Weekend Round Up May 24, 2018
By • May 24, 2018 0 700
Memorial Day weekend observances include the annual concert on the Capitol’s West Lawn on Sunday and the Arlington National Cemetery wreath-laying, followed by the National Memorial Day parade down Constitution Avenue, on Monday. Worth catching: an all-female “Rite of Spring,” a play about a Chicago rock club, “Giselle” at Wolf Trap and — appropriate for the holiday — a one-man show based on a World War I veteran’s diary. For more upcoming events, visit The Georgetowner’s online calendar.
Pointless Theatre: ‘Rite of Spring’
Pointless Theatre presents an original adaptation of Igor Stravinsky’s revolutionary 1913 ballet — with an all-female cast — at Dance Loft on 14, 4618 14th St. NW. This wordless piece fuses puppetry, dance and pantomime to depict a future world where few humans are left, trying to survive with minimal resources. Performances are: Thursday, May 24, and Friday, May 25, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, May 26, at 3 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, May 27, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30. For details, visit pointlesstheatre.com or call 202-733-6321.
‘The Undeniable Sound of Right Now’
In this show by Laura Eason at Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church St. NW, Hank is struggling to keep his legendary Chicago rock club going in 1992 amid changing times and changing tastes. But when his beloved daughter, Lena, starts dating a rising-star DJ, Hank must contend with the destructive power of the Next Big Thing. Performances are: Thursday, May 24; Friday, May 25; and Saturday, May 27, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, May 27, at 3 p.m. Tickets are $35, $40 and $45. For details, visit keegantheatre.com or call 202-265-3767.
The Washington Ballet: ‘Giselle’
On Friday, May 25, at 8 p.m., the Washington Ballet will perform this beloved Romantic ballet, in which love, betrayal and forgiveness are paired with coveted virtuoso roles, at Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap Road in Vienna, Virginia. Tickets are $25 to $75. For details, visit wolftrap.org or call 703-255-1900.
Georgetown Trees Walking Tour
Dwane Starlin, a member of the Guild of Professional Tour Guides, and Topher Matthews of the Georgetown Metropolitan will lead a scenic stroll through Georgetown, one of the truly green and well-shaded neighborhoods in “The City of Trees,” on Saturday, May 26, at noon. Tickets are $20. Participants should meet at the corner of Q and 27th Streets, by the east garden gates of Dumbarton House. For details, visit dumbartonhouse.org or call 202-337-2288.
Marvel-Themed Little Free Library Dedication
Also on Saturday, May 26, at 11 a.m., Upshur Recreation Center, 4300 Arkansas Ave. NW, will dedicate a “Marvel Avengers: Infinity War”-themed Little Free Library, one of nine specially-themed libraries around the country, at a free festive reading. The library will be stocked with books for two years, courtesy of Disney Publishing Worldwide and the nonprofit social enterprise FirstBook. For details, visit eventbrite.com.
‘The Soldier’s Journey’
Free with RSVP, this powerful one-man show — presented at the Library of Congress, 101 Independence Ave. SE, on Saturday, May 26, at 2 p.m. — follows the journey of World War I soldier Irving Greenwald from training to the trenches and home again to his beloved wife and daughter. It draws directly on Greenwald’s diary, held in the collections of the Veterans History Project and currently on display in the exhibition “Echoes of the Great War: American Experiences of World War I.” For details, visit loc.gov or call 202-707-5000.
Music, Poetry and Dance of Rabindranath Tagore
The Gandhi Memorial Center will present “Wandering in Wonder,” a free program of music, poetry and dance written or inspired by Nobel Prize-winning poet and composer Rabindranath Tagore, on Saturday, May 26, at 5 p.m. at Golden Lotus Temple, 4748 Western Ave. NW in Bethesda, Maryland. For details, visit gandhimemorialcenter.org.
Imani-Grace Cooper at Sotto
Jazz vocalist Imani-Grace Cooper will perform at Sotto, 1610 14th St. NW, on Saturday, May 26, at 8 p.m. As a solo artist and an ensemble singer, Cooper has shared bandstands with Dianne Reeves, Esperanza Spalding, Terri Lyne Carrington, the late George Duke and Al Jarreau. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. For details, visit eventbrite.com.
Rolling Thunder XXXI
On Sunday, May 27, Rolling Thunder XXXI — bringing awareness of and accountability for POWs and MIAs left behind during the Vietnam War — will open with reveille at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at 6 a.m. The Rolling Thunder First Amendment Demonstration Run will begin at noon, when bikers leave the North Pentagon parking lot to head for the National Mall, then to West Potomac Park. There will be a program at the Lincoln Memorial at 1:30 p.m. For details, visit rollingthunderrun.com.
National Memorial Day Concert
On Sunday, May 27, at 8 p.m., the National Symphony Orchestra will give a free Memorial Day concert — also featuring several armed forces ensembles — hosted by “Criminal Minds” star Joe Mantegna and Emmy winner Gary Sinise. Special guests will include Gen. Colin L. Powell, Charles Esten, Allison Janney, Leona Lewis, Graham Greene, John Corbett, Mary McCormack, Brian Tee, Cynthia Erivo, Megan Hilty and Alfie Boe. The concert, on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, E. Capitol Street and First Street NW, is free. A free rehearsal will take place at the same location on Saturday, May 26, at 8 p.m. For details, visit kennedy-center.org.
National Memorial Day Observance
The U.S. Army Military District of Washington will conduct a Presidential Armed Forces Full Honor Wreath-Laying Ceremony on Monday, May 28, at 11 a.m. at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, to be followed by an observance program hosted by the Department of Defense in the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery, State Highway 110 and Memorial Drive in Arlington, Virginia. For details, visit arlingtoncemetery.mil or call 877-907-8585.
National Memorial Day Parade
The National Memorial Day Parade will step off on Monday, May 28, at 2 p.m., proceeding along Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th Streets NW. Marking its fourteenth year, the parade is the nation’s largest Memorial Day event, drawing hundreds of thousands of spectators to the National Mall to pay tribute to those who have served, who are serving and who have made the ultimate sacrifice. For details, visit americanveteranscenter.org.
