Renée Fleming VOICES: Nellie McKay
The always-unpredictable singer-songwriter Nellie McKay is impossible to categorize, from doing Brecht on Broadway to tributes to the likes of Doris Day and Joan Rivers. Part cabaret, part sparkly pop, her music is as tuneful and clever as the best of the Great American Songbook.
Tickets: $25–35
THE ORIGIN OF LOVE: THE SONGS AND STORIES OF HEDWIG
With John Cameron Mitchell
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2019 AT 8:00 PM
Put on some makeup and turn on your tape deck – it’s time to experience the original Hedwig! John Cameron Mitchell, the double Tony® Award-winning, Golden Globe®-nominated co-creator and original star of Hedwig & the Angry Inch, performs songs from his groundbreaking rock musical and regales the audience with stories from 20 years of Hedwig’s history. He’ll also preview songs from his upcoming musical Anthem. John directed, starred and, with songwriter Stephen Trask, wrote the multi-award winning musical and film Hedwig & the Angry Inch. John also directed Shortbus and the film of the Pultizer Prize®-winning play Rabbit Hole. He appeared in the original Broadway productions of The Secret Garden, Big River, and Six Degrees of Separation. Recent recurring TV roles include HBO’s Girls andVinyl, CBS’s The Good Fight, and Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle.
LOCATION
The National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.
Metro: Metro Center, Federal Triangle
For directions and parking information, visit thenationaldc.org/directions-parking/.
Chocolate Festival
Saturday, Feb. 9, and Sunday, Feb. 10; 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian holds its annual Chocolate Festival in February. From the blossoms of the cacao tree which grows in Mesoamerica, the Maya culture developed chocolate. This program will introduce visitors to indigenous symbols and images representing cacao throughout pre-Columbian history and invite participants to make an art-inspired piece. Participants will enjoy the music of Guatemalan Marimba with Marimba AWAL and join Grupo Los Tecuanes (Mixtec) as they share the process of turning cacao into chocolate. Executive Chef, Mitsitam Native Foods Café, Freddie Bitsoie (Diné), will demonstrate various recipes inspired by chocolate. Limited tastings will be available during the demonstrations. Families and children can participate in different activities in the imagiNATIONS Activity Center, including make-and-take a cacao pendant using the Mayan glyph for cacao (chocolate).
Crêpe Day: Celebrate La Chandeleur!
Saturday, February 9, 2019, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Enjoy crêpes, storytelling, art projects, and more amidst Hillwood’s spectacular gardens, magnificent mansion, and exquisite French treasures.
4155 Linnean Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008
Washington Performing Arts presents Leon Fleisher & Friends: A 90th Birthday Celebration
Join us as we fête pianist and pedagogue Leon Fleisher on the occasion of his 90th birthday, where he will perform solo and duo works, featuring pianists Katherine Jacobson and Fleisher’s protégé, Jonathan Biss. The evening includes surprise guests who will share their birthday greetings with the master, and a Q&A with Washington Post chief classical music critic Anne Midgette. The program features selections by Bach, Kirchner, Schubert, Ravel, and Dvořák.
Tickets: $65
Chocolate Festival
Saturday, Feb. 9, and Sunday, Feb. 10; 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian holds its annual Chocolate Festival in February. From the blossoms of the cacao tree which grows in Mesoamerica, the Maya culture developed chocolate. This program will introduce visitors to indigenous symbols and images representing cacao throughout pre-Columbian history and invite participants to make an art-inspired piece. Participants will enjoy the music of Guatemalan Marimba with Marimba AWAL and join Grupo Los Tecuanes (Mixtec) as they share the process of turning cacao into chocolate. Executive Chef, Mitsitam Native Foods Café, Freddie Bitsoie (Diné), will demonstrate various recipes inspired by chocolate. Limited tastings will be available during the demonstrations. Families and children can participate in different activities in the imagiNATIONS Activity Center, including make-and-take a cacao pendant using the Mayan glyph for cacao (chocolate).
The UK’s only strictly orthodox Jewish stand-up comedian Ashley Blaker will be taking his hilarious new show ASHLEY BLAKER: STRICTLY UNORTHODOX (the first-ever stand-up show about life as a charedi / strictly orthodox Jew)across the United States this winter, with a stop in Washington, DC on February 10, at Sixth & I, 600 I St NW.
Ashley Blaker is quite possibly the most successful stand-up comedian you’ve never heard of. He is an internationally acclaimed comedian who, with his black suit, white shirt, beard, large skullcap and sidelocks is the only strictly orthodox stand-up in the UK. In STRICTLY UNORTHODOX, he’ll hilariously take on why Jewish holidays are so different to everyone else’s, how orthodox Jews manage in the workplace when they cannot shake hands with people of the opposite sex and why Jews around the world are just downright obsessed with sushi. His routine on bad driving and awful parking has audiences uproarious with laughter.
Mr. Blaker is fresh off the heels of having performed a five-week, 35 performance Off-Broadway run that was raved about by The New York Times, New York Post and Fox News. He has previously performed two sell-out tours of the UK (Ungefiltered and Meshuga Frum)to great acclaim and toured his comedy across Israel, South Africa and Canada as well. When he started performing in the USA, it was in a sold-out run at New York’s Gramercy Theatre. He has also performed a sold-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Previous to starting stand-up, he was a producer and writer for TVand radio and is most famous for unleashing Little Britain on the UK masses. He has also worked with Matt Lucas on And The Winner Is (BBC Radio 2), The Matt Lucas Awards (BBC One), Rock Profile and Pompidou (BBC 2). Black Hat Productions (Ashley’s production company) is currently making several new series for BBC Radio 4. He attended high school with Matt Lucas and Sacha Baron Cohen and has worked alongside some of the biggest names in British comedy such as John Oliver, James Corden, Russell Brand, Graham Norton, Michael McIntyre and many more. His debut solo radio show Ashley Blaker’s Goyish Guide to Judaism aired in May 2018 on BBC Radio 4. He will soon be touring Australia.
Whether secular or religious, you don’t want to miss Ashley’s hysterical take on what it means to be STRICTLY UNORTHODOX.
Tickets are$30 and can be purchased online at https://www.sixthandi.org/event/ashley-blaker/
NEA Jazz Master Archie Shepp’s All-Star Tribute to John Coltrane featuring Jason Moran
In this momentous concert, Shepp celebrates the boundless impact and talent of his friend and mentor. He’s joined by pianist and Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz Jason Moran and other contemporary greats, including Amir ElSaffar, Darryl Hall, and Nasheet Waits
Tickets: $20–59
Henri Samuel: Master of the French Interior
Tuesday, February 12, 2019, 5:30-8 p.m.
Acclaimed design historian Emily Evans Eerdmans will discuss the groundbreaking and inspiring interiors of Henri Samuel, one of the most important French interior designers of the twentieth century, tracing his designs from the 1920s to the 1980s.
Please note: This is the first program in the Great Homes and Gardens lecture series.
4155 Linnean Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008
Exposed DC Photography Show – 13th Annual Exhibition
– Featuring 43 images of the Washington metro area
– Opening reception: Wednesday, February 13 from 6 to 10 p.m.
– Exhibit hosted by Touchstone Gallery, 901 New York Avenue NW
– Exhibition magazine available for purchase, featuring all the winners
– Best in Show awards chosen by a panel of distinguished local photographers
– Advance tickets: $20. Door tickets: $25
– Discount for government employees impacted by the shutdown
– #exposeddc
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Exposed DC is excited to announce its 13th annual Exposed DC Photography Show, February 13 through February 24, 2019. The exhibit will be hosted by Touchstone Gallery, with support from the Touchstone Foundation for the Arts.
These 43 winning photographs were chosen from a contest for their unique view of the Washington area as more than just a tourist destination and political arena. They showcase and celebrate the experience of the people who live, love, work, and play here. Five photographs will be awarded our Best in Show award along with a $100 cash prize. Each award will be chosen by a panel of distinguished metro-area photographers: John Christopher Anderson, Sam Hurd, Darren Smith, Lauren Stockbower, and Jennifer Sakai.
The opening reception will be held Wednesday, February 13 from 6-10 p.m. Complimentary wine, beer, and snacks will be provided. A full color 13th annual exhibition magazine with all 43 winning photos will be available for purchase. Custom framing for the show is provided by Apex Moulding and Framing.
Advance tickets for the opening are on sale now for $20; door tickets will be $25. Government employees: We know the record-long shutdown continues to affect you. Use the promo code “furlough” and show a valid federal government ID at the door for a 50% discount.
Exhibit hours:
Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday through Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m.
Closing day: Sunday, February 24
All photographs displayed will be for sale.
