Stephen Silver
Here are some highlights of artistic events coming up in the District and nearby throughout the spring:
February 27-April 5
The Arena Stage theater presents a spring production of Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee’s “Inherit the Wind,” which tells the real-life story of the Scopes Monkey Trial.
March 1
Theater J and Woolly Mammoth Theater Company will present the world premiere of the play “The World to Come,” by Ali Viterbi. Set entirely within the SeaBreeze Hebrew Home for the Aging, the show will run throughout February before closing on March 1.
March 1
Edlavitch DCJCC presents an evening with Rabbi Elliott Cosgrove of Park Avenue Synagogue, as part of the Capital J Salon series. Rabbi Cosgrove will host “a deep discussion on the state of American Judaism.”
March 4
The Capital J MainStage will present a talk with journalist David Wallace-Wells of The New York Times, in what is described as “a fascinating discussion about being at the nexus of environmentalism and Jewish identity in this moment.”
March 6
Beginning on March 6, the Capital Jewish Museum will host an exhibition on “Blacklisted: An American Story,” which looks at the Hollywood blacklist and other aspects of the Red Scare. The exhibition originated at the Jewish Museum Milwaukee.
March 8
The annual Israeli Dance Festival DC will take place on a Sunday at 3:30 at Berman Hebrew Academy in Rockville. It will feature performances from Avirah, Gesher, Hora Arayot, Keff, Kesem, Lehavot and others.
March 14
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the 1986 film “Stand By Me,” directed by the late Jewish filmmaker Rob Reiner, the film will be shown at the Music Center at the Strathmore, with appearances by the film’s actors, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell and Wil Wheaton.
March 19
Bestselling author Erik Larson will appear in conversation with Clint Smith at Sixth & I. They will discuss Larson’s new book, “The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War.”
March 21
Jazz performer Emmet Cohen comes to the Music Center to perform his musical tribute to the centennials of the births of both Miles Davis and John Coltrane. He will be joined by saxophonist Tivon Pennicott and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt.
March 25
Author Rebecca Solnit appears at Sixth & I to discuss her new book, “The Beginning Comes After the End: Notes on a World of Change,” with Bina Venkataraman.
April 7
The great Jewish entertainer Mandy Patinkin will appear for a concert called “Jukebox,” where he’ll be joined by piano player Adam Ben-David. The concert will include “Mandy’s own handpicked collection of classic musical numbers, expressed as only he can through a unique mastery of word and song.”
April 14
The Capital J MainStage will host a discussion with “People Love Dead Jews” author Dara Horn and former Michelle Obama speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz. The two will participate in “a wide-ranging conversation on what it means to be Jewish in America today.”
On the same day, a Capital J Salon will take place, with Gabby Deutch and Stephanie Butnick. The two will discuss how “Jewish identity is being redefined by a generation seeking new rituals and ways of building connection, followed by a curated pop-up market of local makers reimagining Judaica.”
April 23
The next Capital J Salon will feature two Congressional chiefs of staff – Lilah Pomerance, chief of staff for US Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), and Yuri Beckelman, chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost (FL-10) — as they discuss “their experiences as Jewish public servants and what it means to be in the center of policymaking in DC in this moment.”
Stephen Silver is a freelance writer.
