, along with all her possessions? Or how about when she and her son started sleeping in her car, or sought shelter at the deeply troubled and since-shuttered D.C. Village? However you slice it, Lean has never really known stable housing. For the past few years, she’s bounced around with her two kids, now ages 8 and 9, and moved in and out of shelter. Their most recent stint at D.C. General lasted 18 months, ending in October 2013, when she moved into an apartment through rapid rehousing. She’d found the apartment herself and helped bring it up to code, working with a sympathetic landlady. “My credit’s so bad, I couldn’t apply to another apartment complex,” she says. “Really, she was the only option I had, because I knew I wouldn’t be able to move anywhere else.” That’s getting her into trouble now. At the start, she paid just $80 of the three-bedroom’s $1,300 monthly rent. But October marked the end of her subsidy, after a year. “I pay full market rent now,” she says. “Well, ‘paying’ is kind of an understatement: I haven’t been able to pay it.” Lean had picked up a second job while in the rapid rehousing program, but then she lost both jobs in rapid succession. I’m sitting with her in the Anacostia office of the non-

DHS claims that 85 percent of rapid rehousing participants don’t require homeless services in the year after their subsidy ends. But that doesn’t mean they all remain stably housed.

“It’s a fear of mine,” she says. “But I use that to propel me to get up every day and go to work. It’s like a motivation in a way. Because I do not want to go back there. Some people tell me they’ve been there five times, and they’re OK with it. It’s a revolving door that I do not want to go through. Because to drag the boys through that would be devastating.” Far too many D.C. families have experienced this devastation. For every success sto-

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profit Bread for the City, where she’s receiving legal assistance as she faces eviction from her apartment. Given her credit and her financial standing, she has few illusions about where she’s headed next. “It’s common knowledge at the shelters that you’re coming back if you do it,” Lean says of rapid rehousing. “Everybody says, ‘Don’t take rapid rehousing, because you’re coming back.’ There’s no way that you’re going to be able to sustain market rent and take care of your fam-

ily in the allotted amount of time they give you, unless you have the education or something to really gain employment where you make enough right out of the gate.” This is rapid rehousing’s fatal flaw. It works for people like Chances and Burton, who have stable employment. But it’s the city’s main way of moving families out of shelter, and one the government is trying to beef up: The Bowser administration launched its own version of the 500 Families initiative in February, with a new team of “housing navigators” tasked with helping homeless families find apartments. And for many homeless residents, like Lean, it simply isn’t realistic to think they’ll have enough income to support themselves at the program’s end. That’s why they became homeless in the first place. DHS claims that 85 percent of rapid rehousing participants don’t require homeless services in the year after their subsidy ends. But that doesn’t mean they all remain stably housed. Some land on the streets, or in their cars, or in public spaces. Others double up with friends or relatives, whose abuse they may have been fleeing when they first sought shelter. Some advocates question DHS’ figures, given the actual experience of homeless residents they see. “I think there’s just a disconnect between the data that DHS has on the success of the program and the reality of what we see coming through landlord-tenant court,” says Taylor Healy, an attorney with Bread for the City. Healy says the “vast majority” of rapid rehousing clients she sees are at the end of their subsidy and facing eviction; most of the others are nearing the end and trying to stave off eviction. Lean’s mother was homeless. Her mother’s mother was homeless. Lean has been without a long-term stable home for more than 20 years. It’s not reasonable, she argues, for the city to think that she can turn around her finances in a year’s time. “They were made very aware of the fact that I came from foster care, that I had no support, be it family, friends, or anything,” Lean says. And yet “because I have two working arms and legs,” they approved her for rapid rehousing. (Shelter residents can be kicked out of shelter if they’re approved for rapid rehousing and turn down two housing placements.) “If I get sick, if something happens to a child, if something happens where my job no longer sees it as necessary to keep me employed, I don’t have any resources to tap into. And I’m living check to check on top of that. You put all that together, and every time something happens, I’m going to fall down and need to go into the shelter. And it’s never going to stop.” “Rapid rehousing,” Healy says, “is not designed in a way that it can solve generational poverty in 12 months.” What’s needed, Lean and Healy argue, is an additional option. Rapid rehousing works for families with a reliable income. Permanent supportive housing is intended for residents in need of substantial support services. Longterm shelter stays are good for no one. So what about families who can take care of themselves with minimal social-service sup-

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ports but don’t have quite the income for market rent—those that couldn’t make rent after their rapid rehousing subsidy ended or avoided the program in the first place? Currently, they’re left in the awkward position of not really fitting into any category—except for longterm shelter stays. That could change. Last month, the Interagency Council on Homelessness, a group of government and nonprofit leaders and formerly homeless residents, drafted a plan aimed at slashing homelessness in D.C. in the next five years. One of its goals is to reduce the average family shelter stay to 60 days or fewer. Part of the solution is a new proposal called “targeted affordable housing” for people who don’t fit neatly into the existing categories and could use moderate assistance with their rent. It’s designed for people who don’t need extensive support services but are unlikely to have adequate incomes to pay their own rent: seniors exiting shelter, for example, or people whose rapid rehousing subsidy has ended. It’s a version of the longstanding voucher program for housing subsidies—except that the waiting list for those vouchers is more than 40,000

“There isn’t anywhere. You just make a way; you have faith in God. You can’t die, you know what I mean? You can’t just stop breathing. So day to day, you figure it out.” —Jeneil Lean names long. Given the difficulty D.C. has securing apartments for existing programs like rapid rehousing, it’s not clear how the city would locate all the units needed for the program, even if the funding is there. The Bowser administration has yet to take up any of the proposals in the plan. For now, the cycle in and out of shelter continues. But in this cycle, timing is everything. And Lean’s timing is bad. If she finds herself out of a home this month, it’s likely to be another six or seven months before temperatures drop enough for the city’s shelters to let her in with her kids. I ask her where someone like her can go outside of hypothermia season, which

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technically ended on April 1, although families can still receive shelter when the temperature falls below freezing. “Where the wind takes you,” she says whimsically, and laughs. “You live like a fairy, you know? You just kind of dance from petal to petal.” She pauses. “There isn’t anywhere. You just make a way; you have faith in God. You can’t die, you know what I mean? You can’t just stop breathing. So day to day, you figure it out. You figure out how to eat, you figure out how to get your kids to school, you figure out how to still maintain being a parent and make them feel like they’re not completely homeless.” Lean has the poise of a model. She is a part-

time model, in fact, in addition to the other odd jobs she picks up, like tattooing and hosting and occasionally singing. She was once a finalist for America’s Next Top Model, but didn’t make it onto the show. Her friends call her London, she says, “because I look kind of like I’m from the U.K.” Throughout our conversation, she maintains a cool nonchalance, never removing her pink earphones from under her black earmuffs. But at this point, her composure begins to crack. “It’s chaos all the time,” she says. “It’s been chaos for me as far back as I can remember. I’m one of those people that was born alone, almost. I chose to have kids so I wouldn’t be alone. And that might be selfish or whatever the case may be, but I love them, they love me, and it’s us. And that’s all I have. So we go through it, but it’s complete and total chaos.” Lean’s two children, who have been playing noisily with a bead maze the whole time, are suddenly quiet. Her son whispers to her daughter, “She’s crying.” Lean collects herself. “So for that time when they put us in a shelter, or that time when we have 12 months, we’re normal. And CP then we go back out into the chaos.”

BUYD.C.

Springtime in Paris By Kaarin Vembar

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Lemon Aid Give your kitchen a cheery update with these Parisian lemon towels. They’re 100 percent cotton and machine washable. Kitchen towels, $13/each. J Brown & Co. 1119 King St., Alexandria. (703) 548-9010

All Tied Up For a luxurious way to engage with French culture, wear something from a top fashion house. Try a Hermès tie at less than half the regular asking price. Hermès tie, $63.50. Mint Condition. 103 S. Saint Asaph St., Alexandria. (703) 836-6468

Le Petit Prince Encourage your little prince or princess to speak French with these flashcards. This set gives you access to a website where you can listen to a native French speaker read all the cards. French For Beginners flashcards, $9.99. Hooray for Books! 1555 King St., Alexandria. (703) 548-4092 My Butter Half This lotion contains a shea butter base that has been infused with green tea, mimosa bark, and dandelion extracts. It’s light, floral, and perfect for soothing dry, cracked hands. French Kiss No. 15, $25. The Urban Attic. 125 S Union St., Alexandria. (703) 548-2829

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YOUNG & HUNGRY

Farms Race

Who gets the first ramps or soft-shell crabs of the season? The battle is on. the menu have become greater.” As a result, chefs need to start inquiring about Last week, Vidalia chef de cuisine their ingredients early if they want the first shot Hamilton Johnson received some of the first at them. Chef Austin Fausett of Clifton, Va.ramps of the season from West Virginia. The based Trummer’s on Main says he starts writing his Easter menu and feeling out farmers as first thing he did was post a photo on Faceearly as January. book with the caption “so gorgeous...1st of But being the first isn’t cheap. “You have to pay the year #rampcitybitch” to brag to all his to play in that game,” Fausett says. Sought-after chef friends. local and seasonal products tend to cost the most “There’s a lot of pride in having it first,” Johnat the very onset of the season when demand is son says. “It’s kind of like a family competition.” great and supply is not. The first morels of the He’s serving the first batch of hyped-up garyear will go for $40 to $45 a pound, but they’ll licky greens in dumplings with lump crab butdrop to $23 or $24 mid-season. Ramps start out ter, asparagus, and Virginia-grown peas. around $18 to $20 a pound then fall to $10 to $12. “Now I’ve just got to win the soft-shell crab Likewise, soft-shell crabs, which can cost as much race and be the first in that area,” Johnson says. as $85 a dozen, are twice the price they will be two “I’ve got to talk to my fish guy this week.” to three months later. With spring comes an arms race among chefs Some chefs account for this price spike by chargall vying to be the first to have the latest loing slightly more at the beginning of the season or cal, seasonal ingredients on their menus. As calculating the average cost for the entire season and the restaurant scene has boomed, so has the deadjusting menu prices accordingly. Or they might mand for whatever is foraged and farmed neareat the cost upfront. “Some restaurants will lose a by. But the availability of these products isn’t little bit of money just to be able to attract the first expanding at the same fast clip. The result is a client looking for crab,” Maupillier says. battle for first dibs on an often limited supply Who gets a prized menu ingredient first is not of seasonal specialties. always a matter of who spends the most mon“I want the first thing of everything. Everyey or who put in the earliest request, although body wants the first thing of everything,” says Mintwood Place chef Cedric Maupillier. those are certainly factors. Ultimately, what “You want the new toy. You want the new pro- Ramp Up: Vidalia uses the first ramps of the season for dumplings. kind of personal relationship a chef has with duce. You want the new meat.” his or her purveyor could be the difference beUnlike Johnson, if he gets a good deal on ramps or a Some ingredients aren’t always worth having first, between getting the first sour cherries of the season or not farmer gives him the first flat of strawberries as a gift, cause the quality is not yet at its prime. Even the ramps, getting them at all. Maupillier might not necessarily want to broadcast it. Witt admits, are smaller and don’t have as much green on For local seafood distributor Profish, it’s first-come, first“Others might ask him, then he might stop, and I might them at this early stage. served—to a certain extent. Bigger and more loyal customnot get the privilege of being No. 1 on his list,” he says. Still, it’s not just chefs who nerd out about the first pea ers might get priority, but a less quantifiable factor also The cachet of getting something before everyone else tendrils or fiddlehead ferns. Increasingly, diners do, too, comes into play: “You want to reward people who are proisn’t always the driving force behind the competition. especially now that food blogs broadcast the first sight- moting local seafood,” says Profish Sustainable Director Chefs are often just sick of the “drab color palette of win- ing of ramps and publish round-ups of where to find the John Rorapaugh. When local soft-shell crabs become available, Voltaggio ter,” says The Partisan chef Ed Witt, and can’t move on first shad roe. “As soon as the first ramp pops out of the to the bounty of spring fast enough. “After the winter, es- ground, somebody’s got it and they’re taking photos and will be among the first to get a call from Profish. Sure, he pecially this one that wouldn’t stop, everyone wants some- sending it around,” says chef and restaurateur Bryan has a lot of restaurants (nine), but a lot of people have a thing to change,” he says. The Partisan also already has Voltaggio, who owns and operates Volt, Range, Fam- lot of restaurants, Rorapaugh says. The reason he gets first ramps (from the West Coast) as well as non-local morels ily Meal, and others. “So the expectations and the pres- pick? “His focus is true. I know being in this business and sures of the chef to make sure you incorporate these into living it who really cares about the ingredients, and those and fava beans. Darrow Montgomery

By Jessica Sidman

washingtoncitypaper.com april 3, 2015 25

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DCFEED(cont.) are the guys you really want to surround yourself with as a company,” Rorapaugh says. “It’s more than just buying and selling seafood. You’ve got to embrace a message and relationships.” Voltaggio and other chefs who are serious about having their pick of ingredients will take the time to visit their producers at the farmers market or at their farms. In the case of Profish, Voltaggio is donating his time to cook at their upcoming charity dinner. “It’s relationship building,” the chef says. “The more that you work with somebody and get to know them, the more access that you have.” Black Rock Orchard farmer Emily Zaas, who sells her Carroll County, Md.-grown fruits to restaurants and at the local farmers markets, says reliability—paying for and picking up orders on time—goes a long way. “I had one chef that ordered [sour cherries] and he didn’t pick them up. Well, that was just terrible for us, because we can’t sell them then. We can take them home, but they’re no good anymore,” she says. That’s why Zaas loves Zaytinya chef Michael Costa. If he knows Zaas has sour cherries, he’ll make sure someone is at the farmers market as soon as they open and carefully transport them back to the restaurant. Zaas cares enormously about the respect chefs show for her produce, and she pays close attention to just how they physically handle it. In their search for the nicest fruit, some chefs will end up groping and roughly turning over the goods. “The chefs that I do business with regularly are very respectful of the fruit and they let me pick it out for them or they pick it out very carefully,” she says. Some chefs only call Zaas if there are certain ingredients they want. Others buy from her every week. And even if she doesn’t have what they want, they will order something else because they care about keeping her in business. Those are the people who Zaas will give first dibs on rare and prized items like Champagne-colored currants or gooseberries. The fact is, there’s simply not enough of some products to go around. Last year, Zaas says half the chefs who wanted sour cherries couldn’t get them because her harvest was so small. For pawpaws, a new crop for Black Rock Orchard, only 10 percent of her network of chefs got them. And for figs, it was even fewer. Demand for Maryland crab also far outweighs the supply: The Maryland crab industry produces about 700,000 pounds of crab meat a year, while more than 43 million pounds of crab meat are imported each year. Naturally, chefs must strategize. Last summer, a forager brought Fausett of Trummer’s

on Main wild chanterelles from Fairfax County. “He said, ‘I have 20 pounds. Here’s 10.’ And I said, ‘What are you doing with the other 10 pounds?’ He said, ‘I’m going to another restaurant.’ I said, ’No, no, no. You come here. I’ll buy them all, and next year when you get these wild chanterelles again, I want you to come here.’” That’s not to say competition is always cutthroat. If a farmer or forager has more than Fausett would reasonably want to buy, he will send them to fellow chefs he respects. He ultimately wants to keep the farmer in business, so he or she will be back the next year. It’s not quite as easy when you’re the new guy. The Fainting Goat chef Nathan Beauchamp returned to D.C. last summer after spending six years working on an organic farm in Minnesota. Even though he was once the executive chef at 1789 and has a farming background, he found it challenging to get all of the ingredients he wanted. Last fall, for example, Beauchamp tried to order some fresh heirloom beans, but the farmer had already sold them elsewhere. “It’s very competitive and when you fall off the radar like I have, you’re not getting the first phone calls saying, ‘We’ve got this and I’m going to give it to you.’” Beauchamp is now trying to rebuild relationships with farmers and start new ones. To that end, chefs and farmers both cite the importance of good old-fashioned kindness as prerequisite for who gets the goods. One of Oyamel’s chefs brings Black Rock Orchard’s Zaas tamales made by his wife. “If they fail to pick up something… then they know that I’ll keep their stuff, but they might have to bring us tacos or something,” Zaas says. “They know that it’s hard for us.” Chef Maupillier will invite his farmers and their families to dinner at Mintwood Place. He also treats them almost like cousins: “When it’s Thanksgiving, send them a note. When it’s New Years, send them a note and say, ‘Thank you.’” Voltaggio likewise will invite farmers for dinner. But even more important, he says, is getting excited when the mushroom guy shows up at his back door or showing appreciation and respect for the hours the farmer spent harvesting the kale. “Those relationships are the No. 1 factor as to why I can grab an ingredient when I want to and need to,” Voltaggio says. “It’s not about the volume. It’s not about what you buy. It’s not about any of those things. If somebody genuinely likes you and appreciates what you do with their product that they worked so hard to get to you, then I think that CP means more than anything.” Eatery tips? Food pursuits? Send suggestions to hungry@washingtoncitypaper.com

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DCFEED

what we ate last week:

Spring pea risotto, $19, Pinea. Satisfaction level: 3.5 out of 5 what we’ll eat next week:

Streak frites with baguette and salad, $19.95, Maxime. Excitement level: 2 out of 5

Grazer

You Food the Math Nominees this year that weren’t nominees last year

Nominee who has fled the country: Chef of the Year finalist Johnny Spero has left Minibar to work at a top restaurant in Spain.

Nominations for places located on 14th Street NW

Nominations for Neighborhood Restaurant Group eateries, including Iron Gate, Vermillion, Birch & Barley, ChurchKey, Red Apron Butcher, Evening Star Cafe, the Arsenal, and The Partisan. That’s more than any other local restaurant group.

Nominees operated by non-local restaurant groups

Female chefs nominated for awards. Five of them are pastry chefs.

New Restaurant of the Year nominee not represented by a professional publicist (Crane & Turtle)

Tröegs Cultivator Helles Bock Where in Town: Calvert Woodley Wines & Spirits, 4339 Connecticut Ave. NW Price: $9.99/six-pack Which Craft? I’m often asked where to go to buy good beer. With an ever-growing amount of decent brews more widely available, my response has become, “Your neighborhood liquor store.” To test this, I recently stopped into Calvert

Woodley Wines & Spirits in Van Ness, which was my local spot nearly 15 years ago. Back then, beer selection highlights were limited to a few Belgian and British imports. Large bottles of Chimay and Lindeman’s lambics are still there, but the decades-old wine and cheese shop now has a wall packed with American and Canadian craft beer— from Vancouver’s Parallel 49 to Maine’s Allagash and Louisiana’s Abita breweries. I nabbed up a few brews to try, including Tröegs’ latest spring seasonal.

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Less Helles, More Bock! Part of the Pennsylvania brewery’s Hop Cycle series,

Where to Get It: BLT Steak; 1625 I St. NW; (202) 689-8999; e2hospitality.com/blt-steakwashington-dc Price: $13

Nominees that are not members of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington. Rules are rules.

Maryland restaurants received nominations (The Daily Dish and the Bethesda location of Cava Grill). Compare that to 18 nominations that went to Virginia spots and 75 nominations for D.C.-based businesses.

brew in town

The Dish: Foieffogato

The nominees are in for the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington’s annual RAMMY awards. Who dominated? How many female chefs were recognized? And how neglected were Maryland restaurants? Here’s a breakdown of the finalists by the numbers. —Jessica Sidman

Are you gonnA eAt that?

Cultivator Helles Bock is meant to celebrate the beginning of hop-growing season. Like Tröegs’ popular Tröegenator Double Bock, it borrows the traditional “–ator” suffix typical of classic German strong dark lagers like Paulaner’s Salvator or Spaten’s Optimator, first produced as “liquid bread” to sustain monks during lent. Not a bad way to worship! The 6.9 percent alcohol pale lager is brewed with Bohemian Pilsner malt and Hersbrucker and Magnum hops. Hay, wild flower, and toasted-bread aromas give way to a sweet malt backbone and a dry, hoppy finish. The medium-bodied Cultivator acts more like a pilsner than a bock, so those expecting the rich, caramel character of Tröegenator could be disappointed. I found this “between seasons” brew to be a nice match for the unpredictable —Tammy Tuck weather of early spring.

What It Is: Perhaps the most decadent and unconventional affogato of all time. The ice cream mimics the flavor of buttery moviestyle popcorn, while the silky, froth-topped coffee component combines reduced espresso, cream, milk, and caramelized foie gras accented with fresh thyme, allspice, mace, and nutmeg. “You have to find a delicate balance between the ingredients,” says executive chef Will Artley. “You want to taste the foie and have the mouthfeel from it, but it can’t be overwhelming. If it lingers on your palate, it’s not great, especially since you’re not following it with another course.” What It Tastes Like: The ice cream tastes exactly as advertised: a cold, creamy take on the Cineplex classic. The tastes of butter, popcorn, and a little salt are predominant, but the scoop is sweet, not savory. The super syrupy shot has deep brown sugar notes, while the thyme and nutmeg are the most predominant spices. Eaten together, it’s super rich, showcasing a sweet-savory-salty trifecta of outsized flavors. “Everybody says to me, ‘When weed is legal, you should open up a place downtown and just serve stuff like this,’” says Artley. “When I tell them I don’t smoke, they always say, ‘You should.’” The Story: “I wanted to serve foie gras as a full-fledged dessert,” says the chef. “It’s funny, because I grew up not enjoying liver that much. Liver with onions and ketchup was the only thing my dad cooked. It still makes me…” he trails off and shivers, his tongue flicking out like he’s trying to excise a distasteful flavor from his palate. Artley created the foie-fortified espresso several years ago, while the ice cream came out of a recent vision to create an “experimental Ben & Jerry’s flavor.” He put the two dishes together as a single dessert because both were equally zany. —Nevin Martell

PUPPY PATIO

MONDAYS!

patio open all night for you and your dog to enjoy!

1/2 PRICE BURGERS water bowls and treats provided Wednesday

Tuesday

we got jokes OPEN MIC COMEDY NIGHT WITH SOME OF THE BEST LOCAL COMICS Starts at 9:00pm • Drink Specials

Hosted by: Mike “Farf” and Jelani “J” Wills

NIGHT PUB QUIZ starting at 7 pm.

FIRST PRIZE: $50 off your bar tab (beverages only, tax & tip not included)

$9.50 PITCHERS OF ROLLING ROCK 7 – 10 pm

1610 U Street NW (metro accessible) 202-667-6295 www.stetsons-dc.com | Friend us on facebook

Arcuri, Glover Park’s neighborhood restaurant serving up American-Italian fare at 2400 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, 20007, will offer a three-course, prix fixe menu from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on AUTHENTIC THAI & SUSHI BAR

Only Thai Lunch Buffet in Georgetown

We Cater

.99

Sunday, April 5th Thai Lunch Buffet

Priced at $30 per person (tax and gratuity not included), the menu includes the choice of two courses from the featured menu along with unlimited mimosas for the table. Guests are limited to a two-hour dining window of time for this special offer. Brunch favorites prepared by Executive Chef/Partner Richard Jones.

For more information, please call (202) 827-8745 or visit

3003 M. St. NW | 202-580-8852 | i-thairestaurant.com

w w w. a rc ur i d c . c om

washingtoncitypaper.com april 3, 2015 31

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 april 3, 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

LocaL country singer Jack Gregori was a contestant on The Voice. Now he’s getting big crowds at his weekly Madam’s Organ gig and explicit Facebook messages. washingtoncitypaper.com/go/gregori

Unshaken Identity

After years of silence, a local author returns without her pseudonym When Katherine Heiny was 25, she mailed a short story to the New Yorker on a Thursday and received a call from the fiction editor on Friday. “I didn’t even know the mail worked that fast,” Heiny says. “It’s like an urban legend.” The story, “How To Give The Wrong Impression,” was about a psychology student who tries to make it seem like her roommate is her boyfriend. In 1997, a few years after appearing in the New Yorker, the story was anthologized in a collection alongside pieces from the likes of John Updike and Alice Munro. It’s still taught in high schools and writing workshops. But after she wrote that story, Heiny herself mostly disappeared from the literary world. Up until this year, that is. Heiny, who lives in Bethesda, just published her first book: a collection of short stories called Single, Carefree, Mellow. “I’m a little hung over,” Heiny told me when she arrived for our interview; the night before, she’d given her first reading from the book at Politics & Prose. She has lots of reasons to celebrate. The New York Times’ Sunday Book Review called Heiny’s book “something like Cheever mixed with Ephron.” Lena Dunham blurbed it as “magical.” And Elizabeth Hottel, Politics & Prose’s events coordinator, told the crowd at the reading that she loved Heiny’s stories so much, she volunteered to come to work on a Sunday to introduce her, which she thought she’d never done before. The collection contains stories of a high school senior bored of her affair with her English teacher; a suburban mother who falls in love with somebody over Facebook; and a woman who can’t help flirting with the veterinarian treating her dying dog. Nearly all of the 11 pieces are about adultery, but they don’t deal with break-ups or confrontations. Instead, Heiny lingers on the details and day-to-day moments that make up

Handout photo by Leila Barbaro

By Lidia Jean Kott

Heiny’s finally taking credit for her work.

the bulk of her heroines’ lives: how wraparound dresses never stay wrapped, or how sad a perfect summer evening on the front porch can feel, even with ice cream and the sprinkler running. As in Heiny’s short stories, the effects of a momentous event like a whirlwind affair or a phone call from a highly respected publisher of fiction are sometimes felt slowly, little by little over time. Heiny’s New Yorker story didn’t have much of an immediate impact on her life: She paid her bills by writing serialized young-adult novels under a pen name, met her husband, and devoted herself to raising their two sons, now 12 and 14, before she focused on publishing stories with her own name on them. Heiny was temping in an office and working as a waitress when she received a phone call from an editor at Alloy Entertainment, a book packaging company. The editor had seen a story Heiny had published in the now-defunct teen magazine Sassy and wanted to know if she’d be interested in ghostwriting. “I was like, ‘Is it more money than waitressing? I’ll do it,’” Heiny says. Her job was to take over later books in YA series that had been started by established writers. She hammered out 25 novels in four years. “I was completely tapped out at the end of every day,” she says. “I would go to the gym, come home, have dinner, go to bed. Start over in the morning.” Even then, Heiny felt like the arrangement was short term. “I always thought one day I’d write a book under my own name,” Heiny says. “I was just kind of waiting.” Heiny didn’t grow up in the company of other writers. She’s from Midland, Mich., the headquarters of Dow Chemical Company, which employs both of her parents, a chemical engineer and a chemist. Heiny’s two older brothers are engineers, too—one of chemicals, one of software. “I was sort of the wrong baby home from the hospital,” she says.

washingtoncitypaper.com april 3, 2015 33

CPARTS Continued

But Heiny was lucky that her family lived across the street from the home of the children’s librarian, who’d lend her books and discuss them with her. When Heiny got accepted to Columbia University’s MFA program in fiction and poetry, her parents didn’t understand what her goals were. But they supported her anyway. “I think they thought, ‘Well, it’s a degree’... they thought I would be creative writer... for Dow Chemical,” Heiny says. “They were shocked afterwards when I started waitressing and temping. But in a weird way, they had complete faith in me.” They believed in her even during the years that she didn’t write at all. Heiny lost her contract with Alloy Entertainment after she became pregnant with her first son. It was a difficult pregnancy, and she was prescribed total bed rest. The break ended up being longer than anticipated. “Either I have really high-maintenence children, or I am a low-energy person, but it took everything,” Heiny said at her Politics & Prose reading. When she got back to writing again after her youngest son started first grade, she was ready to give up her pen name to separate her earlier books from her more literary endeavors. Heiny speculates that her husband might be the reason why so many of the stories in her collection are about adultery—not because of any weaknesses in their relationship, but because when she married him, she had to learn how to live with secrets. A few weeks after they started dating, he told her he was an MI6 agent, a member of the British Secret Intelligence Service. For years, Heiny had to be careful about what she said on the phone, what she told people at parties, and how she introduced her friends, many of whom had cover jobs she had to remember. “It did kind of color my fiction because it sort of creates a layer,” she says. “It does make [it so] there’s a part of your life you can’t share... and most of my characters have that too.” But Heiny has embraced the public attention surrounding her latest release. She appeared on

NPR’s All Things Considered a few weeks ago and has given interviews to international publications like the Guardian and the Toronto Star. Now, she’s at work on her first novel. After her long silence, Heiny is back with a lot to say. “It seems to me like the floodgates have opened,” said Heiny’s publicist, Jenny Jackson, in a public conversation with Heiny after her Politics & Prose reading. In the last story of Heiny’s book, the main character, Sadie, juggles a privileged yet disorganized D.C. life and a long-distance lover—“a sign of strength and character; not many people could manage it,” by Sadie’s estimation. The story is one of the most satirical in Heiny’s collection. Sadie drives “a minivan full of dog hair.” Her house is invaded by “sweaty gray-haired men in cycling shorts,” and she gets stuck sitting at an embassy dinner next to a man whose hobby is collecting early American documents. Heiny is generous, though, when describing Sadie’s relationship with her children, how her son’s hands are “sticky on her hair” and how puzzled she is over bellybutton rashes. During our conversation, Heiny takes frequent peeks at her phone: Her youngest son, Hector, is at the doctor’s office with her husband for a hairline fracture on his thumb, which he doesn’t remember how he got. “Do you suppose we’ll have to be interviewed by child services?” she asks. “He’s been doing archery in school and he really liked it. I thought maybe the thing thwanked him in the hand?” These are the types of stories that fascinate Heiny. Despite being married to a former spy, she readily admits that she gets her news from Facebook, and despite being raised by scientists, she says she could never write anything “vaguely factually based.” Instead, she finds drama in the suburbs, in the messy minivans and the hairline fractures, turning the banal moments of seemCP ingly unremarkable lives into art.

GALLIM DANCE JULIAN SANDS 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.

“Excellent, inventive, impressive” ~New York Times Gallim Dance is co-presented with CityDance and is made possible by Reginald Van Lee. Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra is made possible by Herbert and Patrice Miller, with special thanks to Paxton Baker and Centric.

34 april 3, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

A Celebration of Harold Pinter Directed by John Malkovich Sat, Apr 18 at 2pm & 8pm Lansburgh Theatre

Interpeted 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.

JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA with WYNTON MARSALIS Sun, Apr 19 at 7pm Kennedy Center Featuring a tribute to Duke Ellington and Ted Nash’s The Presidential Suite, with guest orator Malcolm-Jamal Warner

TICKETS: WashingtonPerformingArts.org • (202) 785-9727

CPARTS

Pleasure Curses’ new disco-pop track is a flash of color so concentrated, you could use it to dye your Easter eggs. washingtoncitypaper. com/go/concrete

Arts Desk

One trAck MinD

Chekhov,

Please!

Waltz Brigade

Slow Mountain EP

Which one is that?

Praise and Worship: Though he doesn’t consider himself a religious person, Betancourt uses a common Christian exclamation of praise in the song’s chorus: “In Christchurch Hosanna she lives.” Pairing the term with a city named for Jesus might sound too on the nose, but it illustrates the specific kind of elation Betancourt felt knowing his friend was alright. “The song is really about the fact that her still existing and still being somewhere in the world and being safe and breathing and moving forward in life was, in a lot of ways, a very jubi—Caroline Jones lant feeling to feel.”

Drunkle Vanya

Vanya, Sonia, Masha, and Spike

Life Sucks (Or the President Ridiculous)

LiveArtDC

Arena Stage

Theater J

The silly one

The Broadway one

The new one

The traditional one

That this production is staged by LiveArtDC, the team behind last year’s Capital Fringe hit R+J: StarCross’d Death Match, means that Drunkle Vanya will be a participatory event. Don’t expect to sit and watch actors perform for you; they’ll be weaving their way through the crowd and trying to get the audience to play games like Cards Against Humanity.

This Christopher Durang joint, which won the 2013 Tony for Best Play, borrows character names and dispositions from three Chekhov plays, but the plot is all its own. The dark comedy takes place in rural Pennsylvania, where three adult siblings (two of whom already live together) spend time rehashing all the reasons they’ve become embittered.

Local all-star playwright and director Aaron Posner (who helms Vanya, Sonia, Masha, and Spike, too) earned accolades for his irreverent update to Chekhov’s The Seagull, 2013’s Woolly Mammothmounted Stupid F*cking Bird. He brought a similar sensibility to Uncle Vanya, an intimate play that populated the plot points of the original story with recognizably modern characters dealing with the question of whether life, well, sucks.

Moping ensues when a well-established professor brings his comely new wife to his countryside estate. The visit reminds everyone of the regrets they’ve spent years accumulating and all the desires they’ve yet to sate. It’s like a version of The Big Chill where no one gets lucky.

Drunkle Vanya is performed at a bar—the Pinch—and promises copious vodka shots throughout the show. (Keep the play’s Wikipedia entry open on your phone during the show: After the third or fourth shot of Stoli, the plot details will become a little hazy.)

In Vanya, Sonia, Masha, and Spike, the person returning to the country home is a woman, bringing her much-younger male lover back for the trip.

Actors spoke directly to the audience at times, and the script included references to things Chekhov wouldn’t recognize, like cell phones and Lena Dunham.

Round House’s production keeps the characters and their relationships intact but relies on a new script by Annie Baker, which makes the play’s century-old language more understandable for contemporary audiences.

I never thought I’d be drinking beer out of cans at 30.

I never saw the original production on Broadway.

I never understand postmodern theater.

I never got around to reading Chekhov.

Uncle Vanya

Round House Theatre

The Gist

Standout Track: No. 1, “Christchurch,” a soaring ode to an old relationship from the Mount Pleasant-based chamber-folk septet. The song, which shares some musical DNA with the melancholy tweedom of Neutral Milk Hotel, is the group’s first original tune. (The band started off playing Blind Pilot covers.) “Christchurch” features an oboe line in addition to guitar, upright bass, and percussion, a layered sound that grew as the band did, according to lead singer and guitarist Mark Betancourt. When the group needed a bass player, its members called on their friend Art von Lehe, who came over right away; when they needed a female vocalist, Betancourt recruited his wife, Jaime Knepper. Musical Motivation: Betancourt didn’t set out to tell the story of the past romance in the song— the tale came out in the drafting. “There’s generally a lot of interplay when I write between the melody and the lyrics,” he says. “I sort of just ask myself what sort of song that looks like and what it seems like it should be about.” The simple string arrangement of “Christchurch” suits the joy and sadness Betancourt captures when describing his former companion’s life on the other side of the world.

People move to D.C. with big dreams, but not everyone’s visions of grandeur come to pass. Perhaps you hitched your wagon to the wrong politician or swiped left too quickly on Tinder. Maybe you fear you’re stuck in a provincial backwater, watching the nearby lights of New York City beckon while your first gray hairs sprout. Well, the theater scene hears you loud and clear. Beginning April 10, three separate productions based on Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, the heavy Russian drama about bitter characters questioning their life choices, will run concurrently in the D.C. area (a fourth adaptation ran at Theater J in January and February). The eerily-timed multiple stagings have even inspired some theatergoers to label the lineup the “Accidental Chekhov Festival.” Which adaptation is best suited to your particular strain of malaise? —Rachel Kurzius and Caroline Jones

The Twist

Most Common Regret in the Audience

Listen to “Christchurch” at washingtoncitypaper.com/go/christchurch. washingtoncitypaper.com april 3, 2015 35

TheaTer

Story Seller Man of La Mancha Book by Dale Wasserman Music by Mitch Leigh Lyrics by Joe Darion Directed by Alan Paul At Sidney Harman Hall to April 26 G-d’s Honest Truth By Renee Calarco Directed by Jenny McConnell Frederick At Theater J through April 19

own makeup and prosthetics in his transformation from Cervantes to Quixote, he assumes the quibbling chin and fragile stature of an old man whose sanity has departed. Yes, his rendition of “The Impossible Dream” is a big-chested highlight. But it’s his introductory number, the buoyant “I, Don Quixote”—performed while galloping atop “horses” made out of barrels and mops—where he really nails the gallant-goof

C. Stanley Photography

A dreamer dreams the impossible dream and a synagogue wakes up to reality

Under the shtick lies an Honest portrayal of modern Jews.

The prisoners are already onstage as we find our seats. They’re rowdy, banging their hands on the mock-iron bars of their giant communal cell. It’s the Spanish Inquisition, or rather, the Inquisition as interpreted by a 50-year-old Broadway musical: a place where disparate cellmates are totally comfortable breaking into song and dance at some coaxing from an outsider. Soon enough, the missing ingredient arrives: A giant staircase descends from the rafters and guards escort the brittle and desperate impossible dreamer Miguel de Cervantes into the dungeon. Thus begins Man of La Mancha, the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s new revival of Dale Wasserman’s 1965 stage classic. And if such an auspicious opening stroke has steeled you for two hours of visual dazzle, you don’t know La Mancha. The rest of the minimalist, metatextual show takes place in the collective imagination of the audience and cast, as Cervantes (Anthony Warlow) desperately conjures and stars in a production of his famous novel Don Quixote to save his life. The author’s trunk of theatrical supplies provides the costumes, his manservant (Nehal Joshi, yelping all his lines with odd cadences) steps into sidekick Sancho Panza, and the prisoners fill out the margins. The effect is claustrophobic yet safe—almost too safe. The character’s anachronistic chivalry is meant to exist out of step with his harsh surroundings, but even at its harshest, the show’s world seems fitted for him. That’s not to say director Alan Paul is coasting. He’s smart to keep La Mancha stripped-down— for example, using shadowplay to render the famous windmills that Cervantes/Quixote mistakes for giants. A 2002 Broadway revival projected fantasy images onto the stage, giving audiences a pass on the whole “enter my imagination” thing. But a show about a dreamer, based on the world’s most famous novel about a dreamer, shouldn’t be afraid to let us dream. And Warlow dreams well. As he applies his

Scott Suchman

By Andrew Lapin

La Mancha’s metatextual dream is best realized by Amber Iman. tone of the character and show. Whether coincidental or not, in makeup Warlow bears a striking physical resemblance to WSC’s other big enchanter this season, Geraint Wyn Davies as Prospero in last holiday’s The Tempest. The two shows both hit the sweet spot of giddy production values coupled with a transparent theatricality that lets the audience in on the fun. The standout, though, is Amber Iman as the prostitute Aldonza, whom Quixote mistakes for noble lady. The 27-year-old Iman gives a hardened performance, nailing a difficult arc—from disillusioned to self-confident, then broken after a harrowing assault. She manages a churning humanity throughout. Aldonza’s trauma, like the framing of the show itself, may be a giant game of make-believe. But the fun of STC’s production is its willingness to let us enjoy collective insanity for a while. A slipperier sort of storyteller is at the heart of G-d’s Honest Truth. Theater J’s new original work is based on the story of dis-

36 april 3, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

graced Wheaton rabbi Menachem Youlus, who throughout the 2000s sold Torahs to congregations by falsely claiming he had rescued them from Holocaust sites. For a while he enjoyed the title of “the Jewish Indiana Jones,” until a 2010 Washington Post investigation exposed him and he went to prison. For her fictionalization of Youlus’s story, playwright Renee Calarco (The Religion Thing) smartly trains her attention not on the charlatan at the story’s center, but on the believers who took him at his word. Larry and Roberta, a wealthy middle-aged District couple (the wonderful, vervefilled Naomi Jacobson and the somewhat prickly John Lescault), encounter Dov (Sasha Olinick), a smooth-talking rabbi who dons a fedora over his yarmulke and offers blood-stained scrolls piping fresh from Auschwitz. His recounting of one such “find,” under director Jenny McConnell Frederick, is a perfect moment of theater, somehow moving even as it taunts you with its implausibility and, by extension, its sliminess. The barbs would feel stronger if the show didn’t otherwise feel so vaudevillian. A chorus of

four additional actors jump in and out for quick shots, and the show traffics in easy jokes about Jews and the elderly. Wood panels with personal tchochkes—from Sabbath candles to an NPR tote bag—surround the stage like the border of a Maurice Sendak picture book, as the cast addresses the audience directly with shtick (“You sure you aren’t hungry?”). You feel like you’re being courted for synagogue membership. Unfortunately, there is no good way to be courted for synagogue membership. But get past all this and the play cuts deep in its portrayal of rich, moderately observant American Jews who fetishize their own history. Local synagogues compete to each have their own “Holocaust Torah” and offer robotic solemn-head-bows when referring to a congregant as “a survivor.” When Dov relates a preposterous account of how he came to possess a second diary by none other than Anne Frank, they buy it hook, line, and macher. This examination of a scheming local rabbi arrives at a difficult but necessary moment for the District’s Jewish community, still nursing open wounds from the recent discovery of Kesher Israel Rabbi Barry Freundal’s alleged mikvah voyeurism. G-d’s Honest Truth is strongest and most provocative when suggesting that religion should not take blind faith in its governing institutions. It cuts Dov too much slack at the end, skipping over the fact that his real-life equivalent exploited the memory of the Holocaust for personal profit, instead offering some schmutz about everyone needing a story to believe in. But Calarco is correct that the moral thrust of this story lies with the flock, not the shepherd. Recall the wisdom of Der Rebbe Homer Simpson: “It takes two to lie. One CP to lie, and one to listen.” Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW. $20–$110. 202.547.1122. shakespearetheatre.org Theater J, 1529 16th St. NW. $10–$65. (202) 518-9400. theaterj.org

TheaTerCurtain Calls Manic Pixie DooMsDay Girl Soon Book, music, and lyrics by Nick Blaemire Directed by Matthew Gardiner At Signature Theatre to April 26

vet physician, no less!—again and again, and instead of moving on to one of the 4,199,999 other women in New York City, he would pine adorably until she finally agreed to get coffee with him. Maybe contemporary musicals just struggle with the opposite of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl archetype that afflicts comic films about vacillating young men. Soon’s delay is more believably calibrated: Jonah is a grocery clerk who, on the evidence of his T-shirt, likes the Who, but whose other interests, skills, and aspirations, if any, remain opaque. In pursuing a woman who spends her time dreaming of the perfect hybrid of muffin and cupcake, he seems safely within the bound-

2014–2015 SEASON Jason Moran, Artistic Director for Jazz

Handout photo byTeresa Wood

In Soon, a world premiere musical from composer, lyricist, librettist, and performer Nick Blaemire, the ice caps are melting, the oceans and the temperature in Manhattan are rising, and the Four Horsemen are saddling their mounts to drive us wretched human cattle into the next life. Charlie (Jessica Hershberg), the vapid couch potato at the center of the piece, has opted to spend humankind’s last days dug into her cozy Lower East Side apartment, bemoaning the emptiness of her peanut butter jar, talking to her goldfish, and mainlining Wolf Blitzer’s CNN doomsday bulletins. (She’s not even bingeing on good TV.) She likes to bake—she worked at a bakery, until she stopped showing up because what’s the point?—only not enough to actually go out and buy ingredients so she can bake something. Everyone grieves differently, true, but not all expressions of grief, and not all charSoon’s staging and cast build a likeable play acters, are equally compelling. around a dud of a character. There’s an eventual payoff to Charlie’s withdrawal from the world that you aries of his own league. Blaemire’s hand is surer may or may not find to be an adequate return when he’s sketching Charlie’s strained relationon your modest investment of 105 minutes in ship with her mom: “How Are You?”, staged Blaemire’s glib, inviting romantic dramedy, as a telephone conversation between Hershberg which is in constant peril of becoming too cute and Diaz, makes you believe their mutual wish to sustain its grim premise and wherein the di- for their bond to be stronger and their mutual alogue is substantially sharper and funnier than confusion as to how strengthen it. Director Matthew Gardiner handles the stothe lyrics. (“I’m an astronaut,” Charlie tells the schlub who knocks on her door to deliver gro- ry’s nonlinear movement adroitly, signaling the ceries. “Cool, me too,” he retorts.) If Char- start of a flashback scene by having his cast enlie is a drag—and she is—at least her friends ter it backwards, for example. Daniel Conand relations are fun to be around. These are way’s scene design makes Charlie’s two-bedSteven, her flamboyant gay roommate (klep- room apartment look lived-in and welcoming, tomaniacal scene-stealer Joshua Morgan, for- and creates convincing seasonal weather effects ever dribbling various foodstuffs on his face); beyond its barred windows, right down to the Adrienne, her flamboyant mother (Natascia real rivulets of rain on the glass. Matthew HabDiaz), and Jonah (amiable Alex Brightman), er’s projections are excellent, too, blanketing the the decidedly unflamboyant delivery boy who stage in a grid of televised images of armagedbecomes a preternaturally patient and un- don, then later turning that cramped apartment derstanding hey-no-pressure-I’m-not-try- into a wide-open patch of Central Park. A fouring-rush-you-but-can-I-be-your-boyfriend? piece, drummer-free musical ensemble perHis past and present efforts to date her and to forms the modest, soft rock, guitar-and-keywinch her out of her pit of despair, respec- board-driven score unseen. For a show that purports to be inspired by tively, are what drive the plot and inspire the show’s most memorable song, “Waiting,” per- the end of the world, it could use a little more chaos, though. Its wildest moment comes when formed by Brightman. Diaz waxes nostalgic in a number called “BoStill, you wonder why he tries. A similar problem plagued If/Then, at least as hemia Paradiso.” As she sings of her younger it existed in its pre-Broadway trial state here in self, “She didn’t wear many clothes,” Morgan, D.C. 16 months ago. Brian Yorkey’s book pre- that irrepressible hedonist, lets out a seemingly sumed that star Idina Menzel’s character could unconscious “YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.” At least unambiguously shut down an absurdly eligi- somebody around here knows how to spend the —Chris Klimek ble suitor—a handsome, intelligent Iraq War last night on Earth.

KENNEDY CENTER

Dianne Reeves and Friends BILLY CHILDS

RAUL MIDÓN

TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON

Following her star turns last season with Renée Fleming’s American Voices festival and the Blue Note at 75 Celebration, Grammy Award®– winning jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves invites her friends—pianist Billy Childs, singer-songwriter and vocalist Raul Midón, and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington—for a not-to-be-missed evening in the Concert Hall.

April 11 | Concert Hall Tickets on sale now!

(202) 467-4600 kennedy-center.org Tickets also available at the Box Office | Groups (202) 416-8400 Dianne Reeves and Friends is presented with the support of

WPFW 89.3 FM is a media partner of Kennedy Center Jazz.

washingtoncitypaper.com april 3, 2015 37

FilmShort SubjectS Generation Flex While We’re Young Directed by Noah Baumbach Writer/director Noah Baumbach has built his career on assholes. From The Squid and the Whale to Frances Ha, his filmography is filled with grumpy, misanthropic New Yorkers—and as such, his movies can be challenging to watch, like raw, painful versions of Woody Allen comedies. Baumbach’s latest, While We’re Young, seems at first like a departure from his usual form. The characters are likable, the situations relatable, and the comedy a little less bitter. But like a great pop song, its light and bouncy attitude is just a tease that belies a core every bit as dark and unflinchingly introspective as any of his previous works. The film starts with a premise fit for a sitcom: Josh (Ben Stiller) and Cornelia (Naomi Watts) are married and childless in New York, approaching middle age with neurotic anxiety. When they meet a hipster couple two decades younger—budding artist Jamie (Adam Driver) and his wife Darby (Amanda Seyfried)—they quickly become pals and dive headfirst into a new world of vintage hats and artisanal ice cream. It’s a joint midlife crisis, but instead of a sports car, Josh and Cornelia simply get younger versions of themselves. Baumbach stages these early scenes with a gleeful pop sensibility rarely found in his work. A vivid montage cuts between the older couple relying on advanced technology like Apple TV and elliptical machines, and their youthful counterparts reveling in analog pleasures like VHS tapes and outdoor sports. The delightful sequence combines a strong command of the form with genuine insight, demonstrating the deep yearning shared by both couples for a more satisfying, authentic life. In other words, each couple is using the other, and it’s only a matter of time before the intergenerational lovefest goes sour. Jamie and Josh end up collaborating on a film project, roping in Cornelia’s father, an esteemed documentarian played winningly by Charles Grodin. Soon, Josh becomes suspicious: Is Jamie’s youthful enthusiasm for real, or is it a persona that hides his naked ambition? Because the older couple has become so influenced by their younger counterparts, the answer carries enormous personal stakes. But for the first time, Baumbach seems more interested in his ideas than his characters. Josh’s disillusionment with Jamie matters to us, but it also begins to resemble a debate between two generations about the nature of art. When he discovers that Jamie withheld information from him in order to manipulate the content of his documentary, Josh feels deeply betrayed, but

Can a young’un and an oldie ever be friends?

there’s little sense of linearity, just a cannonball into Welles’ bio that rarely comes up for air to linger on any particular aspect of his life. A further distraction in this whirlwind: facts that appear in the corner of the screen while the talking heads do their thing. It’s a curious and rather off-putting experiment that suggests Workman rein in future urges to experiment. (A slightly foreboding piano score is another odd choice, but it can be easily tuned out.) One of the most interesting parts of the film is its look at Welles’ notorious 1938 radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds, which, of course, drove listeners bonkers with its realistic telling of a Martian invasion. The reaction was so widespread and serious, in fact, that police got involved. But Welles escaped unscathed, at least in terms of his physical freedom. “I didn’t go to jail,” he said. “I went to Hollywood.”

Jamie does not equate art with truth and fails to see the harm done. This discussion feels right for our era of “Blurred Lines” lawsuits and documentary journalism like HBO’s The Jinx, and Baumbach pulls it off well, with Josh and Jamie embodying each perspective with thorough conviction. The only hitch? By the time While We’re Young ends, it doesn’t feel quite like the same movie it was when it began. The film is alternatively driven by characters, plot, and ideas, and only rarely do they cohere into a satisfying narrative. Oddly enough for Baumbach, it’s the sunny characters that carry the day, even if the movie they inhabit is just as dark and —Noah Gittell stormy as ever. While We’re Young opens April 3 at E Street Cinema.

Director’s strut Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles Directed by Chuck Workman At an age when many of today’s adults are moving back into their childhood bedrooms with graduate degrees tossed somewhere in a milk crate, Orson Welles co-wrote, directed, and starred in Citizen Kane. In Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles, Steven Spielberg joins the cineaste chorus in calling Kane “one of the great movies ever made” and attributes the achievement of a 25-year-old Welles to “courage and audacity.” Later in his life, Welles downplayed it to “the confidence of ignorance,” saying, “I didn’t know what you couldn’t do.”

38 april 3, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

Magician is a fast-paced cannonball into the career of a precocious artist. The bulk of Chuck Workman’s documentary focuses on what happened once Welles finally realized how much he could, indeed, do; in the words of so many frowninducing report cards, he stopped “living up to his potential.” It wasn’t laziness that held Welles back, but perfectionism (and, often, a lack of funds). Clip after clip lets audiences glimpse projects the director either never finished or refused to pronounce done, including Don Quixote, which he tinkered with for years without producing a version he was satisfied with. Magician might have benefited from a slightly less obsessive Welles-ian approach. The 94-minute documentary is a mishmash of film scenes, commentary from colleagues dead and alive (including Sydney Pollack, Anthony Perkins, Peter Bogdanovich, and weirdly, Wolfgang Puck), and frequent interviews with Welles from every stage of his life, in no particular order. Though Workman divides the film into chapters—beginning with “The Boy Wonder” and ending with “The Master”—

Magician’s central gist is that Hollywood was no place for Welles despite his instinctive and precocious talent. As Richard Linklater, who directed 2008’s Me and Orson Welles, says in the doc, Welles is “the patron saint of indie filmmakers.” As the studio system rejected him, Welles, with his ever-increasing girth, regressed into a starving artist, turning to work in commercials to earn a living. Viewers who aren’t terribly familiar with Welles—particularly ones who are good with catching quick snippets of information—will get the most out of the documentary. But that doesn’t mean Magician isn’t worth the diehard fan’s time. Its bevy of interviews with the man make it feel as if he’s telling his own story—and between Welles’ baritone and bon mots, it’s impossible not to be entertained. —Tricia Olszewski Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles opens April 3 at E Street Cinema.

BooksSpeed ReadS

All the President’s Menus Julie Hyzy Berkley Prime Crime, 294 pps.

Every now and then, it does the brain good to settle down with a mass-market bestseller to read without excessive thought. If you’re in need of some simple, relaxing entertainment for a literary spring break, All the President’s Menus is a sure bet. The latest in a cuisine-themed crime mystery series set at the White House, this roman à clef has been preceded by a slew of gag-worthy puns for titles: State of the Onion, Hail to the Chef, Eggsecutive Orders, Buffalo West Wing, Affairs of Steak, Fonduing Fathers, and Home of the Braised. In Hyzy’s latest creation, by chapter two, the action has snapped into place with White House pastry chef Marcel’s dramatic collapse. In the kitchen where he and executive chef (and part-time sleuth) Olivia Paras work, they share space with four foreign cooks from the imaginary and somewhat hostile country of Saardisca. That nation is having its first election with a se-

rious challenger, and this female underdog is touring the U.S. to visit the president. Olivia’s skeleton crew has been whittled to two due to the sequester, and she’s irked by her visitors’ misogyny (they hail from a society even more harshly patriarchal than our own); meanwhile, Marcel is certain he’s been drugged, and one of the visiting cooks dies a sudden death. This plot interlaces with scenes from Olivia’s perfect marriage to Secret Service agent Gav—and while the counterpoint is good for pacing, their conjugal felicity stretches credulity. An occasional dispute might have brought this marital heaven closer to earth, though the knowledge that before they became a couple, they detested each other, helps a bit. The book’s minor characters—some bossy, some snotty, one officious assistant as obnoxious as they come—are never really developed as more than thumbnail sketches, but they keep the plot rolling. Those insufferable personalities are what you get from life in the White House, with staffers all worried about their careers and bulky Secret Service agents blocking every door. It doesn’t come across as a particularly fun place to work, much less live, which is why the scenes at Olivia’s apartment, even with her rather incredibly perfect relationship, are such a respite. Normalcy at last. No more tension of some career-climbing assistant popping in to make impudent, hostile remarks. Because in the end, this novel is about working as a palace courtier, and it doesn’t make it seem like an enviable job. While many are fans of this series precisely because it so closely renders the infighting and territoriality of the president’s inner court, others may come away with relief at not having to rub shoulders with the high and mighty and their hangers-on. Perhaps Hyzy intended this, or perhaps not, but as her chef heroine cooks and sleuths in the shadow of the most powerful man in the world and his staff, her readers finish with a new appreciation of the normal, the mundane, the modest, and the unobtrusive. —Eve Ottenberg

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

20th-CENTURY CLASSICS Tue. & Thu., Apr. 7 & 9 at 7:30 Sat., Apr. 11 at 1:30

Serenade

(Tchaikovsky/Balanchine)

Agon

(Stravinsky/Balanchine)

Symphony in C (Bizet/Balanchine)

21st-CENTURY CHOREOGRAPHERS Wed., Fri., & Sat., Apr. 8, 10, & 11 at 7:30 Sun., Apr. 12 at 1:30

Symphonic Dances (Rachmaninoff/Martins)

Pictures at an Exhibition (Mussorgsky/Ratmansky)

This Bitter Earth (Washington, Richter/Wheeldon)

Everywhere We Go (Stevens/Peck)

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

Commander in Chef

April 7–12 | Opera House Casting available at kennedy-center.org

Tickets on sale now!

(202) 467-4600 kennedy-center.org

Tickets also available at the Box Office | Groups (202) 416-8400

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.

washingtoncitypaper.com april 3, 2015 39

40 april 3, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

CITYLIST Music

Music .........................41 Books ........................ 47 Galleries ..................... 48 Theater ...................... 49 Film ...........................51

SearCh LISTIngS aT waShIngTonCITYpaper.Com WoRld

CITY LIGHTS: FRIDAY

Friday

Warner TheaTre 513 13th St. NW. (202) 783-4000. Adnan Sami. 8:30 p.m. $39–$209. warnertheatre.com.

RAURY

Rock

Hip-Hop

9:30 Club 815 V St. NW. (202) 265-0930. Galactic. 8 p.m. $30. 930.com.

u STreeT muSiC hall 1115 U St. NW. (202) 5881880. Raury, Ace Cosgrove. 7 p.m. $15. ustreetmusichall.com.

birChmere 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. (703) 549-7500. 10,000 Maniacs, Megan Jean & the KFB. 7:30 p.m. $39.50. birchmere.com.

dJ nigHts dC9 1940 9th St. NW. (202) 483-5000. Discnothèque with DJs Sean Morris and Bill Spieler. 10 p.m. $2–$5. dcnine.com.

The hamilTon 600 14th St. NW. (202) 787-1000. Brent & Co. 10:30 p.m. Free. JBOOG, Inna Vision, Westafa. 8:30 p.m. $15–$20. thehamiltondc.com.

saturday

ioTa Club & Café 2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. (703) 522-8340. Blueheart Revival, Jonathan Sloane and Wayward Dog. 8:30 p.m. $12. iotaclubandcafe.com.

Rock

linColn TheaTre 1215 U St. NW. (202) 328-6000. Damien Rice. 6:30 p.m. (Sold out) $55–$75. thelincolndc.com.

9:30 Club 815 V St. NW. (202) 265-0930. Galactic. 8 p.m. $30. 930.com.

ElEctRonic

barnS aT Wolf Trap 1645 Trap Road, Vienna. (703) 255-1900. BandHouse Gigs Tribute to Steve Winwood & Traffic. 7:30 p.m. $27. wolftrap.org.

u STreeT muSiC hall 1115 U St. NW. (202) 5881880. Charles Feelgood, Freddy Be, Crimson Raiders. 10 p.m. $10. ustreetmusichall.com.

blaCK CaT 1811 14th St. NW. (202) 667-4490. Kill Lincoln, Boardroom Heroes, Walk the Plank, Enemy Insects. 9 p.m. $12. blackcatdc.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. mr. henry’S 601 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. (202) 5468412. Steve Washington. 8 p.m. Free. mrhenrysdc.com.

Folk barnS aT Wolf Trap 1645 Trap Road, Vienna. (703) 255-1900. Tom Paxton. 8 p.m. (Sold out) $24–$28. wolftrap.org.

Atlanta-born singer-songwriter Raury curates his sound selectively, mixing and matching diverse samples until he settles on something new and surprising. He blends hip-hop, folk, R&B, and funk on his tracks, a style influenced by fellow Atlanta eccentric Andre 3000 and hip-hop’s rock star of the new millennium, Kid Cudi. His inspiration board doesn’t end there: On Raury’s 2014 debut project, Indigo Child, he flashes the soulful conviction of a young Cody ChesnuTT while invoking the breathy delivery of Lil Wayne on “Wildfire.” Still, Raury’s output never feels forced or derivative; his ability to build something original on top of his predecessors’ foundation caught the attention of Kanye West and earned Raury a deal with Columbia Records. His cool delivery will beguile ATLbred fans and casual observers alike when it comes through the top-notch U Hall speakers. Raury performs with Ace Cosgrove at 7 p.m. at U Street Music Hall, 1115 U St. NW. —Julian Kimble $15. (202) 588-1889. ustreetmusichall.com.

gypSy Sally’S 3401 K St. NW. (202) 333-7700. Skip Castro Band. 9 p.m. $15–$20. gypsysallys.com. The hamilTon 600 14th St. NW. (202) 787-1000. Moonshine Society. 10:30 p.m. Free. thehamiltondc. com. Commander Cody, Bob Margolin, & The Nighthawks. 8:30 p.m. $15–$25. thehamiltondc.com. roCK & roll hoTel 1353 H St. NE. (202) 388-ROCK. White Ford Bronco. 8 p.m. & 11 p.m. $18. rockandrollhoteldc.com. u STreeT muSiC hall 1115 U St. NW. (202) 5881880. Cody Simpson. 7 p.m. $28.50. ustreetmusichall.com. Verizon CenTer 601 F St. NW. (202) 628-3200. Neil Diamond. 8 p.m. $65–$175. verizoncenter.com.

thiS A p r i L At BLUES ALLEY! CELEBrAting 50 YEArS in OUr nAtiOn’S CApitAL April 9-12 April 25-26

Ramsey Lewis

Algebra Blessett

(Piano Legend)

(Soul/R&B)

“The In Crowd & Hang on Ramsey 50th Anniversary”

April 2-5

Roy Hargrove Quintet (Trumpet)

BLUES ALLEY

April 16-19

Arturo Sandoval (Trumpet)

April 30 - May 3

Kenny Garrett Quintet (Sax)

1073 Wisconsin Ave. (in the alley) • (202) 337-4141 • www.bluesalley.com washingtoncitypaper.com april 3, 2015 41

ElEctronic

dc9 1940 9th St. NW. (202) 483-5000. Body Werk. 10:30 p.m. $2–$5. dcnine.com.

U Street MUSic Hall 1115 U St. NW. (202) 5881880. Gent & Jawns, Andromulus, Spinser Tracy. 10 p.m. $10. ustreetmusichall.com.

fillMore Silver Spring 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. (301) 960-9999. Fillmore Flashback, Biz Markie, The New Romance, Here’s To the Night. 8 p.m. $22. fillmoresilverspring.com.

Jazz Mr. Henry’S 601 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. (202) 5468412. Imani-Grace Cooper. 8 p.m. Free. mrhenrysdc.com.

BluEs Zoo Bar 3000 Connecticut Ave. NW. (202) 2324225. The Big Boy Little Band. 9 p.m. Free. zoobardc.com.

Folk

DOM LA NENA

Presented in Partnership With IDB Cultural Center Dom la Nena will perform songs from her new album Soyo, showcasing both her masterful cello playing and multilingual, delicate vocals.

Vocal artiSpHere 1101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. (703) 8751100. Dom La Nena. 8 p.m. $12. artisphere.com. Kennedy center terrace tHeater 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. Lynda Carter. 7:30 p.m. $25–$75. kennedy-center.org.

Sunday rock

iota clUB & café 2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. (703) 522-8340. Amy Speace. 5 p.m. $15. iotaclubandcafe.com.

9:30 clUB 815 V St. NW. (202) 265-0930. Benjamin Booker. 7 p.m. $20. 930.com.

classical

ElEctronic

Kennedy center MillenniUM Stage 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. 6 p.m. Free. kennedy-center.org.

U Street MUSic Hall 1115 U St. NW. (202) 5881880. Dirty Chocolate, Hunt for the Breeze, Robokid, Yung Wall Street, Vices, Jailo. 10 p.m. $10–$15. ustreetmusichall.com.

DJ nights BlacK cat BacKStage 1811 14th St. NW. (202) 667-4490. Walking Down the Street Called Love with DJ Baby Alcatraz. 10 p.m. Free. blackcatdc.com.

Jazz twinS JaZZ 1344 U St. NW. (202) 234-0072. Batida Diferente. 8 p.m. & 10 p.m. $10. twinsjazz.com.

“A sound that is both gentle and haunting.” — National Public Radio, “Weekend Edition”

SAT APR 4 AT 8PM / DOME THEATRE

COUNTDOWN TO YURI’S NIGHT

Celebrate the first manned space flight! The flight plan includes a cosmo-naughty “Space Pirates” burlesque show, interstellar live music, a celestial costume contest, a lunar dance party...and more!

SAT APR 11 AT 9PM / EVENT IS 21+ 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 42 april 3, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

CITY LIGHTS: SATURDAY

“BLAST-OFF” Cross Mackenzie Gallery evokes both ancient mythology and modern technology with “Blast-Off,” its latest group show, which focuses on themes of flight and air travel. David Favrod, one of seven artists in the show, offers a photograph of a Japanese soldier wearing Icarus-style wings, reinterpreting his Japanese grandparents’ role in World War II. Montana-based painter Philip Slagter compares two flying forms, hummingbirds and cutting-edge aerial drones, while other artists look back to the iconic 20th-century rocket form: with ironic cheerfulness in the hands of Biddle/Frankel (a collaboration between husband and wife Eve Biddle and Joshua Frankel) and with doughy, flabby drabness in the hands of sculptor Matthew Courtney. But the exhibit’s biggest treat is seeing the work of two longtime D.C. favorites—painter Trevor Young, who provides a dramatic, nighttime homage to a taxiing airplane, and photographer (and gallery owner) Maxwell Mackenzie, whose aerial image of planes dotting an expansive desert landscape calls to mind some of Young’s own fine portrayals of creamy, industrial-gray tarmacs a decade and a half ago. The exhibition is on view Wednesdays through Sundays noon to 5 p.m., to May 2, at Cross MacKenzie Gallery, 1675 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Free. (202) —Louis Jacobson 337-7970. crossmackenzie.com.

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

JUST ANNOUNCED!

PHISH ........................................................................................... AUGUST 15 & 16

THIS WEEK’S SHOWS

On Sale Friday, April 3 at 10am

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

APRIL 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 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

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

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

The Decemberists w/ Father John Misty .............................................................. JUNE 4 CAPITAL JAZZ FEST FEATURING Kenny G and more! ............................JUNE 5-7 Florence + The Machine ........................................................................................ JUNE 9 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 CDE PRESENTS 2015 SUMMER SPIRIT FESTIVAL FEATURING

ERYKAH BADU • ANTHONY HAMILTON and more! ........................... AUG 8 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 • For full lineups and more info - merriweathermusic.com • 930.com

MAY Joe Pug w/ Field Report (solo) ......................................................................................Sa 2 Butch Walker w/ Jonathan Tyler................................................................................ Th 7 The Maine w/ Real Friends • Knuckle Puck • The Technicolors ......................... Su 10

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

Echostage • Washington, D.C.

JUST ANNOUNCED!

MILKY CHANCE

w/ X Ambassadors ....................................... SAT JULY 27 On Sale Friday, April 3 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

9:30 & BRINDLEY BROS. PRESENT

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

2135 Queens Chapel Rd. NE • Ticketmaster

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

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

FEATURING

Incubus • The Offspring • Panic! at the Disco • Dirty Heads and more! ........MAY 3

1215 U Street NW, Washington, D.C.

JUST ANNOUNCED! LIVE NATION PRESENTS

DAR Constitution Hall • Washington D.C.

ABC’S NASHVILLE IN CONCERT

FEATURING

Clare Bowen • Chris Carmack • Charles Esten and more!.. MAY 3 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.

RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C.

20th Anniversary Blowout!

T.J. M iller ............................................................................ SAT JUNE 20 On Sale Friday, April 3 at 10am

THIS SATURDAY!

AN EVENING WITH Amanda F*%k!ng Palmer ............................ APRIL 4 Rhiannon Giddens w/ Bhi Bhiman ................................................................... APRIL 12 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 Daughtry STRIPPED - ACOUSTIC SHOW! w/ Lucie Silvas.................................................. MAY 2 Lisa Lampanelli .................................................................................................... MAY 29 First Night Sold Out! Second Night

Added!

The Tallest Man on Earth ................................................................................. JUNE 1 Neko Case .............................................................................................................JUNE 15 AEG LIVE PRESENTS

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

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

Buddy Guy • Gary Clark Jr. • Heart • and more! For full lineup, visit 930.com ... JULY 4 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 april 3, 2015 43

CITY LIGHTS: SUNDAY

“PIXELS, PREDATORS AND PREY” The advent of 3-D printing has opened up a whole new aesthetic pathway between the dimensions, and Austin-based artist Shawn Smith is following it in his brainy Artisphere exhibit, “Pixels, Predators and Prey.” Smith’s M.O. is to construct sculptures of animals— tiger sharks, antelopes, cardinals—so they look pixelated in real life, not on a screen. “Growing up in large cities, Smith’s interactions with nature were limited to the pixelated representations he viewed on television and on his computer screen,” the exhibit’s explanation reads. In an eloquent hopscotch, Smith now takes digital images of wildlife from the Internet and turns them into three-dimensional sculptures. His “pixels,” unlike their evanescent digital cousins, are made from hand-cut and hand-dyed strips of wood—about as old-fashioned a technique as you can find in the computer age. The end result is a striking hybrid of animal beauty and mathematical rigor. The exhibition is on view Wednesdays through Fridays 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturdays noon to 11 p.m., and Sundays noon to 5 p.m., to June 14, at Artisphere, 1101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. Free. (703) 875-1100. artisphere.com. —Louis Jacobson

classical kennedy center terrace tHeater 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. Kennedy Center Chamber Players perform Shostakovich and Dvorák. 2 p.m. $36. kennedy-center.org.

Vocal kennedy center MillenniuM staGe 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. National Capital Area Choir. 6 p.m. Free. kennedy-center.org.

Rock

Black cat 1811 14th St. NW. (202) 667-4490. Waxahatchee. 7:30 p.m. $15. blackcatdc.com. Gypsy sally’s 3401 K St. NW. (202) 333-7700. John Kadlecik & The DC Mystery Cats. 8 p.m. $15. gypsysallys.com. Hill country live 410 7th St. NW. (202) 556-2050. Dash Rip Rock. 9:30 p.m. Free. hillcountrywdc.com.

Monday

rock & roll Hotel 1353 H St. NE. (202) 388-ROCK. Matthew E. White, Wilsen. 8 p.m. $14. rockandrollhoteldc.com.

Rock

Jazz

Black cat BackstaGe 1811 14th St. NW. (202) 667-4490. Young Buffalo, Polyon. 7:30 p.m. $10–$12. blackcatdc.com.

kennedy center MillenniuM staGe 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. Integriti Reeves. 6 p.m. Free. kennedy-center.org.

dc9 1940 9th St. NW. (202) 483-5000. Sales. 9 p.m. $10–$12. dcnine.com.

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

44 april 3, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

Tuesday

Folk 9:30 cluB 815 V St. NW. (202) 265-0930. José González, Ólöf Arnalds. 7 p.m. $30. 930.com.

Wednesday Rock

Vocal

9:30 cluB 815 V St. NW. (202) 265-0930. The Mountain Goats, Ides of Gemini. 7 p.m. (Sold out) 930.com.

kennedy center MillenniuM staGe 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. Asako Tamura. 6 p.m. Free. kennedy-center.org.

dc9 1940 9th St. NW. (202) 483-5000. Hey Rosetta!, Kevin Garrett, Imagined Herbal Flows. 8:30 p.m. $8–$13. dcnine.com.

---------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

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!

THE AVERAGE WHITE BAND In the

Connor Kennedy & Minstrel

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

MARC ROBERGE WILL DOWNING DR. RALPH STANLEY

May 1 2

with Family & Friends feat. NATHAN STANLEY

and the CLINCH

MT BOYS

DELBERT McCLINTON 9 GARY TAYLOR 14 TODD RUNDGREN 8

‘GLOBAL TOUR 2015’

15 16 17 18

IRIS DEMENT IAN TYSON RISING APPALACHIA BOB JAMES ‘75th Anniversary’

JOHNNYSWIM 21 ALEX BUGNON ‘Byrdland’ 19

Tribute to Donald Byrd

feat. TOM BROWNE & ELAN TROTMAN

ERIC ROBERSON 28 DOWN TO THE BONE 29 JONATHA BROOKE 30 WALTER BEASLEY 31 ROAMFEST 2015 7pm June 1 JOE ELY 22&23

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

$10 BURGER & BEER MON-FRI 4PM-7PM $3 PBR & NATTY BOH ALL DAY EVERY DAY

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

*all shows 21+ THURS, APR 2

UNDERGROUND COMEDY DOORS OPEN AT 630PM FRI, APR 3

AMA SHOW

DOORS OPEN AT 7PM S AT, A P R 4

UNDERGROUND COMEDY DOORS OPEN AT 6PM SHOW AT 7PM SUN, APR 5

ALEXX STAR PRESENTS A PUNCHLINES IN PARADISE A COMEDY COMPETITION

2 SHOWS DOORS OPEN AT 5PM SHOW AT 6PM AND DOORS OPEN AT 730PM FOR 8PM SHOW MON, APR 6

TRIVIA

STARTS AT 730PM WITH DISTRICT TRIVIA TUES, APR 7

DUPONT ROTARY CLUB MEETING DOORS OPEN AT 6PM

LAST RESORT COMEDY SHOW DOORS OPEN AT 630PM WED, APR 8

ALEXX STAR PRESENTS A NIGHT OF COMEDY DOORS OPEN AT 630PM

TRIVIA

STARTS AT 730PM WITH DISTRICT TRIVIA THURS, APR 9

UNDERGROUND COMEDY DOORS OPEN AT 630PM

1523 22nd St NW – Washington, DC 20037 (202) 293-1887 - www.bierbarondc.com @bierbarondc.com for news and events washingtoncitypaper.com april 3, 2015 45

Kennedy Center MillenniuM Stage 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. Quilt. 8 p.m. Free. kennedy-center.org. roCK & roll Hotel 1353 H St. NE. (202) 388-ROCK. The Suicide Machines, Breakanchor, Bastardous, Derek Grant. 7 p.m. $16. rockandrollhoteldc.com.

ElEctronic u Street MuSiC Hall 1115 U St. NW. (202) 5881880. Shlohmo. 10 p.m. $18. ustreetmusichall.com.

Jazz

BlaCK Cat 1811 14th St. NW. (202) 667-4490. Diarrhea Planet, Left & Right, Loud Boyz. 7:30 p.m. $15. blackcatdc.com. dC9 1940 9th St. NW. (202) 483-5000. The Bright Light Social Hour, The Tontons. 9 p.m. $10–$12. dcnine.com. linColn tHeatre 1215 U St. NW. (202) 328-6000. Citizen Cope. 6:30 p.m. $46. thelincolndc.com. roCK & roll Hotel 1353 H St. NE. (202) 388-ROCK. Lady Lamb, Rathborne. 8 p.m. $13. rockandrollhoteldc.com.

BetHeSda BlueS and Jazz 7719 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda. (240) 330-4500. Chris Grasso Trio with Sharón Clark and Lyle Link. 8 p.m. $20. bethesdabluesjazz.com.

u Street MuSiC Hall 1115 U St. NW. (202) 5881880. Alex Winston, the Walking Sticks, Louis Weeks. 8 p.m. $12. ustreetmusichall.com.

tHe HaMilton 600 14th St. NW. (202) 787-1000. Spyro Gyra. 7:30 p.m. $30–$40. thehamiltondc.com.

Jazz

Hill Center at tHe old naval HoSpital 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. (202) 549-4172. Hill Center Jazz Ensemble. 7:30 p.m. $15–$20.

BarnS at wolf trap 1645 Trap Road, Vienna. (703) 255-1900. Jane Monheit. 8 p.m. $30. wolftrap.org.

Mr. Henry’S 601 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. (202) 5468412. Capitol Hill Jazz Jam with Herb Scott. 8 p.m. Free. mrhenrysdc.com. twinS Jazz 1344 U St. NW. (202) 234-0072. Nicole Saphos. 8 p.m. & 10 p.m. $10. twinsjazz.com.

World Howard tHeatre 620 T St. NW. (202) 803-2899. Morgan Heritage. 9 p.m. $25–$60. thehowardtheatre.com.

Thursday rock

BetHeSda BlueS and Jazz 7719 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda. (240) 330-4500. The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Kim Wilson, the Cathy Ponton King Band. 7:30 p.m. $35. bethesdabluesjazz.com.

BlueS alley 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. (202) 3374141. Ramsey Lewis. 8 p.m. & 10 p.m. $60. bluesalley.com. ClariCe SMitH perforMing artS Center Stadium Drive and Route 193, College Park. (301) 4052787. Tia Fuller. 7 p.m. & 9 p.m. $10–$25. claricesmithcenter.umd.edu.

country Mr. Henry’S 601 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. (202) 5468412. By and By Bluegrass. 8 p.m. Free. mrhenrysdc.com.

World freer gallery of art Jefferson Drive & 12th Street SW. (202) 633-1000. Tamagawa University Taiko Drumming and Dance Troupe. 12 p.m. Free. asia.si.edu.

CITY LIGHTS: MONDAY

BIG UPS

Threads of hardcore and post-punk history knot through many tracks from emerging rock bands these days, but on its 2014 debut album, Eighteen Hours of Static, Brooklynbased quartet Big Ups takes a fresh approach that feels inspired, not encumbered, by the bands that came before it. Frontman Joe Galarraga shows off a controlled, shouty vocal delivery on tracks like “Wool,” while drummer Brendan Finn, bassist Carlos Salguero, and guitarist Amar Lal layer elements of sludge, dub punk, and neo-hardcore under it. Anti-establishment lyrics (“I don’t need God and I don’t need you/To save my soul, make me feel whole,” Galaragga grumbles on “Atheist Self-Help”) combined with squealing guitars and aggressive percussion might not be the most novel thing to happen to music this decade, but Big Ups delivers its familiar frustrations in a new, head-turning package. Big Ups performs with Witch Coast and the Black Sparks at 9 p.m. at Comet Ping Pong, 5037 Connecticut Ave. NW. $12. (202) —Jordan-Marie Smith 364-0404. cometpingpong.com.

46 april 3, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

ClassiCal Mansion at strathMore 10701 Rockville Pike, Rockville. (301) 581-5100. Miranda Cuckson. 7:30 p.m. $22.50–$25. strathmore.org.

Books

paul beatty The author, who is also a poet and the editor of Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor, reads from his new satirical novel, The Sellout. He also reads on April 8 at 6:30 p.m. at Busboys and Poets Brookland. Politics & Prose. 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. April 7, 7 p.m. Free. (202) 364-1919. heathers CoCKs and JessiCa Morgan The authors of the popular “Go Fug Yourself” blog read from their first novel for adults, The Royal We. Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe. 1517 Connecticut Ave. NW. April 9, 6:30 p.m. Free. (202) 387-1400. Marisa de los santos The bestselling author reads from her new novel, The Precious One, which follows estranged half-sisters who slowly begin to reunite. One More Page Books. 2200 N. Westmoreland Street, No. 101, Arlington. April 9, 7 p.m. Free. (703) 300-9746. robin givhan The Washington Post fashion critic recounts a 1973 fashion show that caused onlookers to pay attention to American clothiers in her first book, The Battle of Versailles: The Night American Fashion Stumbled Into the Spotlight and Made History. Busboys and Poets Takoma. 234 Carroll St. NW. April 7, 6:30 p.m. Free. (202) 726-9525. allan gurganus and elizabeth strout Authors Gurganus and Strout are well known for chronicling life in small-town America. They discuss their affinity for the subject and read from their work at the Folger. Folger Elizabethan Theatre. 201 E. Capitol St. SE. April 7, 7:30 p.m. $15. (202) 544-7077.

Christopher r. hill The author, a former ambassador, tells stories from his career in the State Department in Outpost: Life on the Frontlines of American Diplomacy. Politics & Prose. 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. April 6, 7 p.m. Free. (202) 364-1919. Mary louise Kelly The former NPR correspondent reads from her new novel, The Bullet, which follows a young womna’s search for understanding after learning about the murder of her biological parents. Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe. 1517 Connecticut Ave. NW. April 7, 6:30 p.m. Free. (202) 387-1400. tina paCKer In Women of Will: Following the Feminine in Shakespeare’s Plays, the author explores the famous and lesser-known female characters in the Bard’s plays. Politics & Prose. 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. April 9, 7 p.m. Free. (202) 364-1919. shaaren pine and sCott Magnuson The coauthors and owners of the Argonaut restaurant on H Street NE share their experiences dealing with addiction in Torn Together: One Family’s Journey Through Addiction, Treatment, and the Restaurant Industry. Busboys and Poets Brookland. 625 Monroe St. NE. April 6, 6:30 p.m. Free. ron rosbottoM The author describes how the people and city of Paris responded to the Nazi invasion during World War II in his new book, When Paris Went Dark: The City of Light Under German Occupation, 1940–1944. Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe. 1517 Connecticut Ave. NW. April 8, 6:30 p.m. Free. (202) 387-1400. Charles siMiC Simic, a popular essayist, cultural critic, and poet shares excerpts from his latest collections, The Life of Images and The Lunatic. Politics & Prose. 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. April 8, 7 p.m. Free. (202) 364-1919.

UPTOWN BLUES

Open Mic Blues JaM Big Boy LittLe every Thursday

Fri. Apr. 3 Sat. Apr. 4 Fri. Apr. 10 Sat. Apr. 11 Fri. Apr. 17 Sat. Apr. 18

over the Limit Big Boy LittLe Band Sookey Jump BLueS Band Smokin’ poLecatS moonShine Society Stacy BrookS BLueS Band

APR 10

POULENC TRIO

Beethoven, Schnittke, and Poulenc with special guest poet Lia Purpura

Sundays mike FLaherty’S

APR 24

SYBARITE 5

dixieLand direct Jazz Band

Award-winning string quintet randomizes their repertoire for a unique evening

3000 Connecticut Avenue, NW (across from the National Zoo)

WOLFTRAP.ORG

202-232-4225 zoobardc.com

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

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

JUST ANNOUNCED

CITY LIGHTS: TUESDAY

WAXAHATCHEE

When Katie Crutchfield, the indie-pop songwriter who performs under the moniker of Waxahatchee, raked in the critical praise for her 2012 debut album, American Weekend, she specialized in lo-fi gems that set confessional lyrics to concise guitar strumming and memorable hooks. Though she upped her production value and incorporated drums and bass on 2013’s excellent Cerulean Salt, she sacrificed none of the intimate qualities that make her reflections on love and loneliness so compelling. Ivy Tripp, Waxahatchee’s third album, will mark the next logical phase in Crutchfield’s artistic development when it drops later this month. The album’s lead single, “Air,” features a haunting synth line and sounds more grandiose than past Waxahatchee songs, but Crutchfield’s measured, emotive melodies remain the focal point. Her lyrics are as poignant and relatable as ever, contemplating a stagnant relationship with a lover that she left out to spoil “like a carton of milk.” Crutchfield no longer bares her soul to a bedroom eight-track, but she’s made it to the big leagues with her songwriting prowess intact. Waxahatchee performs with the Goodbye Party and Nox at 7:30 p.m. at the Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. $15. (202) 667—Dan Singer 4490. blackcat.com.

5/16 THE CHUCK BROWN BAND

5/4 RATA BLANCA

5/10 COMEDY AT THE HOWARD: TOMMY DAVIDSON

8/14 COL. BRUCE HAMPTON & THE AQUARIUM RESCUE UNIT

6/12 TRINA & BACKYARD BAND

6/5 THE SMITHEREENS

4/28 COMEDY AT THE HOWARD: DONNELL RAWLINGS

9/19 CHANTE MOORE

UPCOMING SHOWS FRIDAY APRIL 3RD

WEDNESDAY APRIL 8TH

ONE MORE TIME: THE TRIBUTE TO DAFT PUNK

FRIDAY APRIL 10TH LATE SHOW

MORGAN HERITAGE

HIP HOP LIVS PRESENTS

DEVIN THE DUDE & BACKYARD BAND

SATURDAY APRIL 4TH

THURSDAY APRIL 9TH

SATURDAY APRIL 11TH

RED BARAAT’S

LYQUIN & AWTHENTIK

BALTSOUNDMANAGEMENT PRESENTS

BRINDLEY BROTHERS PRESENT:

FESTIVAL OF COLORS

WITH RA THE MC, NINO SWAGG, RUSH DEM, DEVIN WHITE, STYMIE & BLACK WOODSON

SATURDAY APRIL 4TH

FRIDAY APRIL 10TH

LATE SHOW

JON MCLAUGHLIN

SATURDAY APRIL 11TH

INCOGNITO

NORTHEAST GROOVERS

WITH SPECIAL GUEST

30TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW

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 THE HOWARD: NEMR (THE LEBANESE “KING OF COMEDY”) 4/17 ALICE SMITH: PRODUCED BY JILL NEWMAN PRODUCTIONS 4/17 LATE- THE CHERRY FUND PRESENTS: GRAVITY DJ PAULO & DJ TWIN

DAVE BARNES & MATT WERTZ

4/19 MICHELLE BLACKWELL: 15TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW: GOGO MICKEY, CAL DA ANIMAL, THE MISFITZ + MORE! 4/20 HIGHER GROUND: MONOPHONICS & PEOPLES BLUES OF RICHMOND WITH CONGO SANCHEZ, TIME IS TIME + MORE! 4/24 JARABE DE PALO 4/25 KEITH SWEAT: ALBUM RELEASE SHOW 4/27 O-TOWN

WITH THE HARLEM GOSPEL CHOIR

LATE SHOW

MIXTAPE

MAYSA 4/28 4/30 5/1 5/2 5/2 5/3 5/4

EVERY SUNDAY !

COMEDY AT THE HOWARD: DARNELL RAWLINGS SHEILA E. ILOVEMAKONNEN, KEY & SONNY DIGITAL LEE FIELDS & THE EXPRESSIONS + TROUBLE FUNK (BIG TONY’S BIRTHDAY & FUNK PARADE CELEBRATION) OFFICIAL FUNK PARADE AFTER-PARTY & BIG TONY’S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION WITH LEE FIELDS, TROUBLE FUNK + MORE! ERICA CAMPBELL OF MARY MARY RATA BLANCA

ADMISSION GETS YOU U ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET + ENTRANCE TO THE SHOW!

2 SHOW EASTER SPECIAL! SUNDAY, APRIL 5, 2015 DOORS AT 10AM + 1PM

washingtoncitypaper.com april 3, 2015 47

LIVE

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

IOTA CLUB & CAFE

12 taps--craft BEErs--growlErfills

new hours

open 4 pm

mon-tue-wed-thu

happy hour 4-7 pM BEforE shows

open 10

am fri-sat-sun-hol

BrEakfast - Brunch - BoozE

april

th arcology @ iota 02 DJ saM snow on thE DEcks

7:30

frEE

fr blue heart revival 8:30 03 w/ Jonathan sloanE $12 & thE waywarD Dog

................................... sa e a r l y s h o w - a l l a g e s 04 amy speace 5:00 & MEgan palMEr-fiDDlE/vox $15

katE kliM ................................... sa hEllo DharMa 8:30 04 stErEoriots $10 Ms friDrich’s MEssy ann BanD Dr roBErts & pEnny lanE su DaviD tEwksBury 7:30 05 BEn EpparDHJason BurkE $10 color schoolHpaulo franco mo opEn for happy hour 4 - 7 pM w/

06 no show tonight! closED for r&r

................................... tu 07

lgbtuesdays@iota

FRIDAY APR

WATERS 100TH BIRTHDAY

8:30 $12

sa the weathervanes 11 w/ karEn Jonas

8:30 $12

DEar crEEk

8:00 boys band frEE

8:30 fr champagne fever 17 w/ alarkE w/ sara curtin $10 first come first served

SATURDAY APR SUN, APRIL 5

10AM, 12:30PM, 3PM

GOSPEL BRUNCH

FEAT. THE GOSPEL PERSUADERS WED, APRIL 8

SISTER SPARROW & THE DIRTY BIRDS FRI, APRIL 10

MAXI PRIEST

(LATE SHOW)

Galleries

iotaclubandcafe.com

ARLINGTON VA 703/522-8340 2 1/2 BLOCKS EAST OF

CLARENDON METRO

If you think you’re too mature to spend your Wednesday evening with a band called Diarrhea Planet, you’re dead wrong. In fact, dismissing the Nashville band for its name alone is a sign of your immaturity, the musical equivalent of judging a book by its cover. The band plays infectious party rock that sounds like a cross between Van Halen and Andrew W.K., but with more energy and musicianship than either. Diarrhea Planet has four lead guitarists—yes, you read that right—and as their songs peak, all four solo at the same time. The band has played major South by Southwest showcases and basements in Columbia Heights, and no matter how small the venue, the group has an amazing knack for making its fans, new and old, go absolutely bonkers. Great poop jokes transcend age, gender, race, and nationality. So do great rock bands. Diarrhea Planet performs with Left & Right and Loud Boyz at 7:30 p.m. at the Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. $15. (202) 667—Alan Zilberman 4490. blackcat.com.

FEATURING COMMANDER CODY,

thank you for your business

2832 WILSON BLVD

DIARRHEA PLANET

BOB MARGOLIN & THE NIGHTHAWKS

THUR, APRIL 9

8:00

MUDDY

frEE

fr blame it on jane 10 w/hanD paintED swingEr

Mo 13 bachelor

& WESTAFA

SPYRO GYRA

two sign-ups @ 7:30 & 10:00pM

W/ INNA VISION

frEE

half-pricED apps & hh until 9 pM ................................... wE --Do you play?-08 open mic night !

JBOOG

CITY LIGHTS: WEDNESDAY

THEHAMILTONDC.COM

AnAcostiA Arts center 1231 Good Hope Road SE. anacostiaartscenter.com. OngOing: “Eternal Spring.” Artist Matt Hollis affixes hundreds of artificial flower petals to his canvases to both mimic and celebrate the changing seasons in this exhibition of assemblages. March 27–April 25. Arlington Arts center 3550 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. (703) 248-6800. arlingtonartscenter.org. ClOsing: “Instigate. Activate.” Four new curators present mini-exhibitions that focus on landscapes, containers and borderlands, large scale alternative worlds, and the concept of home. Jan. 24–April 4. ClOsing: “Gun Love.” AAC resident artist Dawn Whitmore considers the role of women in contemporary gun culture in this exhibition that features altered photos gleaned from social media and portraits of women acting out the love of firearms by posing with plastic guns. Jan. 24–April 4. Artisphere 1101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. (703) 8751100. artisphere.com. OngOing: “Infinitesimal.” Artist Monica Stroik explores the limits of perception and memory in this immersive new exhibition of oil paintings that draws inspiration from Artisphere’s architecture. Feb. 4–April 25. AthenAeum 201 Prince St., Alexandria. (703) 5480035. nvfaa.org. OngOing: “Enveloping Time.” Paintings, collages, and mixed media pieces featuring envelopes and other print media motifs are highlighted in this retrospective of works by artist Robert Cwiok. Feb. 26–April 12. Brentwood Arts exchAnge 3901 Rhode Island Ave., Brentwood. (301) 277-2863. arts.pgparks.com. OngOing: “Brentwood Arts Exchange 5th Anniversary Show.” Artists who’ve presented work at the center

48 april 3, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

over the years return to celebrate at this anniversary show. March 16–May 9. cApitol skyline hotel 10 I St. SW. (202) 4887500. capitolskyline.com. OngOing: “Upward Mobility.” Photographer Avi Gupta presents a large-scale photograph of the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s staircase printed on a banner on the side of the Capitol Skyline Hotel to close the WPA’s South Capitol Skyscape series. Feb. 2–April 30. cArroll squAre gAllery 975 F St. NW. (202) 234-5601. carrollsquare.com. OngOing: “Linear Function.” Artists Alex Mayer, Nick Primo, and Douglas Whitmer present paintings and sculptures that require a sparse use of materials, be it wood, paint, or steel. Feb. 6–April 24. cross mAckenzie gAllery 2026 R St. NW. (202) 333-7970. crossmackenzie.com. Opening: “Blast Off!” Flight-themed works by artists Eve Biddle & Joshua Frankel, Matthew Courtney, David Favrod, Maxwell MacKenzie, Philip Slagter, and Trevor Young. April 3–April 25. the Fridge Rear Alley, 516 Eighth St. SE. (202) 6644151. thefridgedc.com. Opening: “Rose Jaffe.” New colorful portraits by local artist Rose Jaffe. April 4–May 3. gAllery plAn B 1530 14th St. NW. (202) 234-2711. galleryplanb.com. OngOing “Africa.” Landscape paintings inspired by artist Freya Grand’s travels around the continent. March 25–May 3. goethe-institut wAshington 812 7th St. NW. (202) 289-1200. www.goethe.de/washington. OngOing: “gute aussichten: new german photography 2014/2015.” The eight winners of this annual photography competition display more than 300 images chronicling everything from life in Haiti and the Dominican Republic to the Matterhorn. March 5–May 1.

Hillyer Art SpAce 9 Hillyer Court NW. (202) 3380680. artsandartists.org. Opening: “CircuitScapes.” Paintings of computer circuits styled to look like landscapes by painter Glen Kessler. April 3–April 25. Opening: “J.D. Deardourff.” Colorful screenprints inspired by comic books by graphic designer and artist J.D. Deardourff. April 3–April 25. Honfleur GAllery 1241 Good Hope Road SE. (202) 365-8392. honfleurgallery.com. OngOing: “User Error.” Larry Lairson references op-art in his large paintings that frequently incorporate materials like glue and linen. March 20–May 1.

www.bethesdabluesjazz.com

MoSAic 2910 District Ave., Fairfax. OngOing: “Transcendence.” Muralist James Walker creates a large-scale installation and painter James Bullough installs a 30-foot mural inspired by break dancers at this outdoor exhibition presented by Art Whino. March 7–July 26. old print GAllery 1220 31st St. NW. (202) 9651818. oldprintgallery.com. OngOing: “Tonal Array.” Aquatints from the late 20th and early 21st centuries by artists including Linda Adato, Takamune Ishiguro, and Henry Ziegler. Feb. 20–April 11.

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 F 17 TITO PUENTE JR & HIS BIG BAND SA 18 THE SOUL CRACKERS W/ TOMMY LEPSON SUNDAY APRIL 19

JUNIOR WALKER’S ALL STAR BAND THURSDAY APRIL 23

FREDA PAYNE

FRIDAY APRIL 24

CLUB NOUVEAU

PLUS CALVIN RICHARDSON

ZenitH GAllery 1429 Iris St. NW. (202) 783-2963. zenithgallery.com. OngOing: “Women of Zenith Who Have Reached the Zenith.” Female artists take over the walls at this exhibition to celebrate Washington’s female leaders and Zenith Gallery’s 37th anniversary. Jan. 14–April 26.

TWO SHOWS!

TH 30

DAVE DAMIANI, SPENCER DAY AND MAYA SYKES M A Y

JUST ANNOUNCED AND ON SALE NOW! MAY 1ST

EDDIE MONEY

TheaTer

TWO SHOWS! BE’LA DONA

GIRMA YIFRASHEWA

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.

SA 9

SHADOWS OF THE 60’S: A TRIBUTE TO THE FOUR TOPS

S 10

(MOTHER’S DAY BRUNCH & EVENING SHOW) WIL HART OF THE ORIGINAL DELFONICS

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 honors the play’s 30th anniversary with this production directed by Thomas W. Jones II. MetroStage. 1201 N. Royal St., Alexandria. To April 26. $50-$55. (703) 548-9044. metrostage.org.

S 17

SA 16 KING SOUL SOULCIAL HOUR BAND

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

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

L– 15 RI 20 AP AY M RG NW E.O ST TR P A & THE TH IO 14 TUD S

SA 2

ITH W Y D SB N AN RIC DA Y B BY LY R D D JO CS SH I VE AN LIA LYR NA BY EI E K D A NC OO JU ND AN CTE US A I M CO B IC L RE D JU DI VI DA

ViSArtS 155 Gibbs St., Rockville. (301) 315-8200. visartsatrockville.org. OngOing: “Jeffrey Cooper.” New wood carvings and sculptures by artist Jeffrey Cooper. March 27–April 26.

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.

HAROLD MELVIN’S BLUE NOTES

trAnSforMer GAllery 1404 P St. NW. (202) 483-1102. transformergallery.org. OngOing: “Before the Law.” Raul Romero and Jane Carver use Kafka’s “before the law” parable as inspiration for this multimedia show that explores the relationship between absolutism and relativity. March 14–April 25.

ViVid SolutionS GAllery 1231 Good Hope Road SE. (202) 365-8392. vividsolutionsdc.com. OngOing: “Anacostia River Photography.” D.C. residents share their photos and memories of the Anacostia River in this open-call group show. March 20–May 1.

ER D RD LA MU L BA

robert brown GAllery 1662 33rd St. NW. (202) 338-0353. robertbrowngallery.com. OngOing: “Thirty Years of Discoveries.” View paintings, ceramics, and calligraphy at this retrospective exhibition celebrating the works of artist Stephen Addiss. Feb. 28–April 18.

S ba ara tr ck ’s St eas up life a a g ur in is au nd a ed es he per fo die liv cab in t r li fec r a n e a hi fe t, fu ce i ban ret- s e , th unt M ED ll n d s xp re il im th , M ty lo at an IA PA m e m u le w siv en o RT er i rd i e in ld N siv dd er th ro g e fla ER e e le Ba ful ck ve m xp of i lla l ba mu ryt e s er ts d p r si hin ho ien ac u se ca g w ce tio ts t rvic l. sh s e . n he e

Morton fine Art 1781 Florida Ave. NW. (202) 628-2787. mortonfineart.com. OngOing: “Natalie Cheung.” Abstract, colorful photographs by local artist Natalie Cheung. March 27–April 16. OngOing: “Andrei Petrov” Abstract landscape paintings by artist Andrei Petrov. March 27–April 16.

SATURDAY APRIL 4

lonG View GAllery 1234 9th St. NW. (202) 2324788. longviewgallery.com. Opening: “Networks.” Abstract paintings by Long View regulars Sondra N. Arkin and Eve Stockton. April 2–May 3.

washingtoncitypaper.com april 3, 2015 49

“A STUNNING VISUAL ODE.” -Jay Weissberg, VARIETY

THE SALT OF THE EARTH

A FILM DIRECTED BY

WIM WENDERS

AND

JULIANO RIBEIRO SALGADO

WWW.SONYCLASSICS.COM

EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENTS START FRIDAY, APRIL 3

Washington, DC Arlington Bethesda LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA AMC LOEWS SHIRLINGTON 7 LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA (202) 783-9494 (888) AMC-4FUN (301) 652-7273

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Is the Glass half full? Is the Glass half empty? how about half off!

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. 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, which follows in the tradition of past shows like Angels in America and Scorched. 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. uncLe Vanya Round House presents the area premiere of playwright Annie Baker’s adaptation of Chekhov’s classic about a blended family that fights over the value, both sentimental and monetary, of a country estate. Round House Theatre Bethesda. 4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda. To May 3. $10-$50. (240) 644-1100. roundhousetheatre.org. Vanya and sonia and Masha and sPike Playwright Christopher Durang satirizes Chekov’s characters and premises in this Tony-winning play about two dreary siblings whose lives are upended when their sister comes to visit with her new boyfriend and makes

realdeal.washingtoncitypaper.com

“ THE BEST COMEDY OF THE YEAR.” – John Powers, VOGUE

SHARP, FUNNY AND DEAD-ON ACCURATE. “EVERYTHING WE’VE COME TO EXPECT FROM THE BEST OF NOAH BAUMBACH.” – Kenneth Turan, LOS ANGELES TIMES

CITY LIGHTS: THURSDAY

THE FUG GIRLS

EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENTS

START FRIDAY, APRIL 3

FAIRFAX Angelika at Mosaic (571) 512-3301

WASHINGTON, DC Landmark’s E Street Cinema (202) 783-9494

50 april 3, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

ARLINGTON AMC Loews Shirlington 7 (888) AMC-4FUN

BETHESDA Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema (301) 652-7273

Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, better known to fashionistas and celebrity-snark lovers as “The Fug Girls,” are coming to D.C. to take on bad Ann Taylor pantsuits. The hilarious duo came into the spotlight with their enormously popular blog Go Fug Yourself, which critiques celebrity fashion hits and misses with sharp wit; now that Fashion Police is on hiatus, these ladies are the rightful heirs to Joan Rivers’ red-carpet takedown mantle. When they’re not considering the merits of Kim Kardashian’s leggings, Cocks and Morgan write fiction that’s just as frothy as their blog. After publishing two YA titles, they’re now on the road promoting their first grown-up book, a thinly veiled look at the royal romance of Will and Kate called The Royal We. (Its release date conveniently coincides with their coverage of the duchess’ maternity wardrobe.) Come to the reading dressed to impress, because these women rarely hold back—and we’re all better, and more amused, for it. The Fug Girls read at 6:30 p.m. at Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe, 1517 Connecticut Ave. —Diana Metzger NW. Free. (202) 387-1400. kramers.com.

a big announcement. Aaron Posner, whose Chekov adaptation Stupid Fucking Bird impressed local audiences in 2013, directs. Arena Stage. 1101 6th St. SW. To May 3. $55-$100. (202) 488-3300. arenastage.org.

Film

Danny Collins Al Pacino stars as an aging rock star who gets a second chance to reconnect 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) 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) Gray An art critic, his wife, and a pren effie Raphaelite artist are drawn into a love triangle in this romantic drama based on a true story. Dakota Fanning, Tom Sturridge, and Emma Thompson star. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information) furious 7 The crazy, car racing crew from the n previous Fast and the Furious films are in danger after the brother of a man they killed comes seeking revenge. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information) Get HarD When a businessman (Will Ferrell) 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) KuMiKo: tHe treasure Hunter Academy Award nominee Rinko Kikuchi plays an office 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) MaGiCian: tHe astonisHinG life anD WorK of orson Welles Documentarian Chuck Workman turns his attention to the career of actor, writer, and director Orson Welles in this new film that incorporates rarely seen archival footage. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information)

tHe salt of tHe eartH Filmmakers Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado chronicle the like and career of Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado in their award-winning documentary. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information)

serena Newlyweds George and Serena launch 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)

Dine Out Thursday, April 23rd Dining Out for

Fri & Sat, April 3 & 4 at Midnight! Buy Advance Tickets Online

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D.C.’s awesomest events calendar.

POWELL AND PRESSBURGER’S

— MARTIN SCORSESE

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Crazy! Exhilirating!”

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A dream for lovers of pure spectacle!” —TIME OUT NEW YORK

“The movie that made me want to make movies!”

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— GEORGE ROMERO

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“Truly unlike anything I’d ever seen before!”

ONE WEEK ONLY!

STARTS FRIDAY, APRIL 3

Check AFI.com/Silver or call box ofﬁce for daily show times - 301.495.6700.

, REX REED

A TRIUMPH ! HELEN MIRREN

“

IS BRILLIANT.

RYAN REYNOLDS IS OUTSTANDING.”

seyMour: an introDuCtion Ethan Hawke directs this documentary about Seymour Bernstein, a piano teacher, artist, and consummate New Yorker. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information) We’re younG Ben Stiller and Naomi n WHile Watts play a middle-aged couple whose lives and livelihoods are upended when they form a friendship with their 20-something neighbors. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information) WoMan in GolD Helen Mirren stars as Maria 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. Co-starring Ryan Reynolds and Katie Holmes. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information) tHe WreCKinG CreW Like the Funk Brothers, 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.

EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT STARTS

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1

ADDITIONAL THEATERS OPEN FRIDAY, APRIL 3 CHECK DIRECTORIES FOR SHOWTIMES • NO PASSES ACCEPTED

washingtoncitypaper.com april 3, 2015 51

SHOWTIMES APRIL 3–APRIL 9, 2015 Times currenT as of 4 p.m. Wednesday

REPERTORY

AMC Loews Cineplex Uptown

AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center

(202) 333-FILM #799

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

Furious 7 (PG-13) 137 mins. Fri.-Sun. 12:40, 4:00, 7:30, 10:50; Mon.-Thu. 12:40, 4:00, 7:30

7th Heaven (1927) (NR) 110 mins. Sun. 3:00 The Babadook (NR) 92 mins. Fri. 9:45; Sat. 10:45 Flesh and the Devil (1926) (NR) 91 mins. Sat. 3:30 It Follows (R) 97 mins. Fri.-Thu. 9:30 The Major and the Minor (NR) 100 mins. Sun. 8:45 Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (NR) 115 mins. Sat.-Sun. 11:00

3426 Connecticut Ave. NW

AMC Loews Theatres Georgetown

The Taming of the Shrew (1929) (NR) 95 mins. Sun. 1:00 Top Hat (1935) (NR) 99 mins. Fri. 5:15; Sat. 1:00

Furious 7: The IMAX Experience (PG-13) 137 mins. Fri. 1:00, 4:15, 7:30, 10:45; Sat.-Sun. 10:00, 1:00, 4:15, 7:30, 10:45; Mon.-Thu. 1:00, 4:15, 7:30, 10:45 Get Hard (R) 100 mins. Fri. noon, 1:00, 2:30, 3:30, 5:00, 6:00, 7:30, 8:30, 10:00, 11:00; Sat. 10:20, noon, 1:00, 2:30, 3:30, 5:00, 6:00, 7:30, 8:30, 10:00, 11:00; Sun. 10:20, noon, 1:00, 2:30, 3:30, 5:00, 6:00, 7:30, 8:30, 10:00; Mon.-Wed. noon, 1:00, 2:30, 3:30, 5:00, 6:00, 7:30, 8:30, 10:00 The Gunman (R) 115 mins. Fri.-Wed. 1:45, 7:15

DISTRICT

Home 3D (PG) 96 mins. Fri. 6:00, 8:30, 11:00; Sat. 10:25, 6:00, 8:30, 11:00; Sun. 10:25, 6:00, 8:30; Mon.-Wed. 6:00, 8:30

Angelika Pop-Up at Union Market

The Imitation Game (PG-13) 114 mins. Fri. 4:30, 10:30; Sat.-Sun. 11:00, 4:30, 10:30; Mon.Wed. 4:30, 10:30

It Follows (R) 97 mins. Fri.-Sat. 11:30, 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 8:00, 9:15, 10:00; Sun. 11:30, 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 8:00, 9:15; Mon. 11:30, 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 8:00; Tue. 11:30, 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 8:00; Wed. 11:30, 5:30, 8:00; Thu. 11:30, 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 8:00 King John (Stratford Festival) (NR) 175 mins. Wed. 2:00 Paddington (PG) 95 mins. Fri.-Mon. 11:00, 1:00; Tue. 11:00, 1:00; Wed.-Thu. 11:00, 1:00 The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (PG) 122 mins. Fri.-Sun. 11:15, 1:45, 4:30, 7:00, 9:30; Mon. 11:15, 1:45, 4:30, 7:00; Tue. 11:15, 1:45, 4:30, 7:00; Wed. noon, 4:30, 7:00; Thu. 11:15, 1:45, 4:30, 7:00

The Divergent Series: Insurgent 3D (PG-13) 119 mins. Fri.-Sat. 5:35, 11:30; Sun.-Thu. 5:35

The Divergent Series: Insurgent 3D (PG-13) 119 mins. Fri.-Wed. 1:40, 7:20; Thu. 1:40

The Divergent Series: Insurgent (PG-13) 119 mins. Fri.-Sat. 11:45, 2:45, 8:30; Sun. 2:45, 8:30; Mon.Thu. 11:45, 2:45, 8:30

The Divergent Series: Insurgent (PG-13) 119 mins. Fri.-Sun. 10:50, 4:30, 10:10; Mon.-Thu. 10:50, 4:30

Focus (R) 104 mins. Fri.-Sun. 9:10; Mon.-Thu. 1:20, 4:20, 7:20, 10:20

Four Blood Moons (NR) 150 mins. Thu. 7:30

Furious 7 (PG-13) 137 mins. Fri. 11:00, 11:30, noon, 12:30, 1:00, 1:30, 2:00, 2:20, 2:50, 3:10, 3:50, 4:20, 4:50, 5:20, 5:45, 6:10, 6:40, 7:10, 7:30, 7:50, 8:10, 8:45, 9:35, 10:00; Fri. 10:35, 11:05, 11:30; Sat. 11:00, 11:30, noon, 12:30, 1:00, 1:30, 2:00, 2:20, 2:50, 3:10, 3:50, 4:20, 4:50, 5:20, 5:45, 6:10, 6:40, 7:10, 7:30, 7:50, 8:10, 8:45, 9:35, 10:00; Sat. 10:35, 11:05, 11:30; Sun. 11:00, 11:30, noon, 12:30, 1:00, 1:30, 2:00, 2:20, 2:50, 3:10, 3:50, 4:20, 4:50, 5:20, 5:45, 6:10, 6:40, 7:10, 7:30, 7:50, 8:10, 8:45, 9:35, 10:00; Sun. 10:35, 10:50; Mon.-Wed. 11:30, noon, 12:30, 1:00, 1:30, 2:50, 3:10, 3:50, 4:20, 4:50, 6:10, 6:40, 7:10, 7:40, 8:10, 9:35, 10:00, 10:35, 10:50; Thu. 11:30, noon, 12:30, 1:00, 1:30, 2:50, 3:10, 3:50, 4:20, 4:50, 6:10, 6:40, 7:10, 7:40, 8:10, 9:35, 10:00, 10:35, 11:00

Furious 7 (PG-13) 137 mins. Fri.-Sun. 10:05, 11:00, 1:10, 4:20, 7:30, 10:35; Mon.-Thu. 10:05, 11:00, 1:10, 4:20, 7:30

Home 3D (PG) 96 mins. Fri.-Thu. 10:10, 7:00

Home (PG) 96 mins. Fri. noon, 3:35; Sat.-Sun. 1:00, 3:35; Mon.-Wed. noon, 3:35

Deli Man (PG-13) 91 mins. Fri.-Sun. 3:00, 5:15, 7:15; Mon. 3:00, 7:15; Tue. 3:00, 5:15, 7:15; Wed.-Thu. 3:00, 5:15, 7:15

Deli Man (PG-13) 91 mins. Fri.-Sun. 4:50, 10:00; Mon.-Thu. 4:50

The Divergent Series: Insurgent 3D (PG-13) 119 mins. Fri.-Sat. 1:45, 7:45, 10:35; Sun. 1:50, 7:45, 10:35; Mon.-Wed. 1:45, 7:45, 10:35

The Victors (1963) 175 mins. Sun. 5:15

550 Penn St. NE (571)512-3313

Cinderella (PG) 112 mins. Fri.-Thu. 11:15, 2:15, 5:15, 8:15

Home (PG) 96 mins. Fri.-Sun. noon, 2:20, 4:40, 10:30; Mon.-Thu. noon, 2:20, 4:40

Furious 7 (PG-13) 137 mins. Fri. noon, 12:30, 1:45, 2:30, 3:15, 5:10, 5:45, 6:30, 8:30, 9:00, 9:45, 11:35; Sat. 10:45, 11:25, noon, 1:45, 2:30, 3:15, 5:10, 5:45, 6:30, 8:30, 9:00, 9:45, 11:35; Sun. 10:45, 11:25, noon, 1:45, 2:30, 3:15, 5:10, 5:45, 6:30, 8:30, 9:00, 9:45; Mon.-Wed. noon, 12:30, 1:45, 2:30, 3:15, 5:10, 5:45, 6:30, 8:30, 9:00, 9:45; Thu. noon, 3:15, 6:30, 9:45

The Tales of Hoffmann (1951) (NR) 133 mins. Fri.-Sat. 11:20, 1:50, 4:25, 7:00, 9:40; Sun. 1:50, 4:25, 7:00, 9:00; Mon. 11:20, 1:50, 4:25, 7:00, 9:40; Tue. 11:20, 1:50, 4:25, 7:00; Wed. 11:20, 1:50, 4:25, 9:40; Thu. 11:20, 1:50, 4:25, 7:00, 9:40

Cinderella (PG) 112 mins. Fri.-Sun. 11:30, 2:10, 5:00, 7:40, 10:25; Mon.-Thu. 11:30, 2:10, 5:00, 7:40

Cinderella (PG) 112 mins. Fri. 12:50, 3:45, 6:30, 9:10; Sat.-Sun. 10:00, 12:45, 3:45, 6:30, 9:10; Mon.-Wed. 12:50, 3:45, 6:30, 9:10

Pardon My French (Un chat un chat) (NR) 105 mins. Sat.-Sun. 11:10

A Star Is Born (1937) (NR) 111 mins. Sat. 6:00

707 7th St. NW (202) 393-2121

Get Hard (R) 100 mins. Fri.-Sun. 12:30, 3:00, 5:30, 8:00, 10:25; Mon.-Thu. 12:30, 3:00, 5:30, 8:00

Ninotchka (1939) (NR) 110 mins. Fri. 7:20

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (PG) 122 mins. Fri. 11:45, 2:15, 4:40, 7:10; Sat. 2:15, 4:40, 7:10; Sun. 1:30, 4:00, 6:30; Mon. 11:45, 2:15, 4:40; Tue. 11:45, 1:50, 4:25, 7:00; Wed.-Thu. 11:45, 2:15, 4:40, 7:10

Regal Gallery Place

5300 Wisconsin Ave. NW (202) 537-9553

(202) 342-6441

3111 K St. NW

The Divergent Series: Insurgent (PG-13) 119 mins. Fri. 4:45; Sat. 10:40, 4:45; Sun.-Wed. 4:45

Rififi (Du rififi chez les hommes) (NR) 113 mins. Sat. 8:20

AMC Mazza Gallerie

It Follows (R) 97 mins. Fri. 12:30, 3:00, 5:30, 8:00, 10:30; Sat.-Sun. 10:00, 12:30, 3:00, 5:30, 8:00, 10:30; Mon.-Wed. 12:30, 3:00, 5:30, 8:00, 10:30 Kingsman: The Secret Service (R) 129 mins. Fri. 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00; Sat. 10:00, 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00; Sun.-Tue. 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00; Wed. 12:30, 3:30, 10:00 The Longest Ride (PG-13) Thu. 8:00, 9:45 The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (PG) 122 mins. Fri. 2:30, 5:25, 8:15, 11:10; Sat. 11:30, 2:30, 5:25, 8:15, 11:10; Sun.-Tue. 2:30, 5:25, 8:15; Wed. 1:30, 4:30 Woman in Gold (PG-13) 110 mins. Fri. 1:15, 4:15, 7:15, 10:15; Sat.-Sun. 10:35, 1:15, 4:15, 7:15, 10:15; Mon.-Wed. 1:15, 4:15, 7:15, 10:15

52 april 3, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (PG) 122 mins. Fri.-Thu. 2:00, 7:10 Woman in Gold (PG-13) 110 mins. Fri.-Sun. 11:40, 2:30, 5:10, 7:50, 9:20; Mon.-Thu. 11:40, 2:30, 5:10, 7:50

E Street Cinema 555 11th St. NW. (202) 452-7672 Danny Collins (R) 106 mins. Fri. 2:20, 4:50, 7:20, 9:50; Sat.-Sun. 11:50, 2:20, 4:50, 7:20, 9:50; Mon.-Tue. 2:20, 4:50, 7:20, 9:50; Wed.-Thu. 2:20, 4:50, 9:50 From Up On Poppy Hill (Kokurikozaka kara) (PG) 91 mins. Sat.-Sun. 10:30 Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles (PG-13) 94 mins. Fri. 2:00, 7:10, 9:40; Sat.-Sun. 11:40, 2:00, 7:10, 9:40; Mon.-Thu. 2:00, 7:10, 9:40 The Salt of the Earth (Le Sel de la terre) (PG-13) 109 mins. Fri. 2:25, 5:00, 7:30, 9:55; Sat. noon, 2:25, 5:00, 7:30, 9:55; Sun. noon, 2:25, 5:00, 7:30, 9:45; Mon.Thu. 2:25, 5:00, 7:30, 9:45 Sound City (NR) 106 mins. Fri.-Sat. 11:59 The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (Kaguyahime no monogatari) (PG) 137 mins. Sat.-Sun. 1:00 The Water Diviner (R) 110 mins. Tue. 8:00 What We Do in the Shadows (NR) 86 mins. Fri. 1:15, 3:30, 5:45, 8:00, 10:15; Sat. 3:30, 5:45, 8:00, 10:15; Sun. 3:30, 5:45, 8:00, 10:00; Mon. 1:15, 3:30, 5:45, 8:00, 10:00; Tue. 1:15, 3:30; Wed.-Thu. 1:15, 3:30, 5:45, 8:00, 10:00 While We’re Young (R) 94 mins. Fri. 1:00, 3:15, 4:30, 5:30, 6:45, 7:45, 10:00; Sat.Sun. 10:35, 1:00, 3:15, 4:30, 5:30, 6:45, 7:45, 10:00; Mon.-Thu. 1:00, 3:15, 4:30, 5:30, 6:45, 7:45, 10:00 Wild Tales (Relatos salvajes) (R) 122 mins. Fri. 1:20, 4:10, 7:00, 9:55; Sat. 10:40, 1:20, 4:10, 7:00, 9:55; Sun.-Wed. 1:20, 4:10, 7:00, 9:30; Thu. 1:20, 4:10, 9:30

Get Hard (R) 100 mins. Fri.-Sat. 12:15, 3:15, 5:00, 6:15, 9:15, 10:30; Sun. 12:50, 3:15, 5:00, 6:15, 9:15, 10:30; Mon.-Thu. 11:15, 12:15, 2:15, 3:15, 5:00, 6:15, 7:40, 9:15, 10:30 The Gunman (R) 115 mins. Fri.-Sun. 2:25; Mon. 2:25, 5:15, 8:00, 10:45; Tue. 2:25, 10:45; Wed. 10:45; Thu. 2:25, 5:15 Home (PG) 96 mins. Fri.-Wed. 11:00, 1:45, 2:30, 4:15, 6:45, 9:10, 10:00; Thu. 11:00, 1:45, 2:30, 4:15, 6:45, 9:10 Home 3D (PG) 96 mins. Fri.-Thu. noon, 5:00, 7:30 Kingsman: The Secret Service (R) 129 mins. Fri.-Sat. 11:50, 3:25, 6:45, 10:45; Sun. 3:25, 6:45, 10:45; Mon.-Thu. 11:50, 3:25, 6:45, 10:45 The Longest Ride (PG-13) Thu. 8:00, 10:00 Run All Night (R) 114 mins. Fri.-Thu. 11:30

VIRGINIA AMC Courthouse 2150 Claredon Blvd., Arlington (703) 998-4262 American Sniper (R) 134 mins. Fri.-Tue. 12:15, 3:30, 6:30, 9:50 Chappie (R) 120 mins. Fri. 4:00, 10:15; Sat.-Sun. 10:15, 4:00, 10:15; Mon.Tue. 4:00, 10:15 The Divergent Series: Insurgent 3D (PG-13) 119 mins. Fri. 12:45, 2:45, 3:45, 5:45, 6:45, 8:45, 9:45; Sat.Sun. 11:45, 12:45, 2:45, 3:45, 5:45, 6:45, 8:45, 9:45; Mon.-Tue. 12:45, 2:45, 3:45, 5:45, 6:45, 8:45, 9:45 The Divergent Series: Insurgent (PG-13) 119 mins. Fri. 1:45, 4:45, 7:40, 10:30; Sat.-Sun. 10:40, 1:45, 4:45, 7:40, 10:30; Mon.-Tue. 1:45, 4:45, 7:40, 10:30 Fifty Shades of Grey (R) 125 mins. Fri.-Tue. 1:10, 7:15 Freetown (PG-13) 116 mins. Wed.-Thu. 1:30, 4:40, 7:30, 10:20

Woman in Gold (PG-13) 110 mins. Fri. 1:15, 4:15, 7:15, 9:45; Sat.-Sun. 10:30, 1:15, 4:15, 7:15, 9:45; Mon.-Thu. 1:15, 4:15, 7:15, 9:45

Get Hard (R) 100 mins. Fri. 12:30, 2:00, 3:00, 4:30, 5:30, 7:00, 8:00, 9:30, 10:30; Sat.-Sun. 11:30, 12:30, 2:00, 3:00, 4:30, 5:30, 7:00, 8:00, 9:30, 10:30; Mon.-Tue. 12:30, 2:00, 3:00, 4:30, 5:30, 7:00, 8:00, 9:30, 10:30

The Wrecking Crew (PG) 95 mins. Fri. 1:30, 4:00, 9:00; Sat.-Sun. 11:15, 1:30, 4:00, 9:00; Mon.-Thu. 1:30, 4:00, 9:00

Run All Night (R) 114 mins. Fri. 1:40, 4:20, 7:10, 10:00; Sat.-Sun. 10:45, 1:40, 4:20, 7:10, 10:00; Mon.-Tue. 1:40, 4:20, 7:10, 10:00