Washington City Paper (December 8, 2017)

CITYPAPER Washington

Free Volume 37, No. 49 WashiNgtoNCityPaPer.Com DeC. 8-14, 2017

housing: more struggles for homeless families 8 food: a Cult-like groCery ChaiN 27 arts: CelebratiNg aNNe truitt at the Nga 27

Buy D. C. Our annual gift guide, full of suggestions for locally sold items for everyone on your list P. 12

By Kaarin Vembar

2 december 8, 2017 washingtoncitypaper.com

INSIDE

12 Buy D.C. Our annual gift guide, full of suggestions for locally sold items for everyone on your list

By Kaarin Vembar

4 ChAtter

Arts

distriCt Line

31 Galleries: The National Gallery of Art takes a long overdue step in fixing its history of ignoring woman artists with a show of the District’s favorite daughter, Anne Truitt.

32 Short Subjects: Olszewski on Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water.

33 Curtain Calls: Shah on Curve of Departure at Studio Theatre 34 Sketches: Rudig on Mark Bradford: Pickett’s Charge at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden 35 Speed Reads: Ottenberg on Alan King’s Point Blank

7 Housing Complex: D.C. passes contested reforms to homeless services during the same week that an independent agency raises concerns about existing shelters.

8 Loose Lips: Will D.C. look to a leased schoolhouse to ease overcrowding?

10 Savage Love 11 Gear Prudence

1 8 Love & Lust CLAssifieds food 27 Don’t Tell MOM: Can a popular regional grocer also be a cult?

29 Your Guide to December Drinking in D.C.: Don’t settle for Applebee’s $1 Long Island iced teas when local bars are bringing it.

29 Advent-ures in Drinking: Three D.C. bars are celebrating the holiday season with boozy advent calendars.

City List 37 City Lights: Hear sets from some of today’s brightest pop stars at Hot 99.5’s Jingle Ball, coming to Capital One Arena this Monday 37 Music 40 Theater 41 Film

42 CLAssifieds 43 Crossword washingtoncitypaper.com december 8, 2017 3

CHATTER

News About Us

In which your editor goes back to basics

Darrow MontgoMery

After neArly two months of being publically for sale, the fate of Washington City Paper remains in the great realm of the unknown. But I can tell you what I do know: I’ve had the results of a large and complicated Freedom Of Information Act request on my desk for a few months now. FOIA requests can be a real pain for the government employees who have to round up documents when the public asks, and this request was extra cumbersome, but a city office did the work, and I have my stack of paper.

Furthermore, I find nothing so satisfying as spending a Friday night alone on my couch with a pile of government documents and a highlighter. Journalism has made the big screen recently, but reporting is most often a tedious and time-consuming exercise.

Being a newspaper for sale, though, is kind of like having a part-time job on top of your already-more-than-full-time job—at least it is when the sale is as public as ours. In this the same period of time, we’ve confronted a stream of disquieting stories about local news outlets. LA Weekly and Nashville Scene had major layoffs. Here at home, DCist shuttered, and City Paper loved DCist.

Never mind that plenty of local newspapers and news sites are doing very well. (Few are writing those stories.) The situation creates distraction in an environment where 100 percent focus is imperative.

But back when City Paper first went up for sale, my staff and I talked about the best-case scenario—what City Paper could do if the sale proved to be an opportunity to rethink its business model and coverage and grow again. I had a vision, given the local news landscape of D.C., within about a week.

The vision is pretty basic: City Paper should be D.C.’s hometown newspaper, providing a regular stream of articles on politics, housing, the city’s rich arts scene, food, crime, courts, sports, education, some lifestyle stuff, feature stories, and, most important, investigations. There you have it: a newspaper. As my middle school math teacher liked to say, “Keep it simple, stupid.”

I don’t know whether City Paper will come out on the other end of this sale in a position to grow into that vision. But either way, D.C. deserves a dedicated local newspaper.

—Alexa Mills 900 Block of 13th Street NW, Dec. 4

EDITORIAL

eDitor: AlexA mIlls MANAgiNg eDitor: cArolIne jones ArtS eDitor: mAtt cohen fooD eDitor: lAurA hAyes city lightS eDitor: kAylA rAndAll StAff Writer: Andrew gIAmbrone SeNior Writer: jeffrey Anderson StAff photogrApher: dArrow montgomery MultiMeDiA AND copy eDitor: wIll wArren creAtive Director: stephAnIe rudIg iNterNS: regInA pArk, jeAnIne sAntuccI coNtriButiNg WriterS: jonettA rose bArrAs, VAnce brInkley, erIcA bruce, krIston cApps, ruben cAstAnedA, chAd clArk, justIn cook, rIley croghAn, jeffry cudlIn, erIn deVIne, mAtt dunn, tIm ebner, jAke emen, noAh gIttell, elenA goukAssIAn, AmAndA kolson hurley, louIs jAcobson, rAchAel johnson, chrIs kelly, AmrItA khAlId, steVe kIVIAt, chrIs klImek, ron knox, john krIzel, jerome lAngston, Amy lyons, kelly mAgyArIcs, neVIn mArtell, keIth mAthIAs, j.f. meIls, trAVIs mItchell, trIcIA olszewskI, eVe ottenberg, mIke pAArlberg, noA rosInplotz, beth shook, QuIntIn sImmons, mAtt terl, dAn trombly, kAArIn VembAr, emIly wAlz, joe wArmInsky, AlonA wArtofsky, justIn weber, mIchAel j. west, AlAn zIlbermAn

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DistrictLine D.C. passes contested reforms to homeless services during the same week that an independent agency raises concerns about existing shelters.

By Andrew Giambrone With an affordable housing crisis on their hands, District officials have in recent months grappled with how to alleviate pressure on D.C.’s overstretched—and remarkably expensive—emergency shelter system for homeless families.

But the local government’s efforts have caught heavy flak from advocates and even some within its own ranks. Such criticism spiked this week with the D.C. Council’s contentious, final approval of far-reaching changes to the District’s homeless services, and a new report by the D.C. Inspector General that found significant risks in the District’s administration of two family shelters.

On Tuesday, a supermajority of the Council again voted to make the requirements for accessing family shelters more stringent. Their decision gives the executive branch greater authority to redetermine eligibility for services after a family has entered the system, and it formalizes problematic time-limits in rental assistance for families leaving shelters, called rapid rehousing.

Mayor Muriel Bowser proposed the legislation in May, and a committee chaired by Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau guided the bill to passage. It represents the first time that the District has updated its homeless services wholesale in more than a decade, and is poised for implementation next year.

“We know that in a city as prosperous as ours, no resident should struggle to access safe shelter,” Bowser said in a statement following the vote, which she called “a bold step forward to making homelessness rare, brief, and nonrecurring.”

The mayor and sympathetic councilmembers argued that the changes will ensure family shelters serve D.C. residents instead of people who migrate here knowing the District is one of few jurisdictions that has a right-toshelter law during hypothermia conditions.

The Department of Human Services noted that over a recent six-month period, one in 10 emergency shelter applicants were not D.C.

housing complex

residents because they had active benefits in other states.

The legislation’s backers also said shelters should be used to help families in crisis who don’t have a safe place to live. They said shelters cannot sustainably warehouse families searching for permanent affordable units who have other options.

Nadeau, who, like Bowser, is up for reelection in 2018, points out that the Council made various amendments to the original proposal and addressed advocates’ concerns. “We cannot break the cycle we are in if we do not update the law,” she says, adding, “there is still much work to do.”

But many advocates remain worried that these policies will screen out vulnerable families from shelter and cut the District’s safety net. They take umbrage, too, at the fact that elected officials justified their actions by citing expenses incurred by the shelter system while at the same time voting to grant an $82 million subsidy to Union Market developers, in part to help build parking.

In a split decision, councilmembers also shot down a measure by Ward 8’s Trayon White to expand the standard period for D.C.’s rapid rehousing program from 12 to 18 months, when families do not receive proper case management and are not assessed for longer-term housing. Critics say the program sets up low-income families to fail once their rental vouchers expire.

White’s measure would have cost an estimated $8.9 million over four years. “The homeless shelter system, while it relates to affordable housing, is not an affordable housing system,” Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said in opposing the amendment. Nadeau said the expected cost could fund permanent housing subsidies instead, and that she will hold a hearing on rapid rehousing this month.

D.C.’s emergency shelter system accommodated more than 650 families, or over 2,300

Darrow Montgomery/File

Inn Trouble

people, through the first five days of December, when temperatures were above freezing, according to data obtained by City Paper. Approximately 60 percent of these clients were children.

Just over 230 families were staying at the former D.C. General Hospital at 1900 Massachusetts Ave. SE, which serves as the District’s largest family homeless shelter and is usually at capacity. About 420 others were staying at several hotels with which the District contracts to use as overflow shelters.

On a nightly basis, individual hotel rooms for homeless families can cost taxpayers between $90 and $200, depending on the season and demand. The District spent almost $28 million on those rooms, or around $80,000 per day, last fiscal year. It plans to rely on fewer hotels in the future by investing in homelessness-prevention programs and affordable housing, DHS says.

Nonetheless, an independent evaluation

of the two biggest hotel contracts released on Monday by D.C. Inspector General Daniel Lucas reported that the District lacks robust oversight of these hotels and its main homeless services provider, The Community Partnership. TCP provides security, curfew checks, and case management, among other services, at the hotels and D.C. General.

The contracts, which totaled $10.57 million for 2016, supply the District with more than 300 rooms at the Quality Inn and Suites and the Days Inn Gateway, both on New York Avenue NE. This base amount could stretch to more than $54 million over four option years, and doesn’t account for three other hotels that D.C. contracts with to provide overflow shelter.

“The hotels may not be complying with contract terms intended to protect and support

homeless families, and the District could be paying for contractually required accommodations and services that the hotels are not providing,” Lucas wrote. The contract terms include functioning appliances like refrigerators and microwaves in rooms, designated dining areas, pest control, daily breakfast, and regularly replenished toiletries, sheets, and towels.

OIG based its report on contract documents as well as additional information and interviews from DHS employees. Many of the office’s findings revolve around the somewhat blurry role of TCP. “DHS’s contract administration and oversight is limited to a review of room occupancy information provided by TCP and the hotels, and contractor invoices; however, there is no indication that DHS is monitoring the condition of the hotels,” the OIG report states.

TCP has multimillion-dollar contracts with the District, and has partnered with D.C. since 1994. The group came under scrutiny after the 2014 disappearance of 8-year-old Relisha Rudd from D.C. General and a 2015 audit by the D.C. Auditor that found the District had overpaid TCP by more than $5 million due to unusual billing practices.

A 2016 audit, also by the D.C. Auditor, found similar oversight issues related to TCP (though under a previous management contract), including unenforced deliverables and payments made before performance was verified. Sue Marshall, TCP’s executive director, declined to comment.

DHS says the issues highlighted in the report have been resolved, and between TCP and DHS staff who visit the shelters, homeless clients are well cared for. “The two hotel operators have consistently complied with contract requirements and are very responsive to any issues that arise,” the department’s chief operating officer, Sharon Kershbaum, says in a statement.

“The OIG report identifies potential risk exposures but does not show any instance in which either hotel operator failed to provide what they were contractually obligated to deliver,” she continues. “There were no deficiencies concerning contractor performance identified or any mention of complaints from the residents staying at the hotels.”

But given the changes to homeless services that the Council approved, there could be fewer residents living in shelters, period.

“I think we all need to be prepared to make sure the councilmembers and the mayor honestly put their money where their mouth is with this next budget cycle and fund more affordable housing,” says Amber Harding, an attorney at the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, which challenged many of the reforms. “We’re not going to go away.”

CP

washingtoncitypaper.com december 8, 2017 7

DistrictLinE

Packed In

Darrow Montgomery

Will D.C. look to a leased schoolhouse to ease overcrowding?

In 2012, the Department of General Services began the appraisal process for a long-term lease, and in 2013 concluded that the Lab School was the most viable option for use of the property. The site also is too small for DCPS purposes, a DGS analysis of economic factors found: “The specific economic and social benefits of the lease outweigh the benefits of retaining this property in the District’s inventory.”

In June 2013, the District signed a letter of intent to enter into a 25-year lease with the Lab School, with one option term for 25 additional years.

Then-Mayor Vince Gray approved the measure, with support from current D.C. Councilmembers Jack Evans, Anita Bonds, Mary Cheh, and McDuffie.

The measure, however, was aligned with a federal law stating that to be eligible to lease a public school facility, an existing tenant must have continuously occupied it since 2004, according to Bill Slover, a parent of a Key Elementary School student and chair of its overcrowding committee. (Slover also serves as vice chair of D.C. Housing Authority Board.)

The Lab School did not become a tenant at Old Hardy until 2008.

In a December 11, 2013, memo to the Council, Slover also argued that the intent always was to return the property to DCPS should it need to meet its obligation to seat all enrolled public school children. Furthermore, Slover argued, DCPS had not formally declared that it did not need Old Hardy, which he said was a precondition for DGS to label it as surplus.

“Giving away any municipal asset should not be done lightly,” Slover wrote, asking that the Council address the need of available facilities to alleviate overcrowding before approving a 25-year lease to the Lab School.

In the 11th hour, according to a letter to Council Chair Phil Mendelson, Gray withdrew the measure “out of an abundance of caution,” so the Deputy Mayor for Education could complete a boundary review process. (Gray declined to comment for this story.) DGS attempted to execute the lease again in 2015, but Slover noticed a change in the law that offered charter schools the first right of refusal before the District could dispose of the property through a long-term lease, and the process was abandoned.

In May 2016, however, At-Large Councilmember David Grosso, chair of the Edu-

By Jeffrey Anderson overCrowDing in D.C. Public Schools is a perennial problem. In Ward 3, in spite of substantial school modernization within the Woodrow Wilson High School feeder system in recent years, many schools are still using modular classrooms, common spaces, and even hallways to ease student overflow.

One of the last DCPS-owned properties in the area is at the center of the debate over how to solve the problem: The f o r m e r Ha rd y Middle School, referred to as Old Hardy School, on Foxhall Road NW. Its tenant is the Lab School of Washington, a private nonprofit school for special needs children that it has leased from DCPS since 2008.

In March, Mayor Muriel Bowser asked the D.C. Council to approve a bill that would clear the way for a 25-year lease to the Lab School with one renewal option for an additional 25 years. Currently, the bill is in the Committee on Business and Economic Development chaired by Kenyan McDuffie. If McDuffie does not move the bill to a vote by the end of the year, the lease will expire in 2023. But that’s little comfort to the Lab School, which needs capital improvements that require longterm planning. Nor is it satisfactory to Ward 3 parents who are upset about overcrowding at

Loose LIPs

schools such as Francis Scott Key Elementary, where 418 students are enrolled in a facility built for 320 students.

District officials appear stuck in neutral.

DCPS has said it does not have a current use for the facility, though it hasn’t said that it no longer needs the property, either. DCPS, for its part, has convened a public workgroup to address overcrowding in Ward 3. “We look forward to continuing to engage the community on the Old Hardy School,” the Office of Deputy Mayor for Education Jennifer Niles says.

No one has put forth alternative solutions to the Lab School’s dilemma or Ward 3’s overcrowding problem. If there’s one thing the Lab School and Ward 3 parents agree on, it’s that the D.C. Council should hold public hearings and make a decision. the Lab sChooL took occupancy of Old Hardy in 2008, when it bought the lease from another private, special needs school, Rock Creek International. According to the head of the Lab School, Katherine Schantz, 64 students attend at their Foxhall Road NW location, and 317 attend at a nearby facility on Reservoir Road NW. Just a third of Lab School students are D.C. residents, she says, but that is a significant population. “These kids need intensive remediation,” Schantz says. “They are here because traditional schools were unable to teach them reading and math. We feel that what we do here is of great service to the city.”

8 december 8, 2017 washingtoncitypaper.com

cation Committee, inserted enabling language into legislation that changed the continuous occupancy requirement from 2004 to 2008. The Council approved that change last November in an 10-3 vote. About a month-and-a-half earlier, seven Lab School board members and their lobbyist, Ben Young, with powerhouse law firm Greenberg Traurig, had dumped $7,700 into Grosso’s campaign fund. Most of these contributions came through on October 4, 2016, according to campaign finance records. (Young is former chief of staff to former At-Large Councilmember David Catania, who also works for Greenberg, and who contributed to Grosso’s campaign that October day as well.)

Grosso’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

In January, Bowser returned the bill to the Council, unsigned, stating that the Council overreached its legislative authority by selecting a specific entity to receive the property, and then turned around and submitted her own version in March, the “Hardy School Disposition and Lease Amendment Act of 2017.” DGS and the Lab School signed a second letter of intent in June to propose lease terms and conditions.

D.C. Continues to embrace the Lab School as a vital source of education for children DCPS is not equipped to handle, and who have no other option in the public school system. Schantz says the school cannot undergo costly renovations to accommodate students’ special needs without a long-term lease. “We understand the city has to evaluate its resources,” she says. “We’ll keep working through that process.”

Overcrowding in Ward 3 has not improved, with some schools at more than 100 percent capacity. In June, the Palisades Citizens’ Association and the Key Elementary School’s Parent Teacher Organization passed a resolution to support preserving the Old Hardy School as an option for public education. The Deputy Mayor for Education is expected to produce a Master Facilities Plan in 2018 to address school crowding and population growth.

“Since 2013, I have continually asked [the District] to apply the school re-use process to the proposed disposition of the Old Hardy School,” says Slover. “If done correctly, it would show whether DCPS is able to meet the current and future capacity demand for public education seats around the Old Hardy building. If the city is so sure that they don’t need it, then why the reluctance to run the process required by D.C. law?”

That might be a question for McDuffie, who is holding the bill in his committee. His office did not respond to requests for comment. And though Cheh voted for Gray’s measure, and Grosso’s legislation in 2016, she says: “My position is that if DCPS doesn’t want it, then come in and say so. Until that’s done, I’m going to oppose anything that short-circuits the process and deprives the community of its voice.” CP

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I used to be a fan of your column, Dan, but something happened to you. Maybe it’s stress, the current political climate, or some other issue—I don’t know. I used to look forward to your columns because they were fun, smart, and helpful—but I don’t enjoy what I’m seeing now. If something did happen to you, reach out for help. You’re on the verge of losing a loyal reader.

—Reader Enquiring About Dan’s Enervating Responses

I’ve been getting letters like yours—what happened to you, Dan, you used to be more fun— at this time of year, every year, for the last 25 years, READER. Maybe I get moody when the weather gets gloomy and that spills into my column annually. And perhaps the current political climate—a rather reserved way to describe the destruction of our democracy—is making my seasonal grumping worse.

Another possible factor…

I don’t know how long you’ve been reading, READER, but I’ve been writing this column for a long time. And back before the internet came along and ruined everything for everyone, I used to get a lot of how-to/what’sthat questions about sex acts and sex toys. A column explaining butt plugs to readers who knew nothing about them—and lacked easy access to butt plug info—was as much fun to read as it was to write. But every sex act and every sex toy has its own Wiki page now, which means I don’t get to write fun columns about butt plugs anymore, READER, and you don’t get to read them. Now the questions all revolve around someone being deeply shitty or someone deluding themselves about how deeply shitty they’re being. Columns filled with questions about and from people behaving badly are never going to be as delightsome as those butt plug columns of yore.

But thank you for writing in to share your concern, READER, and rest assured that nothing truly terrible has happened to me—besides Trump, of course, but Trump happened to all of us, not just me. Still, I don’t want to lose you as a reader, so I’m going to make an effort to sunny things up a bit over the next few weeks.

Okay! Let’s see what else came in the mail today! Hopefully something fun!

—Dan Savage My significant other and I rarely have sex. A while ago, I had a sexual encounter with her daughter.

We continued to have sexual encounters for some time. Now my significant other and I may be getting married. Her daughter and I broke it off, but it started up again after a week. I am attempting to break things off with my significant other’s daughter again, but I’m having a hard time.

Please advise.

—Restraining Urges Is Necessary

10 december 8, 2017 washingtoncitypaper.com

Marrying a woman whose adult daughter you can’t keep your dick out of … yeah, that’s a bad idea.

Ugh. Do you see what I mean, READER? It’s hard to come through with jokes, erudition, and uplift when you’re responding to questions like this one.

Okay, RUIN. Marrying a woman whose adult daughter you can’t keep your dick out of … yeah, that’s a bad idea. (And her daughter is an adult, right?!? You’re not Roy Moore-ing it, are you?) Sooner or later, your significant other is going to discover what’s been going on, and your relationship with both of these women will be destroyed. You’ll be able to move out and move on, RUIN, but your former significant other isn’t going to be so lucky. Because while you won’t always be her SO, and hopefully won’t ever be her husband, her daughter is always going to be her child. So while you may get out from this relationship with some light scarring, your ex and her daughter will be left with open, gaping wounds for the rest of their lives. My advice: Pull up your pants, cancel the wedding, and get as far away from your SO and her daughter as possible.

—DS I’m a middle-aged married dude. Sex life with my wife is good, but I also masturbate because, you know, I’m a person. Sometimes I masturbate while surfing through pictures on Facebook of attractive women I know. These aren’t stolen nudes off of someone’s phone; they’re public pictures. I’m progressive when it comes to politics and gender issues. Face-to-face, I’m respectful and would never do anything to make these women—or any other woman—feel uncomfortable. I don’t leer, and I’m not a creeper. I know what I’m doing is pervy, but is it pervy bad? Am I crossing a line?

—Peering Is Creepy, Sometimes This one’s a little better, READER. It’s a little squicky, sure, but it’s not boil-your-eyes-afterreading squicky.

Okay, PICS. Masturbating to someone is fine; masturbating at someone is not. (To be clear: Masturbating to thoughts of someone without their knowledge is fine; masturbating at someone who does not wish to be masturbated at is not.) Our erotic imaginations are free to roam—and that includes roaming through Facebook. No one needs our permis-

sion to fantasize about us or anything else, and we can’t control when, where, and how the pics we share on social media will be enjoyed.

Provided you aren’t doing or saying anything to make your Facebook “friends” uncomfortable (no supposedly-friendly-but-transparently-thirsty comments, no tongue-hanging-out emojis), you’re doing something no one wants to think about, PICS, but you’re not crossing a line.

—DS A couple of weeks ago, my girlfriend and I were engaging in mutual masturbation when she squirted all over my hand—a large amount—and she was completely mortified. It was the first time it happened for her, and it’s happened several times since. She is upset. I’ve been with a couple of other women in the past who squirted, and I am absolutely fine with it. I love it, in fact! I did my absolute best to reassure her that I think it’s great and there’s nothing to be ashamed of, but she’s really embarrassed every time. The last time, she was close to tears with fears that she’d urinated. My question: There’s so much great writing about female ejaculation around, but rather than bombard my GF—who is the most amazing, incredible person—with links to article upon article, how can I help her feel okay about this?

—Sincere Questioner Understands It’s Really Terrific

This one’s pretty good, READER. It’s an oldschool, pre-internet Savage Love question.

Sexy and playful—charming, even.

Okay, SQUIRT. You can help her feel okay about this by continuing to use your words (“I love this, it’s so hot!”), by sharing those articles with her (she needs to hear from and about other women with her superpower, not just from her boyfriend), and by lapping that shit up. Swallow, SQUIRT. And so what if it is piss? (And many argue it isn’t.) Piss isn’t sterile, as Mike Pesca took time out of his day to explain to me on the Savage Lovecast back when alleged human being Donald Trump’s alleged pee tape was all over the news. (Goddammit.

Our current political climate snuck up on me.

Sorry about that, READER.) There are a lot more bacteria and whatever else in saliva, and we dump spit into each other’s mouths like it’s maple fucking syrup.

If you guys are swapping other fluids regularly, why not swap a little of this one, too?

And remember: It’s only been two weeks.

It may take her some time to learn to love her new superpower. Maybe watch some X-Men movies (it’s a superpower, not a mutation!), and keep being upbeat and positive about the way your girlfriend’s body works. Good luck!

—DS Email your Savage Love questions to mail@savagelove.net.

Gear Prudence: I’m new to D.C., and here’s something I don’t get and don’t like. Because I ride my bike everywhere, people I meet always think that I must be a liberal (I’m a conservative Republican) and an environmentalist (not at all). Why do so many people here assume that riding a bike automatically means you’re a liberal, and how do I get them to stop?

—Making Assumptions Grates (Again) Dear MAGA: Well, it all started in the second Grover Cleveland administration. Velocipedists were on the side of tariff reform and bimetallism, whereas… Oh, come on! You know why. Consumption decisions—like how you get around, the clothes you wear, the coffee you drink—become shorthand for the lazy to make sweeping generalizations about who you are. “You must bike because you want to save the planet” is a commonplace wrong assumption (especially from non-cyclists). Since environmentalism is typically associated with lefty politics, it goes from there. Additionally, recent politics generally have Democrats on the side of supporting government bike programs and Republicans opposing them, and in our current era of hyper-partisanship—where even what delivery pizza you like is a political statement—they might think you’re just doing it to support your side.

GP wanted to know how common your situation is, so he put out a call to your fellow non-liberal D.C. bicyclists and all five of them responded in record time. They pushed back on whether biking should be seen as liberal at all. “People who know my politics history are surprised about the bike commuting. But what could be more conservative than self-reliance and low cost locomotion?” offered a local conservative who asked to be identified as Chris. A conservative lawyer reiterated Chris’ sentiment, emphasizing fiscal prudence and an adventuring spirit.

One way to get people to stop assuming you’re liberal is by wearing a Ronald Reaganthemed bike jersey, as Philip H suggested, but most respondents recommended engaging.

“My retort typically is, ‘This person lives in a liberal bubble and doesn’t know any Republicans personally, much less knows what conservatism is about,’” says Trump voter Thomas DeLuca. And former Republican political operative Allison Welch says, “I’d just explain that for me it’s a practical solution, not some kind of an environmental statement. D.C. traffic is awful and the Metro is awful.”

You’re probably not going to get the assumptions to stop, so the best advice is to not let it bother you. Kent Lassman, president of the free market Competitive Enterprise Institute, put it best. “Bikes and cycling strip away the unimportant stuff of life. The group I ride with cares more about my kids or the latest book I’ve read than what I think of the latest political contretemps on the front pages.”

Let bikes be just about bikes.

—GP

600 beers from around the world

Downstairs: good food, great beer: all day every day *all shows 21+

DECEMBER 7TH

SUPER SPECTACULAR COMEDY SHOW

FOR GUNVIOLENCE PREVENTION

DOORS AT 6PM, SHOW AT 7:30PM DECEMBER 8TH

ALMOST LADIES NIGHT

PRESENTED BYTOMMYTAYLORJR. DOORS AT 8PM, SHOW AT 9PM DECEMBER 9TH

SMASHED:A NERDYAND DIRTY COMEDY SHOW DOORS AT 7PM, SHOW AT 8PM

Photo by Erik Berg

Gear Prudence

TRIVIA E V E RY M O N DAY & W E D N E S DAY

$12 BURGER & BEER MON-FRI 4 P M -7 P M

EXCLUSIVE U.S. ENGAGEMENT—4 performances only!

DECEMBER 10TH

DR.SKETCHY’S ANTI-ART SCHOOL AT 3PM GRASSROOTS OPEN MIC COMEDY AT 8:30PM

DECEMBER 11TH

TRIVIA NIGHT AT 7:30PM COMICSAND COCKTAILS PRESENTED BY FANTOM COMICS AT 6:30PM

DECEMBER 12TH

CAPITAL LAUGHS OPEN MIC COMEDY AT 8:30PM

DECEMBER 13TH

TRIVIA NIGHT

Private Confessions Presented by National Theater of Norway Directed by Liv Ullmann

Step into a deeply personal and heartbreakingly authentic world of secrets and explore what keeping those secrets does to one’s relationships.

December 6–9 | Eisenhower Theater Performed in Norwegian with projected English titles.

Recommended for age 16 and up.

AT 7:30PM

DECEMBER 15TH

ISHMAEL GAYLOR COMEDY NIGHT DOORS AT 7:30PM, SHOW AT 8:30PM

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! KENNEDY-CENTER.ORG | (202) 467-4600

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

For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.

DECEMBER 18TH

TRIVIA NIGHT AT 7:30PM COMICSAND COCKTAILS

Theater at the Kennedy Center is made possible by

Kennedy Center Theater Season Sponsor

International Theater is underwritten

by HRH Foundation.

PRESENTED BY FANTOM COMICS AT 6:30PM

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

Additional support for International Theater is provided by the Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater and Performing Arts Fund NL. International Programming at the Kennedy Center is made possible through the generosity of the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts.

washingtoncitypaper.com december 8, 2017 11

BuyD.C. As 2017 winds down, it’s important to keep in mind the power of the individual. This includes purchasing power. Where and how you spend your money matters. When you spend locally, your money stays circulating within the D.C. economy. Your money goes to jobs. You can talk to the person who designed that hat or stitched together that bag.

For the Cook

Local makers, crafters, and sellers have made it easy to buy local this year through pop-up shops. They’ve banded together in groups all over the D.C. area to give us a plethora of local options in one space.

It’s beyond the typical holiday market prototype, which has always been humming in this city. Makers have taken it a step further by gathering together in groups to give D.C. temporary brick-and-mortar experiences. It’s a way to showcase many artisans at once or to experience a local brand in a new neighborhood.

Take some time to step into a local store. Talk to the owner. Go to a pop-up.

See the people who work hard behind the scenes to keep an independent streak running through D.C. The gifts that you give will be personal because you know the story behind what you purchase. Shopping locally is an easy holiday win.

—Kaarin Vembar

Pop-Up / Independent Market Info: Please check individual markets for hours and cost of entry.

116 King Seasonal Pop-Up, 116 King St. (Alexandria)

Time Flies When You’re Having Rum

Havana Good Meal Take a culinary journey to Cuba with a cookbook written and illustrated by a local artist. Comida Cubana by Marcella Kriebel, $30. Marcella Kriebel Art + Illustration. 716 Monroe St. NE. Studio #14. marcellakriebel.com

All hail the perfect roommate gift. Your friend gets to be crafty and you get to partake in the delicious outcome.

The Holiday Rum Punch Kit, $50. Hudson & Crane. 1781 Florida Ave. NW, 33 District Square SW. hudsonandcrane.com

BZB Holiday Gift & Art Show, 12/9, 12/16, 12/22-23, 1510 9th St. NW Christkindlmarkt at the Heurich House, 12/8, 12/15, 12/22, 1307 New Hampshire Ave. NW.

Look Sharp

Downtown Holiday Market, Through 12/23, F St. between 7th & 9th St. NW

Sharp knives make food prep so much easier. This sharpener is small, budgetfriendly, and will become a staple in the kitchen.

Knife sharpener, $5.99. Home Rule. 1807 14th St. NW. homerule.com

Femme Fatale DC, Pop-up through 12/24, 100 Florida Ave. NE GRUMP Crystal City, 12/9, 1750 Crystal Dr. (Arlington) GRUMP at Zoolights at the National Zoo, 12/15-17, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW Indie Does it Better Pop-Up, 12/9-10, 3927 Georgia Ave. NW RIAMS Procrastinator’s Holiday Market, 12/16, 1300 Block of Rhode Island Ave. NE Shop Made in DC, 1330 19th St. NW Steadfast Supply, 300 Tingey St. SE, #140 Transformer Holiday Market & Party, 12/16, 1404 P St. NW Van Ness Main Street Made in D.C. Pop-Up Market, Fridays - Sundays through 12/17; 4340 Connecticut Ave. NW Violet Boutique Pop-Up, Through 12/31, The Shay, 1924 8th St. NW Winterwilds Market, 12/9-10, 12435 Park Potomac Ave., 6th Floor (Potomac) 12 december 8, 2017 washingtoncitypaper.com

Chew Chew

Spice Up Your Life

Create a magical holiday (and pretend you are on The Great British Baking Show) with this nine-car baking pan.

Nordic Express baking pan, $38. Hill’s Kitchen. 713 D St. SE. hillskitchen.com

Ceramic spoons are a way to add an artistic touch to your daily cooking routine. Spice spoons, $14-$18 each. Whim and Vigor. whimandvigor.com

For Kiddos

Makin’ it Wayne Encourage games of pretend by mixing and matching superhero costumes.

Superheroes magnetic costume builder, $25. Urban Dwell. 1837 Columbia Rd. NW. urbandwelldc.com

All You Knead is Love Inspire your future chef! This baking kit includes tools that are small enough for little hands and a book of recipes.

Baking Kit, $28. The Cookery. 3414 Wisconsin Ave. NW. cookeryshops.com

Yes, Toucan!

This toucan is made from natural wood and makes for a delightful push-andpull toy.

Push & pull, $25. Little Birdies Boutique.

1526 Wisconsin Ave. NW. shoplittlebirdies.com

Read to Lead Announce your child’s priorities without saying a word.

Onesie, $23.99.

Miks Letterpress +. mikspress.com

It’s Out of this World Your family will learn about deep space while playing this memory game.

Space Matching Game, $14.99. Labyrinth. 645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. labyrinthgameshop.com

For the Artist

All Over the Nap Cuddles are on the docket for naps from this day forward.

Napping blanket, $28. Le Village Marché, 3318 Wisconsin Ave. NW. levillagemarche.com

For the Home

Come Full Circle Local artist Leticia Santos creates stunning Mandala art utilizing acrylics on wood.

Serenity, $110. mandalacor.com

That’s the Idea Jot down your big plans with a set of pushy (but accurate) notebooks.

Mini-sketchbook (set of 3), $12. Cherry Blossom Creative. 2128 8th St. NW. cherryblossomcreative.com

Moment in the Sun If you are into experience gifts take your crush to Suns Cinema. Grab a beer, see an old flick, and spend time together over the holiday season without breaking the bank.

Check website for ticket prices. Suns Cinema.

3107 Mt. Pleasant St. NW. sunscinema.com

Lucky Dog

You Have a Point A fresh set of colored pencils opens up a world of artistic possibilities.

Bright Ideas pencils, $14.95. Politics and Prose. 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, 70 District Square SW. politics-prose.com

Every dog lover would appreciate their breed of choice on a household decoration.

Dog pillow by Naked Decor, $50.

The Cheeky Puppy. 1709 Connecticut Ave. NW. thecheekypuppy.com

Thanks for Owl You Do Pour a refreshing drink from this pitcher or place fresh-cut flowers in it for a colorful display.

Owl pitcher, $112. Kuzeh Pottery. 716 Monroe St. NE. Studio #18. kuzeh.us

Across the Board Place gooey cheeses and charcuterie on this D.C.-shaped board.

DC cheeseboard, $38. Urban Dwell.

1837 Columbia Rd. NW. urbandwelldc.com

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For the Reader A Novel Approach Gabriel Tallent’s debut novel is lauded as one of the best books of 2017.

My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent, $27. East City Bookshop.

645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. eastcitybookshop.com

For the Host Gone with the Gin Shrub District is a D.C.-based company that makes cocktail vinegars.

Grab a bottle and show off your mixology skills.

Shrub District cocktail vinegar, $12.

Hudson & Crane. 1781 Florida Ave. NW, 33 District Square SW. hudsonandcrane.com

You’re Oil I’ve Ever Wanted This mini-bottle set contains the perfect pairing of Herbes de Provenceinfused olive oil and red apple balsamic vinegar.

Olive oil & balsamic set, $15. Georgetown Olive Oil Company. 1524 Wisconsin Ave. NW. georgetownoliveoil.com

We’re Gonna Get Lit Not quite sure what holiday your host celebrates? Purchase this sweet-smelling “Merry Everything” candle and you’re covered.

Merry Everything candle, $24.

Urban Dwell. 1837 Columbia Rd. NW. urbandwelldc.com

It’s a Run-derful Life Pick up Patina by New York Times bestseller (and University of Maryland graduate) Jason Reynolds.

Patina by Jason Reynolds, $16.99.

East City Bookshop. 645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. eastcitybookshop.com

Works Like a Charm Tasteful life advice never goes out of style.

Suave in Every Situation by Gonzague Dupleix and Jean-Philippe Delhomme, $24.95. American/Holiday. 1319 Wisconsin Ave. NW.

We Clicked White House photographer Pete Souza shares more than 300 photographs he took throughout Obama’s Presidency.

Obama: An Intimate Portrait by Pete Souza, $50. Politics and Prose.

5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, 70 District Square SW. politics-prose.com

14 december 8, 2017 washingtoncitypaper.com

To Brie or Not to Brie Cheese knives make people assume you know what you are doing. They also make for an effective (and surprising) host gift.

Bamboo cheese knives, $10.99. Home Rule.

1807 14th St. NW. homerule.com

Maybe Hot Chocolate Wants to be Called Smart Chocolate Just Once Bring a warming and flavorful tea made from a blend of Canadian hemp seed, roasted cacao powder, cacao nibs, nutmeg, and spices.

Spicy Fireside Cocoa Tea, $8.

Hemp Kettle Tea Company. hempkettletea.com

For the Traveler

Keep You Warm Wax Poetically The candles in this thoughtful, handmade set are named Gather, Bounty, and Nostalgia, and have a burn time of 20 hours.

Holiday Candle Trio, $42.

Handmade Habitat. handmadehabitat.co

It’s In the Bag Throw incidentals in this bag so they are safe during a trip (or commute). Personalize it with free letter stamping.

Personalized utility pouch, $44. Stitch & Rivet.

716 Monroe St. NE. Studio #24. shopstitchandrivet.com

Blanket Terms Enjoy cuddling up with your S.O. throughout the winter in this 50” x 60” blanket.

Holiday throw, $54. Le Village Marché, 3318 Wisconsin Ave. NW. levillagemarche.com

Wild Card This unique business card holder is made of molded leather and is the perfect gift for the workaholic in your life.

Business card holder, $42. GoodWood.

1428 U St. NW. goodwooddc.com

Coffee is a State of Bean The Zojirushi brand is known to keep liquids hot for hours. The compact 12-oz mug means that it can be thrown in a bag without taking up too much space.

Zojirushi mug, $42 (12 oz). Tabletop. 1608 20th St. NW, 6927 Laurel Ave., Takoma Park, Maryland. tabletopdc.com

Bear With Me You don’t have to pick between cute or cuddly with this sweet cap made from alpaca, acrylic, and wool.

Bear hat, $48. DeNada Design. denadadesign.com

Pearls of Wisdom A pearl sweater looks elegant at any holiday celebration.

Pearl-embellished sweater, $65.50. Violet Boutique. 1924 8th St. NW. (Pop-up through Dec. 31.) violetdc.com

Write Your Ticket This notebook will entice the budding novelist in your life. It sports a vintage-inspired cover and more than 280 pages of thick paper.

Notebook, $20. Le Village Marché, 3318 Wisconsin Ave. NW. levillagemarche.com

Band Together Wear a headband on cool days to keep your ears warm and the hair out of your eyes.

Headband, $26. Core 72.

5502 Connecticut Ave. NW., 3316 Wisconsin Ave. NW. core72dc.com

washingtoncitypaper.com december 8, 2017 15

For Your Pet

Sporty Love

Don’t Stop Retrievin’

It’s Your Sole Mate

Your doggo can get in the holiday spirit with a festive bandana.

Dog bandana, $12-$25. The Cheeky Puppy. 1709 Connecticut Ave. NW. thecheekypuppy.com

Start your 2018 athletic goals on the right foot with a running shoe that boasts exceptional energy return.

Brooks Levitate running shoe, $149.99. Fleet Feet Sports. 1841 Columbia Rd. NW. fleetfeetsports.com

(That’s a Good) Boy Toy Your pup can’t have chocolate for obvious reasons. But, he can play with a soft squeaker toy of hot coco.

Hot chocolate toy, $13.99. The Cheeky Puppy.

1709 Connecticut Ave. NW. thecheekypuppy.com

Get a Charge Out of It It’s a bike light. It’s a phone charger. It’s a two-in-one gadget that will make the logistics of biking so much easier.

PWR Commuter, $59.99. The Bike Rack.

716 Monroe St. NE, 1412 Q St. NW. thebikerackdc.com

Drop it Like a Squat

Seriously, I’m Not Kitten Your pretty kitty will appreciate this ceramic bowl.

Meow bowl, $11.95. The Cookery. 3414 Wisconsin Ave. NW. cookeryshops.com

Stop Trying to Make Fetch Happen Make the game of fetch more interesting with a dart and sling toy.

ChuckIt!, $16.99. Howl to the Chief. 733 8th St. SE. howltothechief.com

If your BFF ever shuts up from talking about the lifechanging impact of CrossFit, hand them this posh cleansing kit that will take them from the gym to the office.

The Exercise Freak kit, $68.50. Take Care. 1338 Wisconsin Ave. NW. takecareshopdc.com

Luxe

Follow Suit

The Glow Up This face oil has a cult following for a reason—it contains botanicals and essential oils that make skin glow.

Vitner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum, $185. Take Care. 1338 Wisconsin Ave. NW. takecareshopdc.com

It’s Anybody’s Best Friend

Get Down, Get Down Your wee one is going to be absolutely toasty in a water-repellent, down coat.

Makage Leelee Winter Down Coat, $430. Little Birdies Boutique. 1526 Wisconsin Ave. NW. shoplittlebirdies.com

16 december 8, 2017 washingtoncitypaper.com

Local jeweler Rachel Pfeffer designed and handmade this stunning amethyst and diamond ring.

Amethyst & diamond ring in 14 karat gold, $880.

Rachel Pfeffer. rachelpfeffer.com

Take your office wear to the next level. Purchase one piece as a statement or the whole outfit for a mini-wardrobe overhaul.

100% Cashmere overcoat (fully canvassed), $1595. Sport coat (fully canvassed), $1465. Light blue dress shirt, $165. Navy tie, $89. Pants, $325. Ezra Paul Clothing. 1608 17th St. NW. ezrapaul.com

It’s a Bit of a Stretch Give the gift of stretching with this fast drying, absorbent yoga mat.

Jade microfiber yoga towel, $39.95.

Core 72. 5502 Connecticut Ave. NW, 3316 Wisconsin Ave. NW. core72dc.com

Pretty Little Things

For Your Government Employee Friend (Under $25) I’m So Excited I Wet My Plants Oh how you’ll grow! This kit provides tools and instructions to cultivate beautiful indoor flowers.

Flower kit, $12. Little Leaf. 1401 S St. NW. littleleafshop.com

A Close Shave Geo. F. Trumper has been making skincare products since 1875. This set includes moisturising shaving soap in a hand-turned wooden bowl.

Geo. F. Trumper’s shaving soap and bowl, $34. GoodWood. 1428 U St. NW. goodwooddc.com

Throw You Off the Scent This wax-based cologne has a long lasting scent. The gorgeous packaging means you can throw it in a gym bag or pack it on a trip without fear of the product breaking.

Fulton & Roark solid cologne, $42.

Hudson & Crane. 1781 Florida Ave. NW., 33 District Square SW. hudsonandcrane.com

Right Up Your Alley

Polish it Off

Your work buddy never wears matching socks. Don’t be too hard on him—it’s the dryer’s fault. Solve that problem with American Holiday’s collection of fun socks.

Bowling socks, $14. American/Holiday. 1319 Wisconsin Ave. NW.

Enjoy a pop of color with this 10free, nontoxic nail polish.

Sundays nail polish, $18 each. Take Care. 1338 Wisconsin Ave. NW. takecareshopdc.com

Write on Schedule Inspire your colleague to see the world with a calendar that highlights archival travel prints.

Cavallini wall calendar, $21.95. Tabletop.

1608 20th St. NW, 6927 Laurel Ave., Takoma Park, Maryland. tabletopdc.com

Encourage Mint Maré Naturals creates handcrafted, natural products using beeswax and honey from Ethiopia.

Mint coffee body scrub, $12. Maré Naturals. marenaturals.com

It’s Mightier Than the Sword

Faux Real Purchase a scarf that will have your friend accessorizing like a movie star, while you remain within your budget.

Faux fur scarf, $17. Violet Boutique. 1924 8th St. NW. (Pop-up through Dec. 31.) violetdc.com

Ditch BIC and invest in a pen that is all about enjoying small luxuries.

Kaweco pen, $22. Cherry Blossom Creative. 2128 8th St. NW. cherryblossomcreative.com

washingtoncitypaper.com december 8, 2017 17

SPECIAL EDITION

Go to washingtoncitypaper.com/love to learn more about these ads.

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Similar-to-younger in age, similar interests preferred.Wcppersonals@ kennethdegraff.com Queer toppish foppish femme adjective-collector with epistolary prowess seeks (un)gentlemanly fox with swagger and strong cocktail game for mutually grand gestures, sumptuous feasts and abundant mischief. Hot for curiosity, radical imagination, well-executed duets, storytelling, breakfast foods, salt-n-pepper hair. I make a mean second move. Find me at queer4fox@gmail.com.

Mature, petite woman still nurturing her wild side ISO a somewhat younger male who is funny, smart, and kind with a bit of a dark side himself. You would not guess my personal life based on my professional one. You, too? Love books, but don’t judge by covers? Call me! letsmeetsoon@yahoo.com ISO TRUE LOVE, OBVIOUSLY. Me: 31-y.o. woman, frequently has strong opinions and strong drinks, likes bikes. You: Clark Kent-type but with tattoos. Must be down for evening walks to creep on strangers’ dogs, chatting about both international affairs and Taylor Swift, playing an occasional board game. smokesignals@protonmail.com Single, athletic bookworm of 32 years seeks happy, fit woman with a taste for simple organic pleasures. Open to everything from a night out to building a family dynasty. Whatever we do, let’s have fun with it. Perfume makes me sneeze. Call me Mr. Conecuh; rhymes with “achhoo!” colusa.conecuh@gmail.com SWF, 45 ISO similar age male. Ready to “joyfully participate in the sorrows of the world?” Europhile who loves arts, science and literature (but not science-fiction) looking for partner in museum exploration, live performances, day trips, cooking, hiking and other more sillier adventures. papercitydc@gmail.com

18 december 8, 2017 washingtoncitypaper.com

You: Sad, funny, oddball guy who does the right thing. Me: Kind, creative, responsible woman. Straightforward, sweet, and clearly uncool.

Despite my downbeat schtick, I’ve been through enough to have life in perspective as joy taking root. I enjoy helping people and believe in following that dream. How about you? shoelaces.wcp@gmail.com Diane Court ISO Lloyd Dobler. You will totally need to play music outside my bedroom window. (Not necessarily “In Your Eyes” but definitely something from the 80’s.) It’ll also help if you know how to properly use a semicolon and fiercely believe in lining waste baskets before using them. dianecourt85@gmail.com 26/F Looking for the Real Deal – Are you a: taco enthusiast, trivia master, N64 owner, movie lover, 9:30 Clubber, NHL/NCAA basketball fan, solid wedding +1, and 26-34/M interested in the same? If you didn’t vote for Trump, let’s grab a drink and have a meet cute cuter than Tinder. ShakiraAlbum8Track6@gmail.com Creative, conversational, intelligent, funny late 20s woman looking for a fellow creative type to hang out with me while I work on my many projects. An interest in cooking, dogs, good-bad pop music, and naps is appreciated. Let’s grab a drink and take in a concert, gallery show, or some nature. Email notontinder123@gmail.com.

The holiday season in D.C. is magical. There’s snow, one-of-a-kind monuments, amazing local shopping, sledding on Capitol Hill, and a few term-limited elves. We’re ISO a few DTE Airbnb guests to share our Brookland home and in the year-end fun. homesharinggetspersonal@gmail.com Sage, spirited vixen wants your company: let’s explore Rock Creek Park & DC ‘hoods, sip strong beverages, learn about the planet, dance to live music. Life is abundant! This nonprofit soul has a rock’n’roll heart; keen wit; fit, fab body. What’s on your playlist/stereo/turntable? Me=woman:You=man just2bclear wedantz@yahoo.com Harley, the fat cat. Your soft paws and nihilism set my heart on fire.

I long for your b****y attitude, your pointy ears, and your prolonged hatred to anything involving love and positivity. I love you, and I love your Instagram account at @harleythefat. Please be with me.

Goldchainam@gmail.com 60ish SWM ISO SWF who still likes to rock/knows how to roll. Take a chance. If you’re nice, smart, funny, a good person, attractive, not jaded or chained to a sofa, contact me. Pls still have a heart/not be afraid to use it. I know you’re out there somewhere. ltlrdtop@aol.com 63 year old single black female seeking a single white male between 55 and 65 who enjoys hand holding and still remember what it’s like to talk ona phone.I’m not interested in status just don’t be a phony and please be single. Scorpiospencer1954@yahoo.com

Seeking SeX Strapping lad. STRAIGHT. ISO driven, curvaceous Latina willing to ponder impending mortality whilst taste testing various unknown peppers. Serious inquiries only - please email pfeffermann6969@gmail.com Hate being cliché but...Divorced guy (one kid, college-aged) to get back into it all. Just looking to get some sex reps in--out of practice!

Your pleasure, esp via oral, is paramount. I’m youngish looking and feeling 50, professional, sane, discreet, 5’7 160. You: 30s, non-flakey 20’s, or youthful 40s, somewhat-HWP. wdcfuntimes@gmail.com Married White Male 61 seeks sensual woman of any age, race, body type or marital status for occasional carefree safe sane and very secret erotic daytime trysts. Let’s create some warm memories without any regrets and get home in time for supper. Photo sent on request. dc_secret_tryst@yahoo.com

Seeking FrienDShip Single ebony man, ISO, casual relationship, for adult encounter(s).

Not seeking, L.T.R., at this time. I will not play a game, with your emotions. I will respect you, at all times. FYI: I like to cuddle, etc. U know what to do, if u want to have an initial conversation. krisykremeunites@gmail.com Welcome to DC! Airbnb gave us the opportunity to host people from all over the world and offer a real local experience. We would be happy to have you at our home! homesharinggetspersonal@gmail.com

Older, but most definitely wiser SWF ISO older, but young at heart SWM for friendship, event plus one, concerts and possibly more.

Someone that still loves dancing in the aisles at classic rock concerts preferred. If you are so inclined, you should email me. freespiritforever2017@gmail.com 11/3 You were proudly eating from a Krispy Kreme fundraising box en route to the Farragut North Metro Station. Some of the best friendships are built around sugar, rebelling against the calorie count every once in a while, and watching episodes of The Good Place. Join me.

WANTED: Lovers of local news! Email newsletter seeks devoted readers ready to be informed, provoked and engaged by rockin’ links, including succinctly summarized news and exciting events, delivered every weekday at 7:30 am to their inbox. Weirdos welcome, locals loved. Subscribe at 730dc.com. read730dc@gmail.com LOOKING FOR ITHACA. MCM 2017. Halfway point. You, natural beauty. Glasses. “1st 26.2” on the back of your shirt. We talked running 1st marathon, kids and phones, your hometown. You stopped.

Knee hurt. I kept going. Said “See you at the finish line” (Not too bright). I’m still waiting. Thefirewemake@gmail.com

perSon to perSon It’s only been two months, and I’m so lucky to be married to you.

Looking forward to the adventures (and misadventures) ahead of us.

Love, your squash.

This one’s for my husband. Cut your hair and I’ll jump your bones. foxlikeschicken@gmail.com Seger rules!

This city is catastrophic and crisp. The smell of the Red Room and the chaleur from the patio bar shared with small dogs and rats make for seasons you wish would linger. I hope we don’t finish with a whimper, what a shame to lose hazy afternoons with friends.

TO MY BFF: I love you even though you have a cat. Remember when we used to go to Phase 1 before it closed? I miss that place so much (obviously I’m talking about the one in Eastern Market, not Dupont).

Anyway, let’s watch Riverdale with your girlfriend this weekend. bdhooton@gmail.com Hey gorgeous! I’m writing this from a couch in America’s Meatiest City, thinking about our many falls in the District. DC’s got nothing on Chicago’s hot dogs, but damned if it got our hearts perpetually (and, to be fair, most of our stomachs). Love you!

“i SaW YoU” Our eyes met on the Greenline on 10/16 6pmish, caught you staring 1st. you had dark hair and stunning eyes. I had dark hair, beard. We smiled,said hello when you got off at Mt.VernonSq. kept locking eyes as you went up the escalator and iwas on the metro. coffee? carrcarr034@gmail.com I saw you at 22nd and P. You were scribbling furiously. “This woman has something to say,” I thought, and I peeked at your notebook. You had written “Shut up, shut up, shut up,” over and over and over. “This woman is very strange,” I thought. Now we are married.

You had floppy brown hair and glasses, and always wore corduroys and a t-shirt. I saw you in a college class in 2003. I saw you again recently, and you still looked the same. You want to get hamburgers and a drink? janelynx@gmail.com 2123 Rayburn, 12/9/91. You: Super cute, very short hair, no longer an intern. Me: Stupidly looking for someone else at the party. Want to get together for fun, romance, adventure, two beautiful daughters, and a lifetime of love? 2123rhob@gmail.com

Seeking other Hosting now. Whether you stay 1 night or 1 month, lets create an amazing experience together. I’ll share my love of the city. Also providing a comfortable bed and space. Make your trip to D.C. more than you could have ever imagined with Airbnb. homesharinggetspersonal@gmail.com Funky garden apartment seeking travelers looking for a different vibe in one of DC’s hippest neighborhoods. Equally funky owners using Airbnb to fund cookies, renovations, vintage motorcycles, and time with their dogs. Stay in Columbia Heights and return with a truly unique experience instead of the same old photos. homesharinggetspersonal@gmail.com George Washington(‘s hipster twin) Slept Here! This downtown business-class accommodation is minutes from the National Mall or the White House. Modern furniture with funky art, it also has “buried treasure” throughout to promote a sense of discovery on your vacation. Upscale, upbeat, and unbeatable! homesharinggetspersonal@ gmail.com Go to washingtoncitypaper.com/love to learn more about these ads.

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Experience holiday shopping in the heart of Downtown F Street between 7th & 9th streets NW

Nov. 24 Thru Dec. 23, 2017

12 p.m. to 8 p.m.

3nual

an downtownholidaymarket.com

@DtwnHolidayMkt

DowntownHolidayMarket

Downtown Holiday Market Guide

#DowntownHolidayMarket

washingtoncitypaper.com december 8, 2017 19

4 0 + C O F F E E VA R I E TA L S B Y T H E P O U N D DRIP

ESPRESSO

POUR OVER

FRENCH PRESS ICED

NITRO

Welcome to the 13th Annual DowntownDC Holiday Market.

Jewelers, crafters, candy makers and other artisans from around the world and the District spend the year making one-of-a-kind items for the DowntownDC Holiday Market. Now they are again celebrating “so much more” at the 13th Annual DowntownDC Holiday Market.

So Much More at the DowntownDC Holiday Market means:

2300 Rhode Island Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20018 202-733-2646 / zekescoffeedc.com

THE HOLLY AND THE IV Y

MUSIC FOR CHRISTMAS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2017 • 4:30 P.M. NATIONAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH The City Choir of Washington’s annual holiday concert brims with seasonal cheer and traditional favorites, along with a few undiscovered joys. Join us for a performance of beautiful seasonal choral works and sing-along carols with the choir and audience.

This year’s concert features music by Vaughan Williams, Duruflé, Whitacre, and a world premiere setting of “Sweet was the Song the Virgin Sang” by Robert Shafer.

Each year, The City Choir is pleased to showcase an outstanding local high school choir as our “Partner in Song” to share the joy of the season. This year we are pleased to be joined by A CAPPELLA! from James Hubert Blake High School in Silver Spring, MD, under the direction of Sandra Zinkievich. This concert is always popular, so we encourage you to order your tickets early.

TICKETS: $15-$50. STUDENT & GROUP DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE. ORDER YOUR TICKETS TODAY AT CITYCHOIR.ORG

20 december 8, 2017 washingtoncitypaper.com

• The largest number of curated, homemade items (over 180) than ever before.

• Your chance to experience one of the nation’s best holiday markets, according to USA Today.

• A celebration of #GivingTuesday on Tuesday, Nov. 28, beginning at noon with community leaders, nonprofits and the Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington as they mark the annual day for online giving.

• Live music, food and holiday festivities while you shop!

Thirteen years ago, the DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) and Diverse Markets Management (DMM) created an outdoor holiday shopping marketplace for the DowntownDC community. Today, DowntownDC is a retail and tourist destination and this market is at the heart of it all.

The Market is committed to environmental sustainability and environmentally-friendly initiatives are also important to many of the Market exhibitors, some whom offer fair-trade imports and gifts made from recycled and sustainable resources. The Market is conveniently accessible by public transportation including Metrorail, Metrobus and Capital Bikeshare.

The Market runs from Nov. 24-Dec. 23 from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily on F Street NW between 7th and 9th streets.

The BID and DMM thank our sponsors for their contributions. For a full list of sponsors and for more information on daily performances and vendors, visit DowntownHolidayMarket.com. Follow us on Twitter @DtwnHolidayMkt (#DowntownDCHolidayMarket), on Facebook and on Instagram. Vendors rotate daily, so we look forward to seeing you throughout this holiday season again and again in DowntownDC!

Neil Albert President & Executive Director DowntownDC Business Improvement District

Downtown Holiday Holiday Market Market Guide Guide Downtown

Mike Berman Executive Director Diverse Markets Management

EXHIBITORS ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES

iconsDC #31, Nov 24(F)–Dec 6(W) iconsDC #29, Dec 21(Th)—Dec 23(S) iconsDC.com Jentz Prints #7, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) Tom Rall #13/14, Nov 24(F)—Dec 5(T)

CERAMICS

Kerri Henry Pottery #16, Nov 24(F)—Dec 7(Th) kerrihenrypottery.com Kuzeh Pottery #23, Dec 13(W)—Dec 19(T) kuzeh.us Printemps Pottery #17, Dec 9(S)—Dec 15(F) printempspottery.com Waters Woods #46, Nov 24(F)—Dec 7(Th) waterswoods.com

CLOTHES AND ACCESSORIES

Aria Handmade #32, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) ariahandmade.com Art Inca Native #9, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) Black Bear Leather #56, Dec 18(M)—Dec 20(W) blackbearleather.com Cho-pi-cha #56, Nov 24(F)—Nov 30(Th) Cross Roads By Mary #51, Dec 8(F)—Dec 16(S) De*Nada Design #30, Dec 8(F)—Dec 23(S) denadadesign.com Fuzzy Ink #8, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) fuzzy-ink.com Handmade Especially For You #29, Dec 4(M)—Dec 12(T) clydelleco.com

Inka Treasure Shop #2, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) inkatreasureshop.com Jonathon Wye, LLC #34, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) jonwye.com Kerplunk Designs #27, Dec 10(Su)—Dec 15(F) Kora Designs #28, Nov 28(T)—Dec 2(S) Lil’ Fishy #38, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) lilfishy.com LittleTibetBoutique #12, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) Mirasa Design #52, Nov 24(F)—Dec 10(Su) mirasadesign.com Mistura Timepieces #10, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) mistura.com Padhma Creation #54, Nov 28(T)—Dec 7(Th) padhmaknits.com Quavaro #44, Nov 24(F)—Dec 3(Su) quavaro.com Stitch & Rivet #59, Dec 15(F)—Dec 23(S) shopstitchandrivet.com The Buffalo Wool Co. #39,Nov 24(F)—Dec 17(Su) thebuffalowoolco.com Yikes Twins #43, Nov 24(F)—Nov 30(Th) yikestwins.com Yikes Twins #23, Dec 8(F)—Dec 12(T) yikestwins.com

COLLAGE

Had Matter #59, Nov 24(F)—Nov 26(Su) hadmatterart.com Had Matter #20, Dec 6(W)—Dec 12(T) hadmatterart.com Olan Quattro #46, Dec 8(F)—Dec 14(Th) olanquattro.com Relojearte #5, Nov 24(F)—Dec 3(Su) relojearte.com

CRAFTS

Analog #29, Nov 24(F)-Dec 3(Su) shopanalog.com Canimals #20, Nov 24(F)—Nov 26(Su) getcanimals.com Fancy HuLi #27, Nov 27(M)—Dec 6(W) fancyhuli.com Fancy HuLi #28, Dec 23(S)—Dec 23(S) fancyhuli.com Hooked and Loopy #23, Dec 1(F)-Dec 3(Su) etsy.com/shop/ hookedandloopy Hooked and Loopy #28, Dec 23(S)-Dec 23(S) etsy.com/shop/ hookedandloopy Hope’s Journals #59, Dec 1(F)—Dec 14(Th Juanita’s Adventures #26, Dec 8(F)—Dec 10(Su) juanitas.etsy.com Rebound Designs #54, Dec 8(F)—Dec 23(S) rebound-designs.com Sassafras Designs #27, Dec 7(Th)—Dec 9(S) sassafrasdesigns.com

FIBER ART

Jacq’s Dollhouse #22, Nov 24(F)—Nov 28(T) jacqsgirls.com Jen-A-Fusion Fashion Accesories #56, Dec 1(F)—Dec 8(F) jenafusion.blogspot.com Legendary Bowties #27, Nov 24(F)—Nov 26(Su) LegendaryBowties.etsy.com Legendary Bowties #18, Dec 4(M)—Dec 6(W) LegendaryBowties.etsy.com njb Basket of Jewels #26, Dec 5(T)—Dec 7(Th) etsy.com/shop/ njbbasketofjewels

View a daily schedule at DowntownHolidayMarket.com.

Find unique and wonderful items offered by over 150 exhibitors. Please note, exhibitors may rotateand/or not be at the Market every day. See the Exhibitor Categories above for the participant list, booth numbers, and days of participation. See the SITE MAP for booth locations.

(M)onday (T)uesday (W)ednesday (Th)ursday (F)riday (S)aturday (Su)nday

Range of Emotion #36, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) rangeofemotion.com Scarvelous #54, Nov 24(F)—Nov 27(M) facebook.com/Scarvelous Scarvelous #16, Dec 8(F)—Dec 23(S) facebook.com/Scarvelous Seeing In Fabric #39, Dec 18(M)—Dec 23(S) seeinginfabric.etsy.com The Mouse Works #61, Nov 24(F)—Nov 26(Su) themouseworks.com The Mouse Works #20, Dec 13(W)—Dec 17(Su) themouseworks.com Woolgathering #22, Nov 24(F)—Nov 28(T) facebook.com/ MichelleSasscer

GIFT FOODS

Cardinal Chocolates Inc. #15, Nov 24(F)—Dec 6(W) cardinalchocolates.com Cardinal Chocolates Inc. #15, Dec 14(Th)—Dec 23(S) cardinalchocolates.com Chocoidea #53, Nov 24(F)—Dec 14(Th) chocoidea.com Chocotenango #60, Dec 4(M)—Dec 16(S) chocotenango.com J. Chocolatier #53, Dec 15(F)—Dec 23(S) jchocolatier.com The Capital Candy Jar #64, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) thecapitalcandyjar.com Whisked! #56, Dec 9(S)—Dec 10(Su) whiskeddc.com

FOOD AND BEVERAGES

Alexas Empanadas #1, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) facebook.com/ alexasempanadas Migue’s Magnificent Mini Donuts #47, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) crepesatthemarket.com The Taste of Germany #62, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) thetasteofgermany.com

Downtown Holiday Market Guide Downtown Holiday Market Guide

Vigilante #48, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) vigilantecoffee.com

GLASS

Cecil Art Glass #20, Nov 30(Th)—Dec 5(T) englerglass #43, Dec 8(F)—Dec 23(S) englerglass.com GlitzyGlass #40, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) glitzy-glass.com Homegrown Glass Art #19,Dec 4(M)—Dec 23(S) ryaneicher.etsy.com New World Glass #18, Nov 30(Th)—Dec 3(Su) newworldglass.com

IMPORTED CRAFTS

Baby Alpaca #45, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) Dorjebajra Tibet Shop #51, Nov 24(F)—Dec 7(Th) mytibetshop.com Harun’s African Art #20, Nov 24(F)—Nov 26(Su) Harun’s African Art #27, Dec 16(S)—Dec 23(S) Mundo Village #24, Nov 24(F)—Dec 14(Th) mundovillage.com Souvenir Arts #20, Dec 18(M)—Dec 23(S) russian-classics.com Toro Mata #6, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) toromata.com Tunisian Touch #63, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) tunisiantouch.com Vida Dulce Imports #26, Nov 24(F)—Nov 27(M) vidadulceimports.com Vida Dulce Imports #56, Dec 11(M)—Dec 17(Su) vidadulceimports.com

JEWELRY

Al Beads #61, Nov 27(M)—Dec 19(T) Amanda Hagerman Jewelry #18, Nov 24(F)—Nov 26(Su) amandahagerman.com American Princess #51, Dec 8(F)—Dec 16(S)

Andrea Haffner #28, Dec 17(Su)—Dec 22(F) andreahaffner.com Art Island #18, Nov 27(M)—Nov 29(W) etsy.com/shop/ArtIsland August Nine Designs #60, Dec 17(Su)—Dec 23(S) augustninedesigns.com Be You Fashion #22,Nov 29(W)—Dec 13(W) beyoufashion.com Black Black Moon #24, Dec 15(F)—Dec 23(S) blackblackmoon. carbonmade.com Courtney Gillen #51, Dec 17(Su)—Dec 23(S) D Collections #3, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) David Conroy Art #55, Nov 24(F)—Dec 7(Th) davidconroyart.com Deco Etc. #58, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) decoetcjewelry.com Karmic Kollections #27, Nov 24(F)—Nov 26(Su) karmickollections.etsy.com Karmic Kollections #18, Dec 4(M)—Dec 6(W) karmickollections.etsy.com Kiwi Exquisite #19, Nov 29(W)—Nov 30(Th) kiwikathy.blogspot.com La Contessa by Mary DeMarco #22, Dec 14(Th)—Dec 17(Su) lacontessa.com Leah Staley Designs #23, Dec 20(W)—Dec 23(S) leahstaley.com Leah Sturgis Jewelry Art #44, Dec 4(M)—Dec 23(S) leahsturgis.com Lilypad Designs #13, Dec 12(T)—Dec 23(S) lilypad-designs.com Linda Blackbourn Jewelry #23, Nov 24(F)—Nov 30(Th) lindablackbournjewelry.com Mann Made Designs #35, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) mannmadedesigns.com Maruxi Jewelry #52, Dec 11(M)—Dec 23(S) maruxivintage.com Moya Gallery #17, Dec 16(S)—Dec 23(S) moya-gallery.com

washingtoncitypaper.com december 8, 2017 21

EXHIBITORS (cont.)

RuthieLine Jewelry Designs #28, Dec 3(Su)—Dec 7(Th) etsy.com/shop/ RuthieLineJewelryDsn Southwest Expressions #26, Nov 28(T)—Dec 4(M) nativecraftsworld.com Stio Design #30, Nov 24(F)—Nov 30(Th) ancientcoindesigns.com Stio Design #26, Dec 15(F)—Dec 23(S) ancientcoindesigns.com Taber Studios #29, Dec 13(W)—Dec 16(S) taberstudios.com Terry Pool Design #18, Dec 7(Th)—Dec 17(Su) terrypooldesign.com Turtles Webb #55, Dec 11(M)—Dec 23(S) turtleswebb.com Wiwat kamolpornwijit #18, Dec 18(M)—Dec 23(S) kamolpornwijit.com Yang Ku Designs #23, Dec 4(M)—Dec 7(Th) yangkudesigns.com

NONPROFIT

Turning The Page #20, Nov 27(M)—Nov 29(W) turningthepage.com

PAINTING

Golshah Agdasi #33, Nov 24(F)—Dec 7(Th) Golshah Agdasi #22, Dec 18(M)—Dec 21(Th) Joel Traylor Art #13, Dec 6(W)—Dec 11(M) joeltraylor.com Jonathan Blum #33, Dec 8(F)—Dec 23(S) Jonathanblumportraits.com Joseph Snyder #46, Dec 15(F)—Dec 23(S) josephharrisonsnyder.com Kessler Art #19, Nov 24(F)—Nov 28(T) kesslerart.com Marcella Kriebel Art & Illustration #23, Dec 13(W)—Dec 19(T) marcellakriebel.com

22 december 8, 2017 washingtoncitypaper.com

QuestSkinner #57, Nov 24(F)—Dec 8(F) questskinner.com Rayhart #28, Dec 8(F)—Dec 16(S) worksofrayhart.com Thomas Bucci #25, Dec 6(W)—Dec 18(M) thomasbucci.com Tsolmon-Art #4, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) tsolmonart.com Turbopolis #25, Dec 19(T)—Dec 23(S) turbopolis.com Washington Watercolors #17, Nov 24(F)—Dec 8(F) marybelcher.com

PHOTOGRAPHY

Avner Ofer Photography #41, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) avnerofer.com Chandler Art and Images #61, Dec 20(W)—Dec 23(S)

Drew Smith Photography #5, Dec 4(M)—Dec 23(S) drewsmithphoto.com Italy In Color #19, Dec 1(F)—Dec 3(Su) italyincolor.com Italy In Color #55, Dec 8(F)—Dec 10(Su) italyincolor.com Joe Shymanski #50, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) joeshymanski.com MacroFine Photography #43, Dec 1(F)—Dec 7(Th) MacroFinePhotography.com Tom Wachs Photography #25, Nov 24(F)—Dec 5(T) tomwachs.com

Fancy Seeing You Here #30, Dec 1(F)—Dec 7(Th) fancyseeingyouhere.com Grey Moggie Press #30, Dec 1(F)—Dec 7(Th) greymoggie.com Katharine Watson #42, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) katharinewatson.com Miks Letterpress + #60, Nov 24(F)—Dec 3(Su) mikspress.com Miks Letterpress + #29, Dec 17(Su)—Dec 20(W) mikspress.com

Handmade Habitat #15, Dec 7(Th)—Dec 13(W) handmadehabitatliving.com Joyful Bath Co. #21, Nov 27(M)—Dec 12(T) joyfulbathco.com Maré Naturals #23, Dec 1(F)—Dec 3(Su) marenaturals.com Pure Palette #60, Nov 24(F)—Dec 3(Su) purepalette.etsy.com Pure Palette #29, Dec 17(Su)—Dec 20(W) purepalette.etsy.com

TEXTILES

PRINTMAKING

SOAPS AND CANDLES

BAMI Products #21, Nov 24(F)—Nov 26(Su) bamiproducts.net BAMI Products #21, Dec 13(W)—Dec 23(S) bamiproducts.net Coastal Home & Body #49, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) coastalhomeandbody.com Geeda’s Hand Poured Candles #26, Dec 11(M)—Dec 14(Th) candlesbygeeda.com

Black Lab #59, Nov 27(M)—Nov 30(Th) FemalePowerProject.com Cherry Blossom Creative #14, Dec 6(W)—Dec 23(S) cherryblossomcreative.com EWBA #11, Nov 24(F)-Dec 23(S) ewba.net FaineBooks #26, Dec 5(T)—Dec 7(Th) fainebooks.com

Downtown Holiday Holiday Market Market Guide Guide Downtown

Janice’s Table #28, Nov 24(F)—Nov 27(M) janicetable.com Naked Decor #37, Nov 24(F)—Dec 23(S) nakeddecor.com

WOODWORKING Blue Ridge Cutting Board Company #31, Dec 7(Th)—Dec 23(S) facebook.com/ Tree-to-Art #57, Dec 9(S)—Dec 23(S) treetoart.com

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SITE MAP

The Downtown Holiday Market is centrally located in the heart of Downtown DC, centered at 8th and F St, NW. It is easily accessible by foot, bike, and Metro (Gallery Pl-Chinatown).

9th St.

Smithsonian American Art Museum & National Portrait Gallery

ATM

1

2 3 4 5

15 16 17 18 19

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

ATM

Stage

Info

20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57

F St. Downtown Holiday Market Guide Downtown Holiday Market Guide

41 42 43 44 45

46

47

7th St.

Gallery Place/ Chinatown Metro

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F St. washingtoncitypaper.com december 8, 2017 23

MUSIC SCHEDULE The Market Stage presents a musical feast of more than 65 shows by some of the area’s best blues, rock, jazz, soul, country, world, and contemporary artists. And of course, it wouldn’t be a “holiday” market without some of your favorite seasonal standards. Check the daily performance schedule below, and find more information about all of the performers in the Musical Entertainment section of DowntownHolidayMarket.com.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24 12:00 - 2:00 2:30 - 4:30 5:00 - 7:00

Maureen Andary Cooking With Gas Kiss & Ride

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7 Jazz, Pop Blues, Swing, Jazz Blues, Jazz, Soul

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25 12:00 - 2:00 2:30 - 4:30 5:00 - 7:00

DC Mudd The Fuss Stacy Brooks Band

Old School Blues Ska, Reggae Blues, Jazz

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26 12:00 - 2:00 2:30 - 4:30 5:00 - 7:00

Music Pilgrim Trio Fast Eddie & the Slowpokes Domenic Cicala & Thensome

World Music Blues, Soul Roots Rock, Americana

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27 12:00 - 2:00 5:00 - 7:00

All New Genetically Altered Jug Band Kentucky Avenue

Jug Band Modern Americana

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28 12:00 - 2:00 5:00 - 7:00

Jim Stephanson Judge Smith Junior Cline Duo Bill Baker Band Flo Anito Nina Casey Trio Jesse Palidofsky Dave Chappell & Dave Hartge Afro Nuevo Alpha Dog Acoustic Ruthie & the Wranglers King Street Bluegrass

Acoustic Blues Rockin’ Americana, Country Bluegrass, Country

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3 12:00 - 2:00 2:30 - 4:30 5:00 - 7:00

Potomac Revelers Karen Collins & Backroads The Lovejoy Group

American Traditions Honky Tonk Holiday, Jazz

MONDAY, DECEMBER 4 12:00 - 2:00 5:00 - 7:00

Billy Coulter Duo Runakuna

Roots Rock Andean Traditions

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5 12:00 - 2:00 5:00 - 7:00

Jeffrey Greenberg & Tom Kitchen Ian Walters & Friends Emma G Seth Kibel & Sean Lane

24 december 8, 2017 washingtoncitypaper.com

Carly & Sol The Clear Harmonies Carolers Janine Wilson & Max Evans

Roots, Blues, Jazz A Cappella Holiday Original Roots Rock

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9 12:00 - 2:00 2:30 - 4:30 5:00 - 7:00

Big Lunch Hokum Jazz Los Caribbeat

Americana Vintage Blues, Jazz Calypso, Latin, West African

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10 12:00 - 2:00 2:30 - 4:30 5:00 - 7:00

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Blues, Swing Gypsy Jazz Classic Rock

12:00 - 2:00 5:00 - 7:00

John G. Lewis & ElectroKoustic Bill Baker Band

Jazz, Soul Original Country Blues

12:00 - 2:00 5:00 - 7:00

Jonny Grave The 19th Street Band

Slide Blues Folk Rock, Americana

12:00 - 2:00 5:00 - 7:00

Dave Chappell & Dave Hartge Blue Dot jazz Troupe

Roots Guitar Jazz

12:00 - 2:00 5:00 - 7:00

Patty Reese Afro Nuevo

Acoustic Roots Latin Jazz

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15 12:00 - 2:00 2:30 - 4:30 5:00 - 7:00

Andra Faye & Scott Ballantine Flo Anito Snakehead Run

Blues, Roots, Jazz Jazzy Pop Jugband Blues

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16 12:00 - 2:00 2:30 - 4:30 5:00 - 7:00

Capital Hearings Lilt Trio Caliente

A Cappella Holiday & More Irish, Step Dancers Flamenco, Brazilian Jazz

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17 12:00 - 2:00 2:30 - 4:30 5:00 - 7:00

Andra Faye & Scott Ballantine Christylez Bacon Surf Jaguars

Blues, Roots, Jazz Progressive Hip Hop Surf Rock

MONDAY, DECEMBER 18 Jazz Blues, Roots, Classics

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6 12:00 - 2:00 5:00 - 7:00

12:00 - 2:00 2:30 - 4:30 5:00 - 7:00

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14 Eclectic Classics Roots Guitar Latin Jazz

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2 12:00 - 2:00 2:30 - 4:30 5:00 - 7:00

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13 Jazzy Pop American songbook, Blues

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1 12:00 - 2:00 2:30 - 4:30 5:00 - 7:00

Acoustic Roots Celtic, Folk

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12 R&B Soul Original Country Blues

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30 12:00 - 2:00 5:00 - 7:00

Patty Reese Painted Trillium

MONDAY, DECEMBER 11 American Songbook Roots, Rock

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29 12:00 - 2:00 5:00 - 7:00

12:00 - 2:00 5:00 - 7:00

12:00 - 2:00 5:00 - 7:00

Jim Stephanson The Lovejoy Group

American Songbook Holiday, Jazz

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19 Acoustic Soul Jazzy Holiday

12:00 - 2:00 5:00 - 7:00

Bruce Hutton Split String Soup

Downtown Holiday Holiday Market Market Guide Guide Downtown

Appalachian Folk, Blues Bluegrass

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20

12:00 - 2:00 2:30 - 4:30 5:00 - 7:00

Dave Chappell & Dave Hartge Maureen Andary Clear Harmonies Carolers

Roots Guitar Jazz, Pop A Cappella Hoiday

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21 12:00 - 2:00 2:30 - 4:30 5:00 - 7:00

Janna Audey & Rob Santos Ian Walters & Friends Gaye Adegbalola & John Freund

Pop, Rock, Jazz Blues, Roots, Classics Acoustic Blues

ADULT DANCE &

WELLNESS PROGRAM Ballet • Stretch • Floor Barre® Pilates • Jazz • Modern Open Classes • All Levels Downtown Silver Spring

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22 12:00 - 2:00 2:30 - 4:30 5:00 - 7:00

Jonny Grave Project Natale The Sweater Set

Slide Blues Jazz Folk Pop

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23 12:00 - 2:00 2:30 - 4:30 5:00 - 7:00

Abigai & Eric Selby Miss Tess & The Talkbacks Ian Walters & Friends

New Students 2nd Class FREE

Celtic, Jazz, Fusion Americana, Blues Blues, Roots, Classics

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Restaurateur Reese Gardner is readying to open Tulips in Dupont on Dec. 26 in the former Irish Whiskey space. There’s a basement dining room serving a menu studded with steak and lobster, a bar, and a top-floor Champagne lounge.

Don’t Tell MOM

Darrow Montgomery

Can a popular regional grocer also be a cult?

By Hannah Finnie Stephen hugginS’ journey to MOM’s Organic Market began long before he had ever heard of the store. Growing up, Huggins felt sick, tired, depressed, and anxious.

He wondered what could be wrong, and in his research found that the food he consumed might be the problem, but also part of the solution. He started exploring different organic supplements to try, from matcha powder to lucuma powder, and looked for a place he could find them. Huggins’ research point-

Young & hungrY

ed to one place: MOM’s.

After regularly shopping at MOM’s for a while, and feeling healthier than he had in years, Huggins struck up a conversation with an employee one day. In the course of that conversation, he realized he was no longer content with being only a MOM’s shopper. He wanted to work there, too. It took two applications, but Huggins, 26, now logs 38 hours a week as a team member at the MOM’s in Woodbridge. He spends many of his shifts in the same wellness aisle that first drew him to MOM’s.

MOM’s, an organic grocery chain with more than a dozen stores in D.C., Maryland, and Vir-

ginia, is a behemoth in the regional organic food market, employing nearly 1,000 people and bringing in close to $200 million a year in revenue, according to founder and CEO John Nash.

It’s also been known by many names: Initially called Organic Foods Express when it focused on grocery deliveries, its name was later changed to My Organic Market before morphing once more into MOM’s Organic Market. Most people call it MOM’s.

But MOM’s is not simply another place to pick up chia seeds and kale chips, like the Yes! Organic Markets scattered throughout the city. MOM’s just might be a cult.

Or, according Nash, something close to it: “We were joking around a little bit when we called it a cult, but it’s really more of a tribe,” says the man who launched the flourishing chain in his mother’s garage in 1987. The company’s website, as recently as November 1, referred to job openings with a tab reading “Join Our CULTure.”

Since then, all the menu headings on the site have been made uppercase.

There’s something unique going on at the chain. The company takes a radical approach to organic food, and business in general. It sees itself as a vehicle for activism that just so happens to sell organic food, according to Nash.

This activism is accomplished both internally and externally. On the operations end, Nash has differentiated his chain from other organic giants by incorporating mindfulness into its operations. The central office in Rockville, for example, boasts a meditation room.

Nash and his team also organize frequent employee outings, from summer barbecues to trips to local farms to learn more about the food MOM’s sells. Huggins, the 26-year-old employee, has attended trainings to learn

more about the supplements he first found as a teenager. And managers take the company’s core values—commandments like “let go of your ego” and “compassion is the antidote to judgement”—to heart. Leaders frequently check-in with employees to see how they have been able to apply these values to their lives.

MOM’s emphasis on the whole person, not just an employee’s ability to produce, isn’t confined to the people they pay. Nash says the company has made strides to provide shoppers with a stress-free shopping experience.

Part of their brand promise, he says, is offering customers a “stress-free oasis.” MOM’s accomplishes this by having purposefully wide aisles—no more ramming into other shoppers’ carts. The store also plays calming music to keep stress levels low, and instructs employees not to approach customers, also to keep the relaxation high and stress low.

But perhaps above all else, what sets MOM’s apart the most is the role Nash sees the company playing in the world.

Calling himself an “activist CEO,” Nash rails on big agriculture—complaining of government subsidies that he says make the cost of organic food disproportionately high compared to what he refers to as the “chemical food industry.”

“It’s not just a grocery store,” Nash says. “If you go to our Facebook page, we hardly ever talk about our products. The product is the means. MOM’s has a bigger purpose.”

MOM’s takes big stands. They donate to Planned Parenthood and post about it freely on social media. They recently supported lowering Metro fares, Nash says, so the working poor will have a shot at economic security, and because it’s a good move for the environment. Appearing on a recent CNN segment, Nash advocated for raising taxes on the wealthy and raising the minimum wage.

He received hate mail for those stances but shrugged it off.

“If we’re not pissing people off along the way, we’re not doing it right,” he says. “We take action. We put our money where our mouth is. That’s how we shore up our tribe, the community, the cult of MOM’s.”

On Glassdoor—a website that publishes employees’ anonymous reviews of the companies they work for—one of the three reviews left by former MOM’s employees highlights the generous employee discount (which, according to Nash, is 30 percent). But in a casual aside under the cons section, the same employee also notes that “MOM’s is a cult and proudly so as stated on their website so be prepared for that.”

washingtoncitypaper.com december 8, 2017 27

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DC FEED Huggins, the Woodbridge employee, acknowledges the cult-like environment of MOM’s, but, like Nash, shrugs it off. At the same time, he uses eerily similar language as Nash to describe his job: “There’s a purpose,” he says.

Since starting at MOM’s in March, Huggins says he strives to be more mindful at work during busy times and enjoys chatting with customers, even if some people perceive it as strange.

“Some people will ask if I’m okay because I’ve been talking to a customer for a while,” Huggins says. “We’ll just get into a really deep conversation, talking about mindfulness and gurus ... I’m willing to make that connection with people.”

Tyler McDaniel, a 23-year-old MOM’s devotee, has been on the receiving end of that kind of customer service during his regular pilgrimages to MOM’s, where he’s shopped since moving to Arlington.

“There’s just something about [MOM’s] that just kind of draws you in,” he says. First attracted to the store because of its proximity to his apartment, MOM’s has become his grocery store of choice because of its relaxing environment and the wide variety of foods available. A self-described “flexitarian” who rarely eats meat, McDaniel often finds himself in the produce section inspecting the latest kiwi berries before moving on to grab pea milk and veggie burgers with fake blood.

The Arlington MOM’s has a heavy dose of the MOM’s spirit he loves so much, like a sign above an astronomy display that reads “perception changes everything.”

But MOM’s hasn’t drawn everyone in. McDaniel says his roommates are a bit put off by the chain, and maintain a safe distance.

“They don’t want to touch MOM’s with a 10foot pole,” he says. McDaniel’s roommates even brought up how strange MOM’s is to McDaniel’s parents. But the last time McDaniel’s sister came into town, he made sure she paid a visit to MOM’s. He says she was intrigued, though his devotion to it may always be a bit of a question mark for his closest family and friends.

The obsession with the brand comes from the top. When it comes to who decided the name of the job openings page on the MOM’s website should read “Join our CULTure,” there’s no question.

“Mine,” Nash says, without a shred of doubt.

CP

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

DCFEED Grazer

Your Guide to December Drinking in D.C. December can be the merriest or most miserable time of year, but either way you’re going to want a drink. Why do you think Applebee’s is selling $1 Long Island iced teas through the end of the month? D.C. bars have stepped up their game to quench your thirst. Here are our picks for where to head when you want a tipple or two.

—Laura Hayes The Passenger 1539 7th St. NW Tom Brown’s beloved bar has always been popular with thirsty Washingtonians craving cocktails without a side of pretension. Head here now to try its updated food. New chef Matt Almquist, whose resume includes several hotspots in New York, reinvented the menu, which includes dishes like crispy Brussels sprouts with white balsamic, nutritional yeast, nori, black and white sesame, and togarashi spice. If you like Almquist’s fancy pub grub, you can also try it at sister bar Left Door (1345 S St NW).

Nocturne 1932 9th St. NW If you think a cocktail bar accessed through a doughnut shop is already trying too hard, wait until you see the menu: It looks like the periodic table and includes a miniature bowl of luke-warm, Scotch-laced ramen. The “Strange Weather” is a boozy hit of bourbon, black sesame, and black walnut, while the “Sham Rockshake” combines gin, matcha green tea, black walnut leaf, and white chocolate for a sweet finish.

It’s one of those places you need to see to believe.

Maxwell 1336 9th St. NW Shaw’s newest wine bar is celebrating all things bubbly this month. Coowner and sommelier Brent Kroll says it will serve 17 sparkling wines to send off 2017, ranging from Champagnes you know well to under-the-radar fizzy alternatives you don’t. Between Dec. 22 and Dec. 24, any guest that arrives in an ugly Christmas sweater will receive a complimentary glass of Lambrusco. For maximum enjoyment, grab a spot on the patio near the fire pits.

Hazel 808 V St. NW This Shaw hotspot just lassoed major drink talent. Nick Farrell, who has been shaking and stirring cocktails at Iron Gate, will do double duty at Hazel. His festive creations include the silky and savory “I Winter in Aspen,” with white hot chocolate, juniper, sesame, gin, and white cranberry.

The picture-worthy “Winter X Games” is made with ginger absinthe, a candy cane, club soda, and a snowball. A low ABV cocktail called “On A Cleanse” combines sparkling unfiltered sake with cucumber, ginger, vodka, and lemon and comes garnished with two cucumber rounds you can put on your eyes for a spa-like experience. The bar and patio have been transformed into a winter wonderland.

Union Trust 740 15th St. NW If you want to skip the holiday frills altogether, head to Union Trust, a new downtown bar with historical gravitas. The owners, who come from Solly’s

what we ate this week: Wild mushroom kathi roll with paneer cheese, $12, Bindaas. Satisfaction level: 2 out of 5. what we’ll eat next week: Open Sesame bowl with lamb kebab, peanut sesame sauce, basmati rice, charred eggplant, cucumber, pickled onions, mint cilantro chutney, mango coconut yogurt, microgreens, and lentil crisp, $11.50, RASA. Excitement level: 5 out of 5.

and The Pug, proudly proclaim that their latest project is “just a bar.” The space is dimly lit and there are deep booths where you can hole up and hide from your problems. Just don’t try ordering snacks because there aren’t any.

Unnamed Bar 600 T St. NW Try to get a seat near the wood-burning fireplace (which owner Stephen Lawrence claims is 130 years old) at this new Shaw spot.

While you get warm, sip on cocktails served in antique glassware, including a rye drink that has a subtle pine flavor—the rye is infused with pine needles from Roosevelt Island. The brandy-based cocktail also feels seasonal thanks to the addition of apple cider, rosemary, ginger, and lemon. It’s easy to lose track of time here with the laid back soundtrack and cabin-in-the-woods feel.

Buffalo & Bergen 1309 5th St. NE Union Market’s throwback soda shop best known for its boozy ice cream floats and knishes has been transformed into a metallic winter bar. Every drink on the special menu available now through Jan. 30 is either made with silver and gold liquors or spirits distilled in copper. Order the “Yellow Snow” and a drink containing silver tequila, orange sassafras, cinnamon, and lime arrives served in a snow globe complete with a penguin perched on a block of ice. Then there’s “All The Trimmings” with rye, bitters, cranberry, pine, and orange zest served in an ornament with savory popcorn and gumball ornaments.

Advent-ures in Drinking Three D.C. bars are celebrating the season with boozy advent calendars. They could pour Jägermeister each night and still improve upon the stale chocolate that typically hides behind an advent calendar’s cardboard doors. But fortunately what they’re pouring—from whiskey to cocktails to champagne—is much tastier.

—Laura Hayes Hank’s Cocktail Bar 819 Upshur St. NW The Petworth drink den is experimenting with a cocktail advent calendar. A new drink will debut nightly at 7 p.m., and customers who try at least 12, as marked off on a loyalty card, will be rewarded after Dec. 24. One sample sipper includes apple brandy, coffee, bittered whipped cream, and nutmeg.

The Dubliner 4 F St. NW Every night, bartenders at this storied pub will reveal a whiskey that’s being offered at half-price as a part of the first annual “Irish Whiskey Advent Calendar.”

To find out what’s discounted before you go, check the bar’s social media accounts. The whiskeys being served are priced between $15 and $40 before the discount and pours are limited to two per customer. Try them now through Dec. 23.

Free State 501b G St. NW This subterranean bar near Capitol One Arena is showcasing a different sparkling wine or Champagne revealed in advent calendar fashion. Bartenders will pour bubbles from California, Tasmania, and everywhere in between. Try them now through New Year’s Eve. If you want to save some money, visit during happy hour (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays), when each Champagne or sparkling wine cost $2 less.

washingtoncitypaper.com december 8, 2017 29

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CPArts

The Truitt Show

The National Gallery of Art takes a long overdue step in fixing its history of ignoring women artists with a show of the District’s favorite daughter, Anne Truitt.

Anne Truitt, “26 December 1962, No. 5,” (1962)

In the Tower: Anne Truitt

At the National Gallery of Art East Building to April 1, 2018

By Kriston Capps The map ThaT hangs in the new Anne Truitt exhibit at the National Gallery of Art is a welcome sign. It’s easy to skip over in a room otherwise packed with Truitt’s powerful minimalist totems. The simple graphic map lists a few of the places around the District where the Baltimore-born artist (who died in 2004) lived and worked, from her home in Cleveland Park to her studio in a carriage house in a Dupont Circle alley called Twining Court.

In the Tower: Anne Truitt, the latest installment in the East Building’s contemporary art series, may be the most intimate exhibit seen in the tower so far. It is definitely the homiest, a show

museums

that indulges in Truitt’s use of rich colors while also acknowledging her very specific place in D.C. history. With the Truitt show, the National Gallery has laid out the welcome mat for local viewers.

The show assembles several of Truitt’s best experiments in space, color, and form—both in two and three dimensions. The main tower gallery is a satisfying presentation of her sculptures, sanded wooden rectangular prisms painted with vivid acrylics.

“Insurrection” (1962), a pillar painted half in bright cherry red and half in dusty brick red, comes to the National Gallery courtesy of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, much of whose collection the museum has absorbed. It joins “Knight’s Heritage” (1963), a square painted in colors reminiscent of the German flag, as one of the best examples anywhere of the way Truitt challenged the idea of what a painting could be (and what a sculpture could be, too).

Truitt’s works on paper are relegated to the tower’s attendant gallery, a side space that has proven awkward to program. Not so here: The darker, cramped room invites viewers to get close

‘Tis the season, motherfuckers: The Sleigher, our annual holiday music column, is back. washingtoncitypaper.com/arts

to pieces like “Arundel XI” (1974), a graphite and acrylic drawing (or painting?) on canvas.

Several paintings on paper, such as “26 December 1962, No. 5” (1962), take the form of primitive black shapes, variations on a minimalist theme. As a category, Truitt’s drawings are usually restrained; the best of these are a series of paintings of horizontal bars, or at least, these are the ones that come closest to the freedom in space exuded by her sculptures.

Biographical or preparatory materials are usually left to the side gallery. The map, though, hangs in the main space, making it something of a bullet point, or at least a strong signal about the direction of this show. It might have gone another way: James Meyer, the National Gallery’s curator of postwar art (1945–1974), could have given viewers a presentation of Truitt’s formalist sculptures without any reference to her life or locale. After all, curating a show of Truitt’s work—deciding how to place the iridescent, lemon-inpeach “Flower” (1969) vis-a-vis the mustard, almost burned-looking “Summer Remembered” (1981)—must be one of the truest joys of the profession. Why do more than flick at biography?

One point may be to offer something of an explanation for why Truitt is not remembered among the ranks of Louise Bourgeois or Joan Mitchell, postwar masters who have elbowed their way into the art history textbooks. Truitt arrived in D.C. just a bit too late to enjoy the heyday of the Washington Color School, and she stayed too long to escape the status of regional artist after the city’s star faded. This is unfortunate: Truitt’s work anchors the third tower in a way that truly balances the two other towers occupied by Alexander Calder, Mark Rothko, and Barnett Newman. Yet wrestling with motherhood, eschewing the chase of the New York art world, and centering on a quiet studio practice are all parts of Truitt’s story, as she faithfully recorded in Daybook and several more diaries (required reading for any D.C. art lover).

Now it’s up to institutions like the National Gallery, which have ignored women artists for eons, to do the work of showcasing overlooked work by women and giving it historical grounding. The National Gallery’s record on this score, and in collecting and showing works by artists of color, is worse than that of most museums. Now that the long tenure of National Gallery director Earl “Rusty” Powell III is coming to an end, revisionism ought to be the museum’s guiding star going forward.

Is the Truitt exhibit an example for how the National Gallery should proceed in the 21st century? With this show, the museum confidently ignored the fact that a major exhibition of Truitt’s work—the first retrospective of her career, in fact— came to the National Mall rather recently. The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden did the heavy lifting already with Perception and Reflection in 2009. While the National Gallery show is smaller and therefore more tightly focused (and it definitely enjoys better light), it runs the risk of being redundant.

Is too much Truitt a bad thing? Hardly. Oversaturation is not really a worry, even for avid museum-goers. Right now there are few rooms in the District, not even the various Rothko rooms, that can rival the tower for a (sorely needed) moment of serenity. But the National Gallery faces a steep climb.

It will need to dive deeper, and take some risks on much lesser known artists, to live up to its mission as America’s cultural treasury and truly reflect the American people. The National Gallery’s Truitt show is a delightful departure through abstraction, but it isn’t the show that the National Gallery needs. CP 150 4th St. NW. Free. (202) 737-4215. nga.gov. washingtoncitypaper.com december 8, 2017 31

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Guillermo del Toro’s 10th feature, The Shape of Water, is a fairy tale that requires significant suspension of belief. Part monster movie and part romance, the film recalls B-movies such as Creature From the Black Lagoon—in fact, del Toro’s creature resembles Lagoon’s—but in Shape, the damsel is hardly in distress. And if you let it, the film will leave you transfixed.

Del Toro sets the otherworldly tone in the very first scene, a teal-tinged one in which the apartment of our heroine, Elisa (Sally Hawkins), is flooded, its contents gently floating while Elisa sleeps above her couch. Even by the writer-director’s standards, it’s gorgeous.

Elisa is mute, and this 1960s-set story (co-written by Vanessa Taylor) is a valentine to outliers: In addition to Elisa’s involuntary silence, her best friend, Giles (Richard Jenkins), is gay and scorned when he makes a mild pass at a crush; there’s a scene in which a black couple is turned away at a diner; and of course there’s the creature itself, captured by the U.S. government and known simply as “The Asset.”

Despite her disability, Elisa is an infectiously happy woman, tap dancing and smiling on her way to work as an overnight cleaning lady in the building in which the creature is housed. She’s chatty (via sign language) with another cleaning woman, her longtime friend Zelda (Octavia Spencer). And she’s fearless: Shortly after the creature’s tank is brought on the premises, Elisa approaches it and taps on the glass. The reaction is frightening, but that doesn’t stop her from continuing to try to communicate with this seemingly half-man, half-fish, who turns out to have restorative powers. (The creature is played by Doug Jones, credited as “Amphibian Man;” Jones also played the aquatic Abe Sapien in del Toro’s Hellboy and Hellboy II.) The government employees involved with

the project, which ostensibly is to study the creature in an attempt to catch up to Russia in the space race, don’t care much about their asset. In charge is Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon), who becomes combative with the creature and eventually loses two fingers. A scientist, Dr. Robert Hoffstetler (Michael Stuhlbarg), is more protective of their find, seeing via Elisa’s eyes that it is intelligent and capable of communication (more on that later). But Hoffstetler also has Russian ties, so what’s his true objective?

The Shape of Water eventually blossoms into the aforementioned love story between Elisa and Amphibian Man, one that is certainly improbable. But between Alexandre Desplat’s score, Dan Laustsen’s luscious cinematography, and del Toro’s graceful camera, you’ll feel as buoyant as our odd couple when they’re underwater together. There’s also a thriller component here when various parties want Amphibian Man dead; certainly, Elisa must do something, and she can’t do it without her friends’ help.

The cast is wonderful—Jenkins is warm and lovable, Spencer is funny, and Shannon, as always, plays the perfect snake. But it’s Hawkins’ silent performance that’s the knockout here. You don’t have to know sign language to understand the emotion her character is expressing, and there’s not a moment in which you’ll catch Hawkins acting. Her Elisa thinks and feels deeply, which makes it all the more satisfying to watch her find love.

There are, however, moments that don’t work, such as a black-and-white song-anddance number that borders on the ridiculous.

And it’s a stretch to buy how easily Amphibian Man picks up sign language or how he instantly knows how to work a doorknob. But these are quibbles. It’s more important to embrace the bigger fantasy, and you may be surprised to find that you will.

—Tricia Olszewski The Shape of Water opens Friday at Landmark E Street Cinema, Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema, and Angelika Mosaic.

TheaTerCurtain Calls

Never Let Me Go Curve of Departure

By Rachel Bonds Directed by Mike Donahue At Studio Theatre to Jan. 7, 2018 Rachel Bonds’ Curve of Departure is a tightknit family drama so comfortable in its skin that the rich mix of race, class, and sexuality, which a heavy-handed playwright would grimly hammer at, is unremarked upon. Instead, Bonds’ ear for language and conversation drives her four protagonists, spanning three generations, as they make sacrifices for the people they love and come to terms with letting go. Currently lighting up Studio Theatre’s intimate Milton Theatre, Bonds’ little gem of a play forces audiences to face loss directly.

The family gathers in a New Mexico hotel room, where grandpa Rudy and daughterin-law Linda wait for Linda’s son Felix and his partner Jackson. This is no Thanksgiving: The gathering is a funeral for Cyrus—Rudy’s son, Felix’s father, Linda’s husband, and an allaround worthless guy who left his father, wife, and son to start another family elsewhere. The love for the deceased is not bubbling over.

Since Cyrus’ departure, the family has grown stagnant. Years after the abandonment, Linda still lives with and cares for Rudy, and mulls leaving her job to care full-time for her father-in-law as he decays mentally and physically. Rudy (Peter Van Wagner), is determined to not be a burden and, as fluids gush out of his octogenarian body, yells, “No one should die like this.” Alas, a life lived long enough can lead to an undignified exit.

But Linda (a warm Ora Jones) also has other concerns. As her son and his partner enter stage right, her concerns so seamlessly meld into the frights of a mother in a more traditional family that one has to admire Bonds’ deft sidesteps of identity: Rudy is white, Linda is African-American, and Felix (Justin Weaks) and Jackson (Sebastian Arboleda) are gay. On this stage, they are just human.

Linda worries because Jackson has tattoos, was raised in a trailer park, and seems to financially depend on Felix. Is Jackson the right long-term partner for her son?

And this mother’s laser sharp instinct has sniffed out trouble. Without telling Linda, Felix and Jackson have taken in Jackson’s niece to save her from Jackson’s drug-addled sister. Yet, despite her reservations, she finds herself connecting with Jackson, portrayed empathetically by Arboleda. He is solid, grounded, has a deep heart, and a desire to sacrifice for his family. And that family now includes Felix, played by Justin Weaks with the force of a coiled spring, flexing and unflexing his energy across the stage.

Bitterly scarred by his absent father, Felix is unsure if he is ready for the commitment of raising Jackson’s niece. It’s the sort of uneasiness that leads to excuses, from financial constraints to “It’s been so touch and go.”

As Felix wrestles with himself and the obligations he feels toward his two families, an overwhelming sense of goodness envelops everybody, leading to a slightly monochromatic cast of characters. All the bad people are off-stage, leaving the good folks to pick up the pieces and navigate the world.

This is Rachel Bonds’ second play at Studio Theatre, after The Wolfe Twins, which premiered there in 2014. It will be interesting to see how her career evolves and if she manages to stretch the moral compasses of her characters within a single script. Director Mike Donahue has adroitly managed the cast and flow of this work. Lauren Helpern’s well-designed stage brings the audience to within inches of the rat-a-tat of family anguish, as the four cast members move about stage, willing to slice off bits and pieces of themselves for the people they love.

But even more than sacrifice, Curve of Departure is about letting go. The title is culled from a Sharon Olds poem, “First Thanksgiving,” in which a mother looks forward to welcoming her college-going child home for Thanksgiving. As the poem flows, the mother mulls: “As a child, I caught/bees, by the wings, and held them, some seconds,/looked into their wild faces,/listened to them sing, then tossed them back/into the air—I remember the moment the/arc of my toss swerved, and they entered/the corrected curve of their departure.”

Each and every parent who has held a child, and each and every child who parents a parent, dreads the moment when that humming life— fresh or stale—that leaches love, leaps into thin air, free.

—Abid Shah 1501 14th St. NW. $20–$90. (202) 332-3300. studiotheatre.org. washingtoncitypaper.com december 8, 2017 33

GalleriesSketcheS

CirCular reasoning

Bradford has no intention of depicting historical realism.

Instead, he dismantles not just the source material, but the entire piece itself. Each panel of the wall is plastered over with billboardsized fragments of imagery from Philppoteaux’s original, sometimes upside

OCTOBER 2017 — JUNE 2018 Breathtaking sculptures that take inspiration from nature’s structures— clouds, bubbles, and spider webs—to imagine the architecture of tomorrow ARTBMA.ORG Tomás Saraceno: Entangled Orbits is generously sponsored by The Richard C. von Hess Foundation.

Additional support provided by Joanne Gold and Andrew Stern.

Tomás Saraceno. Many suns and worlds, 2016. Solo exhibition at The Vanhaerents Art Collection. Courtesy the artist; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York; Andersen’s Contemporary, Copenhagen; Pinksummer contemporary art, Genoa; Esther Schipper, Berlin.© Photography by The Vanhaerents Art Collection, 2017.

KC JAZZ CLUB

HARRIET TUBMAN

SAT., DEC. 16 AT 7 & 9 P.M. | TERRACE GALLERY Inspired by abolitionist and activist Harriet Tubman, the trio makes its Kennedy Center debut showcasing music from its 2017 album, Araminta.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! KENNEDY-CENTER.ORG | (202) 467-4600 Tickets also available at the Box Office. Groups call (202) 416-8400.

For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.

Support for Jazz at the Kennedy Center is generously provided by C. Michael Kojaian.

34 december 8, 2017 washingtoncitypaper.com

Mark Bradford: Pickett’s Charge

At the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden to Nov. 12, 2018 What is commonly referred to as the highwater mark of the American Civil War took place on the third and final day of the Battle of Gettysburg. Confederate soldiers launched an assault on a hill known as Cemetery Ridge, and were repelled by Union soldiers. More than half of these Confederate forces were killed and thousands more captured in what came to be known as Pickett’s Charge, forcing Robert E. Lee into a retreat his army never fully recovered from. The High Water Mark of the Rebellion Monument now marks this site, and just as a flood record warns of how otherwise dry land could easily become submerged, this high-water mark is a reminder of the violent near-rupture of the United States, lest the possibility be forgotten.

What enters the collective memory, and how it comes to be memorialized, is a point of interest to Mark Bradford. He recently represented the United States in the Venice Biennale; among his works was a Monticello-influenced rotunda that appeared to have fallen into ruin, hinting at the hypocrisy of lauded slave-owning Founding Fathers. In Pickett’s Charge, he once again recontextualizes chapters of American history, lifting imagery from French artist Paul Philippoteaux’s epic cyclorama painting of the same title, examining how shared histories are constructed.

A cyclorama is a panoramic work displayed in a circle, giving the viewer the impression of being right in the middle of a scene, able to view all 360 degrees of the surrounding action. Late 19th century audiences were enthralled by the work, and veterans of the Civil War were reported to have wept upon seeing it, so realistic was the cyclorama effect in a pre-cinema world.

Though the Hirshhorn’s cylindrical inner-ring gallery serves as a neat replacement for a true cyclorama, trying to orient oneself in this scene will not feel like standing in middle of a battle.

down or exaggeratedly huge.

In some sections, a soldier or a horse or a cannon wheel is set apart in sharp relief to the abstract background, but in others, distinct forms are barely recognizable. Beneath the splintered battle scene is layer upon layer of neon paper and oozy drips of toxic-looking paint. Embedded in these assemblages are nylon ropes running in horizontal lines, which Bradford has ripped out to reveal the layers of paper beneath and the fissures that remain.

“I wanted it to be like they had covered the whole work with drywall,” Bradford explained recently. And at times, particularly when the construction-bright color palette breaks through, it almost seems like this work was lingering behind the gallery walls all along.

Peeling back the layers suggests a building demolition or decades worth of wallpaper stripped from an old bedroom. By reverse engineering the work as an archaeological excavation, Bradford forces viewers to try to piece together visual clues and fill in the surrounding story, despite missing huge chunks of information. Rather than clarify a historical narrative, Pickett’s Charge abstracts it, further muddying its meaning and defying tidy explanations. “Answers just close people down. Questions note a dialog can happen,” Bradford proclaims.

Visitors to the Hirshhorn may be especially primed to mull over these questions now given the current public melee over Confederate memorials. Bradford didn’t intend Pickett’s Charge to be quite so topical; he began working on it well before torch-wielding Nazis hit the streets, so the timeliness is purely coincidental. Nevertheless, it’s impossible to view the work at a remove from present moment— the words “blame on both sides” may echo in the viewer’s mind. “How many times have we just walked past old dusty monuments?” Bradford asks. “Now they’re reanimated and reactivated.”

—Stephanie Rudig 7th Street and Independence Avenue SW. Free.

(202) 633-1000. hirshhorn.si.edu.

booksSpeedreadS

Point of Contention Point Blank

By Alan King Silver Birch Press, 102 pages $15 Poetry that tells stories is good when you can find it. But it’s not always easy for that kind of poetry to tell interesting stories. Local poet Alan King’s narrative poems are the rare ones that hit that high marks.

In his new collection, Point Blank, he keeps the tales interesting but adds elements of the culture and cuisine of Trinidad that his parents brought with them when they immigrated to the United States in the 1970s.

Many of these poems are linked memories, narratives of his parents. These poems telegraph a story, a plot, and a lifetime in just a few lines.

In “The Watch,” which tells of a Timex watch King’s father handed down to him that was later stolen, he lays bare what it means for simple objects to have sentimental value: “The absence of it/still popping up years lat-

er/haunting the replacements.”

His father appears in several poems, most memorably in “The Champ,” about King’s relationship to his niece and brother: “He quit school for the Air Force/ and I can still hear Dad yelling:/‘I didn’t bring you into this world to be a pawn/on a battlefield.’”

But the most powerful poems deal with racism.

“Bugged” presents justified paranoia about the police: “But what kills the black man quicker/ patrols in governmentissued rides.”

In the collection’s introductory poem, “The Hulk,” King elabo rates: “I forget that because I’m black/this late hour says/I’m up to no good…/I forget that/ in America/I’m not a man/just one of a herd/ the police are sent/to corral./Wind bends/ the branches above me/ as if I might swing from them.”

The poem “Sure You Can Ask Me About Hip Hop” punctures white stereotypes about black men with lines that interrogate the gross assumptions white people often make about black men. Then there’s “Brink,” which illustrates the humiliation of what it’s like for a black man to experience rude service in a restaurant, likening the experience to feeling like a cockroach in the kitchen, or a grease spot on a white wall.

In “Striptease,” King narrates the experience of his nephew being mistaken for a thief at Target, with the irony that the chief of security is black. It only underlines the pervasiveness of racism.

King’s poems on racism sometimes shift to observations on class. “Don’t Tell Me” is about what it’s like to grow up poor, with a visceral political message about what it’s like to feel undermined by the arrogance of people who clearly feel as if they’re superior. In “The Vigilante,” the poet narrates the revenge he’ll take on the rich: “looking for the Georgetown doctor/who screamed at my wife for saying/‘I don’t think I need surgery,’/‘I’m the doctor,’ he spat.”

These poems have more than just an edge.

They angrily articulate stories about oppression, humiliation, and disrespect. They tell what is not always found in poetry: the truth.

—Eve Ottenberg

an intimate evening with

EMMYLOU

December F8

Landau Murphy, Jr’s hoLiday show

s9

king souL cd reLease dance party

su 10 hoLiday winds feat eLan trotMan, aLthea rene and tracy haMLin t 12

Ben wiLLiaMs and the Bethesda BLues & Jazz youth orchestra

th 14 eddie kendrick hoLiday triBute concert featuring JiMi dougans F 15

Maggie rose w/ native run

s 16

HARRIS BENEFITING BONAPARTE’S RETREAT

with special guests

LARRY CAMPBELL & TERESA WILLIAMS

SUNDAY DEC

10

the

AN EVENING WITH

BSTREETBAND

THURSDAY DEC

21

FRI, DEC 22

YELLOW DUBMARINE W/ THE LOVING PAUPERS SAT, DEC 23

VIRGINIA COALITION

W/ JUSTIN TRAWICK & THE COMMON GOOD TUES, DEC 26

AN EVENING WITH

LIVE AT THE FILLMORE:

THE DEFINITIVE TRIBUTE TO THE

ORIGINAL ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND

Joe cLair & friends coMedy show

WED, DEC 27

2 shows / 7 & 10 pM

W/ N.E.W. ATHENS

START MAKING SENSE

A TRIBUTE TO TALKING HEADS

su 17 Motown & More hoLiday show

THURS, DEC 28

m 18

A HOLIDAY MUSICAL EXTRAVAGANZA

BEN WILLIAMS PRESENTS HIS 6TH ANNUAL BIRTHDAY BASH

cLassic souL christMas tour

FRI, DEC 29

Just announceD Fri, Feb 2nD Jon B 8 pM thu & Fri, Feb 15 & 16 Feb 28 & mar 1st

DAVID WAX MUSEUM W/ BEARCAT WILDCAT SAT, DEC 30

NIGHT I

SUN, DEC 31

NIGHT II

the spinners

NEW ORLEANS SUSPECTS AND BONERAMA

BiLLy ocean

NEW YEAR’S EVE

ceLeBrates BBJ’s 5th anniversary

BONERAMA AND NEW ORLEANS SUSPECTS SUN, DEC 31

NEW YEAR’S EVE CELEBRATION

IN THE LOFT

THE 19TH STREET BAND

hosted By Joe cLair

THUR, JAN 4

http://igg.me/at/bethesdablues 7719 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, MD

(240) 330-4500

FREE

NSO IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD KICK-OFF FRI, JAN 5

POPA CHUBBY

www. BethesdaBluesJazz.com Two Blocks from Bethesda Metro/Red Line Free Parking on Weekends

THEHAMILTONDC.COM washingtoncitypaper.com december 8, 2017 35

36 december 8, 2017 washingtoncitypaper.com

CITYLIST

1811 14TH ST NW

www.blackcatdc.com @blackcatdc

Music 37 Theater 40 Film 41

DECEMBER SHOWS THU 7

Music

CITY LIGHTS: FRIDAY

FRI 8 FRI 8

FRIDAY

SAT 9

ClASSICAl

ClariCe Smith Performing artS Center Stadium Drive and Route 193, College Park. (301) 405-2787.

UMD Kaleidoscope of Bands. 8 p.m. $10–$25. theclarice.umd.edu.

SAT 9

Kennedy Center terraCe theater 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. Mason Bates’s KC Jukebox: Ear / Eye. 7:30 p.m. $25. kennedy-center.org.

TUE 12

INCREDIBLE CHANGE

HONEST HALOWAY & MYSTERY FRIENDS

THE INTERRUPTERS SWMRS W/ THE REGRETTES STAR TREK TNG GIVEAWAY

EXTENDED HAPPY HOUR

FYM PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS:

EIGHTIES MAYHEM

HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA

Folk

BirChmere 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria.

(703) 549-7500. Dar Williams. 7:30 p.m. $35. birchmere.com.

GOVERNESS

KID CLAWS & BACCHAE

CINEMA HEARTS

NEW HOLLAND & JULIAN

WED 13

BAD MOVES

THU 14

CHRIS FLEMING

STILL A GREAT NIGHT & PARK SNAKES

BlueS alley 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. (202) 3374141. Marcus Johnson. 8 p.m.; 10 p.m. $47–$52. bluesalley.com.

FRI 15

SOLD OUT HARRY & THE POTTERS’

howard theatre 620 T St. NW. (202) 803-2899. A Darlene Love Christmas. 8 p.m. $45–$85. thehowardtheatre.com.

SAT 16

CHURCH NIGHT (21+)

HolIDAY

hylton Performing artS Center 10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas. (703) 993-7759. American Festival Pops Orchestra: Holiday Pops. 8 p.m. $33–$55. hyltoncenter.org.

Kennedy Center ConCert hall 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. NSO Pops: A Holiday Pops! featuring Megan Hilty. 8 p.m. $24–$99. kennedy-center.org. muSiC Center at Strathmore 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. (301) 581-5100. Canadian Brass. 8 p.m. $35–$65. strathmore.org.

JAzz

BlueS alley 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. (202) 3374141. Marcus Johnson. 8 p.m.; 10 p.m. $47–$52. bluesalley.com. liBrary of CongreSS Coolidge auditorium First Street and Independence Avenue SE. (202) 7075507. McCoy Tyner Trio with Joe Lovano. 8 p.m. Free. loc.gov.

RoCk

BlaCK Cat 1811 14th St. NW. (202) 667-4490. The Interrupters. 8 p.m. $16–$18. blackcatdc.com.

SAtURDAY ClASSICAl

ClariCe Smith Performing artS Center Stadium Drive and Route 193, College Park. (301) 4052787. UMD Wind Orchestra: Looking Forward, Looking Back. 8 p.m. $10–$25. theclarice.umd.edu.

ElECtRonIC

eChoStage 2135 Queens Chapel Road NE. (202) 503-2330. Seven Lions + Tritonal. 9 p.m. $30. echostage.com.

Folk

BirChmere 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria.

(703) 549-7500. Dar Williams. 7:30 p.m. $35. birchmere.com.

HolIDAY

BlueS alley 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. (202) 3374141. Marcus Johnson. 8 p.m.; 10 p.m. $47–$52. bluesalley.com.

SUN 17

In the vast history of D.C.’s ever-fruitful music scene, bands come and go. Sometimes a band’s lifespan is eight months. Sometimes it’s eight years. How does a band secure their own legacy, even if they were around for only a few months? Dudes, the short-lived garage punk band consisting of Hothead’s Laurie Spector, Bless’ Luke Reddick, and Chain and the Gang’s Francy Graham, did it through their only release, the aptly—and snottily—titled Greatest Hits. It’s eight tracks of lo-fi freakouts that kick out the jams better than MC5 could’ve ever hoped to. But the band built its reputation through their unpredictable live shows. Each of Dudes’, er dudes, have gone on to bigger and brighter things musically, but this one-night-only reunion is an apt reminder of some of their humble beginnings. That’s one way of looking at it. But considering Dudes’ songs, like Greatest Hits’ anthemic closer, “Don’t Give” (of which most of the lyrics are “I don’t give a fuck”), it’s likely that there wasn’t much sentimentality put into the decision to reunite. More likely, it just seemed like a fun thing to do. Dudes may not give a fuck, but you should give a fuck about Dudes. Dudes performs at 7 p.m. at Hole in the Sky, 2110 5th St. NE. $5–$10. holeintheskydc.com. —Matt Cohen

Sixth & i hiStoriC Synagogue 600 I St. NW. (202) 408-3100. Storm Large. 8 p.m. $40. sixthandi.org.

JAzz

BlueS alley 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. (202) 3374141. Marcus Johnson. 8 p.m.; 10 p.m. $47–$52. bluesalley.com.

Kennedy Center terraCe theater 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. NPR’s A Piano Jazz Christmas. 7 p.m.; 9 p.m. $55. kennedy-center.org.

RoCk

SongByrd muSiC houSe and reCord Cafe 2477 18th St. NW. (202) 450-2917. Prawn. 8 p.m. $12–$15. songbyrddc.com.

ROCK’N’SHOP

A ROCK’N’ROLL GARAGE SALE

FRI 22 CUMTOWN LIVE PODCAST

DUDES

Kennedy Center ConCert hall 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. NSO Pops: A Holiday Pops! featuring Megan Hilty. 2 p.m.; 8 p.m. $24–$99. kennedy-center.org.

YULE BALL 2017

SAT 23 SAT 30 SUN 31

THE OBSESSED

EX HEX W/ SNAIL MAIL

NYE BALL

EX HEX & SNAIL MAIL SAT DEC 30

VoCAl hylton Performing artS Center 10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas. (703) 993-7759. Manassas Chorale: Around The World… It’s Christmas. 7:30 p.m. $18–$20. hyltoncenter.org.

SUnDAY

SUN DEC 31

ClASSICAl national gallery of art weSt garden Court 4th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. (202) 8426941. The Swiss-American Musical Society. 3:30 p.m.

Free. nga.gov. the warne Ballroom at the CoSmoS CluB 2121 Massachusetts Ave NW, DC. Tessa Lark & Roman Rabinovich. 4 p.m. $20–$40. phillipscollection.org.

BLACK CAT NYE BALL

TAKE METRO!

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

TO BUY TICKETS VISIT TICKETFLY.COM

washingtoncitypaper.com december 8, 2017 37

CITY LIGHTS: SAtURDAY

GARY nUMAn

Gary Numan’s presence goes far beyond the new wave synth-pop genre he helped pioneer in the ’70s and ’80s with the massive hit “Cars.” The U.K. artist’s works have impressed the likes of Prince, Trent Reznor, Foo Fighters, and rhythmic rockers Queens of the Stone Age, making his music essential listening and his live sets essential viewing. On his latest album, Savage, Numan takes the keys from another hit— “M.E.”—and infuses each track with a bleak and alien pulsating, underneath vocal lovelorn and apprehensive notes. The bleak synths are what make the modern Numan. His look of choice is beneath layers and layers of linen and cotton, with kohlrimmed eyes piercing beyond a hood. He shrouds himself in literal mystery. His aesthetic and music are very much an embodiment of who he is: mercurial, experimental, and an utter enigma. Gary Numan performs with Me Not You at 6 p.m. at 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. $30. (202) 265-0930. 930.com.

—Jordan-Marie Smith

CITY LIGHTS: SUnDAY

JAGGED EDGE

Atlanta’s Jagged Edge is bringing on the ’90s nostalgia. Whether you had your own boo or were simply making up relationships in your mind, their songs had you feeling like a lovesick puppy in four short minutes. Known for their upbeat melodies and dope matching ensembles in all of their music videos, the group began singing and dancing their way into the hearts of their fans in 1997. Signed by veteran producer Jermaine Dupri, the group’s identical twins and songwriters, Brian and Brandon Casey, along with Kyle Norman and Richard Wingo, were R&B trailblazers in the boy band era that so many of us unapologetically and unironically loved. Their music just made you feel good, and hits like “Where The Party At” and “Let’s Get Married” are still played today at weddings and cookouts everywhere. And if they aren’t, they should be, especially the remixes. Jagged Edge performs at 8 p.m. at The Fillmore Silver Spring, 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. $30. (301) 960-9999. fillmoresilverspring.com.

—Mikala Williams

HolIDAY

BlueS alley 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. (202) 3374141. Marcus Johnson. 8 p.m.; 10 p.m. $47–$52. bluesalley.com.

38 december 8, 2017 washingtoncitypaper.com

national gallery of art rotunda. United States Army Chorus. 1:30 p.m.; 2:30 p.m. Free.

JAzz

hylton Performing artS Center 10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas. (703) 993-7759. Dailey & Vincent. 7 p.m. $36–$60. hyltoncenter.org.

BlueS alley 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. (202) 3374141. Marcus Johnson. 8 p.m.; 10 p.m. $47–$52. bluesalley.com.

manSion at Strathmore 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda. (301) 581-5100. Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra. 3 p.m.; 7 p.m. $30. strathmore.org.

manSion at Strathmore 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda. (301) 581-5100. Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra. 3 p.m.; 7 p.m. $30. strathmore.org.

THIS WEEK’S SHOWS NEW MEDIA TOURING PRESENTS

Matt Bellassai Everything is Awful Tour This is a seated show. ............... Th DEC 7 No Scrubs: ‘90s Dance Party with DJs Will Eastman and Brian Billion .. F 8 Gary Numan w/ Me Not You Early Show! 6pm Doors........................................... Sa 9

Lincoln Theatre • 1215 U Street, NW Washington, D.C.

STEEZ PROMO PRESENTS

Bear Grillz w/ Phase One • Dirt Monkey • Kompany Late Show! 10pm Doors.. .. Sa 9 Mogwai w/ Xander Harris ................................................................................ Su 10 AN EVENING WITH

Hiss Golden Messenger ............................................................................ M 11 The White Buffalo w/ Suzanne Santo ........................................................... W 13 DECEMBER

JANUARY (cont.)

D NIGHT ADDED! FIRST NIGHT SOLD OUT! SECON

Angel Olsen w/ White Magic.....F 15

Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven ....Th 11

ALL GOOD PRESENTS

AN EVENING WITH

Victor Wooten Trio feat. Dennis Chambers &

Bob Franceschini ...................Sa 16

Municipal Waste w/ NAILS • Macabre • Shitfucker .Su 17 Up and Vanished Live This is a seated show. .....................M 18 STEEZ PROMO PRESENTS

Ookay .........................................F 22 OTHERFEELS PRESENTS NEXT UP II FEAT.

Tony Kill • Echelon The Seeker • OG Lullabies • Dawkins •

The Disco Biscuits Ticket included with purchase of tickets to

1/13 The Disco Biscuits @ The Anthem..F 12

RJD2 w/ Photay .........................Sa 13 Dorothy ....................................Su 14 ALL GOOD PRESENTS

Collie Buddz w/ Jo Mersa Marley & The Holdup ..............................M 15 ALL GOOD PRESENTS

Circles Around The Sun ....Th 18 ALL GOOD PRESENTS

The Dead Milkmen w/ Mindless Faith ...........................F 5 Boat Burning: Music for 100 Guitars w/ Visuals by DC guerrilla

The Infamous Stringdusters ......................Sa 20 MØ & Cashmere Cat .............M 22 Tennis w/ Overcoats ..................W 24 Big Head Todd & The Monsters w/ Luther Dickinson ..................Th 25 Frankie Ballard .......................F 26 Enter Shikari w/ Single Mothers & Milk Teeth ..Su 28 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club w/ Night Beats .............................M 29 Kimbra w/ Arc Iris ....................Tu 30 Typhoon ....................................W 31

The Wombats w/ Blaenavon & Courtship .............M 8

ALL GOOD PRESENTS

FootsXColes • Sugg Savage .Sa 23

U STREET MUSIC HALL PRESENTS

Flosstradamus .....................Th 28 Can’t Feel My Face: 2010s Dance Party with DJs Will Eastman & Ozker with visuals by Kylos ...............F 29

JANUARY

projectionist Robin Bell .............Su 7

D NIGHT ADDED!

FIRST NIGHT SOLD OUT! SECON

Passion Pit ................................Tu 9

FEBRUARY

Sucker

for Love

..................................................... SAT FEBRUARY 10

On Sale Friday, December 8 at 10am

THIS THURSDAY!

Robert Earl Keen’s

Majid Jordan w/ Stwo ................... JAN 23

w/ Elizabeth Cook ..............................DEC 7

w/ The Stray Birds ................... JAN 26 & 27 Dixie Dregs (Complete Original Lineup

ALL GOOD PRESENTS

Merry Christmas From The Fam-O-Lee Show

The Wood Brothers

THIS WEDNESDAY! AN ACOUSTIC EVENING WITH

Kip Moore, Randy Rogers,

with Steve Morse, Rod Morgenstein, Allen Sloan, Andy West, and Steve Davidowski) ..................MAR 7

NEW YEAR’S EVE AT LINCOLN THEATRE!

AEG PRESENTS

DC’s All 90s Band ..................... DEC 31 Henry Rollins -

Rob Bell w/ Peter Rollins ............. MAR 27 Max Raabe & Palast Orchester ...................APR 11 Calexico w/ Ryley Walker ...............APR 27

and Wade Bowen ....................... DEC 13

White Ford Bronco:

Travel Slideshow .......................... JAN 15 STORY DISTRICT’S

Top Shelf ...................................... JAN 20

Bianca Del Rio ........................... MAR 15

• thelincolndc.com • U Street (Green/Yellow) stop across the street!

9:30 CLUB PRESENTS AT U STREET MUSIC HALL Busty and the Bass w/ Caye .......Th DEC 7 Flint Eastwood w/ NYDGE .....................F 2 Cousin Stizz w/ Levi Carter Anna Meredith ................................... Sa 3 New date! All 11/13 tickets honored. ........ Tu 12 Mod Sun w/ Karizma .............................. M 5 Shamir w/ Partner ................................ F 15 Why? .......................................................F 9 herMajesty Anti-Flag & Stray From The Path .. Sa 10 & Honest Haloway Wylder ................................................ Sa 17 w/ Greenland ................................Sa JAN 13 Alex Aiono w/ Trinidad Cardona ........... Sa 20 MAGIC GIANT w/ The Brevet .............. Su 18 MAKO .................................................. Sa 24 Cuco + Helado Negro w/ Lido Pimienta ................................... Tu 23 Gabrielle Aplin w/ John Splithoff ...... Su 25 Rostam w/ Joy Again ......................Th FEB 1 Missio w/ Welshly Arms ...................F MAR 2 • Buy advance tickets at the 9:30 Club box office • 930.com

Greensky Bluegrass w/ Billy Strings Ticket included with purchase of tickets to

2/3 Greensky Bluegrass @ The Anthem .F 2

MANY MORE SHOWS ON SALE!

9:30 CUPCAKES

JUST ANNOUNCED! STORY DISTRICT’S

930.com

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

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 on weekdays & until 11pm on show nights, 6-11pm on Sat, and 6-10:30pm on Sun on show nights.

HAPPY HOUR DRINK PRICES impconcerts.com AFTER THE SHOW AT THE BACK BAR!

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!

930.com washingtoncitypaper.com december 8, 2017 39

twinS Jazz 1344 U St. NW. (202) 234-0072. BSQ. 8 p.m.; 10 p.m. $22. twinsjazz.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

Dec 8&9

DAR WILLIAMS

Including reading & discussions from her new book What I Found In A Thousand Towns

10

LUTHER RE-LIVES 7th Annual Holiday Concert

13

An Acoustic Christmas with

OVER THE RHINE CARBON LEAF

14 16

Sawyer

SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY & The Asbury Jukes

NORMAN BROWN’S JOYOUS CHRISTMAS BOBBY CALDWELL & MARION MEADOWS 20 ROBERT GLASPER EXPERIMENT 17

with

21

A JOHN(mature WATERS CHRISTMAS audiences)

FREDDIE JACKSON 26&27 CHARLES ESTEN 28 PIFF THE MAGIC DRAGON 29 PIECES OF A DREAM 23

30

21st Annual

HANK WILLIAMS TRIBUTE featuring Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Robbie Fulks,

Robin & Linda Williams, Patrick McAvinue, Mark Schatz

31

New Year’s Eve with

8 pm

THE SELDOM SCENE The Eastman String Band, The Plate Scrapers

Jan 4 5&6 7

RIK EMMETT (of Triumph) ROAMFEST 2018 MO’Fire featuring

IN GRATITUDE and MOTOWN & MORE!

VIVIAN GREEN 12 Jake 13,14 EDDIE FROM OHIO Armerding 15 ANGIE STONE 16 DAN TYMINSKI 17&18 ERIC BENET 19 JUNIOR BROWN Lucy Wainwright 20 RUFUS WAINWRIGHT Roche 21 MAC McANALLY 22&23 GAELIC STORM 25 THE VENTURES 26 RICKY SKAGGS & KENTUCKY THUNDER 11

VoCAl

muSiC Center at Strathmore 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. (301) 581-5100. Strathmore Children’s Chorus. 4 p.m. $18. strathmore.org.

MonDAY HolIDAY

BlueS alley 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. (202) 3374141. Daniel Weatherspoon. 8 p.m.; 10 p.m. $42. bluesalley.com.

JAzz

BlueS alley 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. (202) 3374141. Daniel Weatherspoon. 8 p.m.; 10 p.m. $42. bluesalley.com.

tUESDAY HIp-Hop

muSiC Center at Strathmore 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. (301) 581-5100. The Hip-Hop Nutcracker w/MC Kurtis Blow. 7:30 p.m. $28–$58. strathmore.org.

HolIDAY

BlueS alley 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. (202) 3374141. Eric Felten Jazz Orchestra. 8 p.m.; 10 p.m. $47. bluesalley.com. muSiC Center at Strathmore 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. (301) 581-5100. The Hip-Hop Nutcracker w/MC Kurtis Blow. 7:30 p.m. $28–$58. strathmore.org.

JAzz

BlueS alley 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. (202) 3374141. Eric Felten Jazz Orchestra. 8 p.m.; 10 p.m. $47. bluesalley.com.

CITY LIGHTS: MonDAY

Hot 99.5 JInGlE BAll

If you’ve checked out of Top 40 radio, then HOT 99.5’s Jingle Ball serves as an easy-to-swallow survey of the pop genre. On top of the bill is Fall Out Boy, the erstwhile emo band that since a four-year hiatus at the beginning of the decade has reinvented themselves as arena pop rockers. Then there’s Kesha, who returned with the triumphant Rainbows after a hiatus of her own, one that resulted from a series of lawsuits against the producer she accused of sexual and emotional abuse, Dr. Luke.

There’s an EDM hitmaker (Zedd) and a pop songwriter finally working in front of the curtain (Julia Michaels), a pop singer attempting a solo breakout (Liam Payne of One Direction), an uber-earnest singer-songwriter (Charlie Puth), a boy band (Why Don’t We), and many more. But while the bill might please teeny boppers, there’s very little of the genre that is actually What The Kids Are Listening To: hip-hop. Unless you count Logic, the rapper perfectly suited for bubble gum audiences who listen to “everything except rap.” The Hot 99.5 Jingle Ball begins at 7:30 p.m. at Capital One Arena, 601 F St. NW. $60–$200. (202) 628-3200. capitalonearena.monumentalsportsnetwork.com.

—Chris Kelly

RoCk

roCK & roll hotel 1353 H St. NE. (202) 388-7625.

Converge. 8 p.m. $22.50–$25. rockandrollhoteldc. com.

WEDnESDAY Folk

9:30 CluB 815 V St. NW. (202) 265-0930. The White Buffalo. 8 p.m. $20. 930.com.

HIp-Hop

muSiC Center at Strathmore 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. (301) 581-5100. The Hip-Hop Nutcracker w/MC Kurtis Blow. 7:30 p.m. $28–$58. strathmore.org.

HolIDAY

BirChmere 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria.

(703) 549-7500. Over The Rhine. 7:30 p.m. $29.50. birchmere.com.

Kennedy Center eiSenhower theater 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. Keith & Kristyn Getty and Band. 8 p.m. $70–$175. kennedy-center.org. muSiC Center at Strathmore 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. (301) 581-5100. The Hip-Hop Nutcracker w/MC Kurtis Blow. 7:30 p.m. $28–$58. strathmore.org.

JAzz

BlueS alley 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. (202) 3374141. Chaise Lounge. 8 p.m.; 10 p.m. $39. bluesalley.com.

WoRlD

manSion at Strathmore 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda. (301) 581-5100. Robyn Helzner Trio.

7:30 p.m. $20. strathmore.org.

tHURSDAY ClASSICAl

Kennedy Center ConCert hall 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. National Symphony Orchestra: Handel’s Messiah. 7 p.m. $15–$89. kennedy-center.org.

Folk

BirChmere 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria.

(703) 549-7500. Carbon Leaf. 7:30 p.m. $35. birchmere.com.

Sixth & i hiStoriC Synagogue 600 I St. NW. (202) 408-3100. Alone & Together. 8 p.m. $35–$40. sixthandi.org.

40 december 8, 2017 washingtoncitypaper.com

CITY LIGHTS: tUESDAY

ConVERGE

It’s unheard of for a band as heavy, and as late in its career, as Converge to be making records as vital as this year’s The Dusk in Us. The band began in the early 1990s and has steadily grown into the hardcore behemoth it is today. Its reputation largely hinges upon its 2001 masterpiece Jane Doe, an album that transcends genre: All stripes of aggressive music enthusiasts enjoy blasting it when looking to alienate messy or avoidant housemates. This is a band that rips live and needs to be experienced to be fully appreciated. Singer Jacob Bannon is a sight to behold, shrieking in a manner that belies his slight, tattooed frame. And although it might make for a headache inducing evening, arrive early for local longhairs Give who start the proceedings with a dose of head-banging flower-power punk. Converge performs with Give at 8 p.m. at Rock & Roll Hotel, 1353 H St. NE. $22.50–$25. (202) 388-7625. rockandrollhoteldc.com.

—Matt Siblo

JAzz

BlueS alley 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. (202) 3374141. Freddy Cole. 8 p.m.; 10 p.m. $47–$52. bluesalley.com.

WoRlD

manSion at Strathmore 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda. (301) 581-5100. Robyn Helzner Trio.

7:30 p.m. $20. strathmore.org.

Theater

an ameriCan in PariS The stage adaptation of the classic musical about a former soldier who falls

in love with Paris and an attractive Parisian woman while making his way as an artist comes to the Kennedy Center for the first time. Featuring classic Gershwin tunes like “Stairway to Paradise” and “S Wonderful,” this production is directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon. Kennedy Center Opera House. 2700 F St. NW. To Jan. 7. $92–$122. (202) 467-4600. kennedy-center.org. annie The family-favorite musical about a redhaired orphan and the rich businessman she charms fills Olney’s mainstage during the holiday season.

Featuring favorite songs like “Tomorrow” and “It’s a Hard Knock Life,” this production is directed by Jason King Jones. Olney Theatre Center. 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney. To Dec. 31. $37–$84. (301) 9243400. olneytheatre.org. the BooK of will After the Bard’s tragic death, two of his devoted actors decide to assemble the First

CITY LIGHTS: WEDnESDAY

tHE ARCtIC SMIlES noW

The three exhibitions currently on view at Hillyer Art Space couldn’t be further apart, geographically or thematically. The largest, the group show Immigration in Ibero-America, samples the most unexpected pairings of the global melting pot—Afro-Peruvians, Asian Paraguayans, Haitian Chileans, Basque Salvadorans, and Kyrgyz immigrants in Portugal. A mix of brightly-colored images and quieter black-and-whites, the selection of photographs seems to have been chosen with maximum eccentricity in mind, and delivers a welcome jolt of freshness. By contrast, Katherine Akey’s The Arctic Smiles Now, a travelogue completed during an Arctic Circle residency, is dominated by its leaden, if sometimes starkly beautiful, atmospherics. With the exception of one image that features a lonely patch of green and brown tundra, plus a few portraits of unidentified subjects, virtually every photograph in Akey’s oeuvre seems to be showered in pale blue and fluffy white. The third exhibit, Land That We Love, of works by D.C.-based Ghanaian-American photographer Lloyd Kofi Foster, chronicles the uniform-wearing children of a school in the poverty-stricken nation of Sierra Leone. It’s easy to be charmed by the kids, who are winningly portrayed, but the most inspired pieces may be Foster’s works which feature photographs marked by paint, aluminum foil, netting, and dried roses. The exhibitions are on view daily to Dec. 17 at Hillyer Art Space, 9 Hillyer Court NW. Free. (202) 338-0325. athillyer.org.

—Louis Jacobson

CITY LIGHTS: tHURSDAY

An AMERICAn In pARIS

Gene Kelly was a master of the American movie musical, suave and joyous and able to make expressing oneself through song and dance seem effortlessly cool. The roles he created in films like Singin’ in the Rain and An American in Paris were so iconic that for decades, writers and producers hesitated to adapt them for the stage. A Broadway production of Singin’ in the Rain ran for less than a year in 1985 and 1986, but Christopher Wheeldon’s 2015 staging of An American in Paris fared better because it acknowledged how important dance was to the story. (This will come as no surprise to those who know anything about Wheeldon, a former dancer with London’s Royal Ballet and the New York City Ballet.) Like the film, the musical follows the exploits of Jerry Mulligan, an American soldier who, after the liberation of France in World War II, decides to pursue a painting career and a romance with an intriguing beauty in Paris. With songs by George and Ira Gershwin (whose music can also be heard in Signature Theatre’s Crazy for You), the musical, coming to the Kennedy Center’s lush Opera House, brings with it a touch of old Hollywood glitz and glamour. The musical runs Dec. 12 to Jan. 7 at the Kennedy Center Opera House, 2700 F St. NW. $59–$175. (202) 467-4600. kennedy-center.org.

—Caroline Jones

Folio to ensure their mentor’s words reach the masses. Playwright Lauren Gunderson, who last presented Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley at Round House, returns to present this tale of friendship just in time for the holidays. Round House Theatre Bethesda. 4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda. To Dec. 24. $36–$65. (240) 644-1100. roundhousetheatre.org. a Child’S ChriStmaS in waleS and other StorieS Washington Stage Guild combines stories from Dylan Thomas, Louisa May Alcott, Charles Dickens, and A.A. Milne in this anthology of holiday stories.

These brief interludes remind audiences of the meaning of the holiday season. Washington Stage Guild at Undercroft Theatre. 900 Massachusetts Ave. NW. To Dec. 17. $25–$60. (240) 582-0050. stageguild.org.

ChriStmaS at the old Bull & BuSh Enjoy classic British carols and drinking songs in this holiday show set in a London pub. As the characters enjoy mince pies and sausage rolls, they perform sketches and share stories related to the Christmas season.

MetroStage. 1201 N. Royal St., Alexandria. To Dec. 24. $55–$60. (703) 548-9044. metrostage.org. a ChriStmaS Carol Veteran local actor Craig Wallace takes on the role of Scrooge in this popular musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ tale about kindness and holiday cheer. Celebrating more than 35 years as a Ford’s holiday tradition, Michael Wilson’s adaptation is directed by Michael Baron. Ford’s Theatre. 511 10th St. NW. To Dec. 31. $22–$92. (202) 3474833. fords.org. a Coffin in egyPt As her life nears its end, a 90-year-old small town widow reflects on the events that changed its course in this drama from playwright Horton Foote. Jane Squier Bruns stars in this production that opens Quotidian Theatre’s 20th season.

Quotidian Theatre Company at The Writer’s Center.

4508 Walsh St., Bethesda. To Dec. 17. $15–$30. (301) 816-1023. quotidiantheatre.org.

Crazy for you The songs of George and Ira Gershwin are reimagined by playwright Ken Ludwig in this musical about a banker, assigned to shut down a small-town theater, who decides to revive it instead.

Featuring favorite songs like “I’ve Got Rhythm,” “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” and “Someone to Watch Over Me,” this musical, arriving at Signature in time for the holidays, is directed by Matthew Gardiner. Signature Theatre. 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. To Jan. 14. $40–$108. (703) 820-9771. sigtheatre.org.

Curve of deParture As family members come together for a funeral, they meet in a New Mexico hotel to discuss their futures and what they owe each other. Mike Donahue directs this story about relationships and the ways we learn from each other. Studio Theatre. 1501 14th St. NW. To Jan. 7. $20–$85. (202) 332-3300. studiotheatre.org. draw the CirCle When a man announces his gender transition to his conservative Muslim family, he’s forced to figure out what kind of life he wants to live and what it means to be loved unconditionally. Performed in repertory with The Real Americans. Atlas Performing Arts Center. 1333 H St. NE. To Dec. 24. $20–$65. (202) 399-7993. atlasarts.org. an iriSh Carol Keegan Theatre’s annual holiday tradition continues with its presentation of this Christmas Carol adaptation set in a Dublin pub. When its owner loses touch with humanity, a series of ghosts visit to remind him about the important things in life. Keegan Theatre at Church Street Theater. 1742 Church St. NW. To Dec. 31. $35–$45. (202) 265-3767. keegantheatre.com. the laSt night of Ballyhoo The year is 1939 and Atlanta’s posh German Jews are preparing for Ballyhoo, their annual lavish country club ball. The Freitag family hopes that the party of the year will be the chance for their daughters to meet their future husbands—but when their uncle brings home his new employee, a handsome Eastern European bachelor from Brooklyn, everyone must confront their own prejudices, desires, and beliefs. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Play, The Last Night of Ballyhoo is an achingly beautiful, comedic, and enthralling romance by the writer of Driving Miss Daisy. Directed by Amber McGinnis. Theater J. 1529 16th St. NW. To Dec. 31. $24–$69. (202) 777-3210. theaterj.org. my name iS aSher lev Based on the acclaimed novel by Chaim Potak, playwright Aaron Posner’s play tells the story of a young man coming of age in post-war Brooklyn, who is determined to become an artist at any cost. Despite facing disapproval from his family, Asher finds a connection between the art world and the ultra-religious community he lives in.

1st Stage. 1524 Spring Hill Road, McLean. To Dec. 17. $15–$33. (703) 854-1856. 1ststagetysons.org.

nina Simone: four women The civil rights anthems of jazz and soul vocalist Nina Simone come to life in this play that follows the artist’s reactions to the tumultuous events of the 1960s. Through songs like “Mississippi Goddam” and “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black,” audiences learn about Simone and American history in the same evening. Christina Ham directs this drama starring Arena regular Harriet D. Foy. Arena Stage. 1101 6th St. SW. To Dec. 24. $56–$91.

(202) 488-3300. arenastage.org. nothing to loSe (But our ChainS) Second City performer Felonius Monk mines his own life for experience in this comedy show that chronicles his journey from incarcerated criminal to corporate drone to comedian and actor. He’s joined on stage by a company of Second City comedians. Woolly Mammoth Theatre. 641 D St. NW. To Dec. 31. $20–$69. (202) 3933939. woollymammoth.net.

PeeKaBoo! a nativity Play As Mary and Joseph prepare to welcome a child who will save the world, they try to figure out what to do and are joined by a familiar cast of characters that includes cattle, shepherds, and a boy with a drum. Helen Murray directs the world premiere of Anne M. McCaw’s holiday comedy about family and parenting. The Hub Theatre at John Swayze Theatre. 9431 Silver King Court, Fairfax.

To Dec. 24. $22–$32. (703) 674-3177. thehubtheatre.org.

Private ConfeSSionS Presented as part of the Bergman 100 celebration, this stage adaptation of the director’s 1996 film comes from his wife, Liv Ullman. Told through a series of non-linear conversations, the production probes themes of infidelity, loneliness, and the weight of secrets. Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. 2700 F St. NW. To Dec. 9. $19–$49. (202) 467-4600. kennedy-center.org. the real ameriCanS Playwright and journalist turns 100 days of traveling through America in a small van into this one-man show that shares information about the people he met along the way. As he learns about the goals and political actions of these new friends, he also learns more about the nation’s diversity. Presented in repertory with Draw the Circle. Atlas Performing Arts Center. 1333 H St. NE. To Dec. 20. $20–$65. (202) 399-7993. atlasarts.org. the SeCond City’S twiSt your diCKenS Celebrate the holiday season with the acclaimed Chicago comedy troupe’s take on A Christmas Carol. Combining improvised portions with rehearsed sketches, this comedic revue features appearances from favorite characters like Ebenezer Scrooge and Bob Cratchit.

Kennedy Center Theater Lab. 2700 F St. NW. To Dec. 31. $49–$59. 202-467-4600. kennedy-center.org.

St. niCholaS Conor McPherson’s dramatic monologue opens Quotidian Theatre’s season in repertory with A Coffin in Egypt. Steve Beall stars as the Dublin drama critic who encounters vampires when he follows an actress to London. Quotidian Theatre Company at The Writer’s Center. 4508 Walsh St., Bethesda. To Dec. 17. $15–$30. (301) 816-1023. quotidiantheatre.org. twelfth night When Viola crashes on the coast of Illyria and disguises herself as a page to Duke Orsino, she kicks off a rollicking tale of love, romance, and mistaken identity. Director Ethan McSweeny leads Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of this classic comedy which features one of the Bard’s most memorable heroines. Sidney Harman Hall. 610 F St. NW. To Dec. 20. $44–$118. (202) 547-1122. shakespearetheatre.org.

Film

darKeSt hour Newly-appointed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill must decide whether or not to negotiate with Hitler and Nazi Germany in the early days of World War II. Starring Gary Oldman, Lily James, and Kristin Scott Thomas. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information) the diSaSter artiSt James Franco stars as filmmaker Tommy Wiseau in this comedy about the making of the terrible yet cult classic film The Room. Costarring Dave Franco and Alison Brie. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information) JuSt getting Started An ex-FBI agent and an exmob lawyer put aside their golf rivalry to defeat the mob. Starring Morgan Freeman, Tommy Lee Jones, and Rene Russo. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information)

washingtoncitypaper.com december 8, 2017 41

42 december 8, 2017 washingtoncitypaper.com

Puzzle SHOPPING LIST

By Brendan Emmett Quigley

1 Fit in with 7 Big boom demonstrations 13 Type of salad dressing 15 Early Christian 16 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hip Hop Hoorayâ&#x20AC;? hip hoppers 18 She plays Jane on Jane The Virgin 19 Hardened 20 Rick and Morty co-creator Harmon 21 Like a geezer 22 Time to clean up?

23 EntrĂŠe complement 24 Tarot cards and crystal ball users 27 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Senses Working Overtimeâ&#x20AC;? new wavers 28 ___Gold (1997 movie seen more in crosswords than actually seen by movie viewers) 29 Dismal, in verse 31 Bread winners 33 Cameo, e.g.

35 Rings

Across

37 Classic Halloween costume 40 Tries to get the #1 pick in the draft, likely 41 Bow hunting rocker Nugent 43 Basic belief 45 Walk in the woods 46 LAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s region 48 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Was ___blame?â&#x20AC;?

49 English cathedral city 50 Baby Bjorn rider 51 Wonder Womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s friend Candy 52 â&#x20AC;&#x153;You blew that big time!â&#x20AC;?

55 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Stay focusedâ&#x20AC;?

56 One-man band, e.g.

57 Strive (toward) 58 Hill ___(Back To The Future setting)

Down

1 Seven-tile words in Scrabble 2 Sold on Amazon, say 3 Clean dirty money

4 Kurylenko who played a Bond girl 5 Medical grant agcy.

6 Like some tony communities 7 Building enlargement 8 Wind in the Willows animal 9 Superlative ending 10 Scholarly pupil 11 Angry vlog missives 12 Trailer units 14 Old telecommunications name

15 Two-wheeled theme park transport 17 Probably my favorite ice cream flavor 23 Protective cover 25 2018â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tomb Raider (looks decent) 26 Schooner flappers 28 Vacant, as a apartment 30 Temperature takers, for short 32 Towel holder 34 In la la land 35 Some newspapers 36 Mushroom with dark spore prints 38 Part of a monogram 39 BLT ingredient 40 Warriorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; stomping ground 42 Mild expletives 44 Pleasantly warm 46 [Bo-o-o-o-oring] 47 No. 2 in the statehouse 50 Disney exec Bob 51 Chemical compound 53 Recentlybenched QB Manning 54 That lady, in SĂŁo Paulo

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washingtoncitypaper.com december 8, 2017 43

44 december 8, 2017 washingtoncitypaper.com