Honey Brown Eyes, by Stefanie Zadravec, is set in Bosnia in 1992. The title comes from a Serbian new-wave song. Says Zadravec, a former Washingtonian: “The sound reminded me of DC’s new-wave and punk music scene in the ’80s, when there was something magical about feeling on the brink of something big, which I wanted as a backdrop to war’s tragedy. The two soldiers in the story used to be in a band together in the ’80s. By 1992, the bandmates find themselves on opposite sides of the Bosnian/Serbian war.” Closes November 30; postshow discussions Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons. For tickets ($30 to $55, half price for ages 25 and under), call 800-494-8497 or visit theaterj.org. 1529 16th St., NW; 202-777-3210.
Synetic Theater at Rosslyn Spectrum Theater
Host and Guest, a Georgian epic poem that has been turned into a play, concentrates on two men from different religious communities whose friendship transcends religion and politics. It closes November 9. For tickets ($15 to $40), call 800-494-8497 or visit synetictheater.org. 1611 N. Kent St., Arlington.
Next to Normal is about how a seemingly ordinary family copes with the mental illness of one of its own. A New York Times review of the off-Broadway production said the play was “steeped in an inescapable, aching compassion for people crippled by pain.” Alice Ripley heads the cast; Tom Kitt wrote the music, Brian Yorkey the book and lyrics. November 21 through January 18. For tickets ($57 to $76), call 202-488-3300 or visit arenastage.org. 1800 S. Bell St., Arlington.Shakespeare Theatre Company Lansburgh Theatre
The Way of the World by William Congreve, satirizes sex and money in London society around 1700, particularly the rites of marriage, a complicated business based on one’s standing in society, dowries, and inheritance rather than love. Veanne Cox and Christopher Innvar head the cast; Michael Kahn directs. Closes November 16. For tickets ($23.50 to $79.75), call 202-547-1122 or visit shakespearetheatre.org. 450 Seventh St., NW.
Folger Theatre
Henry IV, Part One, with Delaney Williams as Falstaff, closes November 16. For tickets ($25 to $55), call 202-544-7077 or visit folger.edu/theatre. 201 E. Capitol St., SE.
The musical Grey Gardens is a tragic but true story: Two eccentric women born to wealth and status—relatives of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis—share a tumbling-down mansion with dozens of cats. November 12 through December 21; tickets are $49 to $69. A Beautiful View, the story of two women’s friendship over 30 years, written and directed by Daniel MacIvor, closes December 2. For tickets ($30), call 202-332-3300 or visit studiotheatre.org. 1501 14th St., NW.
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Boom, Peter Sinn Nachtrieb’s science-fiction fantasy about mankind’s fate, has all the earmarks of a Woolly night: marine-biology graduate student studying the sleep cycles of fish meets journalism major in an underground lab. Aubrey Deeker, Kimberly Gilbert, and Sarah Marshall head the cast. November 3 through 30. For tickets ($26 to $60), call 202-393-3939 or visit woollymammoth.net. 641 D St., NW.
Signature Theatre
The Lieutenant of Inishmore by Irish playwright Martin McDonagh combines black humor, dry wit, and a touch of empathy for a murderer who grieves his dead cat. Closes November 16. For tickets ($44 to $71), call Ticketmaster at 703-573-7328 or visit signature-theatre.org. 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington; 703-820-9771.
