Notes from the Producer: "Lonely Planet"
You often hear theatre patrons (and producers!) say that a production is everything theatre should be. It is entertaining, yet has an emotional core so that you leave feeling like you have experienced something that has entertained yet enriched. It has taken you out of your immediate life experience and allowed you for an hour or two to view a collection of characters with a story to tell — a story separate from your own but with a universality that leaves you with insight and a sensitivity to life’s greatest challenges. MetroStage strives to offer this experience in all its many genres to its patrons each and every time.
Talk of the Town: If It’s Not One Thing, It’s Your Mother
Happy Mother’s Day!
While the Wanderer’s attitude towards most events and holidays is somewhat nonchalant at best, leaning a bit toward cynical at worst, this is not his approach to the day devoted to his dear Mum.
Fine Arts for May 3
May 3 to June 3 The Biennial Ikebana Show and Tea Ceramics Exhibit. Reception is May 31, 6-8 p.m. Some 200 ceramic artists from all corners of the United States and Canada turned out to submit various wares associated with the ritual of drinking, serving, and presenting tea. Juror John Neely, ceramic artist and current Professor of Art in Ceramics and Assistant Department Head at Utah State University in Logan, UT, selected 47 pieces created by 33 artists from 19 states and Canada. At The Art League, 105 North Union Street, Studio 21, in the Torpedo Factory Art Center, Alexandria. Visit www.theartleague.org or call 703-683-1780.
Mount Vernon’s Spring Wine Festival & Sunset Tour
Mount Vernon’s Wine Festival & Sunset Tour celebrates the history of wine in Virginia with exclusive evening tours of the Mansion and cellar, appearances by “George and Martha Washington,” and live jazz on the east lawn overlooking the Potomac River. Visitors can bring a blanket and relax on the lawn as they sample wines from 16 Virginia wineries on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 18, 19, and 20, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Individual tickets are $35 per person.
2012 Del Ray House and Garden Tour
The 2012 Del Ray House and Garden Tour is pleased to announce the 12 homes that will be featured on the May 19 tour:
Old Town Boutique District Hosts 2nd Annual ‘Boutiques Give Back’ Charity Day
The Old Town Boutique District announces its Second Annual Boutiques Give Back Charity Day — a community-focused Spring event taking place on Saturday, May 19. This creative, small business driven event is staged to be the largest charity collaboration in the D.C. Metro area.
Calendar for May 3
E-mail announcements to the Gazette, gazette@connectionnewspapers.com. Photos and artwork are encouraged. Deadline is Thursday at noon for the following week's paper. Call Steve Hibbard at 703-778-9412 with questions.
'Witness for the Prosecution' Opens at LTA
It's 1954 and Leonard Vole stands accused of the murder of a rich elderly woman whom he befriended. His wife's testimony could save him until she suddenly becomes a “Witness for the Prosecution” in the Agatha Christie thriller now playing at The Little Theatre of Alexandria.
Calendar for April 25
E-mail announcements to the Gazette, gazette@connectionnewspapers.com. Photos and artwork are encouraged. Deadline is Thursday at noon for the following week's paper. Call Steve Hibbard at 703-778-9412 with questions.
'God of Carnage' at Signature Theatre
It begins innocently enough: Two New York couples oozing affected politeness meet to discuss a playground scuffle between their sons. Painstakingly attentive to social niceties, they hope to talk things over in a calm, mature and rational way.
And Then there Was One
'Someone Who'll Watch Over Me' opens at Port City Playhouse.
It's been more than a quarter of a century since Irishman Brian Keenan, Englishman John McCarthy and American Terry Anderson were taken hostage in Beirut and held in a series of desolate cells throughout the city. Keenan was released after more than four years in captivity and went on to pen “An Evil Cradling,” a chilling account of his experience.
Gunston Hall Museum Director Ousted by Regents After Year of Controversy
David Reese is out; Mark Whatford to serve as acting director.
After surviving more than a year of calls for his resignation, Gunston Hall museum director has been removed as head of the historic house site.
Calendar for April 19
E-mail announcements to the Gazette, gazette@connectionnewspapers.com. Photos and artwork are encouraged. Deadline is Thursday at noon for the following week's paper. Call Steve Hibbard at 703-778-9412 with questions.
Hollin Hills Hosts 2012 House & Garden Tour
Hollin Hills, the mid-century modern neighborhood in Alexandria, hosts its next House & Garden Tour on Saturday, April 28, from noon to 6 p.m.
“Be Careful! The Sharks Will Eat You”
A riveting saga of survival at MetroStage.
He was just 4 years old when his father hurriedly whisked him away one dark, moonless night into the unknown. For Jay Alvarez, the journey was profound and one he shares in a riveting performance of “Be Careful! The Sharks Will Eat You,” a one-man show written and performed by Alvarez chronicling his family's flight from Fidel Castro's Cuba in 1964.